The Brompton debate.
Discussion
So the seat tube of my 2nd Dahon has cracked.
It lasted over 5 years, so it's had a good run, but Dahon no longer exists.
The Tern Joe would be a broadly equivalent replacement, but I'm beginning to wonder if the real solution would be a Brompton.
Much as I've resisted getting one over the years, I think it might actually be time to bite the bullet.
I've specced one up though and it's coming in £1,250 - but the lacquered frame does look good.
I could save £150 by going for black, a little more by not having the luggage, and a few quid by going for 3 gears rather than 6, but it's not going to be a huge amount. Having said that, the initial build was over £1500.
The question is, has anyone gone for anything considerably cheaper and regretted it? Or something cheaper and love it? It's a lot of money, but I know they last and they seem to hold their value like nothing else.
It lasted over 5 years, so it's had a good run, but Dahon no longer exists.
The Tern Joe would be a broadly equivalent replacement, but I'm beginning to wonder if the real solution would be a Brompton.
Much as I've resisted getting one over the years, I think it might actually be time to bite the bullet.
I've specced one up though and it's coming in £1,250 - but the lacquered frame does look good.
I could save £150 by going for black, a little more by not having the luggage, and a few quid by going for 3 gears rather than 6, but it's not going to be a huge amount. Having said that, the initial build was over £1500.
The question is, has anyone gone for anything considerably cheaper and regretted it? Or something cheaper and love it? It's a lot of money, but I know they last and they seem to hold their value like nothing else.
Edited by Kell on Tuesday 9th June 12:51
TwistingMyMelon said:
No experience , but everyone I have ever known who has one has spoken fondly of them, plus I have seen loads of people buy cheaper alternatives and then be disappointed
I echo the above, I would be wary of spending on a nice paint finish when by its very folding nature it is going to get knocked about and bashed
It's actually just a lacquer over the top of the frame and welds. Costs more than paint though. Reminds me a bit of when we bought our last house (new build). We could have had the staircase painted white for free, but it was £120 for them NOT to paint it. Didn't even varnish it. I echo the above, I would be wary of spending on a nice paint finish when by its very folding nature it is going to get knocked about and bashed
Accelebrate said:
A guy on my commute has a Tern Joe, it's quite a large package once folded and you need quite a bit of space around you to fold it, not ideal on a train.
AS I say, I'm currently on my second Dahon, and previously had a Rabbit.de folding bike which was identical to the non-lockjaw Dahon design. Part of the reason that I'm thinking about a Brompton this time around is that the trains seems to be getting busier, and while it's within the rules to have a full size folding bike, it's sometimes hard to physically get on to some trains if I'm not there early enough.
Barchettaman said:
With regards to the seat tube crack on the Dahon, is it worth looking at getting it welded and repaired?
It would certainly be cheaper and might be something I consider doing as well. But as it's the second Dahon that I've had that's gone in pretty much the same place, I'm not sure I really trust it that much. Plus, as above, a smaller folding bike would solve other problems. My wife's away a fair bit and takes our estate car when she goes. Which leaves me with a convertible Mini and no where to put the Dahon.
At least the Brompton would go in there and I could cycle every day.
P1ato said:
I got a raw lacquer 3 speed Brompton 6 months ago. Looks great...it's got a Brooks saddle, mudguards, shimano lights, firm ride, higher spec tyres etc. Cost me £1K from Pearson Cycles (been friends with the owners for years...).
No problems with the frame at all. Ride takes some getting used to after years commuting on road bikes, but my commute has reduced to only 4 miles each way and the Brompton is perfect for that.
Just don't expect to be the fastest commuter on two wheels...
Well it seems like it's not too much of a debate. Everyone that has one loves them.No problems with the frame at all. Ride takes some getting used to after years commuting on road bikes, but my commute has reduced to only 4 miles each way and the Brompton is perfect for that.
Just don't expect to be the fastest commuter on two wheels...
My only gripe will be that, currently, I sometimes get an earlier train and do extra laps of Hyde Park to up the mileage. Doesn't sound like the sort of thing I'd enjoy doing on a Brompton.
Also, to all of you that ride them, how's the rigidity? And does the lack of a top tube cause problems later down the line?
Anyone got - or seen anyone with - a Bickerton Docklands?
Looks identical design to the Tern Joe, but I prefer it for some reason. The only thing is, it says 30 seconds to fold, but the Tern says just 5. Wondering whether the Bickerton needs the front wheel to come off. Though I can't see why.
Looks identical design to the Tern Joe, but I prefer it for some reason. The only thing is, it says 30 seconds to fold, but the Tern says just 5. Wondering whether the Bickerton needs the front wheel to come off. Though I can't see why.
dick_turpin said:
Jimboka said:
AyBee said:
Kell said:
I've specced one up though and it's coming in £1,250 - but the lacquered frame does look good.
......the initial build was over £1500.
That's a £250 saving in my book - get it bought ......the initial build was over £1500.
.
I'm going to try and get to the Brompton Junction store today and have a look.
I've never ridden a Brompton, but tried a small wheeled Dahon before I ordered my first full sized folder. I think I do put a lot of lateral stress on my bikes and I noticed that the Dahon flexed really badly. It will be a case of try it and see.
I may or may not be doing this through the ride to work scheme.
Pretty sure my company have stopped doing it, but my wife's may still run it.
It's a pisser as the bike's too expensive (for me) to buy outright, but not expensive enough to buy for 0% on Evans' 0% scheme (value has to be >£1,499).
Pretty sure my company have stopped doing it, but my wife's may still run it.
It's a pisser as the bike's too expensive (for me) to buy outright, but not expensive enough to buy for 0% on Evans' 0% scheme (value has to be >£1,499).
So I took three out today for a test ride. Tried an S2, an M3 and an M6.
First impressions.
Way more stable than I thought they would be. I thought the fact that both the seat tube and the steering column are so long they'd just flex - but felt surprisingly rigid. Also felt very short however. I'm sure this could be fixed by shoving the seats back on their rails a bit further though.
I prefer the look of the S2, but it really felt like I was on top of the bars. The M bars felt better, but I think, ideally I'd prefer something somewhere in between.
As for the gears, the 2 speed is out for me, but the three speed felt OK around town.
What I might do is hire one for a week or so until I can get a feel for all the things that matter to me. How good it is on the hills in High Wycombe, whether or not it'll fit in our Mini. How it feels for my real commute rather than just a little trundle around Covent Garden.
What I would say is that the upright position made filtering through traffic a bit easier - and the narrow bars help with this too. My Dahon has hu-u-u-u-u-u-ge bars so I got through some gaps that I'd have had to wait for on my Dahon.
Overall - I'm impressed.
ETA: I felt like the ideal position for me would have been in between the S and the M.
I had a quick look online and it look like quite a few people have bought the M bars and then swapped the bars out for some fairly standard looking riser bars to drop the position down.
But equally, I thought about buying the S and then fitting some riser bars to lift the position up a bit.
First impressions.
Way more stable than I thought they would be. I thought the fact that both the seat tube and the steering column are so long they'd just flex - but felt surprisingly rigid. Also felt very short however. I'm sure this could be fixed by shoving the seats back on their rails a bit further though.
I prefer the look of the S2, but it really felt like I was on top of the bars. The M bars felt better, but I think, ideally I'd prefer something somewhere in between.
As for the gears, the 2 speed is out for me, but the three speed felt OK around town.
What I might do is hire one for a week or so until I can get a feel for all the things that matter to me. How good it is on the hills in High Wycombe, whether or not it'll fit in our Mini. How it feels for my real commute rather than just a little trundle around Covent Garden.
What I would say is that the upright position made filtering through traffic a bit easier - and the narrow bars help with this too. My Dahon has hu-u-u-u-u-u-ge bars so I got through some gaps that I'd have had to wait for on my Dahon.
Overall - I'm impressed.
ETA: I felt like the ideal position for me would have been in between the S and the M.
I had a quick look online and it look like quite a few people have bought the M bars and then swapped the bars out for some fairly standard looking riser bars to drop the position down.
But equally, I thought about buying the S and then fitting some riser bars to lift the position up a bit.
Edited by Kell on Wednesday 10th June 16:59
croyde said:
I have an S3 and I like the look of it, more aggressive, but I agree with you on the feeling of being over the bars.
Guy in the cycle shop had one where he put a different set of bars on the S stem, which is a little higher than the M.
So instead of straights they had an inch rise which he claimed made the world of difference.
If you fit aftermarket bars just make sure it doesn't clash with anything when you fold it.
Funnily enough, I was just editing my post when you posted that.Guy in the cycle shop had one where he put a different set of bars on the S stem, which is a little higher than the M.
So instead of straights they had an inch rise which he claimed made the world of difference.
If you fit aftermarket bars just make sure it doesn't clash with anything when you fold it.
I've got various sets of bars in the house that might be worth a try.
Well I picked it up from Ealing and cycled back 10 miles to Knightsbridge.
It SHOULDN'T be 10 miles to Knightsbridge, but my sense of direction is very poor and I added 2.0 miles by going the wrong way.
The bike is exactly the same as posted in the thread above. M3L in blue/pink. One thing I had hoped I'd be able to change was the seat - as shown in the picture linked to in the thread above, it's pushed about as far forward on the rails as it'll go.
I took a multi tool along to try and shove it back as I thought that might be the case, but it has a Torx security bolt in it.
I did manage to tilt the bars forward a bit though so that made the position a little less upright, but then when I got off this end, I couldn't fold it as the bars were now too far rotated.
I might try a test fit this weekend though and see if a pair of riser bars on the shorter M stem would work.
ALso, I might see if I can get a security allen/torx key to fit the seat bolt as I intend to keep this bike for some time as the £2.50 a day to hire it is cheaper than not cycling.
Also, if I do go on and buy one, the £20 membership fee gets refunded.
It SHOULDN'T be 10 miles to Knightsbridge, but my sense of direction is very poor and I added 2.0 miles by going the wrong way.
The bike is exactly the same as posted in the thread above. M3L in blue/pink. One thing I had hoped I'd be able to change was the seat - as shown in the picture linked to in the thread above, it's pushed about as far forward on the rails as it'll go.
I took a multi tool along to try and shove it back as I thought that might be the case, but it has a Torx security bolt in it.
I did manage to tilt the bars forward a bit though so that made the position a little less upright, but then when I got off this end, I couldn't fold it as the bars were now too far rotated.
I might try a test fit this weekend though and see if a pair of riser bars on the shorter M stem would work.
ALso, I might see if I can get a security allen/torx key to fit the seat bolt as I intend to keep this bike for some time as the £2.50 a day to hire it is cheaper than not cycling.
Also, if I do go on and buy one, the £20 membership fee gets refunded.
I have a feeling, now that I've seen the M folded, that bar ends wouldn't work.
I also think that riser bars on an M stem would end up being lower than the standard S bars.
My current way of thinking is to get the H bars and fit risers to it. Because of the added height of the hinge on that bar, the bar ends wouldn't drag on the floor.
I also think that riser bars on an M stem would end up being lower than the standard S bars.
My current way of thinking is to get the H bars and fit risers to it. Because of the added height of the hinge on that bar, the bar ends wouldn't drag on the floor.
ecs said:
bakerstreet said:
Accelebrate said:
H type stem with S type bars? 
Got to be careful that the fold still works though. I saw someone on a Bromtopn with wide MTB bars fitted and they looked like they had a 1 inch rise.
I really want the S as I think it looks much better than the M bar variants, but reading some of the posts on here, I am now worried about feeling like you are on top of the bars. The only Brompton I've ridden had M bars fitted.
Brompton Junction is fairly near where I work. I might pop in one day and have a look. Not sure about a test ride, as I won't be buying the bike from the Brompton shop, so don't want to waste their time.
I took out an M6, an S2 and an S3 all in the space of about 1/2 hour.
Just had to leave ID.
bakerstreet said:
Accelebrate said:
H type stem with S type bars?
Got to be careful that the fold still works though. I saw someone on a Bromtopn with wide MTB bars fitted and they looked like they had a 1 inch rise.
I really want the S as I think it looks much better than the M bar variants, but reading some of the posts on here, I am now worried about feeling like you are on top of the bars. The only Brompton I've ridden had M bars fitted.
Brompton Junction is fairly near where I work. I might pop in one day and have a look. Not sure about a test ride, as I won't be buying the bike from the Brompton shop, so don't want to waste their time.
As I mentioned above, I'm now thinking of an H6L, but then putting riser bars on it to drop it down a bit.
Part one of testing phase complete:
It does fit in the boot of a convertible Mini. Only just mind. I had to remove te parcel shelf and unhook the clips to lift up the hood, but it does go in.
Part two complete. On my ride in this morning I was actually a little quicker than on my last commute on the Dahon. But then I didn't feel like I could go much quicker, yet I know I can go quicker in the old bike. But surprisingly close.
Part three hope to complete tonight. My Torx keys have arrived so I want to shove the seat back a bit. At present the bars are a good 6-8 inches back from my usual bike.
It does fit in the boot of a convertible Mini. Only just mind. I had to remove te parcel shelf and unhook the clips to lift up the hood, but it does go in.
Part two complete. On my ride in this morning I was actually a little quicker than on my last commute on the Dahon. But then I didn't feel like I could go much quicker, yet I know I can go quicker in the old bike. But surprisingly close.
Part three hope to complete tonight. My Torx keys have arrived so I want to shove the seat back a bit. At present the bars are a good 6-8 inches back from my usual bike.
Edited by Kell on Monday 15th June 11:41
louiebaby said:
Jimboka said:
Brompton tip. Use some old inner tube, or elastic band, to set your seat height, where the seat tube pokes through the bottom of frame. Then always the right height without faffing about..
Or just be 6'8'' tall, and just put it to the top every time. (I have the telescopic post, and never move the top section.)This means once the top section is set, I can drop the bottom section all the way down and pull it all the way up and it will be at the right height.
It adds weight, yes, but I think getting it right that easily every time might be worth it.
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