Author Topic: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.  (Read 3347 times)

Dave_C

  • Trying to get rid of my belly... and failing!
Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« on: 08 October, 2019, 11:09:13 am »
Brompton Size guide.

I've bought a S/H Brompton. Its fine but slightly small for my 183cm (6ft) height. I assume the seat height is standard. Has anyone on here who owns a Brompton and is ~6f?

There are 3 seat posts available, std (53cm), tall(59cm) & Telescopic (55cm extending to 71cm). ANy suggestions so I don't have to go visit a shop who has a few Brompton's I stock?

Also - do the steerers come in longer sizes? Or do I need new bars. The current bars are not the flat type.

Cheers, Dave C
@DaveCrampton < wot a twit.
http://veloviewer.com/athlete/421683/

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #1 on: 08 October, 2019, 11:13:03 am »
An extended seat may be close to the maximum limit or just over for your legs. A telescopic post will have more than enough height. An extended post sticks out of the frame a ‘fistful’ or so when fully folded.

I am barely under 6’ with longish legs and use a telescopic post set to my exact seat height. The standard M-bars are about level with my saddle height. There is a H stem, which raises the bars noticeably but it is not cheap.
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #2 on: 08 October, 2019, 11:26:22 am »
I'm 198cm and ride a P Type brompton with a "homemade" telescopic seatpost that works well.  I just cut the end off and slotted the standard seatpost and shimmed it to take an old road bike stem to and  secured using a QR clamp.
Most of the stuff I say is true because I saw it in a dream and I don't have the presence of mind to make up lies when I'm asleep.   Bryan Andreas

Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #3 on: 08 October, 2019, 11:35:09 am »
I’m 183 ish cm.  I use extended post which I have to it’s max height. It’s tall enough for me.  And as per LWaB, it means it’s not quite so compact when folded

Mine has flat bars are they seem ok to me for height

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #4 on: 08 October, 2019, 11:39:04 am »
The advantage of the telescopic seatpost is you can set the upper bit to get the right height every time you unfold.

There's a relatively new H-type Brompton that uses the same bars as the M-type, but with a longer stem.

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #5 on: 08 October, 2019, 11:56:17 am »
What's your usual seat height?  The steel extended post will do about 31.5" depending on saddle choice.  The titanium extended one does only 30.5" with a typical saddle (which adds 2" from the clamp; Brooks leather saddles* add about 3").

*like you want it to be even heavier  ;D
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Dave_C

  • Trying to get rid of my belly... and failing!
Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #6 on: 08 October, 2019, 12:08:53 pm »
What's your usual seat height?  The steel extended post will do about 31.5" depending on saddle choice.  The titanium extended one does only 30.5" with a typical saddle (which adds 2" from the clamp; Brooks leather saddles* add about 3").

*like you want it to be even heavier  ;D

Usual seat height is (from memory) 79cm? BB to seat top (thought I can't be certain, I don't have a bike here to check). I do have a spare Brooks (yeah I know) which I could pop on to add a couple of inches to see how it 'sits'. I don't want to buy a longer post only to find it is still short, so I may have to visit to try some. I'll get a tape measure to check the usualy commuter with my Brompton seat height above the pedal.

Many thanks.
@DaveCrampton < wot a twit.
http://veloviewer.com/athlete/421683/

Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #7 on: 08 October, 2019, 01:18:47 pm »
Here’s a diagram of the different stem heights:
https://yacf.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=95696.msg1984228#msg1984228

Note Brompton frame parts (the painted bits) aren’t sold separately so you’re dependent on finding one on eBay or wherever. I hope you’re not picky about colours...

The Brompton seat clamp has two positions, so you can get an extra inch or so mounting it to the top part of the clamp.

Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #8 on: 08 October, 2019, 05:09:09 pm »
I'm six foot near enough, and find the telescopic one is great in allowing me to get the right height every time

LittleWheelsandBig

  • Whimsy Rider
Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #9 on: 08 October, 2019, 05:13:02 pm »
Provided the extended seatpost is at least as long as required, the Brompton saddle height insert will let you achieve your correct leg extension repeatably.
https://www.evanscycles.com/brompton-saddle-height-insert-EV244602
Wheel meet again, don't know where, don't know when...

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #10 on: 09 October, 2019, 07:38:50 am »
With a Brooks you should be able to use the extended post.  With a nomal saddle, it will be marginally short.  It alsi depends on what shoes you wear - if you keep the flat pedals, it makes a huge difference whether you cycle in Vans or DMs because the soles are very different in thickness.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Dave_C

  • Trying to get rid of my belly... and failing!
Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #11 on: 09 October, 2019, 08:24:01 am »
Many thanks folks, I think I could get away with a long seatpost. The difference is 6 inches? which I think is enough for me. I wear trail shoes near constantly, unless I'm on my commuter (Galaxy).

Cheers, Dave C
@DaveCrampton < wot a twit.
http://veloviewer.com/athlete/421683/

Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #12 on: 09 October, 2019, 08:50:20 am »
the difference between the standard and tall seat pins is 6cm, not 6".  FWIW I'd expect you to be OK on the 'tall' seat pin but variations in saddle/shoes/pedals/crank length might alter that.

IIRC there are plenty of permutations of stem and handlebar which give you higher handlebars, but they are liable to compromise the fold such that one handlebar grip is likely to stick out of the bottom of the folded package.

cheers

Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #13 on: 09 October, 2019, 09:54:35 am »
Hi Dave, I am about 6’5” and so went for the telescopic seat post. I would echo what Jsabine said, the advantage of the telescopic post is that if you leave the top bit alone once set up, all you have to do is pull out the main post when you unfolding the bike and it’s instantly at the right hight. It’s great

rogerzilla

  • When n+1 gets out of hand
Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #14 on: 09 October, 2019, 03:18:03 pm »
I suspect the OP can tune the extended post, through saddle choice or Pentaclip position, to get the right height when it's pulled up to the stop.  The Brompton insert that does this is another option.

Unless you're tall enough to require it, the telescopic post is too heavy to consider IMO.
Hard work sometimes pays off in the end, but laziness ALWAYS pays off NOW.

Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #15 on: 09 October, 2019, 03:49:10 pm »
The rest of the Brom's heavy enough that I can't pretend to notice the additional weight, and in any case I'd probably prefer to start by losing my own personal ballast.

Kim

  • Timelord
    • Fediverse
Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #16 on: 09 October, 2019, 04:03:28 pm »
I'd agree with that on a normal bike, but the point in a Brompton is that you can (in principle) fold it and carry it, when weight actually matters.

In practice, I'm not tall enough to comfortably dangle it in one hand, so it mostly gets rolled around on one set of wheels or the other.  Your height may vary.

Re: Brompton for 183cm (6ft) person.
« Reply #17 on: 09 October, 2019, 09:34:20 pm »
The telescopic post is less than 200g heavier than the standard one. It's self-evident that lighter is better if you're carrying it, but I don't think my arms are calibrated precisely enough to notice a change of little more than 1.5% in the all-up weight.

And I'll tend to roll it if I can anyway.