Brompton - First Impressions!

[oncemore]

My first ride on a/my Brompton this a.m. - 23 miles, my usual sort of daily distance.

Aren't they comfy?! Even if never needed to fold, still an excellent bike IMO. That small rubber block plus the long seat post and long "steerer" smooth out rough tarmac and hard packed trails very well indeed.

I am more than ever convinced however that the prices are a joke! I suspect the largest single item in production cost is down to protecting the patents - any one of '000s of metal shops in China etc could knock out the framesets for maybe 25 quid given a decent volume! And the finishing bits (not a socket-cap bolt in sight!) are what you'd expect on a 100 quid supermarket bike!

But...the ride overshadows all that. And the size just makes it so easy to handle/manhandle. There'll be a geared down 2 speed joining the S6 within a month or so...

[ed_o_brain]

That looks nice.

I think I need to get a Brompton on long-term test to see how it compares with my Dahon, which I've found utterly underwhelming.

[rogerzilla]

One man's comfy is another man's flexy 

If you ride one as fast as a normal bike, the shortcomings of the design show up - there is a lot of fore-and-aft flex under hard pedalling (even if you lock out the suspension with jubilee clips).  Rolling resistance is monstrous due to the small wheels.

I agree they're overpriced, especially these days (an L3 was under £400 seven years ago), but nothing folds quite as small, and that's the point.  There is actually a Chinese knock-off, the Merc, which has an aluminium main frame.  However, it weighs more than a Brompton and everybody who has one complains about the seatpost slipping down.  They don't seem to be officially sold in the UK (patent lawyers would pounce), but they sometimes appear on eBay.  The rear hub (sold already built into a wheel for £40) is the same S-RF3 as on a Brompton 3-speed, although it has a longer axle and you have to juggle the spacers a bit, and redish, to make it right for the Brommie.

[Domestique]

Then again, with the Euro to pound exchange rate if you are using Euros a Brompton is nearly half price compared to two years ago.
Mine just cost £700 on the NHS bike to work scheme, now got a 8-12 week wait.

[oncemore]

"One man's comfy is another man's flexy 

If you ride one as fast as a normal bike, the shortcomings of the design show up - there is a lot of fore-and-aft flex under hard pedalling (even if you lock out the suspension with jubilee clips).  Rolling resistance is monstrous due to the small wheels."

At less than 9 st I detect no flex! And I seem to ride it as fast as I ride ANY bike - i.e. very slowly by the standards of everyone on here I guess. But then the group of people with whom I've started riding are considerably slower than I - average maybe 8 mph. Still quicker than walking!

[orienteer]

It's a myth that small wheels are slow; it's fat, soft tyres that are slow. Alex Moulton showed this by measuring rolling resistance of small versus large wheels long ago.

The Brompton is expensive mainly because it is made in Britain. Only recently some components, such as the titanium parts, have started to be manufactured abroad. But they keep their value very well, so in the longer run they are not so expensive. Sales are strong in export markets, such as Japan.

[rogerzilla]

It's a myth that small wheels are slow; it's fat, soft tyres that are slow. Alex Moulton showed this by measuring rolling resistance of small versus large wheels long ago.

On a smooth surface there is no difference, on rough roads a larger diameter wheel always wins because it wastes less energy moving up and down (it straddles the lumps, IYSWIM).  Moultons sort of get round the problem on rough roads by having front and rear suspension, which is their USP.

[Sigurd Mudtracker]

But they keep their value very well, so in the longer run they are not so expensive.

My L5 lost £100 in depreciation over 12 years.  I don't think there are many kinds of transport that will offer that (apart from my Moulton, perhaps, which judging by eBay seems to have appreciated as the years have gone by).

[Sigurd Mudtracker]

I'm also wondering if the new suspension polymer is too soft, and may order an old fashioned rubber one instead - I think the new firm one might just be a tad too hard for me.

[rogerzilla]

I've ordered the new harder one, and I'll probably put jubilee clips round that too 

I suspect the suspension is only there to stop the rear triangle bouncing on and off the seat cluster over bumps, which would make an appalling racket.  If they really wanted to improve RR through suspension, a Cannondale Headshok-type arrangement would be the first thing they should try - probably a bit expensive though.