Buying a Brompton – Options

I’m about to buy a Brompton, and thought I’d check here for advice before spending that much cash.

I’ll be moving to Brighton and commuting to London, so may have some hills at the Brighton end.

Spec I’m considering is S3L; -12% gear ratio; firm suspension and marathon plus tyres.

I’ll probably get an O bag though am balking a bit at the cost; and I sometimes overfill an Ortleib back roller on my current commute, so would prefer a bigger bag.

I’ll buy it on the cycle-to-work scheme, so don’t need to look at s/h.

Anything I should change / think about?

Mine’s an S3L too. Eezy wheels are the only thing I’d say are a must have – whilst as a bike Brompton’s aren’t too heavy, as a handbag they can get quite tiring and being able to tow the half folded bike around the place (shops, stations) like a wheelie suitcase is much easier.

I found the pedals horrible – I run spds on mine. I’m also not a fan of the 3 speed – gear 1 is uselessly low, 2 is OK for pulling away and hills but spins out too easily, 3 is monstrously high. (I live in Sheffield so also have hills). That’s with stock gearing I think (50T ring).

Agree with the firm suspension.

Oh, and Kojaks @90psi for speed. 🙂

Make sure you have mudguards, think about getting a dynamo hub for lighting – my front rim is nearly worn out after 5 years and am thinking of going dynamo so that I always have lights.
I wouldn’t worry about a rear rack unless you intend to carry stuff on it as it adds a lot of weight and make carrying the bike less pleasant. I only carry mine going in and out of building TBH, the rest of the time I wheel it.
I have an S2 and the gearing tends towards being a bit too low, and a bit too high. However it is light.
Be careful about the O-bag as its not wholly compatible with the s-type if full, I can’t really recommend the Caradice S-bag as the buckles aren’t very good – looks nice though…

I would disagree with the gearing comments above, mine has the -12% gearing on the 3 speed and it’s great around edinburgh and the top gear is much more useable that way too.
You can always do the Brompton hire for a week to try out what you want first? Look up your nearest dealer with hire on their website

I made the same move 13 years ago (how can it be that long?!!) There was a lot less choice in Bromptons in those days but if I was buying now I’d get an S3L (though mine is actually the equivalent of the M6L). Hope to see you out on the dirt on a proper bike at some point!

Anything I should change / think about?

Yes, the whole idea of buying a Brompton. Unless you have a penchant for looking ridiculous.

Most things covered above. eezy wheels are very good, mudguards obviously and I would echo the lights depending on where you’re riding it. London will obviously be lit and if your ride at the brighton end is as well then I’d definitely get the lights. I didn’t and it is more hassle, particularly if when leaving the front light on it gets caught in the fold.

If you want to try an S3 to see if you like the hub then you could always sign up to the Brompton dock. They have the dynamo lights on as well. Only downside is the bikes don’t get a huge amount of tlc but fine for trying out.

A Purple Haze S2L with long seat and firm suspension here. Oh – and the Kojak tyres. They are brilliant and (so long as you pump them up) very puncture proof.

Light it up from the back, front, sides…

Rachel

I don’t find carrying an issue as I keep it unfolded until I absolutely need to. Thus never felt a pressing need for eezy wheels and the like. Going 2 speed rather than 3 saves about 450g which helps a lot. I like the gearing too, low is fine for getting up hills, other is fine everywhere else. Only annoyance is when a hill is not quite steep enough for gravity alone to accelerate you, you can be spinning quite fast to maintain speed.

The Brompton lights have always seemed dire, Knog or similar fit easily and don’t get in the way of the fold. Dynamo would be nice, but so much extra weight.

O-bag looks nice but the waterproofing of the regular S-bag has been fine for me so far; it’s not like I’d be riding for hours in a downpour like I would on a touring bike so I guess it doesn’t matter so much.

the shimano hub dynamo lights are a good option

M3L with Marathon Plus here. Love it.

And definitely get Marathon Plus tyres – the trade off of not being able to ride so fast will be offset by the annoyance and pain of dealing with punctures. I much prefer fit and forget, then when you do get a puncture eventually you know its time to change them as they’re worn out.
I did see Schwalbe Brompton sized ice tyres recently …

I’ve got an S6L with
– Marathon tyres
– eazy wheels
– mudguards

Bought 2nd hand, to use for a few months, 4 years ago. Kept ever since and currently being used for a daily train commute.

If i was buying again I’d possibly get a s2l or s3l as the 6 gear setup is a bit fiddly to use (it’s like a 2 speed cassette + 3 speed chainset so you’re constantly changing both).

I’d also look at getting dyno lights. Just means you can pick it up and use it without giving any thought to whether the USB lights need charging. Weight not too much of a problem, I almost always just unfold and wheel it around most of the time.

I’ve got Marathon (rather than Marathon Plus) tyres and don’t notice any difference in speed/weight over the standard tyres due to the tiny size of the tyres.

Make sure you or you LBS can get parts and that one of you can change the pivot bushes. It can be cheap and easy if you know how, but it’s virtually impossible if you don’t.
I dunno how beast it is for joe public to get Brompton spares but a lot of it is very specific, and you have no choice but to use Brompton parts.

Between SJS Cycles, Brilliant Bikes, Condor, bikefix and the Brompton shop pretty much all parts are available now. The only thing that’s difficult is the replacement of the pivot bushes as it requires a specialist tool, but the new bushes are available.

For the ~1/2 kilo weight saving, I went with 2-speed (S2L) over 3 speed. Worth think whether you really need a 3rd gear…

Got an S3l with cut down Easton risers on it. Best thing I’ve done. Puts bars right where I want them. Other than that I swapped the pedals over to V12 Mags and stuck a charge spoon on it. Definitely get the marathon Pluses. I couldn’t manage with just two gears and use all 3 pretty much equally.

I love my brompton. Ride it more than any other bike, and I’m not a commuter.

Wouldn’t worry too much about the weight of add ons,
Would definitely recommend dynamo lights, the newer B&M led lights as great!
If you want a rack would get it from new as retro fitting is a pain as you need to replace mudguard to fit as well,
The C Bag is 25litres and I’ve found to be good, has water proofing but also has a hiviz rain cover included.

I find the standard gearing a bit high, considering converting to 6spd or smaller chainset.

I used to commute on my Brompton daily – from Surrey up a hill to the station then a short hop from London Bridge to Old Broad Street.

I went for a S2L but got a smaller (50T) front ring – I think for a cyclist this works well – it’s easy enough to get up a moderate hill without getting too sweaty and you can spin fast enough on the flat to make decent progress. I don’t miss a 3rd gear and it’s lighter.

Like so many things, what’s right for you may not be tight for another.

The rack is great for carrying stuff, adds a whole 300gm but obvs stiff needs taken off to fold.

Gearing is important. I find STD gearing too high. Bear in mind it’s a pig to ride out of the saddle so low is good.

O bags are small and expensive. I like my T, you can really fill it with the roll top unlike a C.

I have up worrying about weight – even light ones are heavy to carry, and you want it to be able to do what you need when riding. But then I’ve used mine in hilly areas and for 40m days.

Thanks all – some really helpful advice – has covered everything I was thinking about, and added a bit extra to consider. Probably sticking with 3 speed and adding dynamo lights now.

@chiefgrooveguru I’ll be moving in the summer, so will be looking then for MTB options.

I bought an S2L on C2W last year, regret not having more gears, it’s too hilly for my closest station to home. Already downsized the front chainring. Will likely furnish it with the Kinetics 8 Spd kit soon. Love it though, mudguards a must, pedals awful and eat leather soled shoes. Got a mint condition O-Bag from the famous auction site. Jobs a good-un.

Mrs has been riding Bromptons daily for the last 12 years, from P&R to Oxford centre.
Can’t remember when she last used 1st gear. Admittedly no major hills, but if you don’t need it save the weight & go 2 speed.
Uses a pair of lezyme lights front & rear. Less faff than the Dynamo she had on her first, which repeatedly failed after a couple of years. Might not be relevant if the’ve updated the system since.
Marathon Plus on 2nd one, from new. Touch wood no punctures.
Bags! Took one look at the price list and said no way. Ridiculously overpriced. Have a look at Demano recycled bags, from Spain. Specifically the Diagonal Mar. Took a bit of a punt on one, purchasing direct from Demano. No issues, turned up a week later and been great. With hindsight would go with bag rather than rack and save a bit more weight.

I have a Brompton S2L and I am not a fan. I’ve Bromtonificationised lots of it and it still hasn’t clicked. It’s fine for short trips but I find the handling lacking over anything more than about 5km. I went 2 speed and titanium to get it as light as possible as I wanted a folding bike I could carry with ease.

I have got involved with the kickstarter http://www.ridehelix.ca which looks like a very interestingly designed folding bike. I should get mine in May/June and will report back then.

It’s fine for short trips

Which is what they’re for.

The whole point of a Brompton is the folding convenience of it all as a part of an integrated transport system. If you want a better folding bike, there are many options out there, but there isn’t a better folding bike, IMHO.

I agree with CFH – and I actually like the handling – especially with the weight in the bag on the front.

It’s genuinely my favourite bike. Mainly for the sens of freedom you get in town when everyone else is stuck. It saved my evening more then once when I was a London commuter. If the trains got stuck half way home – ride! Snow has everyone stuck in the station car park – ride! Late for a meeting a mile away and no cabs/traffic gridlock- ride!

I’d go so far to as as it’s one of the best, most useful things I own.

Never have any probs riding mine 40 or 50 miles. The contact points are all pretty much where they’d be on a ‘normal’ bike on mine. Sure the weight can be taxing if it’s hilly but if it’s flatish it takes no more effort to ride than my other bikes.

I replaced my pedals with wellgo qrd quick release ones. Much better than the originals and you can get flat spd and spdsl versions that just click in place.

How do people use them if they’re not commuting? ie not for on and off trains

Other than the good advice already posted, I would recommend getting the firm suspension block, couldn’t see this mentioned in the previous posts.

Made the same move as the OP 6 months ago, got an S3L in raw. Love it – easily saves 30 mins in waiting for buses/tubes at each end. Swapped the saddle for a charge spoon and the grips for some Ergon GP2s, which give a bit more flexibility in riding position (and make out-of-saddle sprints less sketchy). Stuck Marathons on from new which have been solid so far.

Agree about gearing though – went with standard ratio which never feels quite right. Might look at doing a -12 conversion, the climb up to Queens Park drags.

How do people use them if they’re not commuting? ie not for on and off trains

Ride to pub
Ride to lunch
Ride to theatre
Ride to friends
Ride to opera
Ride to museum
Ride to dinner
Ride to breakfast
Ride to library
Etc, etc, etc.

Ride places. Take your bike with you. It’s ace!

How do people use them if they’re not commuting? ie not for on and off trains

I’ll use mine to ride anywhere if it’s raining, my other road bike has mudguards but they don’t work quite as well as the Bromptons. Use it to go into town (Liverpool) if I don’t have kids with me and I need to go into shops etc. Sometimes if the wife is going somewhere I’ll just throw the bike in the boot and ride back, she goes over to Chester to see friends now and then.

Rode back from Manchester along the Canals not long ago, was a great ride, it’s what Bromptons are perfect for.

^ pretty much that. It’s also worth it’s weight in gold for the occasional times I need to rent a car or van, ride the mile or two there then chuck it in the boot. Never need to bother with a courtesy car for a service either.

If you are doing it on C2W it takes a bit of fiddling to get the options under the £1000 limit. I don’t think you can do rack, 6 gears and Dynamo but 2 of those or stick to default (free) colours.
Worth checking on the Evans site as they occasionally have ex demo with a good discount.
I went for a P6R, if choosing again I’d probably do for the S2 black edition, if you are carrying it, say up a few flights of stairs in your office, the weight does become noticeable.

That ti folder is going to fleeeeeex!

Hmmm, interesting. Would be the thinking mans C2W purchase, given my current bikes. Every now and then I think “if only I had a folder I could lob in the boot”

I like riding my bike, so I do it quite a lot. Local jobs are easier on a proper bike.

My Q wasn’t very good. What do people use bromptons for when they’re not commuting, and where they work better than a full size bike.

I’m justifying a niche N+1 bike. C2W actual cost is probably close to the used value too

As CFH said above, I cycle to work on it, its sitting next to me in my office, I cycle to other people’s offices on it and take it in with me, I take it to the pub, to the shops, I run errands on it, I sometimes take the long way home on it.
I use it whenever I want to go somewhere wearing ordinary clothing, with a bag on the front, and that I don’t want to leave a bike outside.

I use it whenever I want to go somewhere wearing ordinary clothing, with a bag on the front, and that I don’t want to leave a bike outside.

This. I hate locking up bikes in the street – that combination of theft, vandalism or carelessness (saw a bike on a rack snapped in half by a reversing lorry last week) means it’s never worry free. The brompton goes inside nearly anywhere – I’ve checked it into the cloakroom at the RFH and at michelin starred restaurants. It’s quicker to fold and take inside a shop than it is to lock it outside.

To add a bit more extra weight we have http://www.abus.com/uk/Mobile-Security/Bike-Safety-and-Security/Locks/Folding-locks on ours for the rare occasion we do lock it up.

We’ve got 6 speeds with Son Dynamos and I upgraded to LED lights. the 3×2 gearing is a bit crap – my rear mech never works properly so it gets used as a 3 speed. I’d like a better hub gear when this one fails.

The front bag ‘system’ is excellent but we’ve yet to find a bag we’re completely happy with. Stuff bounced out of the nylon ‘basket’, the old design S bag is an odd shape that makes it hard to get much in (narrower at the top than the botttom). The original C bag (?) is OK but basic. My Carradice City M bag is a good size and looks the part but the buckles are an annoying affectation.

I suspect the O bag is the most practical though these look very cool –
http://www.kenfosterscyclelogic.co.uk/m9b0s359p934/BROMPTON-Game-Bag-%28Olive%29-2015
(even if once again they have buckles that value appearance over convenience)

Have you considered a Kansi 3twenty?

The 20″ wheels are far more comfortable than the 16″ on the Bromptons.

IF you are riding on typical british roads i would wager that the kansi will be a better ride.

The Kansi is currently £330 from most retailers.