Comment by emptybits

2 days ago

Piling on with the Brompton love here. Apartment friendly. Car trunk friendly. Motorcycle sidecar friendly. Their hardcase makes it airplane friendly. Theft-resistant, since it's carried and stored next to you more often than most bikes.

The Brompton luggage system (its mount and low, forward position) is amazing. Bags can be massive and carry a lot of weight and the bike still feels great to ride.

For pedals, I use MKS EZY Superior Lambda pedals with street shoes. Long but not wide metal platform. And they're quick release. The stock Brompton pedals are clever, but not awesome for long distance or hammering. I've spun SPD clipless pedals on for spirited riding and those are, of course, a joy.

The Brompton design is genius but if I could improve one thing, it would be to allow slightly wider tires into the frame.

I'm 15 years into owning a Brompton and I know I'll never get rid of it. and I'm still finding useful and/or hilarious new places to take that might otherwise not allow for a bike. e.g. I had to ride a cargo bike across town for service last week and taking the Brommy in the box so I could ride something home was just so nice

8 comments

emptybits

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sherr  2 days ago

"Theft-resistant"

I have two Bromptons (a 3 and a 6 speed). Unfortunately, I've also had TWO stolen .. painful. This was years ago now and both were locked up in central London. The second time, locked via a "Kryptonite New York Fahgettaboudit", a good U-lock. An angle-grinder gets through these easily and they're battery powered. I don't believe ANY bike lock is safe now and never lock the Brompton up outside. Great bikes!

  • emptybits  2 days ago

    Ouch. I also live in a city where bike thefts are … fuck, just part of life. Which is a horrible norm to have to accept.

    You’re right that a grinder-proof lock does not exist. Having read reviews and listening to bike shop owner experiences (they hear everything) … I have Kryptonites, motorcycle chains, Abus folding locks, but my personal favourite that I’m “trusting” (ha, delusions) is the Hiplok DX1000. Check it out. As good or better grinder results than nearly all others, it seems. But nothing is grind/pry/jack-proof.

fuzzythinker  2 days ago

Can you explain what makes the Brompton design genius?

Edit: the top comment (at this time) has a youtube link that shows it fold/unfold in like 8 secs. I can see the genius in it now

  • foco_tubi  2 days ago

    Most of the parts are proprietary, so if you bork a derailleur you get to wait 6-8 weeks for a replacement from the UK

    • emptybits  2 days ago

      Yes. Now if you live in a metro centre and are considering a Brompton purchase, this may be less of an issue if you have a handful of dealers … in-stock common parts availability is a good pre-purchase question to ask. It’s a big ticket item.

      I cracked the housing on my proprietary Brompton shifter (made it nearly non functional) and the part was actually available in local stock … but I chose to JB Weld epoxy the crack instead and it’s probably stronger than stock now.