London to Brighton on a Brompton?

[flake99please]

That’s something I’m working on now. There’s still 6 months to go, so I’m building up my fitness and practicing daily.

Then I expect you to be more than capable of doing the ride on a Brompton. Have a great ride.

 

[Cycleops]

It’s a great day out, I’m sure you’ll really enjoy it. There are plenty of stops so you can take it at your own pace. There are also loads of helpful people on hand if you do have a problem.
What’s happens on the return now? There used to be special trains laid on. At least with your folder you shouldn’t have a problem.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Done it several times on a Brompton, it’s fine! I’ve ridden 100 miles in a day and toured the outer hebrides with full camping gear on it to. So with some practice it’s no problem.

London Brompton Club -worth joining their fb page, a good bunch who use and abuse Bromptons in many different ways!

 

[swansonj]

Bromptons have done this many times on fnrttc , but they suffered more punctures iirc

That's an interesting observation. Is there any reason why small-wheeled bikes are more prone to punctures?

 

[steveindenmark]

Thanks for your responses.


I mentioned it to somebody and ended up feeling quite silly due to what he said. .

Much cooler to do it on a Brompton. Its not a race, its a leisure ride.

 

[CopperBrompton]

The bike is more than capable. The biggest thing that would make the journey difficult would be a lack of fitness.

I honestly wouldn't worry about that. There are tonnes of people who basically only cycle once a year on this ride, and all the ones I know finish it.

 

[Tim Hall]

That’s something I’m working on now. There’s still 6 months to go, so I’m building up my fitness and practicing daily.

I think being comfortable on the bike might be important too, as you may be sitting on it for six hours or more.

 

[jay clock]

That’s something I’m working on now. There’s still 6 months to go, so I’m building up my fitness and practicing daily.

The practising daily bit REALLY helps. Years ago I cycled to Brighton from London, having never done more than 10 miles and I had been doing a few weeks of commuting 2x5 miles a day. Was a doddle.

Then a couple of years back I did an Ironman and was doing 2x6 miles a few times a week on my Brompton. Helped massively

Finally I did a club TT on my Brompton a couple of years back. Pissed off the old timers something rotten but still I managed 33 mins vs a usual 30 mins on a road bike

Do lots of short rides and maybe a couple of longer ones and you will nail it

 

[T4tomo]

I've seen a bloke do it on a Raleigh chopper, and turn round and cycle back!

 

[Tim Hall]

Doing it on a BMX wouldn't be sensible either.

 

[jefmcg]

I'm going to share this again. This is me arriving in Brighton after having cycled 98km, my longest ride at that point. You can't see my pink sandals or bike shorts.

And I scalped a couple of roadies on the way.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

A well maintained Brompton will be fine. You won't believe what wrecks of bike shaped objects it is attempted on by people who clearly hardly cycle at all.

 

[jefmcg]

A well maintained Brompton will be fine.

You didn't click my link above. I did it on a poorly maintained... Mezzo, actually, but the point remains.

 

[Adeola]

I feel so much better after reading your responses. As I understood, it’s not a race. So I knew that I could leisurely cycle.
However, I was informed that I should do it quickly and was told that if I finish on a Brompton I’d receive a round of applause because it’s quite impossible.

I felt patronised and quite silly.
So, thanks!

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

My main concern if attempting to ride that distance on ANY sort of bike would be how comfortable the saddle is over a long period and how sore my backside would be at the end of it.