You can't go quickly on a Brompton
Discussion
Or so they say.
I've managed 44 mph before (according to Strava). This vid shows me topping out at 40 mph. Admittedly, I had a fair amount of gravity assistance, but the bike felt stable.
Apologies in advance for the vertical video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wNkVZltMfw
I've managed 44 mph before (according to Strava). This vid shows me topping out at 40 mph. Admittedly, I had a fair amount of gravity assistance, but the bike felt stable.
Apologies in advance for the vertical video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1wNkVZltMfw
My normal flat speed assuming no wind or hills is about 17-18 mph.
But I did just get my fastest Strava speed up an incline on the Brompton of an average of 24mph. Beating my times on three different full-size folders and my Road bike.
It is short though, and I was blowing out my arse afterwards, whereas I was still able to set other fastest times on the road bike.
But I did just get my fastest Strava speed up an incline on the Brompton of an average of 24mph. Beating my times on three different full-size folders and my Road bike.
It is short though, and I was blowing out my arse afterwards, whereas I was still able to set other fastest times on the road bike.
ben_h100 said:
What bromptons do you PHrs recommend/own?
I'm going for a M3L. Apparently there is an 8 week lead time.
Have managed to negotiate 10% off at a local shop which helps.
Best way to purchase them is through the C2W scheme. certainly a bigger saving than 10%. I'm going for a M3L. Apparently there is an 8 week lead time.
Have managed to negotiate 10% off at a local shop which helps.
I'm amazed you have managed to get a discount. As a general rule they aren't discounted at all. They are fairly unique in the fact that the summer and winter sales just don't exist. The factory is at full capacity.
I was quoted 4-6 weeks for a custiom build and they said most are churned out in 4 and that was back in June of last year.
I love my Brompton. It is currently the bike that gets the most use out of the four that I own. Its used Monday to Friday every week no matter what the weather. They are a triumph of British engineering and design.
Mine is an M3L in orange and blue. Also fitted with marathons and the S-Bag. The S-Bag is overpriced and not as practical as my £15 Sports Direct rucksack and I have since sent a letter to Brompton about that bag.
I ran a £200 used Tern Link D8 (bought on Gumtree) for three months and it was utter crap. Many of the components were made of cheese. The brakes and the ride were slightly better than the Brompton, however the fold was fairly poor and on a train it wasn't self supporting, so you had to strap it to a pole and that took valuable seconds off the time to find a seat. No worries with that and Brompton.
I run Shimano SPD pedals on mine and I can get away pretty quickly from the lights. However, to keep up with a roadie, I think you have to run a pretty high cadence. You can't get away from that. It just doesn't have the gearing to match standard road bikes.
I will eventually pimp mine. Carbon M-Bars, titanium bolts and maybe replace th
said:
I see a chap in Walton cycling to the station almost every morning on a Brompton, he's doing a good 25mph without high cadence.
Might have had altered gearing then, as the standard gearing means you would have to run high cadence than a roadie. I have been passed by some quick people on Bromptons and I can assure you they were pushing 100+ cadence whilst the road wasn't you can see it just by watching the leg movements. ben_h100 said:
What bromptons do you PHrs recommend/own?
I'm going for a M3L. Apparently there is an 8 week lead time.
Have managed to negotiate 10% off at a local shop which helps.
If you go to a shop that has plenty of stock you can get one built up from what they have. As long as they have the colour and handlebar combination that you want then you should be good to go.I'm going for a M3L. Apparently there is an 8 week lead time.
Have managed to negotiate 10% off at a local shop which helps.
I love mine, definitely the bike I ride the most.
bakerstreet said:
ben_h100 said:
What bromptons do you PHrs recommend/own?
I'm going for a M3L. Apparently there is an 8 week lead time.
Have managed to negotiate 10% off at a local shop which helps.
Best way to purchase them is through the C2W scheme. certainly a bigger saving than 10%. I'm going for a M3L. Apparently there is an 8 week lead time.
Have managed to negotiate 10% off at a local shop which helps.
I'm amazed you have managed to get a discount. As a general rule they aren't discounted at all. They are fairly unique in the fact that the summer and winter sales just don't exist. The factory is at full capacity.
I was quoted 4-6 weeks for a custiom build and they said most are churned out in 4 and that was back in June of last year.
I love my Brompton. It is currently the bike that gets the most use out of the four that I own. Its used Monday to Friday every week no matter what the weather. They are a triumph of British engineering and design.
Mine is an M3L in orange and blue. Also fitted with marathons and the S-Bag. The S-Bag is overpriced and not as practical as my £15 Sports Direct rucksack and I have since sent a letter to Brompton about that bag.
I ran a £200 used Tern Link D8 (bought on Gumtree) for three months and it was utter crap. Many of the components were made of cheese. The brakes and the ride were slightly better than the Brompton, however the fold was fairly poor and on a train it wasn't self supporting, so you had to strap it to a pole and that took valuable seconds off the time to find a seat. No worries with that and Brompton.
I run Shimano SPD pedals on mine and I can get away pretty quickly from the lights. However, to keep up with a roadie, I think you have to run a pretty high cadence. You can't get away from that. It just doesn't have the gearing to match standard road bikes.
I will eventually pimp mine. Carbon M-Bars, titanium bolts and maybe replace th
said:
I see a chap in Walton cycling to the station almost every morning on a Brompton, he's doing a good 25mph without high cadence.
Might have had altered gearing then, as the standard gearing means you would have to run high cadence than a roadie. I have been passed by some quick people on Bromptons and I can assure you they were pushing 100+ cadence whilst the road wasn't you can see it just by watching the leg movements. How far do you ride yours - ride/tube/train combination? The main attraction to me is the flexibility it offers; can be taken into work, on public transport, in the car boot, etc. Also very cool!
bakerstreet said:
ben_h100 said:
What bromptons do you PHrs recommend/own?
I'm going for a M3L. Apparently there is an 8 week lead time.
Have managed to negotiate 10% off at a local shop which helps.
Best way to purchase them is through the C2W scheme. certainly a bigger saving than 10%. I'm going for a M3L. Apparently there is an 8 week lead time.
Have managed to negotiate 10% off at a local shop which helps.
I'm amazed you have managed to get a discount. As a general rule they aren't discounted at all. They are fairly unique in the fact that the summer and winter sales just don't exist. The factory is at full capacity.
I was quoted 4-6 weeks for a custiom build and they said most are churned out in 4 and that was back in June of last year.
I love my Brompton. It is currently the bike that gets the most use out of the four that I own. Its used Monday to Friday every week no matter what the weather. They are a triumph of British engineering and design.
Mine is an M3L in orange and blue. Also fitted with marathons and the S-Bag. The S-Bag is overpriced and not as practical as my £15 Sports Direct rucksack and I have since sent a letter to Brompton about that bag.
I ran a £200 used Tern Link D8 (bought on Gumtree) for three months and it was utter crap. Many of the components were made of cheese. The brakes and the ride were slightly better than the Brompton, however the fold was fairly poor and on a train it wasn't self supporting, so you had to strap it to a pole and that took valuable seconds off the time to find a seat. No worries with that and Brompton.
I run Shimano SPD pedals on mine and I can get away pretty quickly from the lights. However, to keep up with a roadie, I think you have to run a pretty high cadence. You can't get away from that. It just doesn't have the gearing to match standard road bikes.
I will eventually pimp mine. Carbon M-Bars, titanium bolts and maybe replace th
said:
I see a chap in Walton cycling to the station almost every morning on a Brompton, he's doing a good 25mph without high cadence.
Might have had altered gearing then, as the standard gearing means you would have to run high cadence than a roadie. I have been passed by some quick people on Bromptons and I can assure you they were pushing 100+ cadence whilst the road wasn't you can see it just by watching the leg movements. How far do you ride yours - ride/tube/train combination? The main attraction to me is the flexibility it offers; can be taken into work, on public transport, in the car boot, etc. Also very cool!
ben_h100 said:
Do you have any photos of yours? Sounds like an interesting combination. My order is yet to go in but at the moment I'm looking at black with the brooks saddle and the additional wheels that help when rolling it around. Unfortunately my employer isn't, and will never be part of the C2W scheme which is how I was offered 10% off. Custom builds as well.
How far do you ride yours - ride/tube/train combination? The main attraction to me is the flexibility it offers; can be taken into work, on public transport, in the car boot, etc. Also very cool!
I ride mine 0.9 miles to the station, then get on a train for 28 minutes and then ride 3.5 miles to my office. I get on a London Midland Main Line station everyday. A Brompton is fine on there, but I think you would be unpopular if you tried to take it on a tube train everyday. How far do you ride yours - ride/tube/train combination? The main attraction to me is the flexibility it offers; can be taken into work, on public transport, in the car boot, etc. Also very cool!
Brompton charge a premium for colours that aren't white or black, so you would be looking at £70 for different colours. Black and white is a no cost option.
Evans cycles get a variety of colours to sell in the stores and they are often cheaper than what you would pay for if you went for a custom order. Might be worth visiting some of the bigger stores.
The Brompton saddle is fine if you ride with it at the right angle. Not sure I would pay for the Brooks saddle.
For keeping cool in the summer, the S-Bag may be worth it, as backpacks do make you sweaty. Also the additional weight on the front end takes away some of the nervousness.
Also double check your weight, as they recommend different suspension blocks based on your weight.
I went a different route into Brompton ownership to most people in that I knew before I ordered mine that it wouldn't be staying standard.
I went to the Brompton junction in Covent Garden and tested out an S type and an M type before deciding that neither was going to work for me.
So what I did was order an H type.
Why? Well it's the highest finished handlebar height of them all. As it has the same clamp height as the S type, but with M type bars. It does, however, have the fold on the stem a little higher to ensure the higher bars don't scrape the floor when folded.
I then removed the bars and fitted ones with a slight rise and stuck bar ends on too. These were a fair bit wider than standard Brompton bars so I cut a little off them to bring them in a bit. That was because one of things I noticed immediately about riding a Brompton is that the narrow bars help in traffic. Mine have ended up about 4cm wider than standard M bars
The result, for me at least, is a bike that's no slower than my full size Folding Dahon.
My usual commute involves me putting the bike in the back of a convertible Mini while I drive my daughter to the child minders. I then park the car about a mile from the station, get the bike out, ride it to the station, fold it down to go on the train, then unfold and ride to work. This can be 2.5 miles, 5.5 miles or 8.5 or even 11.5 miles depending on which train I get and how many laps of Hyde Park I can fit in before work.
Average speed goes up on the longer journeys because there are fewer lights and junctions and rests at about 15-15.5. Shorter journeys, it averages about 12 mph because there are too many times I have to stop.
As for the gear ratios, I went with a 6 speed as that hill I came down in the video, I also have to go back up. This I do in first (which is a lot lower than 1 on a 3-speed). You've also got one extra ratio at the top end so 23-25 mph is possible without spinning out.
This is how I ordered it.
This is it with the new bars.
And this is what it looks like folded. As you can see the extra height of the fold means the bars have plenty of clearance when folded.
I went to the Brompton junction in Covent Garden and tested out an S type and an M type before deciding that neither was going to work for me.
So what I did was order an H type.
Why? Well it's the highest finished handlebar height of them all. As it has the same clamp height as the S type, but with M type bars. It does, however, have the fold on the stem a little higher to ensure the higher bars don't scrape the floor when folded.
I then removed the bars and fitted ones with a slight rise and stuck bar ends on too. These were a fair bit wider than standard Brompton bars so I cut a little off them to bring them in a bit. That was because one of things I noticed immediately about riding a Brompton is that the narrow bars help in traffic. Mine have ended up about 4cm wider than standard M bars
The result, for me at least, is a bike that's no slower than my full size Folding Dahon.
My usual commute involves me putting the bike in the back of a convertible Mini while I drive my daughter to the child minders. I then park the car about a mile from the station, get the bike out, ride it to the station, fold it down to go on the train, then unfold and ride to work. This can be 2.5 miles, 5.5 miles or 8.5 or even 11.5 miles depending on which train I get and how many laps of Hyde Park I can fit in before work.
Average speed goes up on the longer journeys because there are fewer lights and junctions and rests at about 15-15.5. Shorter journeys, it averages about 12 mph because there are too many times I have to stop.
As for the gear ratios, I went with a 6 speed as that hill I came down in the video, I also have to go back up. This I do in first (which is a lot lower than 1 on a 3-speed). You've also got one extra ratio at the top end so 23-25 mph is possible without spinning out.
This is how I ordered it.
This is it with the new bars.
And this is what it looks like folded. As you can see the extra height of the fold means the bars have plenty of clearance when folded.
Edited by Kell on Friday 19th February 15:02
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Looking so nice in the green - this bike is made for colour and they know we want to pay for it. Full orange for me which would have been free a couple of months earlier before the change in ''standard'' colours.
There are so many brilliant design ideas within the build but one of the best attentions to detail is clearly seen here.
The design of the underside of the saddle to form a carry handle. It does feel compromised though and I guess that's because I have the H6R - I reckon the rack probably unbalances the weight distribution a tad.
Big week next week - C2W - the bike becomes mine. Shame I have not ridden it much recently - but holiday booked in Ireland so it will soon be installed in the car ready to add a few more miles. My best was 16 miles from the garage after taking my car for its MOT/service - at 16mph. And its up and down - I also have the gear reduction. Probably not too different from the heavy hybrid, but a bit slower than the road bike.
I was swaying over a Brompton and went for a Tern Verge X10 instead as I liked the fact it was stiffer and had bigger wheels (20"). However, the fold is nowhere near as good as the Brompton.
I do like riding the folder in London and full size bike riders think they can barge to the front at the traffic lights, only to be left behind soon after as it accelerates very quickly. Are Bromptons as quick off the line?
I do like riding the folder in London and full size bike riders think they can barge to the front at the traffic lights, only to be left behind soon after as it accelerates very quickly. Are Bromptons as quick off the line?
AlasdairMc said:
I was swaying over a Brompton and went for a Tern Verge X10 instead as I liked the fact it was stiffer and had bigger wheels (20"). However, the fold is nowhere near as good as the Brompton.
I do like riding the folder in London and full size bike riders think they can barge to the front at the traffic lights, only to be left behind soon after as it accelerates very quickly. Are Bromptons as quick off the line?
If anything a Brompton is quicker off the line than the 20in wheel Terns. I do like riding the folder in London and full size bike riders think they can barge to the front at the traffic lights, only to be left behind soon after as it accelerates very quickly. Are Bromptons as quick off the line?
The Verge X10s look pretty good, but you are right about the fold. My other half took mine to biek shop for me and the magnets just uncoupled and it swung into her leg and gave her a massive bruise. She wasn't happy. I went after them on Instagram after that. She has always questioned my bike purchases, but when she saw the Brompton, she agreed it was worth it compared to the Tern.
I know quite a few people who have run Terns (myself included) and none of them kept them. They were all eventually sold and replaced with Bromptons. not because of the ride, but because of the poor fold and build quality.
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