a.twiddler
Veteran
I can give the OP the benefit of my own experience. For some time I was a Brompton sceptic -over rated, over priced, a Metropolitan fad, better value elsewhere, etc, etc.
Last year I read a lot about Bromptons. The Viking Safari I had catered for all my folding bike needs, and I certainly enjoyed riding it when the need arose. I kept thinking what if… I got a bus pass...Veterans’ rail pass ...and took a truly small folding bike with me as luggage? Also I was curious about all the Brompton hype. Only how much could I justify paying?
Since I don’t live in the teeming metrollops or indeed, have the misfortune to live in any large city, there wasn't a source of used Bromptons on tap. That left the usual suspects of ebay, gumtree or lesser advertising sites or even cycle forum for sale boards. I came across some obviously rather dubious sellers as well as some who knew very well what their item could fetch.
I soon realized that unless you found a seller on your doorstep you would either a) have to be prepared to trek to some far flung outpost of empire in the hope of being the solitary bidder or b) find a seller who did post or courier in which case you would have to do battle with legions of other bidders. As for Buy It Now you could still buy a B75, among others, new for less than several sellers were hoping to sell theirs for. A bargain Brompton is a really good definition of an oxymoron. They really do sell very well, and the competition can be fierce.
After a few days of looking at this alternative reality I had to take a break and went for a nice bike ride. I pondered whether I wanted to continue with this. After all I had a perfectly good 20” wheel folder which fitted in the car and met my folding bike needs as well as riding very well. It just lacked that nth degree of luggage rack compactness for an impromptu, unbooked train journey for example. After years of travelling miles to work, then many more years of living close to work, and now being retired and allegedly free to do what I want, I had a taste of leisure related train travel that summer which started off the “what if”s.
Initially I was looking for a used M6L or similar, but for that price you could go for a new B75. That was tempting in itself, new bike, nice aquamarine paint scheme, but still got to go for the guards and rack at least. I decided to limit myself to an M3R/L. Even a old T5 would seem to go for as much as as a new B75, and I’d had a question mark over the finicky adjustment of the old Sturmey 5 speeders from previous experience.
I gave it a bit of time and saw several auctions go for out of range amounts but a couple where they were more achievable.
After looking at auctions with postage, and being irritated at better deals with collection only in distant parts of the country I communicated with some sellers and narrowed down possible deals. One 3 speeder looked promising, but I was surprised to find how old it was, and due to an enthusiastic owner and a nice colour scheme it went for a surprising amount after 56 bids when I didn’t follow it up. Another couple of 3 speeders went for unfeasible amounts which also weren’t so new.
I was beginning to think that unless a relative left me one or I stumbled accross an affordable one that had been lying neglected for years in someone's dry barn I wasn't going to find one.
Finally I came across an almost -local white 3 speeder with rack, mudguards, luggage block and hub dynamo with LED lights where the bids had remained low for several days. It could have been better advertised as I had to contact the seller for even basic information. Surprisingly I won it.
Had I lost my mind? All those years of bargaining and trying to get the best deals in other spheres and now in this bizarre new context this does seem to be a good deal, though it would take a while to convince myself. In the end, it is what it is.
So I bought M3R in plain white. It had a few minor jobs needing to be done, and I had to change the gearing to suit me, but it has proved to be a good sound bike.
Do I regret spending about £500 on a used Brompton? On the face of it, it's a bike made of not particularly lightweight steel with an old fashioned gearing system, looks very weird and doesn't look as if it will work very well.
In reality, it rides very well, folds brilliantly, and is lots of fun to ride. You can literally take it anywhere when folded and I have found the front bag system to be excellent, and unlike some luggage systems on bikes, actually improves stability when loaded. It's quite capable of being ridden on longer trips. I contacted Brompton with the serial number and they were able to tell me that it was made in October 2012.
In the rareified atmosphere of Bromptonland the price I paid seems to make it a pretty good bargain compared with current used prices.
Nothing (that I can afford) folds like a Brompton, maybe some Asiatic clones, but with Brompton support and spares available, maybe "Made in England" still counts for something.
My Viking folder hasn't been used since I bought the Brompton, and I ended up selling it. I have used the Brompton quite a lot, almost as much as my other bikes. The only drawback is that although I don't live in a high crime area, I'm very conscious that every thieving scrote would probably like to get hold of one, so it either goes everywhere I go, or it's locked away at home, something I never had to worry about with the nondescript Viking.
I have posted some of the above previously but have updated it in the hope that it might be useful to the OP.
Last year I read a lot about Bromptons. The Viking Safari I had catered for all my folding bike needs, and I certainly enjoyed riding it when the need arose. I kept thinking what if… I got a bus pass...Veterans’ rail pass ...and took a truly small folding bike with me as luggage? Also I was curious about all the Brompton hype. Only how much could I justify paying?
Since I don’t live in the teeming metrollops or indeed, have the misfortune to live in any large city, there wasn't a source of used Bromptons on tap. That left the usual suspects of ebay, gumtree or lesser advertising sites or even cycle forum for sale boards. I came across some obviously rather dubious sellers as well as some who knew very well what their item could fetch.
I soon realized that unless you found a seller on your doorstep you would either a) have to be prepared to trek to some far flung outpost of empire in the hope of being the solitary bidder or b) find a seller who did post or courier in which case you would have to do battle with legions of other bidders. As for Buy It Now you could still buy a B75, among others, new for less than several sellers were hoping to sell theirs for. A bargain Brompton is a really good definition of an oxymoron. They really do sell very well, and the competition can be fierce.
After a few days of looking at this alternative reality I had to take a break and went for a nice bike ride. I pondered whether I wanted to continue with this. After all I had a perfectly good 20” wheel folder which fitted in the car and met my folding bike needs as well as riding very well. It just lacked that nth degree of luggage rack compactness for an impromptu, unbooked train journey for example. After years of travelling miles to work, then many more years of living close to work, and now being retired and allegedly free to do what I want, I had a taste of leisure related train travel that summer which started off the “what if”s.
Initially I was looking for a used M6L or similar, but for that price you could go for a new B75. That was tempting in itself, new bike, nice aquamarine paint scheme, but still got to go for the guards and rack at least. I decided to limit myself to an M3R/L. Even a old T5 would seem to go for as much as as a new B75, and I’d had a question mark over the finicky adjustment of the old Sturmey 5 speeders from previous experience.
I gave it a bit of time and saw several auctions go for out of range amounts but a couple where they were more achievable.
After looking at auctions with postage, and being irritated at better deals with collection only in distant parts of the country I communicated with some sellers and narrowed down possible deals. One 3 speeder looked promising, but I was surprised to find how old it was, and due to an enthusiastic owner and a nice colour scheme it went for a surprising amount after 56 bids when I didn’t follow it up. Another couple of 3 speeders went for unfeasible amounts which also weren’t so new.
I was beginning to think that unless a relative left me one or I stumbled accross an affordable one that had been lying neglected for years in someone's dry barn I wasn't going to find one.
Finally I came across an almost -local white 3 speeder with rack, mudguards, luggage block and hub dynamo with LED lights where the bids had remained low for several days. It could have been better advertised as I had to contact the seller for even basic information. Surprisingly I won it.
Had I lost my mind? All those years of bargaining and trying to get the best deals in other spheres and now in this bizarre new context this does seem to be a good deal, though it would take a while to convince myself. In the end, it is what it is.
So I bought M3R in plain white. It had a few minor jobs needing to be done, and I had to change the gearing to suit me, but it has proved to be a good sound bike.
Do I regret spending about £500 on a used Brompton? On the face of it, it's a bike made of not particularly lightweight steel with an old fashioned gearing system, looks very weird and doesn't look as if it will work very well.
In reality, it rides very well, folds brilliantly, and is lots of fun to ride. You can literally take it anywhere when folded and I have found the front bag system to be excellent, and unlike some luggage systems on bikes, actually improves stability when loaded. It's quite capable of being ridden on longer trips. I contacted Brompton with the serial number and they were able to tell me that it was made in October 2012.
In the rareified atmosphere of Bromptonland the price I paid seems to make it a pretty good bargain compared with current used prices.
Nothing (that I can afford) folds like a Brompton, maybe some Asiatic clones, but with Brompton support and spares available, maybe "Made in England" still counts for something.
My Viking folder hasn't been used since I bought the Brompton, and I ended up selling it. I have used the Brompton quite a lot, almost as much as my other bikes. The only drawback is that although I don't live in a high crime area, I'm very conscious that every thieving scrote would probably like to get hold of one, so it either goes everywhere I go, or it's locked away at home, something I never had to worry about with the nondescript Viking.
I have posted some of the above previously but have updated it in the hope that it might be useful to the OP.
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