normal Brompton vs Brompton Electric

alim0229
alim0229 Posts: 24
edited September 2019 in Commuting chat
Hi all

Looking to get myself a Brompton. Main use will be a 3km to the train station each side, for which a regular Brompton would be ok. However, thinking maybe get the electric and can have more flexibility and maybe sometimes commute to work full, which is 16miles each way and few decent hills (300 metres climbing each way I reckon).

I've got other bikes including road bikes, hybrid etc

What does everyone think?

Comments

  • cookeeemonster
    cookeeemonster Posts: 1,991
    In all honesty you could probably get a normal sized e bike and a nice brompton for the same money as an e brompton, but depends on the space you have and if you've set your mind on one already?
  • monkimark
    monkimark Posts: 1,514
    Normal Brompton from £950, weight from 10.7kg
    Electric Brompton from £2595, weight from 16.6kg

    Would you get enough benefit out of the occasional long commute to justify spending an extra £1600 and carrying 60% more weight? I couldn't imagine that being a reasonable trade off for me.
    Why not just do the occasional long commute on your road bike? I've never ridden a brompton but I'm sure that 16 miles would be fine without the motor anyway.
  • tgotb
    tgotb Posts: 4,714
    Why not go for a normal E-bike, and ride the full 16 miles every day?

    I started doing exactly what you suggest with a Brompton on the train, then started riding all the way home on nice evenings; within a couple of months I was riding the full 15 miles every morning and evening. That was 10 years ago, and I've never looked back. For my commute, riding the full distance is both quicker and nicer than the train, aswell as being way more predictable. My Brompton hasn't seen the light of day for years.

    Carrying a Brompton on crowded trains can get quite annoying, especially when there are delays and the trains are packed; I had more than a few instances where I literally couldn't get onto a train with my bike.
    Pannier, 120rpm.
  • fenix
    fenix Posts: 5,437
    If you have other bikes then I don't see why you wouldn't use those for the full commute ?

    A normal Brompton sounds just what you need if you are going on the train though. The E Brompton is a lot of fun - but not needed for the bit to and from work ?
  • veryslowtwitch
    veryslowtwitch Posts: 321
    It would be very useful to consider how much you have to carry bike around home/work/station infrastucture. Extra weight makes ebrompton a total pain to carry up station/apartment steps etc. I have one and dread certain platforms, carparks and city steps. Unless v hilly 3k is easy on standard brompton so 3speed would be fantastic for short flat route.

    16m on any Brompton is a pain. Although ebrompton is brilliant uphill the motor will cut out around 25kph which is annoying on the level/downhill when you know you can go that bit faster. I'd only consider a regular 16m on eBrompton if I had a gruesome return uphill into wind every afternoon, in which case I'd get a standard ebike as discussed above.

    Ebrompton is total luxury fun around city in normal clothes or up to 10k hilly rides if you don't have to do much lugging about and a very useful thing to have in your car or cupboard but I'd go standard brompton to start with because they are so much cheaper, lighter and still exceptionally practical and fun.

    Disclosure: I converted standard B to eB and now want another singlespeed non eB. If you're flush buy both and enjoy.
  • alim0229
    alim0229 Posts: 24
    My other bikes are fairly premium hence likely to get stolen hence want to avoid this
    Also the Brompton will be more for a means of transport rather than exercise, hence, thinking with electric version can cycle and not get sweaty etc

    So hard to decide - normal Brompton and maybe later supplement with full ebike or get Brompton electric version now and accept limitations of it but will be a two in one

    I'm more confused now than before
  • veryslowtwitch
    veryslowtwitch Posts: 321
    If you like nice bikes, have the money and want to avoid sweat AND don't live three stories up then ebrompton will put a massive smile on your face. Short city rides vanish in a cruisy fun haze. It'll also climb 10% easily @about 100W from you and 250W from the bike which is entertaining. Sorted that for you :D
  • mpatts
    mpatts Posts: 1,010
    well....did you go for it? I'm considering an eBrompton
    Insert bike here:

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