Pimp my Brompton

[Night Train]

I found that I would clip the rack trolley wheels with my heels when I borrowed a Brom with a rack.

If I was getting a new one for commuting I would probably not have the rack and use the front luggage instead. If I were planning on touring and camping then I would have the rack or make my own rear luggage mounting (as I am designing one now).

My choice of colour would be the satin black, but I would want the whole thing in satin black.

 

[John the Monkey]

Do get the front luggage block.

Personally, I find the Brompton green tyres ok - my only p*s so far have been from the (frankly dreadful) rim tape exposing spoke nipple heads.

On the front luggage, the S bag is great for commuting, the C bag is larger & could be pressed into service as an overnight bag if you need to travel with the bike on occasion.

I find the delivered gearing (S-6L) is fine - lowest gear is far lower than I've used, highest is ok for downward false flats with a tailwind

 

[mickle]

I found that I would clip the rack trolley wheels with my heels when I borrowed a Brom with a rack.

The existence or otherwise of a rear rack makes no difference to the location of the trolley wheels, they are attached to a pair of spurs off of of the rear frame, not the rack.

 

[Yellow Fang]

The rear rack is great as a stable platform for the folded bike, makes it much easier to roll around. Particularly if you spec the faster trolley wheels. But it's not all that great as a luggage carrier.

Consider upgrading the rear suspension elastomer to the stiffest one. Stock ones are too soft for grown adults IMO

I personally believe Bromptons to be too highly geared from the factory. I recommend taking a good look at the low gearing options before you sign off your order.

This is my opinion too. I had the biggest sprocket I could find and 3rd gear was still too high to use often.

IMO the front pannier and block is a better option than the rack. If I were to get another pannier, I'd get the touring pannier because I could fit more sports kit in it, although if I ever got a job that required taking a laptop around, I would probably go for this Carradice silver jobby. Either case would mean selecting the M bars, which is a shame because IMO the S bars look better. I believe only the S bag is designed to go with the S type brompton. Unless you have a hilly commute, I would go for the three-speed. A two-speed would be worth considering also, but they would have to be the right two gears.

I am not sure about the dynamo and lights. OTOH you don't really need the power of dynamo lamps usually, and often the front lamp is partially obscured by the front pannier. OTOH, dynamo lamps mean you don't need to worry about taking your LEDs off every time you lock up your bike somewhere.

Someone wrote an application which enabled you to try out different colours about a year back.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

'O' Bag, which contains a laptop slot, and various zippy pockets and compartments for life's little office/work essentials works fine with a S bars and is 100% waterproof without a cover, though I think they missed a trick by not giving it a rolltop cover so I could drop it in a canal.

Gearing; the hub geared ones are all a bit undergeared imo if you are a regular cyclist. Don't think we are the core market though. My wife, a non-cyclist, but there is still hope, loves the lowest, lower, and low gears on my 8 speed though I don't think I've ever used them other than to test they are still there from time to time!

 

[Night Train]

The existence or otherwise of a rear rack makes no difference to the location of the trolley wheels, they are attached to a pair of spurs off of of the rear frame, not the rack.

True, but I clip the wheels on my friend's racked Brom but not on my, and other's, unracked Broms.
I don't get it either but it happens.

 

[TheDoctor]

I solved the wheel problem by removing them and putting them back t'other way round - bevelles face out rather than in.
The folded bike is perhaps a tad less stable, but at least I'm not clipping my ankles repeatedly.

 

[ufkacbln]

Go for a single speed then ring Graham at Tillercycles and get the 8 speed upgrade. Far better than any of the Brompton gear offerings!

 

[TheDoctor]

Controversial...
Very fond of the gearing on my M6R

 

[Pottsy]

I solved the wheel problem by removing them and putting them back t'other way round - bevelles face out rather than in.
The folded bike is perhaps a tad less stable, but at least I'm not clipping my ankles repeatedly.

Excellent! Clipping my shoes or ankles has been a bit of a hassle for me in certain footwear. I've just now flipped my wheels round as you describe here. Hopefully it will help, at least making them less likely to 'catch' as the bevel should slide them outwards now.

Thanks.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Go for a single speed then ring Graham at Tillercycles and get the 8 speed upgrade. Far better than any of the Brompton gear offerings!

I'm certainly besotted by my (Kinetics) 8 speed.

 

[The Eco Worrier]

Thanks for all this, very useful - all the evidence I need to persuade Mrs EW that it's money well spent. can't see her riding on the luggage rack but you never know.

As for the rack, I have one, but do use it for luggage fairly frequently. If you're not planning on using it for luggage then it's less important but it does make the bike very stable when folded and this can be handy on the train.
This is a good point, my Dahon kepps crashing over onto people - I don't want to be be giving peopl more excuses to grumble about cyclists .

I'm thinking 3 speed +8% as this theoretically matches the higher gearing on the Dahon which is all I really use.

Definately Schwalbe Kojak after a recent long and lonely trudge home with a flat.

Thanks

 

[John the Monkey]

Just to address a point made further back, the C bag will work on an S type brompton - it's the set up I have myself. For the 2009 model year, the S bag was a distinctly inferior option to the C bag (hence my purchase of the latter).

The two are much closer in quality now, from what I understand.

 

[John the Monkey]

You could always buy a frame & sew the fixin's to a bag you like.

http://www.brilliantbikes.co.uk/luggage-spares/293-brompton-s-bag-frame-only-5053099030132.html

The only 3rd party manufacturer I can think of is Carradice - not much cheaper than brompton though.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

Why is there no cheaper copy luggage for Bromptons? Most other things it it possible, although not necessarily sensible, to by an after-market alternative.

as you once said of SA 3 speed fixed hubs "they charge that because they can"

though if I compare the work that has gone into my O bag with, say, an ortleib classic back roller I can see why most of the cost is justified.