Fold-up bikes advice
Discussion
I suspect a lot of the cost of a Brompton is in the name, and the higher costs associated with producing a product in the UK. That said the M3L I borrowed for a weekend was surprisingly pleasant to ride, and fast! I can see why when I was commuting I'd occasionally struggle to shake off Brompton riders. Secondhand they seem to sell for almost as much as they cost new, which could be a good reason to pay a premium for one.
Accelebrate said:
I suspect a lot of the cost of a Brompton is in the name, and the higher costs associated with producing a product in the UK. That said the M3L I borrowed for a weekend was surprisingly pleasant to ride, and fast! I can see why when I was commuting I'd occasionally struggle to shake off Brompton riders. Secondhand they seem to sell for almost as much as they cost new, which could be a good reason to pay a premium for one.
I've also seen a couple of tricked out, heavily upgraded bromptons that the owners swear are fast as hell.That said its probably more about the rider than the bike, I was with someone putting in 40 on the flat the other day - on a 70s steel frame with frame shifters and 30c tyres... I wasn't keeping up!
Agreed, I guess most people who spend a grand on a Brompton are probably going to be more into cycling that those that spend £300 on a cheap folding bike.
However the standard M3L I borrowed wasn't a chore to ride briskly, unlike say a Boris bike or my girlfriends cheap town bike. I suspect that it's also down to gearing, weight and tyre pressures - the tiny wheels also mean you set off from lights quicker than you expect to. I'm not saying that you'd want to swap your road bike for one on a Sunday morning run, but for commuting they're quite pleasant to ride and you don't feel like you're working too hard just to keep up with the flow of traffic.
However the standard M3L I borrowed wasn't a chore to ride briskly, unlike say a Boris bike or my girlfriends cheap town bike. I suspect that it's also down to gearing, weight and tyre pressures - the tiny wheels also mean you set off from lights quicker than you expect to. I'm not saying that you'd want to swap your road bike for one on a Sunday morning run, but for commuting they're quite pleasant to ride and you don't feel like you're working too hard just to keep up with the flow of traffic.
I was very sceptical and did question the high price if a Brompton.
I bit the bullet I bought an S2L at the start of the month and it is a joy to own, I've made a couple of tweeks such as flipping the rear frame catch and looking to machine some trick frame clamps.
It's light, fast and folds brilliantly easy to get in the car, train or whatever I even had it at a restaurant table albeit covered with its bag. Once you learn to fold and unfold, and to sometimes just carry it unfolded for speed it's great. I can't see myself ever being without one, I think the simple ones either 2 or 3 speed are fine and you don't need all the titanium stuff.
They also hold value like nothing else.
I bit the bullet I bought an S2L at the start of the month and it is a joy to own, I've made a couple of tweeks such as flipping the rear frame catch and looking to machine some trick frame clamps.
It's light, fast and folds brilliantly easy to get in the car, train or whatever I even had it at a restaurant table albeit covered with its bag. Once you learn to fold and unfold, and to sometimes just carry it unfolded for speed it's great. I can't see myself ever being without one, I think the simple ones either 2 or 3 speed are fine and you don't need all the titanium stuff.
They also hold value like nothing else.
I took my Brompton into London last week during the Tube strikes as I thought the Boris Bikes I'd started to use in preference would all be taken.
It was great to be back on it again - its much faster, better rolling than a Boris Bike - I've not ridden any other folders for comparison as the Brompton was the only bike that folded up small enough to fit into my car.
They are expensive - Evans in Canary Wharf has loads in that are priced at over £1000 (you need to be careful speccing the options as they can soon add up) The lack of depreciation was a big factor in the man maths (friend of mine sold his Brompton, my wife was interested but it was too expensive for her)
Only real issue is they weigh a fair bit for a bike destined to be hefted about a lot. Mine has the additional rack wheels, which means I can open up the handlebars and pull it along on flat surfaces.
Agree on keeping it pretty basic - I only used one gear out of the three around London all day last week.
It was great to be back on it again - its much faster, better rolling than a Boris Bike - I've not ridden any other folders for comparison as the Brompton was the only bike that folded up small enough to fit into my car.
They are expensive - Evans in Canary Wharf has loads in that are priced at over £1000 (you need to be careful speccing the options as they can soon add up) The lack of depreciation was a big factor in the man maths (friend of mine sold his Brompton, my wife was interested but it was too expensive for her)
Only real issue is they weigh a fair bit for a bike destined to be hefted about a lot. Mine has the additional rack wheels, which means I can open up the handlebars and pull it along on flat surfaces.
Agree on keeping it pretty basic - I only used one gear out of the three around London all day last week.
Edited by Burrow01 on Wednesday 12th February 17:10
Nothing else I've seen folds as well as a Brompton, in terms of size of the folded unit, neatness (it keeps the chain and other oily bits inside), ease of folding and carrying when folded (it all stays locked together once it's folded), or keeping itself upright when left on the floor folded.
It's a quality product and made in the UK (at least the frames are brazed here, and paint/assembly is here - some parts come from overseas). The retained value thing is in part because the list price, which is never discounted, has gone up substantially in the last few years. I bought mine in 2010 for £750, the same now is £890. Will they keep going up? Who knows, they certainly have no problem selling them.
For something to put in the car boot and use occasionally, those qualities may not matter as much as someone who commutes daily on the train, or who uses it as a London runabout and takes it everywhere with them.
Evans have a couple of Terns for £320-330ish which would do the job, and is probably the minimum I'd want to spend to get something that isn't terrible.
It's a quality product and made in the UK (at least the frames are brazed here, and paint/assembly is here - some parts come from overseas). The retained value thing is in part because the list price, which is never discounted, has gone up substantially in the last few years. I bought mine in 2010 for £750, the same now is £890. Will they keep going up? Who knows, they certainly have no problem selling them.
For something to put in the car boot and use occasionally, those qualities may not matter as much as someone who commutes daily on the train, or who uses it as a London runabout and takes it everywhere with them.
Evans have a couple of Terns for £320-330ish which would do the job, and is probably the minimum I'd want to spend to get something that isn't terrible.
Saw this the other day... https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1585753369/fo...
It's an e-bike but if you ignore that bike it's a really clever design of where to put the fold...
It's an e-bike but if you ignore that bike it's a really clever design of where to put the fold...
Think I'm going to go for this but do these automatic hubs make repairing punctures a chore:
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/folding-bike-tilt-7-bla...
http://www.decathlon.co.uk/folding-bike-tilt-7-bla...
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff