The G Line Brompton
- Thread starter simongt
- Start date
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Fastpedaller
Über Member
Joking aside, it really is a case of 'do we question that?' British Leyland had some great innovations, way ahead of others (see their concept cars), but nothing really made it to production (or at least not before other manufacturers). The Brompton has some great features, and the early ones had 'ironed out' most of the traps other folding bikes fell into. If year-on-year sales were growing as fast as Brompton could keep up with demand, there is a case for saying 'don't change', but it could also be said that other people (both commercial and amateur) have had good ideas which Brompton seem overly reluctant to dismiss. I know some owners have had 'paint' problems, but I'll give Brompton the benefit of the doubt on that - maintaining or improving all aspects of painting must be very difficult with ever-changing emission regulations.
Certainly many similarities - I think genuinely innovative ideas hamstrung by poor design choices, penny-pinching and a stubbornness to make real improvements for example...
tinywheels
Über Member
- Location
- South of hades
Im back looking at Kinetics options.
Discs and an 11 speed hub however it's the price as always.
Even on cycle to work im thinking, possibly not a clever buy.
Goddam it, I need to stop faffing about and make a decision
Discs and an 11 speed hub however it's the price as always.
Even on cycle to work im thinking, possibly not a clever buy.
Goddam it, I need to stop faffing about and make a decision
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
My opinion for a long time is if you want something different in the Brompton line. You go to Kinetics in Scotland and get them to do it. It certainly not cheap, but they look great.
https://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/
https://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/
Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Brompton's biggest problem is the number 20.
Other manufacturers have a huge head start with 20 inch wheeled bikes and there is some stunningly nice to ride machinery out there, even at a fairly tight budget.
The jump to 20 negates the supposed (and to my mind rather overrated anyway) benefits of the Brompton fold. Once done it's barely any more compact than a Tern type Z fold, so what's the point?
And the 20" wheels aren't that great off road. Sure, it'll do it, but then I've done some rough stuff on my ID9 which comes as standard with BMX tyres anyway. Brompton are touting the off road ability as its USP, but in reality there are already folders thst can do this, even if not touted as such. Not only that, its not good enough that you could buy a G Spot and throw away your gravel bike if trails are your thing.
Being tall and very heavy the original Brompton wasn't much use for me. For years ive wanted Brompton to make a 20 incher, but now the G Spot is here I find that the more-or-less simple scaling up of the idea doesn't work all that well.
Other manufacturers have a huge head start with 20 inch wheeled bikes and there is some stunningly nice to ride machinery out there, even at a fairly tight budget.
The jump to 20 negates the supposed (and to my mind rather overrated anyway) benefits of the Brompton fold. Once done it's barely any more compact than a Tern type Z fold, so what's the point?
And the 20" wheels aren't that great off road. Sure, it'll do it, but then I've done some rough stuff on my ID9 which comes as standard with BMX tyres anyway. Brompton are touting the off road ability as its USP, but in reality there are already folders thst can do this, even if not touted as such. Not only that, its not good enough that you could buy a G Spot and throw away your gravel bike if trails are your thing.
Being tall and very heavy the original Brompton wasn't much use for me. For years ive wanted Brompton to make a 20 incher, but now the G Spot is here I find that the more-or-less simple scaling up of the idea doesn't work all that well.
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tinywheels
Über Member
- Location
- South of hades
for me it's the price issue. 2.5k is not far off a Mason Bokeh, which is a much better proposition as far as I'm concerned. OK it don't fold but that's not a problem. Its a pukka gravel bike that rides a whole lot better than my brompton. Now tell me why I should put my hand in my pocket for a lardy bike that's neither fish nor fowl. G line my arse.
CycleCat
Regular
If you need the fold, you need the fold.
I would agree, it is a heavy bike and that's the reason why we (wife & I) did not take the G line to Paris on our recent trip. I've since bought another P line for traveling with so we can both cycle around cities.
But for me, the G Line is still a useful purchase.
I drive to a forest and have a great time in the mornings. It fits easily in the back of the old turbo.
Even when we go camping (in a tent) with an estate car, we have a roof box, so there is no space to have full sized bikes on the top of the car.
I never liked having bikes on the roof of the car anyway (towbar is not an option for our Golf).
Gratuitous pic of camping in France, both bikes take up about a third of the back seat of a VW Golf.
I would agree, it is a heavy bike and that's the reason why we (wife & I) did not take the G line to Paris on our recent trip. I've since bought another P line for traveling with so we can both cycle around cities.
But for me, the G Line is still a useful purchase.
I drive to a forest and have a great time in the mornings. It fits easily in the back of the old turbo.
Even when we go camping (in a tent) with an estate car, we have a roof box, so there is no space to have full sized bikes on the top of the car.
I never liked having bikes on the roof of the car anyway (towbar is not an option for our Golf).
Gratuitous pic of camping in France, both bikes take up about a third of the back seat of a VW Golf.
I bought a G-Line about a week ago and I am absolutely loving it. So much more stable than my M6L and certainly more suitable for the narrow lanes here in rural Somerset with an equal mix of tarmac, potholes and gravel. As others have reported, it feels more like a full size bike and generates a lot more confidence on the poorly maintained road surfaces. I’ll stick with Schwalbe tyres for now and I am managing the hills so far with the 54 tooth chain ring. The Alfine 8 speed gears are a dream and a massive improvement over the quirky 6 speed.
I’m retired so I’m riding for pleasure, leisure, health, etc. This means, I don’t do commuting and for that matter, I don’t do public transport, so unable to comment on that aspect. However, the ability to fold it and stick it in the back of the car is perfect and I am looking forward to exploring other areas.
I’m retired so I’m riding for pleasure, leisure, health, etc. This means, I don’t do commuting and for that matter, I don’t do public transport, so unable to comment on that aspect. However, the ability to fold it and stick it in the back of the car is perfect and I am looking forward to exploring other areas.
ktmbiker58
Active Member
For a fun day out why not try public transport - no need to book folding bikes on the train, how about taking the train to the coast, either ride back or ride around and take another train back, if things go pear shaped you can take a folding bike on a bus or stick it in the boot of an uber! Folding bikes are so versatile and capable of so much more than commuting, for inspiration there are plenty of videos of folk doing tours on them, the previous owner of mine toured Italy with it.
