Why Bromptons?
So our daughter was potentially looking at a college journey where she would have to walk over a mile from a train station, so I was looking into getting some kind of fold up bike for her. A search for folding bikes naturally threw up Bromptons, a classic I’d known about but hadn’t really looked too closely at before. As it happened she didn’t need to do the journey after all but on viewing numerous Youtube videos of people exploring all parts of the world on Bromptons and videos of the Brompton designer Andrew Richie talking about how the bike came about, we were soon totally hooked on getting a couple as a mid-life crisis buy.
Cost aside, what’s so attractive about Bromptons are:
their classic design, I’ve always liked upright bikes, BMXs and mountain type bikes and never really got along with drop handled bar derealiers, I’m not into travelling the longest distance in the fastest time, if you are you Bromptons possibly aren’t for you as a main bike.
The amazing folding mechanism :
and
the great Brompton bags and way that they integrate with the bike.
Plus these bikes are really fun to ride!
Some Brompton need-to-knows:
The small wheels
At 16”, Brompton wheels are small and their tyres are quite skimpy too. I guess small wheels were necessary to get the fold as small as possible. To counter tyre size, the recommended pressure is up at 100psi which allows you to go over most of the debris etc. you get on a road but you do have to keep an eye out for pot holes or you’ll get yourself into a very bumpy situation which could jar the handlebars suddenly. You must keep in mind that Bromptons are designed as city/commuting bikes, they are absolutely not suited to off-road, buy a mountain bike or hybrid for this!
Note that the max weight for a Brompton rider is 242lbs plus 44Ibs luggage weight.
Gear Options
Because we liked the idea of touring with these, the received wisdom was that we’d need to get 6 speed versions. Bromptons come in 1 gear (ie. no gears), 2 gears, 3 gears and 6, the 6 gear versions have 3 gears in an internal rear hub with an extra big cog which is changed with a derailleur to give ‘in between gears’. I’m glad we went with the 6 gears but I think you could totally get away with touring on a 3 speed, it’s just nice to have those in betweens sometimes, there is less of a jump between gears.
Gearing
I kept reading that the gears on Bromptons are a little heavy and that you’d need to change the standard 52 tooth cog to a 47 if you lived somewhere hilly, as we do. We’ve actually found the standard cogs to be fine, the gears are really responsive and can tackle most hills; when the hills get too steep, we just get off and walk a bit!
Seat height
Bromptons come with 3 seat post options- Standard, long and telescopic. If you’re over a certain height, you’re advised to get the longer or telescopic posts which means more expense of course. As I’m 6ft 2, I was expecting to have to get an extended post but have actually found the standard fine. Apparently the telescopic post allows the seat to be dropped a little further making the height of the folded bike even less which could be a benefit if your travelling abroad by train for example.
Expense
Yes, Bromptons are quite pricey but not any more so than other good bikes in your local shop. Bare in mind that these are handmade bikes, made in London. Curiously even secondhand Bromptons seem to maintain their value, after scouring Ebay for several weeks before we bought, I came to the conclusion that buying new was a decent idea as we’d get the 5 year guarantee that Bromptons come with and could choose the colours and options we wanted. But I’m sure there are bargains out there to be had.
Handlebars
Bromptons come with 4 handlebar options. The ‘sit up and beg’ M type, with the H type being exactly the same on a longer stem, the straight S type and the curved P type which allow for a lower, more aerodynamic riding position. We went for the classic M type, they are quite short span and described as being ‘twitchy’. They are certainly twitchy so that the slightest movement turns the bike immediately, you quickly get used to this though.
Bags
We invested in a couple of Brompton Borough roll top bags which are the biggest bags they make.
They are the current ‘touring’ bags and can carry 28 litres and up to 10kgs, they come with an integrated aluminium frame which clicks into a mounting bracket which in turn bolts onto the frame of the Brompton. They retail for the pretty eye watering sum of £120, the only discount available is the 10% you can get off by using a Cycling UK card at Evans or Halfords. Note that you can’t use this discount on the bikes themselves, Brompton won’t allow retailers to discount them, which is a little naughty.
The luggage thing on Bromptons is great, it’s really freeing not to have to wear a bag on your back to put stuff in and because the bag is attached to the frame, it doesn’t move when your turn the handlebars, it just seems to float and you can put your phone and water bottle in the rear pockets, after you’ve tried it there’s really no going back.
Brompton Links:
Here’s a chap who literally travels the world on his Brompton- India, Canada, Morocco, California etc:
Here’s another chap who commutes across the Husdon river with a Brompton and a home-made boat!:
Here’s an inspiring short film about our pack raft and Brompton adventure from Sumburgh Head to Muckle Flugga in the Shetland Islands.
Brian D is a stressed out Denver-based Brompton Vlogger, catch his site here.
Good Brompton Site with lots of detailed technical info.