Should I buy a Brompton?

[Wadey]

I have three bikes...... A GT Grade Alloy (gravel bike), a Brompton and a rather old Trek Pilot (road bike). My Brompton is my favorite bike. I love the way it folds and it takes up very little room in the boot of my car. I use it when visiting our son or daughter in London. I often park the car a couple of miles from where I need to get to and cycle the remaining journey on my Brompton. This saves on parking fees and avoids the traffic jams.

Hope this hleps.
Paul

 

[Pale Rider]

Had chance to use the brompton a few times over christmas:

- Just before breaking up, met a few mates in a local after work. I've got a newborn so going home and back out wouldn't be feasible as the pub's about a 15-20 min walk. Went there straight after work and no issue with the brompton under the table.

- In conwy for christmas, a 20 min walk down into the village. Really fancied a particular beer but didn't fancy the minimum 40 min round trip. 15 mins later, I'm putting the beer in the fridge.

- Went to meet family at a foodhall about 25 mins walk away, took about 8 minutes of pootling through the park.


So far, so good.

Good stuff, with lifestyle rides like that you could feature on the Brompton home page.

 

[JSabu]

I have been riding folders for the past 14 years. I have a Bike Friday New World Tourist and a Tikit. I had wanted to buy a Brompton for years now, and my wife finally bought me one (P6R) for Christmas 2018. I have had the Brompton for a year now, and I love it. It has a surprisingly good ride and is very nippy in its handling. The gears take some getting used to, but now that I have the hang of it they are fine. I took the Brompton out for a 44-mile ride yesterday and it was pure bliss.

What is best about the Brompton is taking it on trips. Like the Bike Friday it fits into a regulation suitcase, but unlike the Bike Friday it can be assembled and ready to ride in just 10 minutes, as opposed to an hour or so to assemble the Friday. In 2019 I took my Brompton to southern France and to Greece, and am looking forward to taking it other places in the years to come.

The Brompton may seem expensive (my rig, with rear rack, mud guards, and dynamo light, cost US$2,000), but it is equivalent in price to a kitted-out Bike Friday. By the way, make sure you get the front bag block and the rear rack; not getting them is false economy.

Don't let the cost deter you... the Brommie is well worth it!

 

[simongt]

I use my Brommy for weekend shopping etc.. Apart from the fun of simply whizzing round the city on it, one big advantage is the front carrier. Just lob shopping bits in and go; no messing about with unclipping / unlacing panniers - ! Nothing against panniers of course as I have them on my other bike which I can take my time in packing /unpacking - !

 

[Fab Foodie]

I have three bikes...... A GT Grade Alloy (gravel bike), a Brompton and a rather old Trek Pilot (road bike). My Brompton is my favorite bike. I love the way it folds and it takes up very little room in the boot of my car. I use it when visiting our son or daughter in London. I often park the car a couple of miles from where I need to get to and cycle the remaining journey on my Brompton. This saves on parking fees and avoids the traffic jams.

Hope this hleps.
Paul

Only 3!!!!!!

 

[straas]

I use my Brommy for weekend shopping etc.. Apart from the fun of simply whizzing round the city on it, one big advantage is the front carrier. Just lob shopping bits in and go; no messing about with unclipping / unlacing panniers - ! Nothing against panniers of course as I have them on my other bike which I can take my time in packing /unpacking - !

What bag do you have? I had thought about getting one but they're pretty pricey and I've not long bought a set of backrollers

Does it get in the way when folding?

 

[simongt]

Hi Straas,
The GLW and I both have the 'basic bag' which being open topped is easy to lob things into. A raincover does the business when wet. I believe that this type of bag has been 'improved' with a newer model, but it works for us; on my weekend shopping, my rucksac goes in the bag and the lock in between stops until the bag is full - ! Indeed Brompton bags are wide & varieds in style, although pricey but they do the job, so which one depends on what specifically you need the bag for. Yes to fold, a bag has to come off, but all bags have a quick release system so that's not an issue apart from obviously having to carry the bag as well as the bike.

 

[12boy]

I have maded a couple of extremely ugly bags with laminated plywood backs to fit on the Brompton block. I also have the shopper bag. Had I known you can buy the Al frame I wouldn't have spent so much time making wooden ones. Just about any decent bag can be attached to the frame and you can go with different sizes if you like. The shopper bag is fine for carrying but is a lot of drag in a headwind.

 

[AWM6]

Clearly the answer is yes.... let your wife know that the experts at Cycle Chat have endorsed your request. I am sure you can create a spreadsheet which shows how it will actually save money in the long term and you will be able to buy her that [insert gift here] she really wants(!)

..worked for me!

A

 

[vickster]

Clearly the answer is yes.... let your wife know that the experts at Cycle Chat have endorsed your request. I am sure you can create a spreadsheet which shows how it will actually save money in the long term and you will be able to buy her that [insert gift here] she really wants(!)

..worked for me!

A

He bought one in December

 

[AWM6]

 

[Gunk]

I’ve just bought one and I can’t believe it’s taken me so long, lovely little thing! I’m going to adapt a front mesh basket to sit on the front luggage block, it’ll then be a great little local runaround, like others I just love the way it folds up and takes up so little space, it’s as if they were designed for the boot of a Golf!

 

[Tenkaykev]

I purchased one of these for about a tenner, very well made.
You can play around with all sorts of luggage combinations, a " quick and dirty" fix would be to cable tie a supermarket shopping basket to the adaptor 👍🛒

EDIT :
This would need to be a Waitrose shopping basket of course. 🛒😉


https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/113774203603

 

[12boy]

Purdy sweet. You should take a shot from the drive side though, so we can see the drive train. Can't go wrong with black.

 

[Gunk]

I purchased one of these for about a tenner, very well made.
You can play around with all sorts of luggage combinations, a " quick and dirty" fix would be to cable tie a supermarket shopping basket to the adaptor 👍🛒

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/113774203603

That’s exactly what I’m going to buy.