Is my made-over better?

[rogerzilla]

If you were to do a search, they have exhibited in the World Bike Show (I think last yr or the yr before). They have huge factory in China and South Korea that distribute to many parts of the world. Well, you can said its a copy but I didn't buy it from the thieves market. I was told Brompton patent, or design patent whatever, has expired. You can also do a search for that.

AIUI the patents are long expired and Brompton Bicycle now uses copyright law to stop anyone selling something that looks like a Brompton. Copyright law don't mean shoot in China, tbough.

I'm on the fence with this one as I think Brompton have been milking a now very overpriced product for too long with only minimal development. Cyclescheme has enabled them to push an M3L from £500 to £1000 in ten years.

 

[kj92]

AIUI the patents are long expired and Brompton Bicycle now uses copyright law to stop anyone selling something that looks like a Brompton. Copyright law don't mean shoot in China, tbough.

I'm on the fence with this one as I think Brompton have been milking a now very overpriced product for too long with only minimal development. Cyclescheme has enabled them to push an M3L from £500 to £1000 in ten years.

Although my brommie has brought me months of joy, a comment like this is making me regret getting my little bike.

*tries to reassure self that the money I paid was work it* 😂

I do want to try and find a 3sixty now and have that for my partner.

 

[MichaelW2]

3sixty frame is supposed to be a bit bigger (longer) than the original. There is a carbon fibre folder "inspired" by the brommie style trifold. This is actually a really good use of composites to make funny shaped elements that are much lighter than they would be made of steel tubes. A bigger Brompton and an affordable lighter weight Brompton should be Brompton products.

 

[FrankCrank]

Does anyone know why Brompton charge an extra 180 beer tokens for the lacquer finish?

 

[Salar]

Picture A

 

[rogerzilla]

Does anyone know why Brompton charge an extra 180 beer tokens for the lacquer finish?

Probably need to prettify the brazing a bit (or pick the nicer ones off the production line) since it shows. You know the lacquered frames rust under the lacquer? Some people like the steampunk look that results.

 

[FrankCrank]

Probably need to prettify the brazing a bit (or pick the nicer ones off the production line) since it shows. You know the lacquered frames rust under the lacquer? Some people like the steampunk look that results.

I read something of the rust issue. Maybe they should do them with designer rust already added, and charge even more

 

[u_i]

My perception of Brompton is that is an exceptionally well designed bike that works as a whole entity. When I make some modifications of my own, it usually takes several times to succeed because I miss the several steps that the Brompton designers are ahead of me. When I buy aftermarket parts for Brompton they notoriously work worse than original and sometimes plainly incapacitate the bike, again because the aftermarket designers do not really understand how Brompton is supposed to work.

Looking initially at the two photos above, I thought that the add-ons might look nice, but do they otherwise make the bike unrideable? Only a moment later I realized that the whole bike is aftermarket. How does 3sixty compare to Brompton in practice? We can only know if we have someone owning both and riding them regularly beyond the photo-op. You can copy the coarse appearance but you cannot copy the active thinking (until at least AI advances well more). Yes I have seen 3Sixty reports elsewhere, but hardly anything ever concrete.

 

[Gunk]

It’s a bike that polarises opinion, for me it looks very smart but it’s not the real thing.

 

[roley poley]

would love a go of one if they ever appear in my neck of the woods.Had a look at the ones you can see on "aliexpress"and I sure hope the welding has improved on the rear triangle since those photos were taken .Do any stockists carry these in the UK for a nosey and a gosey??

 

[rogerzilla]

B's lawyers would be on them like a ton of bricks in the UK.

 

[berlinonaut]

I think Brompton have been milking a now very overpriced product for too long with only minimal development. Cyclescheme has enabled them to push an M3L from £500 to £1000 in ten years.

You keep saying this but it seems your memory is not correct. Looking at the price lists a M3L did cost
£391,28 in 1997
£735 in 2010 (for a key model, £765 in B-spoke version with choice of colors, with the carrier block being another £15 on both ) and
£1060 today (according to Brompton's webpage, including free color choice and combination apart from premium colors and including the carrier block)

So while there is a very recognizable rise in price it is clearly nowhere near of what you claim. Regarding the development of the bike: If I had the choice I would clearly prefer a 2020 model over a 2010 one, even at a higher price, as components have been enhanced massively. And I would not even think about a 1997 one. The interesting bit is that used 1997 models are sold in the range of what they costed new and sometimes even above that. I bet there are not too many consumer good where this is the case (don't even imagine to compare it to cars....).

If you look at how other prices have developed over the last 10 years I'd assume Brompton's rise is not massively above that if at all. I'd hope for you that you got a pay raise as well during the last ten years...

So in reality not too much to complain about I'd assume.

Probably need to prettify the brazing a bit (or pick the nicer ones off the production line) since it shows. You know the lacquered frames rust under the lacquer? Some people like the steampunk look that results.

One more of the statements that seem to be based on a 15 year old state of things. Raw Laquer was introduced in 2005 and stopped in around 2008 due to the problem of underrusting (which still was only a cosmetical problem, still a pity if you pay more for the looks that then turn worse quickly...). Raw came back around 2010/2011 and while the rust issue has not been totally absent since then it has been not much of an issue. With more recent bikes I do not know a single case (while my 2015 raw model has a tiny spot which did not change in years) and as there is now additionally black laquer as well as flame laquer I'd assume the issue is long gone in the meantime.

 

[u_i]

There is a carbon fibre folder "inspired" by the brommie style trifold. This is actually a really good use of composites to make funny shaped elements that are much lighter than they would be made of steel tubes. A bigger Brompton and an affordable lighter weight Brompton should be Brompton products.

For Chedech there are actually reviews around and no euphoria - apparently suitable for lightweight use

https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/1099658-what-about-chedech.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/1151489-my-chedech-carbon-brompton.html

 

[FrankCrank]

Not trying to irritate anyone here, least of all Brommie owners, but the cynic in me does sometimes come to the fore. The only bikes I see, apart from Brompton, with pressed fork dropouts, cup and ball BB's, and radially spoked front wheel are kiddies bikes in the local supermarkets. Admittedly they don't fold up small, and it's unlikely you'd want to bring one on a train or bus. Given that a Brommie costs nearly double here than the UK, it's no surprise that clones are sought. Here it is just a status symbol, a way of showing off to others, and the clever design and pedigree is of little value. Please don't shoot the messenger

 

[slowmotion]

B looks like a rather unpleasant wasp.