brommieinkorea
Senior Member
- Location
- 'Merica darnit
Never been to Birmingham, thanks for the thought, it is in reference to what I normally cycle on, and no I don't work for Brompton or any bike company.
The problem with "entry-level"
- Thread starter GarthW
- Start date
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AlBaker
Active Member
I was born and raised in London, and lived in the UK until I was 32, and I never heard of a Brompton bike. Researching it, I see they were made in 1976 onward. They hadn't been around long enough for me to have heard of them, but then I wasn't interested in bikes at that time. I left in 1978.
brommieinkorea
Senior Member
- Location
- 'Merica darnit
I hadn't heard of Brompton until 2009, when an internet search brought me to a bike with a fold small enough to be useful. I wanted quality, and the interwebs said they were, fair chunk of change I spent to find out if it was true.
Back to "entry level" it's interesting that when growing up I was into bikes, yet I only had cheapies my parents were willing to buy. They all seemed to have problems keeping wheels in true, and all of my multi speed bikes were friction shift so I never noticed that Campy whatever shifted better than Shimano Eagle.
Nowadays some cheap bikes are o.k. and still some are so badly made as to be junk when they leave the store. But now I can tell the difference, as a teenager sometimes I couldn't .
When you have steel chrome plated rims, and a rubber block for a brake, a little water and you don't stop. This was probably for the best as the rear wheel was so out of true that the rear brake was disconnected, this will teach you to look farther ahead and plan your driving accordingly.
ebikeerwidnes
Guru
- Location
- Z’ha’dum
We have been living here for nearly 10 years
a couple of years after I moved in (my wife was not living here at the time) I saw the bloke next door and his adults sons going out with MTBs on the roof of their car
never saw them before
never seen them since
even when they go off in their caravan the bikes never appear
bet the layer of dust on them is significant
a couple of years after I moved in (my wife was not living here at the time) I saw the bloke next door and his adults sons going out with MTBs on the roof of their car
never saw them before
never seen them since
even when they go off in their caravan the bikes never appear
bet the layer of dust on them is significant
AlBaker
Active Member
I have always avoided box store bikes, and was told to buy from a bike shop, but even they sell junk. About five years ago I bought an Electra cruiser from a reputable bike shop. At 600 miles the wheel bearings were grinding. The cone nuts were too tight and there was just a speck of grease. I replace the bearings, and after two years sold the bike. Then a few months ago I decided to get another identical Electra from the same shop. Bearing in mind the wheel bearings problem with the previous bike, I decided to check them on this new bike. Same thing, again - cone nuts too tight, insufficient grease and the axle was stiff to turn, and I could feel the grinding. Electra bikes are made (or imported) by Trek.
This bike shop will take bikes in part exchange provided they are no more than one year old, and they had to be "bike shop quality," no box store bikes. So there's no guarantee a bike shop bike will be good. And no guarantee bike mechanics will be good mechanics.
Punkawallah
Veteran
While true, there is also no guarantee you will wake up tomorrow morning. But like the service from bike shops, you can -generally- rely on it.
mustang1
Legendary Member
- Location
- London, UK
Decades ago when I bought my first good bike (spesh), my SO could not understand why I would spend £500 (on sale) for a bike and thought I was just being silly with money.
Years later when one of her friends bought a bike for £1k, she said she understood why I bought an expensive bike back then. Uhm, no, she doesn't understand why I bought that bike, she only has another bike to compare with. But no, she doesn't understand it.
Btw, she has no problems buying a branded car, but a branded bike?... she doesn't get it.
Years later when one of her friends bought a bike for £1k, she said she understood why I bought an expensive bike back then. Uhm, no, she doesn't understand why I bought that bike, she only has another bike to compare with. But no, she doesn't understand it.
Btw, she has no problems buying a branded car, but a branded bike?... she doesn't get it.
AlBaker
Active Member
Generally, yes, but with an exception of a local LBS. Over a three-years period I bought three new bikes from a bike shop that had been in business for 39 years. A total of seven botch jobs on the bikes led me to start doing my own work on my bikes. Three of those botched jobs were on bikes on the shop floor before I even bought them. Their chief mechanic was ready to snap at a second's notice, and he did, twice, both times at me that I didn't deserve. He and the shop owner told me that if I have any questions, just to ask them, so I did. One of those times I asked a simple question about parts, and the owner thrust a parts book at me and said if I can't find the parts in that book, they don't exist. Obviously, he wasn't knowledgeable enough to talk about it.
On another occasion I asked him why rim brake washers were used to botch a disc brake mounting problem. He responded that they are used to adjust disc brakes. No they're not, especially in the way these were used! He didn't have a clue what I was talking about. The caliper would not sit flat on the mounting bracket without binding on the disk and preventing the wheel from turning, so they shoved a washer under one end. I could see that the mounting bracket was adjustable so I adjusted it and threw the washer away.
Then fifteen miles from home, on a new Specialized Fatboy, the chain came off the largest rear cog and jammed tight. It took me ages to free it and get it back on the cog, with my fingers. I got it home and found that limit screws hadn't been adjusted, so I did it myself. The chain also wouldn't go onto the smallest cog.
In a way they did me a favor with their lousy work. I don't need a bike shop for anything, now, other than buying a bike..
Punkawallah
Veteran
Hence ‘generally’. I’m surprised you got to seven botched jobs.
I bought my first in 2020 and have now had 9 through my hands in the last 5 years and am absolutely obsessed with them, I buy, restore and sell them. Currently I own an early 1990 L3 and a 2021 S6L. At the workshop I volunteer at I‘m also their unofficial Brompton expert.
I often get asked why I like them so much, the answer is an easy one, it’s the ingenuity of the design and the fact they’re built to last a lifetime, everything is interchangeable and serviceable. Plus they just make you smile when you ride them, they are a giggle!
