Help my with Brompton options

[annedonnelly]

Right, I've decided that I'd like a Brompton. The plan is that I'll be able to cycle to the station to get the train to work - I'm fed up with the bus after only a couple of weeks!

The station is about 5 miles away and it's a route I'm perfectly happy with so it seems a reasonable commute.

So I need to think about options for a Brompton:

Gears - I'm thinking 6 speed - there's a hill to climb - not massive but it can be a struggle against a head wind. And it should then be versatile enough to go just about anywhere.
Handlebar - ? - I don't know what difference this might make. Perhaps it'll be obvious after I've tried a couple.
Mudguards - definitely.
Luggage - I'll need some way to carry a bag. Will the panniers I've already got fit a Brompton rack? If not, do I have to have Brompton-specific bags? I think I prefer rear panniers to a front bag.
Lights - can I fit any lights or do I have to have Brompton ones? Does fitting lights interfere with the fold? I'd prefer a couple of lights front & rear.

Any thing else to consider? I think I can probably manage to pick the colour myself

Thanks!!

 

[Poacher]

Right, I've decided that I'd like a Brompton. The plan is that I'll be able to cycle to the station to get the train to work - I'm fed up with the bus after only a couple of weeks!

The station is about 5 miles away and it's a route I'm perfectly happy with so it seems a reasonable commute.

So I need to think about options for a Brompton:

Gears - I'm thinking 6 speed - there's a hill to climb - not massive but it can be a struggle against a head wind. And it should then be versatile enough to go just about anywhere.
I'd certainly agree. Some rail against the need to coordinate simultaneous right hand and left hand shifts, but it quickly becomes second nature. You may also want to consider OEM 8 speed options as detailed elsewhere in this forum.
Handlebar - ? - I don't know what difference this might make. Perhaps it'll be obvious after I've tried a couple.
Yes, you need to try them out! Bear in mind that the Brompton bars are at a fixed height - it's not like a road bike where the height will vary with the frame size, so if you're tall you'll need to bend significantly lower than somebody short - this may rule out S type bars, which also limit your choice of front luggage.
Mudguards - definitely.
Luggage - I'll need some way to carry a bag. Will the panniers I've already got fit a Brompton rack? If not, do I have to have Brompton-specific bags? I think I prefer rear panniers to a front bag.
I doubt your existing panniers will fit a Brompton rack, but check with your bike shop. I have a rack for occasional extra carrying capacity, and so the bike is more stable on 4 eazy-wheels when folded (handy for supermarkets etc.!), but I use a front touring pannier. The very experienced staff in the shop advised me that a Brommie handles better with front luggage than rear, and they were right! As mentioned above, some luggage is incompatible with S bars. Rear luggage can be inconvenient, to put it mildly, when you want to fold the bike, while a front pannier causes no such problem and even serves as a towing handle!
Lights - can I fit any lights or do I have to have Brompton ones? Does fitting lights interfere with the fold? I'd prefer a couple of lights front & rear.
You can certainly fit your own, but need to consider where to mount them so they don't interfere with the fold. When I bought mine, the Schmidt dynamo hub option wasn't anything like as expensive as it is now; I've augmented it with a Smart superflash on the extended seat post, and a Tesco 3w torch can be mounted on the handlebars, but I need to remember to remove it before folding!
Any thing else to consider? I think I can probably manage to pick the colour myself
Some colours are a free option - others add considerably to the cost. The free options seem to be different each year. When my wife bought hers, her insistence on cobalt blue added £60 - if she was buying the same now it would cost her me nowt. Removing the rear wheel is a proverbial pain, so choose your tyres for robust characteristics (hint: Schwalbe Marathon).
Enjoy your bike!
Thanks!!

 

[Pale Rider]

Go for the lowered gearing - smaller front chainring.

Top gear will still be plenty high enough, it's all but impossible to spin out on a Brommie.

A bag on the front improves the twitchy steering, but depending on size, adds a bit to wind resistance.

I would still advise speccing the rear carrier, the bike sits folded or parked much better with one fitted even if you rarely use it to carry stuff.

 

[annedonnelly]

Thanks Poacher and Pale Rider. I'm hoping to pop into a shop soon so I can get to try one out.

Charging extra for certain colours is almost certainly a con. I know for years you were charged extra if you wanted a car painted black - and it's the cheapest colour paint to manufacture! I'll probably end up going for a cheaper colour

 

[CopperBrompton]

I'd strongly disagree with Pale Rider on the lowered gearing if you're going for the 6-speed - bottom gear is plenty low enough and it's nice to have more top-end downhill.

Lights - I'd definitely suggest lights you can leave in place for the fold: anything else rapidly becomes a pain in the posterior. Just ask your bike shop for advice and try them. A cheap but decent headlight which fits the bill is a Cree T6 that you can get on ebay for not-a-lot, but the separate battery-pack is a bit of a pain and the bag is poorly-made.

Luggage - the front mounting system is superb, and because it's not on the bars doesn't affect the steering. I have the C-Bag, which is brilliant. There are lots of options that use the Brompton luggage block.

Bars - you have to take a test-ride.

 

[srw]

My usual response to this is:
3 speed is fine
Front luggage is one of the many real strengths of the Brompton system
Hub dynamo lights are the best (and in the long run probably most economical) way to light up a Brompton
Handlebars - the basic bars (I can't remember the name, but not the butterflies or the low ones) are fine for most people
I also then say - fit Marathon plus tyres.

I don't know your hill (and google doesn't give a clue), but if it's less than about 7% I'd still say stick with the 3 speed.

 

[dellzeqq]

I'm with srw on the Marathon Plus tyres. Kojaks are so rubbish I'm thinking of banning them from the FNRttC.
The straight handlebars (S-types) are fine, and they mean that you're not dependent on the expensive Brompton bag (although it is a very good bag).
The rack is very strong, and great for shopping.
I'm always glad of the six speed.
The Brompton lights are over-priced - I have ordinary Electron and 7dayshop lights on the seatpost right underneath the saddle and on the handlebars.

 

[Bromptonaut]

I'd pretty much endorse Trikeman's suggestions.

Unless cost or carrying folded are a big consideration it's difficult to see a case for preferring three speeds to six. The double changes are not intuitive but the sequence is easily learned. Marathon tyres win for me too, one puncture in 4 years on my M6R. You'll need a test ride to decide bars. The S type were originally predicated on a more 'sporty' riding position but have also found favour with shorter women.

The Brompton luggage is ideal as it's easy on/off and having lost the Achille's heel of zips pretty robust too.

If you're stowing it on a train, particularly between seat backs, then rack+easy wheels make manoeuvring much easier.

Lighting wise the battery stuff specced for the bike is fine for city riding, the headlight can be rotated to vertical so as not to interfere with the fold. Away from street lights yoo'll need more lumens though. I substitute a mid range Cateye in these circs.

 

[CopperBrompton]

Oh yes, Marathon Plus tyres for sure. Removing the rear wheel requires joint honours degrees in mechanical engineering and n-dimensional physics, so you want as bomb-proof as you can get.

 

[annedonnelly]

Thanks everyone. I run Marathon Plus on my hybrid so that's a no-brainer for the Brompton. I popped in to a local dealer yesterday for a chat and I've arranged a test hire at the weekend. The hire bike is a six speed so I'll have a chance to try that out on my route. It's got the M bars which seem to be the standard version. At 5'5" I don't consider myself short so perhaps the S bars won't be for me.

Hopefully I'll have fun at the weekend trying it out!

 

[GrumpyGregry]

I'm with srw on the Marathon Plus tyres. Kojaks are so rubbish I'm thinking of banning them from the FNRttC.
The straight handlebars (S-types) are fine, and they mean that you're not dependent on the expensive Brompton bag (although it is a very good bag).
The rack is very strong, and great for shopping.
I'm always glad of the six speed.
The Brompton lights are over-priced - I have ordinary Electron and 7dayshop lights on the seatpost right underneath the saddle and on the handlebars.

Kojak's are fine. You just have to keep them pumped up hard.

 

[dellzeqq]

Kojak's are fine. You just have to keep them pumped up hard.

ha! When you see an inner tube with twenty patches on it.............

I would try a Dahon before going for the Brompton. The Brompton is not so well made that it justifies the price - I bought mine because it's a must-have brand, but if you're a bit more grown-up than that the price difference to a Dahon is worth checking out.

And do try carrying it. AgentHilda doesn't carry hers (although, as she points out, carrying two is easier than carrying one, because I am balanced). They are heavy. If you're counting on running up stairs with one it might be an idea to check.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

ha! When you see an inner tube with twenty patches on it.............

I defy any patch, applied in haste at the roadside, to be airtight at the pressure required for Kojaks to do their stuff long term Patching is a get you home fix. Twenty patches is a symptom of some form of pathology surely....

and, besides all you London types are addicted to riding your Brommies in the gutter so you can undertake everyone and everything.

 

[annedonnelly]

And do try carrying it. AgentHilda doesn't carry hers (although, as she points out, carrying two is easier than carrying one, because I am balanced). They are heavy. If you're counting on running up stairs with one it might be an idea to check.

I don't run up stairs at any time! Though I do usually choose to walk up rather than take the lift

Our local station is set out so I can almost ride onto the platform so it should just be a case of folding it to lift onto the train. At the other end I visualise unfolding it to push the bike through the station. So I'm hoping there's not going to be much carrying at all.

I will take a look at the Dahon though, since you suggest it...

 

[CopperBrompton]

Dahon isn't in the same league. The fold is rubbish, both in terms of the mechanism and most especially the folded size. By all means look at one, but when you've tested both folds and test-ridden both bikes, I don't think the outcome is likely to be in any doubt. :-)