berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
Regarding Ergon grips this overview may help (German, as ususal
): https://bromptonauten.cc/threads/er...unterschiede-und-welche-nehmen.153/#post-1363
Replacing my folder(s) thoughts
- Thread starter brommieinkorea
- Start date
Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
): https://bromptonauten.cc/threads/er...unterschiede-und-welche-nehmen.153/#post-1363
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Forgive me, do they not come with Ergon grips - or a similar styled quality alternative - as standard?
berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
No they don't. Only the CHPT3 model has Ergon grips but not the ergonomic ones. The factory grips, while light, are in all honesty the worst part of a Brompton fresh from the factory and the one thing that I exchange immediately w/o even thinking. But maybe that's just me - thousands of people leave them on w/o complaining.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Whatever floats your boat, if you like them then enjoy.
Just surprised that a supposedly premium productct uses such cheap finishing doobreys.
We are liberal lot, and like to knit our own lentils.
berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
They are probably cheap in the financial sense but not in terms of quality. in former years, since 2000, Brompton used foam grips that were glued onto the handlebars. They weighted next to nothing but especially the ones on the S-model were really useless. Then they had a very short period with bolted on rubber grips around 2016 or so and since then they use again foam grips, but this time they are bolted on, so easily to remove.
The tricky bit about the grips is, that with the handlebar folded down they are in constant danger to get in contact with other things, so they need to be pretty resilient, more than on other bikes. Which they are. They are just to small for my hands in terms or circumference and, being used to Ergons for many years, non-Ergon grips feel just very wrong to me and insufficient. I do reuse them on other bikes where I have a rounded handlebar and not a straight one with a leaning-forward position as on the Brompton. YMMV.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
My folder - make and model I am forewsorn not to mention - came with very good quality Ergon ergonomic rip off grips by Velo.
Andy in Germany
Guru
- Location
- Freiburg im Breisgau
I havt to admit that if I lived in the UK your Folder Which Shall Not Be Named would have been on my list.
Kell
Veteran
- Location
- High Wycombe/London
So did my Dahon.
They outlasted the bike. Which split in half.
The grips were the only thing I kept.
Nibor
Bewildered
- Location
- Accrington
My late father was
tinywheels
Über Member
- Location
- South of hades
That's correct, typical British genius. Build something amazing, but don't bother sorting out all the issues that you're customers moan about. Will Butler Adams we're looking at you. Sorry gotta go my pacemakers about to explode.
berlinonaut
Veteran
- Location
- Berlin Germany
If you read this sub-forum sorrowfully you'll recognize that most of the people that constantly moan about the Brompton are no customers of the company, never have been and never will be. Most of them have absolutely no clue about the bike and never ridden one - still they often have a (very) strong opinion that sometimes even sounds like deep hate. The Brompton seems to be a pretty emotional bike.
Then you have a small handful of actual or former Bromton owners that moan. Often they toot out old stories, moaning about issues that have been solved already 15 or 20 years ago - but they don't stop moaning and claim this would be actual issues. This cohort is pretty loud - but honestly not worth listening to because their knowledge about the product is also 20 years old and they have no clue about the actual product. They just love to moan.
Then you have some actual owners that also moan - often founded by a lack of knowledge or silly expectations - most moaning (of all three cohorts until now) refers to the price ("back in the fifties you could buy a house for that kind of money!"style) or to some product elements that they personally don't like (like the shifters). They just moan about everything Brompton, just because the bike ist so popular even they bought one. And they hate that fact. They claim it would be shitty but still bought one and don't know a better alternative. They would moan about Will Butler Adams' breakfast if they new what he had for breakfast. They just love to moan - for some it seems to give them a sense in life. It is impossible for Brompton to do ANYTHING that this cohort would not moan about. So it is best to ignore them as they moan anyway. Don't confuse a forum audience with normal buyers.
Basically absolutely no one complains about the grips. Brompton builds more than 100.000 bikes per year. How many of the buyers do you think exchange them? 10%? 20%? 50%? I'd say: The contact points to the bike are individual taste. Experienced riders will exchange them regularly: Grips, saddles, pedals. That's just normal - many expensive bikes come with a shitty saddle and shitty pedals on purpose, because they will be exchanged anyway. As the Brompton addresses normal people they have to find a compromise that works ok enough for the majority of the riders and they did a good job there. Still I exchange the grips - but this is no reason to moan.
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
I complain about the grips. My Brother complained about the grips on his Brompie.
Considering no one complains about grips there are an awful lot of people selling grips, and an awful lot of Brompies with aftermarket grips.
For pedals and the like, particularly with different clip systems, I can see the arguments.
For saddles, with differnt bums, ages, weights, I can dig that too.
The "personal taste" argument for grips is, however, just a load of bull trotted out to justify penny pinching.
That a premium product (or at least a premium priced one) comes supplied with budget bits bolted to it is a very good reason to moan. Or, alternatively, a very good reason to buy something far better equipped for less.
Fall for it by all means if that's your taste, but falling for it and justifying it with clichés just makes willful schmucks out of buyers.
Considering no one complains about grips there are an awful lot of people selling grips, and an awful lot of Brompies with aftermarket grips.
For pedals and the like, particularly with different clip systems, I can see the arguments.
For saddles, with differnt bums, ages, weights, I can dig that too.
The "personal taste" argument for grips is, however, just a load of bull trotted out to justify penny pinching.
That a premium product (or at least a premium priced one) comes supplied with budget bits bolted to it is a very good reason to moan. Or, alternatively, a very good reason to buy something far better equipped for less.
Fall for it by all means if that's your taste, but falling for it and justifying it with clichés just makes willful schmucks out of buyers.
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EltonFrog
Legendary Member
There’s nothing wrong with the grips, after 1100 miles, some of them 50/60 mile journeys, I’ve never had a problem with them. Having said that, I am going to change them, only cos they don’t match the saddle, in this is irksome. But I’ll wait until I’ve had a bit more wear out of them.
