New 2017 Brompton - I've succumbed

[simon.r]

Isn't it odd how circumstances sometimes combine to almost force your hand?!

I had a small windfall a couple of weeks ago and last week an hour to kill in Leicester gave me a chance to pop into Evans and test ride a Brompton.

The combined events led directly to me picking this up yesterday:

It's a H6R, absolutely standard bar the telescopic post and carrier block (which I believe Evans fit to all Bromptons they supply).

I've only had time to take it on a 20 minute shakedown ride so far, but I grinned a lot in that 20 minutes

 

[kingrollo]

looks great - saddle looks comfy.....
Do you have a purpose in mind for it ? - or did you buy purely because of the windfall ?

 

[Bimble]

Sometimes you just have to go for it. Congrats. If you get bored of it anytime soon PM me and I'll give it a good home.

 

[Harv]

Looks awesome

 

[Fab Foodie]

Welcome to 'the fold' as they say :-)

Grinny little beasts are they not?

 

[simon.r]

looks great - saddle looks comfy.....
Do you have a purpose in mind for it ? - or did you buy purely because of the windfall ?

A bit of both. I'm hoping to retire in the not too distant future and plan to use this for bike / train / bike journeys. And I really wanted one!

 

[12boy]

Looks very nice. I wonder how long it will be before, just like most of us, you start modifying it and spending time tinkering. 2 different great things to do in retirement. It would appear you are a tall individual and may find some bar ends allow you to stretch out a bit.

 

[Melvil]

Bar ends a very good idea indeed. Fab Foodie on this very forum suggested an excellent pair and they are the best thing I have done to my S6l

 

[Melvil]

PS bar ends are Ergon GP2

 

[mitchibob]

PS bar ends are Ergon GP2

I got these too. Made a huge difference, although, even with my small hands, I wonder if I should've just got slight longer Ergon GP3 grips, as I'm not sure they would affect the fold anymore on my M-bars than the GP2s. I just tend to lean the bike I little when I drop the handlebars so that one of the ends doesn't scuff the ground. But hugely extends the choice of positions to have your hands, and provides a much better grip generally. Even grippy without gloves, for the very few times I ride without them. Even pushing the bike one-handed is easier with decent grips.

I bought the small size GP2 grips, and on my 2016 M2L, only had to move the brake levers a little without having to shorten the grips. Didn't affect my braking or gear changes, and took about 15-20 minutes to do.

 

[mitchibob]

Isn't it odd how circumstances sometimes combine to almost force your hand?!
The combined events led directly to me picking this up yesterday:

Nice.

I can't tell from the picture, but are the 'brompton stickers' overly glossly compared to the matt finish of the paintwork? They were on mine, and as it's clearly a Brompton, they were the first things I removed. Somehow, I thought they cheapened it. Although, that was also after riding Brompton Dock bikes for a few months that are absolutely covered in stickers.

I'm intrigued about the new M-Bars too. I'm guessing I'm going to have to replace more than just the bars when the shelf life runs out on mine?

 

[simon.r]

The stickers are matt and look OK I think, but one is already beginning to peel off, so I'll probably be removing them in the not too distant future.

I believe that the new M bars have less rise than the old ones - although as a new owner I'm only repeating what I've read, so am happy to be corrected on this. If this is true then I imagine a straight swap would be straightforward.

I think the current M and H types share the same bar, with the "stem" being longer on the H type.

 

[windmiller]

When I asked Cycle Heaven in York about changing to the new M bars and gear levers, they said it wasn't straightforward, as you also had to change the stem - because it will interfere with the fold. I came away bewildered and didn't understand how this could be so. I thought it would be ideal with the new bars and old stem knocking a few inches off, thus making it more sporty without the neck breaking position of the S bars.

 

[chriscross1966]

The new M and S share a stem, the H uses the same upper stem and a spacer piece to allow use of the old M bars, its a production engineering cost control measure, the upper stems are expensive to make, having only one type for three bars is a good idea. Handlebars are cheap to make, even the nutjob P-types... It's just bent lightweight tube...

 

[simon.r]

Let the tinkering begin!

I'm playing around with the riding position and have installed a cheap handlebar: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/152136992669

These put the height of the handlebar somewhere between the M and H and also allow the brake levers to be rotated forward slightly, giving a more natural position for me.

I need to get a few miles in before I decide if this will be a permanent change, but initial impressions are that it gives a compromise position that suits me.