Are Brompton's Fast?
I commute 200km to the city once or twice a week to WFH at my Mum's house; drive, train and then a 10km bike ride. I had been thinking about buying a Brompton to ease the headache of attaching, then removing bike carriers, loading and unloading the bike etc and so on.
I then put it out of my head one morning when I saw the size of the wheels - I'll never do 10km on those I said. Then this morning, somebody got off the train just ahead of me with a Brompton and we both went the same direction for a couple of KM and he was fast.
I was only my old 'Kelly Viper' MTB and he stayed a head of me most of the time with fairly modest effort. It surprised me, perhaps 10KM on Brompton is doable?
Have I misjudged them?
Comments
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That sounds like a perfectly doable distance for a Brompton. Speed is mainly to do with the rider. The only drawback to the small wheels is they aren't as comfortable over rough surfaces as a larger wheeled bike.1
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Option b is something like an Airniml Chameleon - drop bars 105, proper riding position.
.The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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Option b is a wee bit more than I wanted to spend
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Think of it as a long term investment.RayKinsella said:Option b is a wee bit more than I wanted to spend
Also think of the hassle you'll save on that 20km ride each way every day......The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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Buy it. Buy it. Buy it. Buy it now. Buy it.
you know it makes sense..The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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Brompton are quick on the flat and slow on hilly terrain. I have done relatively flat commutes of over 10 miles at nearly 20 mph on a Brompton.
The added bonus is that they barely lose any value over time... price of new keeps going up and second hand market is really strong.
I suggest you go for the flat bar option (S)... 2 speed if it's flat, 3 if it's hilly... if it's really flat, then go for the single speed option, fewer things that can go wrong.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2201023446left the forum March 20230 -
I think a Brompton would be fine for a 10km commute.
https://road.cc/content/news/cyclist-completes-transcontinental-brompton-2953950 -
If you want to buy a folding on a budget, look at the Carrera Intercity 9-speed, £450 with hydraulic brakes. Bit heavier than Brompton (13Kg), but that includes a kick stand you could remove to lose ~0.5Kg.
Just remembered a review said it was ~12.5Kg and Halfords blurb did the fun bike a disservice.================
2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
Make sure to try it before you buy. I didn't really enjoy the ride mostly due to the wheel size so I have now settled for a Decathlon folding jobbie for a 1/3 of the price. Wheels are 20" and feels less wobbly than the Brompton and does the job of folding up without being too heavy.0
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You get used to the 16 inch wheels very quickly and they allow you to slalom between obstacles much quicker than you would on a normal bike. What I would say is that the S bars give you a lot more stability over the narrower, taller handlebar options. The ride feels very safe, so much that I don’t wear a helmet… I can react much quicker to cars opening their doors, pedestrians jumping in front of you… it’s a really nice bike to commute on and it has the best fold of the lotabishek_l said:Make sure to try it before you buy. I didn't really enjoy the ride mostly due to the wheel size so I have now settled for a Decathlon folding jobbie for a 1/3 of the price. Wheels are 20" and feels less wobbly than the Brompton and does the job of folding up without being too heavy.
left the forum March 20230 -
For some odd reason, I have an irrational dislike of Carrera. Think it might be the Halfords association.N0bodyOfTheGoat said:If you want to buy a folding on a budget, look at the Carrera Intercity 9-speed, £450 with hydraulic brakes. Bit heavier than Brompton (13Kg), but that includes a kick stand you could remove to lose ~0.5Kg.
Just remembered a review said it was ~12.5Kg and Halfords blurb did the fun bike a disservice.0 -
Option C - the in lass have usdd their Dahons every day for the past 15 years snd nothing has gone wrong with them ever.
Well reccomend
https://eu.dahon.com/.The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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we suppose you have an irrational dislike of Boardmans as well then?RayKinsella said:
For some odd reason, I have an irrational dislike of Carrera. Think it might be the Halfords association.N0bodyOfTheGoat said:If you want to buy a folding on a budget, look at the Carrera Intercity 9-speed, £450 with hydraulic brakes. Bit heavier than Brompton (13Kg), but that includes a kick stand you could remove to lose ~0.5Kg.
Just remembered a review said it was ~12.5Kg and Halfords blurb did the fun bike a disservice..The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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My thought exactly and I'd love to, but where do you rent a folding bicycle :-)abishek_l said:Make sure to try it before you buy.
I was thinking about buying second hand instead. A Montague Boston . has come up second hand locally and I am thinking its probably worth the €150-ish the seller is looking for it. It is doesn't have gears only a "flip-flop" hub. so I might get caught on hills, and there are a few hills.
Other than that you are talking about picking up a Dawes, Brompton or Decathlon to get something decent. There is alot of unbranded junk out there at the moment.
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I’ve had two Bromptons and I think they would suit this commute really well. My first was a 3 speed M model which was fine. I sold it after 3 years for exactly the same price I paid for it ( they hold their value really well). I wanted the six speed as I live in a hilly part of Hampshire - looking back I should have paid the bit extra for a six speed first time round as just means easier to get up the hills as a greater range.I got a black edition which are even more desirable.RayKinsella said:Hi folks,
I commute 200km to the city once or twice a week to WFH at my Mum's house; drive, train and then a 10km bike ride. I had been thinking about buying a Brompton to ease the headache of attaching, then removing bike carriers, loading and unloading the bike etc and so on.
I then put it out of my head one morning when I saw the size of the wheels - I'll never do 10km on those I said. Then this morning, somebody got off the train just ahead of me with a Brompton and we both went the same direction for a couple of KM and he was fast.
I was only my old 'Kelly Viper' MTB and he stayed a head of me most of the time with fairly modest effort. It surprised me, perhaps 10KM on Brompton is doable?
Have I misjudged them?
Other advantages are the ability to fold easily and take it into the office/ home rather than running the risk of locking up outside. ( I even take mine into the supermarket).
They’re great fun, fold so easily, manoeuvrable and nippy! as others have said. I’ve kept up with a fair few roadies….
and if it doesn’t work out you’ll still sell for good money.
Enjoy!0 -
Who the heck does your typing for you - your cat or dog, or is it because you wear your army issue boots for typing ?MattFalle said:Option C - the in lass have usdd their Dahons every day for the past 15 years snd nothing has gone wrong with them ever.
Well reccomend
https://eu.dahon.com/1 -
😃😃😃😃😃😃💯💯💯💯💯💯 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 mega penne 👍👍👍andyrr said:
Who the heck does your typing for you - your cat or dog, or is it because you wear your army issue boots for typing ?MattFalle said:Option C - the in lass have usdd their Dahons every day for the past 15 years snd nothing has gone wrong with them ever.
Well reccomend
https://eu.dahon.com/.The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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Evans used to let you try it out, which is what I did but evidently not for long enough to get a good feel for it. I got the Decathlon because at that price point it was worth the punt after comparing it to the other around that price bracket.RayKinsella said:
My thought exactly and I'd love to, but where do you rent a folding bicycle :-)abishek_l said:Make sure to try it before you buy.
I was thinking about buying second hand instead. A Montague Boston . has come up second hand locally and I am thinking its probably worth the €150-ish the seller is looking for it. It is doesn't have gears only a "flip-flop" hub. so I might get caught on hills, and there are a few hills.
Other than that you are talking about picking up a Dawes, Brompton or Decathlon to get something decent. There is alot of unbranded junk out there at the moment.0 -
There are a lot of Brompton rental points around London suburban stations, not sure about other parts of the country. You can probably find detailed information on the Brompton website0
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Given how unable the Falles are to control their fingers on a keyboard, would you want them carrying out any form of surgery on you?andyrr said:
Who the heck does your typing for you - your cat or dog, or is it because you wear your army issue boots for typing ?MattFalle said:Option C - the in lass have usdd their Dahons every day for the past 15 years snd nothing has gone wrong with them ever.
Well reccomend
https://eu.dahon.com/
#scarythought0 -
Yes, you can hire a Brompton for a few hours to try it out...
https://bromptonhire.com/our-locations/
a few caveats
1) When I tried it a few years back, the app was a bit clunky and the all experience quite frustrating, but I am sure it has improved since... we are talking 5 years ago.
2) They are all the same bike, typically the M3L, so tall handlebars, 3 speed and mudguards. Bear in mind, the handling of the tall handlebars is quite different from the flat S type bars and in my opinion the latter is infinitely better. Anyone who wants to ride fast will go for the S type, as you can see in this race
left the forum March 20230 -
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣💯💯💯💯💯Dorset_Boy said:
Given how unable the Falles are to control their fingers on a keyboard, would you want them carrying out any form of surgery on you?andyrr said:
Who the heck does your typing for you - your cat or dog, or is it because you wear your army issue boots for typing ?MattFalle said:Option C - the in lass have usdd their Dahons every day for the past 15 years snd nothing has gone wrong with them ever.
Well reccomend
https://eu.dahon.com/
#scarythought.The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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I went for the M type handlebars for commuting as I wanted to be just that slightly more upright to be able to get a decent view of everything. Tested both extensively and ultimately comes down to personal preference. Would recommend trying out both, but do avoid the even taller handlebars ( H type or whatever they are called now) you can get as they do wobble. Brompton in Covent Garden even said this!ugo.santalucia said:Yes, you can hire a Brompton for a few hours to try it out...
https://bromptonhire.com/our-locations/
a few caveats
1) When I tried it a few years back, the app was a bit clunky and the all experience quite frustrating, but I am sure it has improved since... we are talking 5 years ago.
2) They are all the same bike, typically the M3L, so tall handlebars, 3 speed and mudguards. Bear in mind, the handling of the tall handlebars is quite different from the flat S type bars and in my opinion the latter is infinitely better. Anyone who wants to ride fast will go for the S type, as you can see in this race
I also like the fact that when my wife and I use the bikes for leisure we get a great view of everything. Brilliant bikes to stick in the back of the car and do a leisure ride… haven’t done enough on them this year due to lack of time : - (. It’s nice sometimes not to be head down!
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Back when being in the office was ‘a thing’, I commuted 10k each way over what could euphemistically be called undulating terrain on my Brompton. Pretty quickly too (I always seemed to leave about 3-4 minutes too late to make it comfortably to the train on time!)
Things to note to make your life easier:- I agree with Uno, the S type bars are definitely the ones to go for. Pair them with some Ergonomic GP2 grips with mini bar ends on them so you can get lower and a bit more aero — aero counts for a lot on an upright Brompton!
- Schwalbe Kojak tyres are light and fast (and fairly p****** resistant
- Make sure your seat post is the right length — too short and you’ll be much slower
- The Brompton bag (fully loaded with work kit) transforms the handling. Far less twitchy and can deal with 30kph+ downhill sweepers!
- Make sure your gearing is right for the terrain. I got the standard 3 speed but changed up the rear sprocket for one size up (14T, I think) to deal with the 10% hill out of my village
- SPD pedals make fast cycling much easier, and don’t take up any extra space compared to the folded flat pedal — and tuck in nicely behind the tyre on the other side of the fold
0 - I agree with Uno, the S type bars are definitely the ones to go for. Pair them with some Ergonomic GP2 grips with mini bar ends on them so you can get lower and a bit more aero — aero counts for a lot on an upright Brompton!
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Good point about the seatpost... anything over 5'9" and I would go for the extended one...left the forum March 20230
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So I bought a second Dahon knockoff, a Dahon assembled by Ridgeback. Here was my thinking, still unsure this mini bike thing is for me, can't rent one here AFAIK, worst case is I can probably sell it for near enough what paid for it.
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Seeing this thread update has just made me wonder something...
Can 20" folding bikes be setup and used easily on direct drive turbo trainers, like my Saris H3, besides needing a much larger riser block for the front wheel?================
2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
Might be clearance issues to the cranks/pedals due to the shorter distance.N0bodyOfTheGoat said:Seeing this thread update has just made me wonder something...
Can 20" folding bikes be setup and used easily on direct drive turbo trainers, like my Saris H3, besides needing a much larger riser block for the front wheel?The above may be fact, or fiction, I may be serious, I may be jesting.
I am not sure. You have no chance.Veronese68 wrote:PB is the most sensible person on here.1
