Lust Is Not A Sin: Paul Brakes for Bromptons

If you’ve been on the fence about whether to buy a Brompton, there’s now another reason to have one: Paul components brake upgrades.

I don’t own a Brompton, but I want one. Imagine the joy of hopping on the train and not having to do battle with the conductor about whether there’s space, or with someone with a giant suitcase over whether their suitcase is more important than your bike. No figuring out the app for whatever city-hire bike scheme is in operation. Heck, when your train pulls in at a station and the dreaded announcement ‘We’re waiting for a replacement driver’ comes over the intercom, you could hop off and ride home. Not actually certified for backflips, but…

Maybe you already have a Brompton, in which case here is the answer to your childhood fantasies vs dailies realities conundrum. Relive your youth on the way to the office. Forget you’re actually in a suit. You are a Californian hippie at heart. Feel that childish joy. Do a wheelie. Then get yourself to work because these brakes ain’t cheap.

Here’s the word from Paul:

‘We took our cult-classic Racer Medium brake, added a roller-bridge and trunion to make it sidepull, and then modified the reach and hardware specifically to fit Brompton folding bikes. This is absolutely the most powerful, best modulating, most adjustable brake you can put on a Brompton!’

Price: $237.50 – $271.50
From: Paul Components

We had MANY requests for a PAUL brake that would fit Bromptons, and after witnessing way too many bad and downright dangerous adaptations of our (and other crappy knock-off) brakes, we decided to do something about it.

We modified the reach of our Racer-M, and added a super stiff sealed-cartridge bearing roller bridge and adjustable trunion to make the most powerful, best modulating, most adjustable brake ever made for Brompton bikes.

This sidepull Racer Medium uses some of the existing brake mounting hardware from your Brompton, so be sure to read the included instructions for proper installation. We designed these brakes to fit the latest version of these bikes, so the front brake is recessed, and the rear is not. In the future we may offer a version for older, non-recessed front brake mounting, but these brakes are not currently compatible. Between the arms there is enough clearance to fit a 45mm fender, and the brake will not pinch the side of the fender like most single-pivot side-pull brakes do.

We machine these brakes to the highest standards here in Chico, California. Please note that all of our brakes are sold per wheel.

Hannah Dobson

Managing Editor

I came to Singletrack having decided there must be more to life than meetings. I like all bikes, but especially unusual ones. More than bikes, I like what bikes do. I think that they link people and places; that cycling creates a connection between us and our environment; bikes create communities; deliver freedom; bring joy; and improve fitness. They're environmentally friendly and create friendly environments. I try to write about all these things in the hope that others might discover the joy of bikes too.