Has a Brompton replaced your main bike?

[mustang1]

Did you buy a brompton with the intention of using it infrequently, but it ended up being your main bike?

Do you use it for one-way rides such as London to Brighton, duwich dynamo etc then take the train back without beingnhassled by the train staff?

Just wondered what some of your experiences were and if you were buying again, what would you specify differently. I was toying/fantasizing about getting one and thought I'd only ever get a 1 or 2 speed model and use it infrequently. Bit after checking a few sites, it seems many people use them as their main ride, supplanting their main bikes.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Yes .... well mostly.
I bought mine to travel with, mostly business trips where I have a flight case for it. But I found that I use it as often as possible! I did the L2B on it recently, most of our mellow club runs, my first cycle-camping trip for 30 years or so, nipping to the shops, cycling to work when in the office, riding to London from Abingdon (day and night rides), train and coach trips to London .... and slinging it in the back of the car just in case :-)
If the garage was on fire the S6L would be the first bike I'd rescue.
Now I want a 2 speed titanium lightweight.

It's a hoot to ride, have done 87 miles as a max run so far without issue, it rides well if properly loaded and is surprisingly swift. For fast rides or long distance stuff I take other bikes, but the Brompton does so much so well.
My bike choosing decision tree (I have 8) usually starts with .... can I do it on the Brommie?

 

[GrumpyGregry]

No. Am on my third B and none of them have supplanted my main bike. Largely because my main bike is a group of about four or five bikes.

Yes, and I use the train to go places, like west Wales, and then use the B for fun and jolly japes once I'm there. (I have cycled there, and to mid-Wales, on a B)

I bought a ss one and ordered a load of upgrades for me to fit at the same time.

My bike choosing decision tree (I have, ahem, several more than that @Fab Foodie ) usually starts with .... might it involve a replacement bus service?

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Sort of. I have journeys where I need more luggage capacity and my Ute bike is picked, conversely I have multi modal journeys where the Brompton is the default choice.

These are pretty much the only bikes I ride now out of my stable, they cover all of my needs.

When it doesn't matter which I choose and more often than not I pick the Brompton.

 

[cisamcgu]

Without a doubt.

 

[PaulM]

No, I tried it but not comfortable enough and too worried about it being a thief magnet. It's my least used bike. Perhaps time to sell.

 

[annedonnelly]

I'm using mine for what I bought it for - a commute including a train ride. I can take my hybrid on the train if I wish but the Brompton is first choice for all train travel. I'll also use it for any trip where it's convenient to take it indoors at the other end, e.g. the hairdressers or visiting a friend. A trip that might involve a bus has to be the Brompton.

If I want a "proper ride" I use the hybrid. If I have to lock the bike up somewhere for a while I'd take the hybrid.

I spent time deciding what spec I wanted - including a day's hire - and I'm happy with what I chose. I've certainly had my money's worth over the last two years & 4000 miles.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Yep, my Brommie has....I'm travelling much more than I used to and it comes with me most places. It's just as comfortable as my road bike, albeit a tad slower. Mind you, I'm a tad slower these days anyway.

We are renting a flat in Oxford at the mo, and it's the only bike that the landlord will permit inside. So there's another reason for having it with me.

I recently did a hilly 40 mile ride in the Yorkshire Dales with it. It goes everywhere that my road bike can. I'm planning a couple of tours next year with it (The Way of the Roses and later in the summer, The North Sea Coast path from Hoek to Esbjerg)

You gonna come and ride with us one Sunday morning?

 

[RMurphy195]

Purchased my Brommie P6R to take out with the car. It didn't replace my main bike, it did get me riding more often on both it and the main bike! They are chalk and cheese, the Brommie is great for what I bought it for and a few other things besides, but I enjoy rolling around on the tourer.

It became worth its weight in gold earlier this year, however, when my main bike was totalled in a crash, and I couldn't use my left leg much for a while. The Brommie was worth its weight in gold getting me back in the saddle, bit by bit, and getting my leg working again. I could drop the saddle real low and step through the frame to get on and off without stressing my rather stiff hip so much, and pedalled around a few quiet lanes (with tea shops!) in its lowest gear. Priceless.

For that reason I'm as attached to it now as I was to the destroyed Galaxy (which has now morphed into a Condor!)