Let's see your Brompton
Discussion
Carbon wheels and the Kinetics 8 speed mod would be on my list of stuff to do, but I'm limited by cash at the moment:
http://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/folding-bikes/bro...
They also do cool things with Rohloff and disc brakes, which also appeals, but needs new forks and rear triangle, so might have to wait for when I have LOTS of money and get a second one. (You know, when the kids turn pro and I follow them round the world, watching them race.)
http://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/folding-bikes/bro...
They also do cool things with Rohloff and disc brakes, which also appeals, but needs new forks and rear triangle, so might have to wait for when I have LOTS of money and get a second one. (You know, when the kids turn pro and I follow them round the world, watching them race.)
velocgee said:
neilbauer said:
Carbon wheels and Kojaks?
Aeroheat rims, marathon+ tyres, Brooks saddle and gripsNot keen on the chunky cf wheel look for bromptons. Also, the bike is for pounding the city streets.
Would love NOV design bits, though.
I've been running the Brook B17 for over 4yrs. Extremely comfortable but a tad wide. Not sure if I'll go B17 narrow or even Swallow/ Swift.
I've just removed my slender grips as the tape came away on one. And anyway, that Brommie is going to the other half so she'll prefer the greater comfort from the silicone grips.
I've just removed my slender grips as the tape came away on one. And anyway, that Brommie is going to the other half so she'll prefer the greater comfort from the silicone grips.
Jobbo said:
Is that a normal S-bag, Neil? I've been wondering about getting a bag, but I'd end up using the bag more often than I use the bike!
It's new I think! It's a shoulder bag or satchel. https://bromptonjunction.com/shop/brompton-shoulde...
It's £70 at Evans.
A reluctant Bromptoneer here.
Having always lived in central London and cycled to work for about 10 years, always on a slick shod hardtail, I found myself having to move out to the sticks to start a family.
This of course means commuter trains and the dreaded tube...
Not being able to face that I decided a folding bike was the only solution to keep my sanity. So for Christmas last year I treated myself to an S3L Superlight titanium in British racing green with battery lights, Sbag, extended seatpost, marathons etc.
I've followed this thread with interest and meant to comment for ages. I'm very surprised at the lack of people going for the Ti option? It's lighter, looks better, is more PH and sets one apart from all the other Brompton. Also, is there anyone here who actually uses theirs everyday for the train?
I've done 10 miles a day for the last year on every working day, in all weathers and have only had to replace the brake pads. Chain and sprocket is worn but no slipping yet. Anyway, here follows my thoughts from the last year:
The bad:
Overpriced - some of the componentry is laughable for a £1.7k bike.
Terrible brakes - have only used hydraulic discs for years.
Horrid shifters - I believe the new model has improved ones.
Still a bit heavy even with the Ti.
Feels very flexible and imprecise when riding at speed.
Horrible ride over any bumps - having 100psi in tyres to aid efficiency doesn't help.
Toolkit does not really work - search for reviews of it.
Poor quality - my front carrier block mount is brazed on wonky, means bag is at a jaunty angle.
SBag looks massive but can hardly fit anything in it.
All the accessories have ludicrous prices.
The good:
The fold is good, it's v small when folded.
Don't have to take the tube.
It is by far the least fun bike I own and I only use it out of necessity!
Having always lived in central London and cycled to work for about 10 years, always on a slick shod hardtail, I found myself having to move out to the sticks to start a family.
This of course means commuter trains and the dreaded tube...
Not being able to face that I decided a folding bike was the only solution to keep my sanity. So for Christmas last year I treated myself to an S3L Superlight titanium in British racing green with battery lights, Sbag, extended seatpost, marathons etc.
I've followed this thread with interest and meant to comment for ages. I'm very surprised at the lack of people going for the Ti option? It's lighter, looks better, is more PH and sets one apart from all the other Brompton. Also, is there anyone here who actually uses theirs everyday for the train?
I've done 10 miles a day for the last year on every working day, in all weathers and have only had to replace the brake pads. Chain and sprocket is worn but no slipping yet. Anyway, here follows my thoughts from the last year:
The bad:
Overpriced - some of the componentry is laughable for a £1.7k bike.
Terrible brakes - have only used hydraulic discs for years.
Horrid shifters - I believe the new model has improved ones.
Still a bit heavy even with the Ti.
Feels very flexible and imprecise when riding at speed.
Horrible ride over any bumps - having 100psi in tyres to aid efficiency doesn't help.
Toolkit does not really work - search for reviews of it.
Poor quality - my front carrier block mount is brazed on wonky, means bag is at a jaunty angle.
SBag looks massive but can hardly fit anything in it.
All the accessories have ludicrous prices.
The good:
The fold is good, it's v small when folded.
Don't have to take the tube.
It is by far the least fun bike I own and I only use it out of necessity!
neilbauer said:
It's new I think! It's a shoulder bag or satchel.
https://bromptonjunction.com/shop/brompton-shoulde...
It's £70 at Evans.
Thank you https://bromptonjunction.com/shop/brompton-shoulde...
It's £70 at Evans.
Does the mount annoy you when you carry the bag off the bike?Baron, I never even considered the Ti version. I don't think it goes with any of the paint colours I like for the main frame and the price for the small weight saving is silly.
Surprised that the bag mount is wonky; it's pretty easy to see that the holes line up perfectly on mine so a mount should be straight, but that's a QC issue. I'd have taken it back pretty quickly for that.
Jobbo said:
neilbauer said:
It's new I think! It's a shoulder bag or satchel.
https://bromptonjunction.com/shop/brompton-shoulde...
It's £70 at Evans.
Thank you https://bromptonjunction.com/shop/brompton-shoulde...
It's £70 at Evans.
Does the mount annoy you when you carry the bag off the bike?Baron, I never even considered the Ti version. I don't think it goes with any of the paint colours I like for the main frame and the price for the small weight saving is silly.
Surprised that the bag mount is wonky; it's pretty easy to see that the holes line up perfectly on mine so a mount should be straight, but that's a QC issue. I'd have taken it back pretty quickly for that.
neilbauer said:
There are some fanatics out there who spend thousands modding their Bromptons, and some lovely looking bikes.
I went down the rabbit hole to have a look around earlier this week, and managed to pull myself back without spending anything. That said, I'd love a nickel finish with black extremities, running a Rohloff hub, hydraulic discs, carbon wheels, a Q ring and a titanium telescopic seatpost...
BaronVonVaderham said:
A reluctant Bromptoneer here.
I don't take any issue with what you've written, most of it is factually correct, although most of it also falls in under "character" for me. I suspect the negatives would grate on me more if I used it daily like you do though.I think it's really important that the negatives are presented as well, so anyone considering buying one has a set of balanced opinions to work off. Thanks for contributing.
The wonky bag mount is worrying though, I wouldn't accept that.
I don't have the Rohloff hub, and therefore am not speaking from experience, but when I took mine in for a service, I was chatting to one of the mechanics, who didn't rate the conversion.
His opininon was that the Alfine 8 speed was a much better spend of money.
His reasoning? The ones I can remember are that the Rohloff one is pressurised, which means it can't be serviced by just anyone, the 14 gears are too much and no one can rotate their wrist through them all in one go. (Though I'd dispute the rationale behind this, because how often do you need to immediately go from 14 to 1 without using any other gear in between?)
As for the Ti thing, of course it would be nice if a Brompton was lighter, but the additional money versus weight saving when the bike is already heavy seems a pointless waste to me. It's like putting a lipstick on a pig.
Of course they're compromised as a bike, but as a multi-modal bike, I don't think they can be beaten at any price. Other bikes do one thing better, but none (that I've come across) are a better package.
Things I'd like to see as Brompton factory options:
Disc brakes.
Proper transmission that doens't require 2 shifters for just 6 gears.
A proper way to pull/push the bike when it's folded. The EZ wheels...aren't.
His opininon was that the Alfine 8 speed was a much better spend of money.
His reasoning? The ones I can remember are that the Rohloff one is pressurised, which means it can't be serviced by just anyone, the 14 gears are too much and no one can rotate their wrist through them all in one go. (Though I'd dispute the rationale behind this, because how often do you need to immediately go from 14 to 1 without using any other gear in between?)
As for the Ti thing, of course it would be nice if a Brompton was lighter, but the additional money versus weight saving when the bike is already heavy seems a pointless waste to me. It's like putting a lipstick on a pig.
Of course they're compromised as a bike, but as a multi-modal bike, I don't think they can be beaten at any price. Other bikes do one thing better, but none (that I've come across) are a better package.
Things I'd like to see as Brompton factory options:
Disc brakes.
Proper transmission that doens't require 2 shifters for just 6 gears.
A proper way to pull/push the bike when it's folded. The EZ wheels...aren't.
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