I just cannot decide. S is a lot better looking, but possibly more versatile. That being said, how likely am I to use the top bar?

After that I think about colours, I love everything about the raw finish, except the £150 premium!

I’ll be a splitter. I’ve never regretted the M bar on my Brommie. The P bar looks ridiculous and the S bar is too low if you’re tall. The whole point of the Brompton is that it’s a ‘sit up and beg’ machine. M leaves more clearance for the (excellent) front bags as well.

The raw clear coat is lovely as well. No regrets on that front either, though it looks like the price has gone up.

I like the S-type, but then I’m somewhat shorter than Simon. You are restricted in front bag size though which may, or may not, be a concern for you.

I actually like the S bag, so not really an issue. I am also tall (6’2″) so I suspected it would be too low for me, but I liked it when I tested it, and found the M too high.

I guess we can all be agreed that the P looks too stupid then?

With the P-type you have to use the top quite a bit – that’s where the brake and gear levers are.

I like the a bars. As for colour – it’s was “any colour as long as it’s black” from mates shop

With the P-type you have to use the top quite a bit – that’s where the brake and gear levers are.

Very good point, which I hadn;t really noticed. S it is, I can always change to riser bars if I devcide its too low later.

As for colour – it’s was “any colour as long as it’s black” from mates shop

No bad thing in a way, they too much choice is a bad thing. Now you have to pay if you want and colour other than black or white. You also have to pay for the frame and the swing arm/forks, £30 for each. So its £60 for a full colour, or £30 if you just wanted the main frame or extremities doing in a colour other than black/white.

Or the delicious raw finish for £150.

Hmmmm

More bars than I thought – here

We’ve got a few bags but all quite old now. The S bag we’ve got looks good but is least useful – too small, and hard to get stuff in as the top is narrower than the base. Think they’ve improved them.

Our original ‘standard’ bag doesn’t seem to exist anymore. simple shape and carries a decent amount of stuff.

The folding basket seemed like a good idea but is off the rack in a cupboard somewhere. Ok to go to the market and throw things in but stuff prone to bouncing out.

The Carradice suits the look of the Brompton. really tough and holds a decent amount of stuff but the adjusting the length of the straps is a pain (buckles might look the part but not that practical). I thought I saw a more up to date Carradice bag but doesn’t seem to be on thier site

I also make a front rack to carry normal panniers:

I like that Ben….

What does it do to the handling? I find a full Caradice bag on the way back from the shops can make it feel a bit odd – id’ have thought the temptation for more weight and further forward could be a bit odd.

Generally I find the more weight on the front, the better – makes it less twitchy.

Interesting thread. Can’t decide on S & M (bars!).

6’4 and Sheffield based so hilly.

Any advice welcome – going to try demo both before I commit.

And agree – raw lacquer is awesome. I understood part of premium is they only use very best frames for them because they are less forgiving with no paint. This may be horse manure!

Both my brother and I have recently picked up bikes with S type bars. I am a smidge under 6ft and it feels fine. Only thing I really noticed is how narrow the bars are compared to everything else I ride. I got raw and he got blue, both look great. I am sure the shop will mention this but they do 2 lengths of seat post, we both opted for the longer one as it felt better. We also split the camp on tyres. He is a roadie and opted for the light slick kojaks, I am not and went for marathons with grip and more puncture resistance. (he has also reported some interesting sideways action)

I had M’s on my first Brompton, but changed to S bars on my latest.

Found the M bars a bit flexy, S bars much more solid, but they are a little lower. No issues with the standard Brompton front luggage fitting (I’m still using my old bag (a C bag), not the ‘S specific’ one and it clears the bars fine.

One thing to bear in mind, if you are intending attaching anything to the bars (light, etc), there is not much room on the Ms for anything

r in mind, if you are intending attaching anything to the bars (light, etc), there is not much room on the Ms for anything

They make a little plastic wotsit, a bit like a stubby bar end, which you can fit to hold things in the middle of the loop. Or if you can find any of the handlebar braces they put out to cure the flexy handlebar problem a few years ago, they’re great too.

Just make sure nothing sticks out much in front of the bars or it’ll get in the way when folding.

I think its definitely the S bars, 6 speed (12% lower option), mudguards, shimano hub lights and kojaks (I need to recover the lost power from the hub!).

Now its just colour. If I got a used one then I would be genuinely happy with any colour I was “given”.

Give me a website with many many choices and I am screwed…..

Strong vote for the s type bars from me.

If you’re big and strong, and won’t be carrying your bike far, then by all means go with your setup. But I’m on my third Brompton now, having had the others stolen, and have gradually refined my way to the 2 speed Ti version, no dynamo, as it’s the lightest option. The folded bike soon becomes too heavy, and 2 gears is fine for me – I can go reasonably fast on the straight, and can get up pretty much any hill I encounter.

I’d also advise Schwalbe marathons, probably with a Plus for the rear tyre, as it’s a pain in the neck getting a puncture on a Brompton, especially at the back, doubly so when dashing to a meeting in smart(ish) clothes….

I need to recover the lost power from the hub!

I’ve got a Shimano dynamo on my Brompton, you’ll hardly notice it. Go for Marathon Plus – as said, puncture can be a right pain

I have a S2L-X, for much the same reasons as lorax above. It’s the lightest brompton but even so it’s a pain to carry more than 100m or so. I’ll carry it built up to train platforms and fold it before getting onto the train, and unfold after getting off – usually it also means that the crowds have gone as as well.
Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres because there’s nothing worse than that flat feeling, and make sure you keep them at 100psi otherwise they become quite hard work.
I just have little rechargeable LED front and rear lamps – I’m plenty visible in London traffic.
I’ll have to change the rear cogs, chain, tension wheels in the next few weeks as the chain is shot, but overall in 4 years it’s been quite reliable. I have the Caradice S bag which looks good, but the straps aren’t great, and as Simon mentioned earlier the bag isn’t that big.
I don’t carry a lock because I always take it in with me – only one shop has ever complained, and I’ve never been back again. Other peoples offices are always fine.

No lock here either: in many years of use that have included multiple meetings in the House of Commons, government departments, and swish offices, and staying in some quite smart hotels, if has only been a problem once, and that was in a building where they’d had the doors of their glass lift shattered by a removal man the week before (I was asked to use the service lift!).

And almost certainly don’t bother with the bag to cover it up either, unless you’re taking the Eurostar, which is the only time I’ve ever needed to use it.

If you’re big and strong, and won’t be carrying your bike far, then by all means go with your setup

That’s ok, I a am ripped adonis of manhood. Seriously though I am biggish, so I should, be ok. I lie, I a (very) hilly place, so I need a good spread of ratios.

I’ve got a Shimano dynamo on my Brompton, you’ll hardly notice it. Go for Marathon Plus – as said, puncture can be a right pain

I hired one from the brompton dock and was pleasantly surprised how little resistance it seemed to produce. Good point on the tyres, being a roadie I am naturally drawn to the sloppiest and least hardy of any tyre, but you make a god point there. Do you know if there is a lot of difference rolling resistance-wise?

I just have little rechargeable LED front and rear lamps – I’m plenty visible in London traffic.

Good point and better than spending £100, but I like the built in dynamo lights, it means I can hop on any time without worrying about batteries. I am a natural faffer, so I am always on the lookout things to prevent future faffing.

No idea how the rolling resistance compares but I doubt there’s much in it and I can pretty much guarantee that once you’ve had a rear wheel puncture you’ll replace whatever is on there with a Marathon Plus! The front is less of a pain to change so I just have a normal Marathon on there.

I have a rear light that lasts all winter on a single set of batteries, and a rechargeable front light that I top up every couple of weeks. I also prefer having my lights up high – the dynamo lights sit very low down which can make them harder to spot. If I want something bright I use my Joystick with the rubber band handlebar mount – the bolt-on Exposure mount fouls the wheel when folded.

Completely up to you of course but I arrived at all the same conclusions as you when I bought my first Brompton about 15 years ago, but when it was stolen I was almost relieved as it meant I could buy something lighter and simpler! I went from a six speed with rack and dynamo to a three speed with neither, but now have the 2 speed Ti version. It’s still stupidly heavy, but even a pune like me can lug it around a railway station, and I cycled up Highgate hill without stopping the other day.

I agree that the lights are low.

So I moved the front light (and changed it so that it’s got a capacitor in for a standlight)

see here https://www.flickr.com/photos/cheesyfeet/sets/72157639694132434/

IMG_2008 by -Cheesyfeet-, on Flickr

Still all working absolutely finr after a year and no corrosion on the contacts