I’m due to be starting doing a one or two days a week in London and the train routes for me a pain, basically having to go into the centre to come back out again.

I’ve looked at getting off the train at Clapham then cycling the last section, about 4 or so, but annoyingly there’s no Boris Bike stations at the other end of the journey so they’re no good.

As a result I’m thinking about a Brompton on Cycle 2 Work but I don’t know a thing about them.

From browsing their website I’m thinking a flat bar one with 6-speed thinking that it is more flexible for if I’m away anywhere it’s going to be more useable than a single speed.

Are the geared Bromptons reliable?

Are Bromptons in general reliable?

Anything I need to go for or avoid when buying?

Yes

Yes

Avoid Dahon.

My Brompton is 15 years old. Modern ones are betterer.

Get the bag that fits on the front as well, very useful.

I find a 2 speed fine for the sort of hills you get in London, way lighter than the hub geared ones (over half a kilo to go from 2 to 3) if you’ll be carrying any distance. Very reliable, it’s a super simple derailleur. You get a gear either side of a normal SS one, so one good for hills, one good for cruising along.

Mudguards essential, I’d pay for the better Marathon tyres, and the extended seatpost is a free upgrade if you’re tall. Not sure if you still get the choice of suspension block but mine was way better with the harder one. Try out the S bars, they’re not for everyone and do limit the bags you can use on the front. On that, a bag for the front is convenient and stops it trying to wheelie.

Rear rack is not that useful (heel clearance issues), and anyone else’s lights are better than the Brompton ones.

As above really.

M3L if you have any hills. Mudguards ESSENTIAL, as are decent tyres and maintaining pressure.

Brompton 2 speed owner, great bikes, the C bag is quite big, fits well and when loaded improves the ride. I London two speed seems fine. Mine has after market wider bars which are a big plus. Lot of independent reviews on gearing out there. As per CFH run mine at 100 psi and have the harder rubber shock fitted.

There is a rental scheme with lockers around London if you want to try one out first.

I went 2 speed (S2L, though with non-original bars); the extra weight of the geared hub didn’t appeal. 2 speeds do me fine, though the derailleur does seem to need dismantling and cleaning up every year or two. Definitely mudguards, and I’d not bother with the dynamo hubs (much as I love them) because then your lights end up at ground level, which strikes me as a crap idea. The bog standard Brompton tyres have been fine for me, but as Flash says you do need to keep the pressure crazy high.

I find a 2 speed fine for the sort of hills you get in London, way lighter than the hub geared ones (over half a kilo to go from 2 to 3) if you’ll be carrying any distance. Very reliable, it’s a super simple derailleur. You get a gear either side of a normal SS one, so one good for hills, one good for cruising along.

2 speed is fine, or so I thought but not if you load the bag up with laptop/shoes/change of clothes and live at the top of Crystal Palace (or I guess Highgate, Ally Pally etc) and I used to ride singlespeed MTB and fixed road so not afraid of hills. Wish I had bought a 3 speed now.

Went for 6 speed (S Bar) as have a hilly commute and commute to other sites in Exeter and I don’t want to be having to change in and out of work clothes as working too hard. However, it’s not SRAM Eagle and is a quirky mixture of gears. Brampton’s weigh a ton so the extra weight not much of an issue for me – I’m carrying a laptop, iPad, lunch, fluid, waterproofs etc so additional weight neither here nor there. Agree get a front bag. Used to use a backpack but get really sweaty when it’s warm. The Brompton bags are great quality. Also agree about lights  get your own.

Really like my Brompton, absolutely trouble free after 18 months and really great for car/train commutes. Cafe-lock it in the storage compartment on the train as too nickable.

Cafe-lock it in the storage compartment on the train as too nickable.

On many trains, they fit between the backs of seats.

for your needs a 2 speed with s bars & mudguards sounds great.i swapped my bars for old school downhill bars for a wider and higher position .an s bag should suit your commuting needs perfectly.remember to add the mounting block and the long seat post to your order.hope you enjoy your Brompton as much as I do mine.

Get the two speed, get a luggage block bag (I have the roll top smaller bag#), work on your guns (they are all heavy). Easily the best fold, but not the best ride.

#Mine is on my fixed wheel Brompton killer, but I had a six speed Brompton in the past.

I did train to Wimbledon then ride to Hammersmith every day for five years with a Brompton – I think that’s about a 13 mile round commute, so it earned its feed. It definitely kept me sane! I bought an S3 and an S Bag for the front. Deffo mudguards and good tyre pressure, your own lights and so on as said above. Here’s what I broke / wore out:

* Sturmey Archer 3s hub. Think I got through a couple of them in the end. The pawls seem to be made of crystallised ginger and don’t like Wimbledon Hill. You can only strip pawls out of ‘retired’ hubs, it seems – they don’t sell ’em as spares, or at least didn’t. In the end I went for the two speed rear wheel and mech. The two speed hub is simple, robust and as easy to fix up as a Hope Xc from back in the day. You can also chuck standard Hyperglide sprockets on it. Apparently it’ll take three with a bit of tinkering with the shifter and removal of the pie plate.

* Cranks. These were the old 2011ish variety square taper. The FAG bottom bracket outlasted the chainring, and the chainring was attached to the cranks. I replaced them with some cheap second hand HT1 Ultegras which cost me £12. The BB cost £30m but it’s still spinning and I can change the chainring when it wears out.

* Brake levers. The ones I had were the plastic bodied ones which flexed like a bugger. The new ones are reportedly better, so possibly disregard this. I bought a pair of Avids and they’ve been spot on.

* Bars – I put some widerer ones on. Rode nice.

* Pedals – the folding ones are actually pretty good, but I ran SPDs for most of the time. After I swapped that commute to a shorter (~2m) one I could do in work clobber, I went back to the folding pedal and the one that didn’t fold promptly imploded.

* Front bag mounting block – cracked two of these. Easy fix

* Superlight front hub – really lovely, snapped part of the flange on one side off. Bearings are still smooth because I keep it on my desk at work.

* Suspension block – absolutely fine (and I did the Thames Path from Putney to Hammersmith bridge, which is unpaved in part), but I’ll go for a hard block when the original one conks out.

HTH. I think quite a lot of the issues above have been addressed in later models, or are simply concerned with wear and tear. It now needs a new rear pivot bushing replacement and I have to squint to avoid seeing the surface rust at some of the wear points. It still comes out once or twice a week at least as a utility / pub bike. Solid bit of kit.

I have done thousands on an S3L. S bars are good. Sturmey 3 speed hub has been good too. The bike handles better with a front bag: avoid the rear pannier and rack it gets in the way when pedalling

I have replaced every component at least once! But they’re cheap. Rear suspension hinge bushing isn’t easy to replace.

I’m still on the old style fag bb and strong light cranks which are pretty crap. I’m thinking of fitting an Alfine crank next.

I love riding it!

They’re great.

Go test ride the different bar styles – the S bar seems the most fashionable on here but at 6’5” I found it far too low – the M bar for me much better suits the bike (and I ride my road and mtb bikes low).

We’ve gone full convenience – Dyno lights, racks (add weight but also standing stability and when you need to carry that extra thing, make a big difference) but ours don’t often go on trains – most trips start and end at home. You only carry them on stairs – the rest of the time you push – but clapham junction stairs are a pain….

If you’re using it a couple of times a week it will last well if you dont ride it like a mountain bike…

That’s quite a bit of good info there, thanks all.

My thinking with the 6 speed is that it’ll easily fit in the back of the car as we do a few short road trips a year and don’t always have room for a bike but a Brompton should fit fine.

Just spoken to a local shop who sell Brompton (Brilliant Bikes, if anyone know them), and they’ve got demo bikes with each handlebar type so I’ll try and get down there for a demo ride and see which one I get on with.

From looking on the Brompton website, the CHPT3 bikes look good but they’re out of stock which isn’t a bad thing for my bank balance!

Do not look at the Nine Streets or Lion City limited editions.

Am getting serious B+1 urges…!

Do not look at the Nine Streets or Lion City limited editions.

Am getting serious B+1 urges…!

I’ve just emailed HR to see if they’re lifting the £1k limit on Cycle to Work. If they have this could get expensive!

M3L here.

Bought in 2017 via a cycle to work scheme, off-the-shelf in black as I was in a hurry. In hindsight, I’d have liked a different colour, but other than that it’s been absolutely great. Really, it’s been the biggest transformation of my riding career. Of course, I’ve had loads of great bikes over the year – but no other has changed my life so much, perhaps apart from my first MTB.

I live in Bristol, but use it mainly to ride to the railway station and then around London at the other end. Before this, I’d cycle to the station (locking a bike up there) and then Tube around London. I’ve loved getting to know the Big Smoke on two wheels – 1,200 miles in all so far.

As others have said, bar and gear choice is personal. After 2.5 years of use, I’m still happy with the 3 speed set-up and the M (riser) bars. I prefer the look of the S bars, but realistically I’m riding around in a woolen suit, tie and smart shoes – so I’m not going to benefit from a lower front end. I have a Brooks saddle and grips, which complement the bike but help add weight to what is easily my heaviest bike (c.12kg).

Other benefits include it being the ideal pub bike and the front block / bag combination make it great for coping with overnight and shopping loads.

I also have ‘guards, which are essential in my opinion and have saved me a lot of bother.

Gears – the 6 speed comes with a wide ratio hub now so the range is considerably larger than the 3 speed (it used to be just smaller jumps). Smaller chainring option as well if you’re a spinner and want to get up steep hills

Flame laqueur for the win (orange/black edition was out of stock so i had an excuse)

I got an S2L for similar work use. Great bike, ime unless you plan a fairly wide range of use the 2s is enough. I did get the next size down chainring though. With the gearing I have high is fine for basic commuter pace on the flat and low gets you up moderate hills.

The front block and bag is a great system. I found the dynamo lighting more useful for year-round short trip commuting than the wider range of gears the 3s hub offers. Weight gain is similar. The 2s bikes feel a bit more direct at the pedals also.

The bike handles better with a front bag:

Agreed, it’s a twitchy/nippy thing to ride and the front bag and wider bar calm it down a bit. 560-580mm feels good w/o being OTT.

I have a S2(ti) which is on its 2nd wheels (now SON Dynamo), cranks, brakes & levers – it was bought in 2011 and done quite a lot. It’s very versatile. I generally use it for a 5 mile each way commute and once or twice a week 12 miles each way into town. I have one of the Carradice bags (with fastex flap straps rather than the hook and hike which don’t work very well).
Brilliant Bikes are justly named IMO, they’re super helpful, very knowledgable and all round good people.

M3L here. Get the luggage block, I have the game bag, works well

Get a bright colour too, sober brompton colours are boring

I have a smaller chain ring on mine, I’m never in a rush on it. I’m 6’3 and have the telescopic post

Also have the it chair for carrying a small person on it, it’s ace (but expensive)

S3l here, at 6 ft 3 the s bars are just a bit too low. Extended seat post and b17. Changed to m+ front and rear. Just had the rear pivot bearings done as I ride on a canal towpath, it was c 100 quid.

Other than that routine consumable stuff.

Never leave it anywhere or lock it up, keep hold of it.

I paid 425 second hand in 2011, going for c 500 now so ignoring maintenance it has appreciated.

Next time i ll go for a h6l. I like the higher sitting position, oh and a 44t front is best.

Good luck, lovely bikes, always take mine on holiday

Another top tip – You’re not allowed to leave the shop until you’re totally comfortable with the fold.

Two Bromptons on the Ride to the Sun Scotland Carlisle – Edinburgh, 170kms. Good effort that!

4 weeks into B ownership; had a mate’s 2 speed on loan while I ordered mine and now have an M3L on C2W

I got the shop to change the rear sprocket to gear it down by about 8%, it’s a 3 speed and if you’re used to a 2×11 road bike with small jumps then the gaps will be noticeable; otoh I also ride a SS MTB so the feeling of always being over or undergeared doesn’t bother me. Cruising would probably be right in about 2.5-2.75 if I’m honest but I can turn 3 if I don’t mind putting a bit of effort in, or kick back to 2 and roll along until I get there. 1 is useless except for hills.

M Bag is excellent but big; supposedly won’t fit the S-bars but I’m not sure. Having been on spds for 20 years, I have had foot off pedal slips a few times particularly in work shoes; i’m debating a pair of spd trainers however.

Bars are too straight and grips are nasty; I swapped out almost immediately for those grips that have a wider part for heel of your hand, I was getting sores from the std grips in no time without gloves.

I’m doing about 12-15 miles per day all in, depending on the route I take, and loving it. It is bloody heavy though, and much easier to carry unfolded with a hand under the frame and the saddle nose over your shoulder.

Good point on the S bar above. I’m 5’6″ so it’s good for me, but if you’re tall enough to need the telescopic post, worth trying the other bar options to see if they’re more comfortable. I am lucky enough that the standard post is *exactly* the right length at full extension. Note there’s a tiny bit of vertical adjustability at the saddle end of things as well if you find the post at max ext a smidge to high or low.

Yes I swapped my S-bar for a 50mm riser bar which is also a bit wider (60cm?). On the feet slipping off pedals I fitted some flat trekking pedals (token I think) with half toe clips. The pedals dont fold. I am going to do the 2 speed to 3 speed mod next which uses the 2 speed derailleur and 3 x 10 speed cogs and a different shifter. Gear range of a 3 speed whilst still the weight of a 2 speed, I believe

On the pedal front I fitted a set of superstar mtb flats in lurid pink, which were in the spare parts bin. They work really well and I haven’t stabbed with the pins on them yet

the 2 speed to 3 speed mod next which uses the 2 speed derailleur and 3 x 10 speed cogs and a different shifter

This one?

https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/228623/

I’d be interested to know the largest sprocket the 2-speed derailleur can cope with. Sounds like someone’s running a 19. I forget what’s on mine…

 I’d not bother with the dynamo hubs (much as I love them) because then your lights end up at ground level, which strikes me as a crap idea.

Ime / fwiw the lower the better, or at least the Brompton light isn’t too low. Picks out road irregularities more with longer shadows and that’s a bonus on such small wheels. For car visibility I doubt it makes any odds, I’d say it hasn’t, a bar mounted be-seen flasher led covers that.

I’m mainly thinking “be-seenability” of the rear light in traffic, to be honest. A low front doesn’t bother me so much.

I’m mainly thinking “be-seenability” of the rear light in traffic, to be honest. A low front doesn’t bother me so much

I ride with K a lot with us both on Bromptons and I don’t think this is an issue – at least, in the city there’s enough street and ambient light that if you’re close enough that the height of the rear light is an issue and you can’t see the rider you shouldn’t be driving….

(caveat – rack mounted lights – i don’t know if the rackless position is different.)

Without the rack they mount just above the rear brake calliper. So, similar height but forward of the wheel. I’m sure it’s all broadly fine in practice, it’s just somewhere I’d never mount one myself.

My Brompton rides only tend to be quite short and irregular, though, so I’m not as bothered by batteries as I would be on any other bike. And saving weight is good for my dodgy back 🙂

Of course, I’ve had loads of great bikes over the year – but no other has changed my life so much, perhaps apart from my first MTB.

+1 on this. They’re truly wonderful things.

Another top tip – keep it maintained as roadside repairs are a nightmare. Those metal things that hold the wheels in, not the forks…removable washer type things on the axle, they get bunged up with dirt. So I clean and grease up so I can get the wheels out roadside.

The ride on m+ s takes a bit of getting used to.

So I managed to get a look at some Bromptons this week and took the plunge and ordered an S6L today.

The website is saying 6-8 weeks build time so shoudl be here just in time for the end of summer 😀

sub 6kg bling one for similar money? 😀

https://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=154985