Brompton or something else?
Discussion
I am wondering about buying a folding bike to use when I drop off cars for servicing.
The route home and back is around 7 miles each way usually and there are some climbs.
Is a Brompton just going to leave me a sweaty mess at the end of it, or are they quite efficient? Also, is Brompton still the gold standard for folding bikes?
Anything I buy needs to go in a Fiat 500 and a Porsche 911.
Electric Brompton!
I've got a Ridgeback folding bike but it's s
te compared to a Brompton, although I dont worry about it getting nicked! It's not as efficient as my Carbon road bike but they're not as hard work as I suspect you think? The small wheels dont give a great ride and bumps etc are more noticeable but they're great for being able to chuck in your boot.
I've got a Ridgeback folding bike but it's s
te compared to a Brompton, although I dont worry about it getting nicked! It's not as efficient as my Carbon road bike but they're not as hard work as I suspect you think? The small wheels dont give a great ride and bumps etc are more noticeable but they're great for being able to chuck in your boot.Edited by _Hoppers on Thursday 11th June 08:57
Edited by _Hoppers on Thursday 11th June 08:59
There is no reason you can't do 7 miles on a Brommie. A smaller front chainring might help om the hills.
They are also v well made and hold their value incredibly well. But there are other folding bikes available - Tern, Birdy and Airnimal all have their own pros and cons. I have one of these:
https://airnimal.co/products/joey/sport/#.XuHjHqbT...
Folding is a faff compared to a Brommie, but it goes in the boot fine and rides imo a great deal better. Just like a normal bike in fact, and it is v well made and easy to maintain with off the shelf Japanese components. Had mine 5 years and used hard all seasons for three of those, it's still in good shape.
Bromptons are a v clever but quite extreme design. They are seriously compromised as bicycles in order to achieve their amazingly neat fold. Twitchy steering and hard ride. Try one before you buy.
Its a question of priorities - what do you need most, the fold or the bike? For me it was the latter.
Having said that they are clearly doing something right as the local population of Brommies seems to have doubled in lockdown. Perhaps they are breeding;)
They are also v well made and hold their value incredibly well. But there are other folding bikes available - Tern, Birdy and Airnimal all have their own pros and cons. I have one of these:
https://airnimal.co/products/joey/sport/#.XuHjHqbT...
Folding is a faff compared to a Brommie, but it goes in the boot fine and rides imo a great deal better. Just like a normal bike in fact, and it is v well made and easy to maintain with off the shelf Japanese components. Had mine 5 years and used hard all seasons for three of those, it's still in good shape.
Bromptons are a v clever but quite extreme design. They are seriously compromised as bicycles in order to achieve their amazingly neat fold. Twitchy steering and hard ride. Try one before you buy.
Its a question of priorities - what do you need most, the fold or the bike? For me it was the latter.
Having said that they are clearly doing something right as the local population of Brommies seems to have doubled in lockdown. Perhaps they are breeding;)
dontlookdown said:
They are also v well made and hold their value incredibly well.
Agreed, to the point that it's hardly worth buying second hand!dontlookdown said:
Twitchy steering and hard ride.
Don't agree, but it depends on how it feels to the OP. I like the twitchy steering, makes it great for manoeuvring in traffic etc. My Ridgeback has a tendency to wheelie under power bu the Brompton is much more planted under power.
anonymous said:
[redacted]
I’ve done 60 on mine, brooks saddle too (it’s ok, don’t want any more children..)Brompton is the way to go, i doubt if the others will fit in a fiat 500!
I have a couple, 3 speed & 6 speed
I’d go for the 3 speed tbh as the 6 speed is a bit of a faff
I prefer the S type straight bars
A few shops have demo bikes you can take for a spin, not sure if they do at moment
Hold price well too. If able to purchase via a cyclescheme, they can sell them for more than you paid at the end of it .
Fastpedeller said:
There are Brompton hire points in some cities - IIRC £10 for a day or some similar low amount. Well worth it just to see if you like the ride. One bike I very much regret selling.
Shortly after posting this, I saw a chap on a Brompton not far from here. He was quite a stocky chap and it looked quite weird.I am stocky and weird enough already, I am not sure whether I need the assistance of a Brompton.
I am wondering about the suction bike rack mentioned above. Though, are they a bit harsh on paintwork?
I have been toying with the idea of a Brompton/electric Brompton for some time.
I had a test ride on an Electric Brompton a few week back. I will not be buying one.
I thought the gear changes were very clunky. I had the derailleur and hub gear combination. That didn't work smoothly. But it was the ride and the handling that were the killer. The steering was so twitchy, I was afraid to take one hand off the bars to signal.
Nice idea, but no. Not for me
I had a test ride on an Electric Brompton a few week back. I will not be buying one.
I thought the gear changes were very clunky. I had the derailleur and hub gear combination. That didn't work smoothly. But it was the ride and the handling that were the killer. The steering was so twitchy, I was afraid to take one hand off the bars to signal.
Nice idea, but no. Not for me
smifffymoto said:
How many cars do you take and for how many services.
If you want a new bike,just buy one. You don’t need stty excuses or reasons,just buy one.
Thank you for your input smiffymoto.If you want a new bike,just buy one. You don’t need s
tty excuses or reasons,just buy one.A few cars and with services and repairs too it can be a surprising number per annum.
I am not looking for an excuse to buy a new bike.
7 miles each way isn't a trivial amount of distance to do on a bike if you aren't into cycling, given on a commute after red lights/traffic your be looking at 15mph or so average speed, you are looking at spending 1hr a day on the bike. That's fine in nice weather but add in wind/rain/cold/hills, and your soon want a bike thats comfortable.
I've experimented with various bike types/transport options in the last 6 months for the 'final mile' commute on bike after parking up the car, I first tired a cheap folding bike. The plus points were it was easy to load/unload, and its much more agile than a normal bike which is a bonus in traffic once you get use to it.
The main issue I had though was the bike was just too slow, any decent incline was just so much more effort to go at a slower speed, any sustained hills and you will be sweating away like mad.
I know people love their Bromptons and do hill challenges full on 100 mile rides in them, for me trade off in storage versus riding effort wasn't worth it, not factoring in a Brompton isn't exactly cheap.
I nearly gave up the idea of cycling for half my commute but have now settled on a good solution. A cheap £40 tow bar mounted bike carrier that takes literally seconds to install/uninstall and fits in the boot with no issues even with my daughter bike in the back. The tow bar carrier lets me than take any bike I like for the commute, with very easy loading/unloading.
However there is ONE BIG ADVANTAGE to folding bike which may make them the only choice regardless of riding comfort/hills etc, security. I would not leave even a £100 bike locked up in public view, take a look on YouTube and you can see how quickly any bike lock can be defeated by power tools.
But given your only using the bike is for occasional use it seems like the biggest advantage of a folding bike doesn't really apply? Since you have no tow bar a suction/strap mounted bike carrier to use with your normal bike seems like the most sensible solution?
I've experimented with various bike types/transport options in the last 6 months for the 'final mile' commute on bike after parking up the car, I first tired a cheap folding bike. The plus points were it was easy to load/unload, and its much more agile than a normal bike which is a bonus in traffic once you get use to it.
The main issue I had though was the bike was just too slow, any decent incline was just so much more effort to go at a slower speed, any sustained hills and you will be sweating away like mad.
I know people love their Bromptons and do hill challenges full on 100 mile rides in them, for me trade off in storage versus riding effort wasn't worth it, not factoring in a Brompton isn't exactly cheap.
I nearly gave up the idea of cycling for half my commute but have now settled on a good solution. A cheap £40 tow bar mounted bike carrier that takes literally seconds to install/uninstall and fits in the boot with no issues even with my daughter bike in the back. The tow bar carrier lets me than take any bike I like for the commute, with very easy loading/unloading.
However there is ONE BIG ADVANTAGE to folding bike which may make them the only choice regardless of riding comfort/hills etc, security. I would not leave even a £100 bike locked up in public view, take a look on YouTube and you can see how quickly any bike lock can be defeated by power tools.
But given your only using the bike is for occasional use it seems like the biggest advantage of a folding bike doesn't really apply? Since you have no tow bar a suction/strap mounted bike carrier to use with your normal bike seems like the most sensible solution?
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