| Lotus Seven Club Forums  
profile | register | search | faq/smilies | password Styles: Default | Big Type | In the Office? |
[ Lotus Seven Register ]
We Support 
|
Lotus Seven Club Forums
ChitChat
 OT: Brompton folding bike experiences?
|
|  Post Reply |
| Author | Topic |
|---|---|
| Strangely Anorak Location: Charvil, Berkshire | Posted - 18 January 2006 14:27   
Anyone used a Brompton folding bike, particularly for cycle / train commuting? I'm thinking of getting one to replace the Seven for about half of my commuting. I'd have to cycle for about a mile, then train for 30 minutes, then cycle for 3-4 miles to get to work. I think that this would be time- and cost-competitive with using the Seven, and would provide a useful backup for when the Seven needs work doing to it.Did you find any problems with the bike? Any recommendations about options to get / not get? I haven't seen one in the metal yet, but I've been studying the catalogue and I'm currently thinking of spec'ing one a la carte: -- S-type (straight) handlebars -- 3-speed, 12% lower gears -- Stelvio tyres -- Brooks saddle -- Battery lighting Is the S-type bag really worth having? I'm currently thinking to use my current laptop rucksack on my back. Does the titanium Brooks saddle provide any comfort benefits over the standard Brooks? Is it worth going for 6 gears rather than 3? I don't want the weight if there's no real benefit. The terrain is basically flat, just the odd incline - nothing I'd describe as a hill. Thanks muchly, Jason. |
| One day soon I ought to get out more Location: My own little world, dreaming of Caterham 7's | Posted - 18 January 2006 15:03
I have no experience but have read a few reviews in cycle mags and most seem to think that dahon are currently the best make here, they may even own Brompton not sure. Download the 2006 .pdf catalogue here Edited by - One day soon on 18 Jan 2006 15:11:52 |
| WILL FLY Yawn..... Location: On the edge of adhesion in Fleet | Posted - 18 January 2006 15:15
A guy at work has a Dahan, it doesnt fold as small as a brompton but it does have larger wheels and goes faster. I think theres a firm that makes brompton style bikes with ali frames. I've seen some really odd flding biles round the city. Roy See willfly.net for more info. If you don't spin you ain't trying  Happiness is knowing you have just a tad too much power  |
| WILL FLY Yawn..... Location: On the edge of adhesion in Fleet | Posted - 18 January 2006 15:16
Edited by - WILL FLY on 18 Jan 2006 15:16:48 |
| Strangely Anorak Location: Charvil, Berkshire | Posted - 18 January 2006 15:18
Thanks, I'll check into the Dahons. They are larger when folded than the Bromptons, but they may still be small enough. They are certainly a lot cheaper. |
| Paul Jacobs Yawn..... Location: Blatting Somerset & Devons best roads in a CSR | Posted - 18 January 2006 16:13
I've been thinking of a folding bike myself recently too, and most of the cycle shops that I've wandered into to do some research have told me not to bother with a Brompton, as they are too overpriced, market leader and all that, there are others which cost far less which are equally good. These are the dealers who do not have the Brompton range in stock of course What about the Moulton, I believe they do a folder and are reassuringly expensive  Paul J. Hard work never killed anyone ........ but why take the chance! [Except building up my new CSR kit] |
| Dave Myatt Acolyte Location: Now in sunny Leicester... | Posted - 18 January 2006 16:17
Strangely Have had a Brompton T5 for many years (5 speed hub gears with factory lights and rack). Best folder by far at the time, and I think still the only one the rail companies will allow on trains as luggage in the passenger compartment... Suprisingly comfortable to ride, very fast to fold, but be prepared for people to laugh at you ! Main drawbacks are weight, although I believe the latest models have various carbon and titanium bits to help with this, and high cost.Having been in production for ages most problems with the design seem to have been sorted. Might help to have a look at the Folding Society's website (www.foldsoc.co.uk) for more info on whats currently available. Dave. |
| ianrm Windbag Location: Not Brazil, Norn Iron | Posted - 18 January 2006 16:22
When I worked in London we used to have a Brompton as the office bike for taking on the tube if necessary. I used to ride a regualar road bike daily and whenever I got on the Brompton it used to feel horribly flexible, like I was going to pull the handlebars off riding along!! I never did though and in my experience anything more than about 5 miles at one go is going to be hard work. Brilliant folding mechanism though but expensive. How far is your commute - could you ride the whole way? |
| Steve Robinson blah, blah, blah... Location: Racing my bike now I don't have a seven! | Posted - 18 January 2006 16:24
Not into folding bikes myself, but a friend of mine has a BikeFriday (crap name!) for some time and really rates it. He spends most of his time on £3,000 of Pinarello so knows what a good bike feels like. Checkout here for a decent range. I think he may be selling his folder so I can enquire if you're interested. Steve Edited by - Steve Robinson on 18 Jan 2006 16:25:27 |
| Strangely Anorak Location: Charvil, Berkshire | Posted - 18 January 2006 16:30
Paul, I've lusted after a Moulton for ages, but sadly they don't fold (they come apart into two main pieces). And I'm NOT looking for something "reassuringly expensive"! Dave, I've known about Bromptons for ages too, but I must admit that the price I had in my mind was about half what they actually cost now, and it is putting me off - for about £650 I'd get something that would probably do the job, but it's nowhere near top of the range. I've had a quick look at the Dahon website, and they definitely aren't anywhere near as compact when folded, but they also seem to be about half the price... I've read a bit about taking bikes onto trains, and they seem to allow any bike which folds more than once. There is a large part of me which wants a) the "best" folder, in terms of engineering, and b) to support British companies wherever reasonable. Ian, my whole commute is about 25 miles. I'm not a keen cyclist (actually I haven't been a cyclist at all for about 15 years), so I don't even want to consider cycling the whole distance! |
| 7 wonders of the world Anyone got a sock? Location: Enjoying 251 fresh Norfolk horses, ............... | Posted - 18 January 2006 16:46
Take a look at the Dahon range available via www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk Cracking pieces of kit! |
| gilesm Deity Location: Deepest Suffolk | Posted - 18 January 2006 22:02
I've been looking at these to over the last few weeks, I'm a bit podgy after Christmas and rather than getting home and spending an hour on the exercise bike, thought I might use one for the last part of my commute. Has anyone used these in heavy traffic - are they easy to ride, safe etc? Looking at them they don't look massively stable - perhaps because of the wheel size / height of them. Has anyone any experience riding through London on one at rush hour, my route would take me from Stratford to Canary Wharf about 7:30 in morning and then back at around 17:30 - so pretty much the height of the rush hour. I was chatting to someone at work and he reckon you could expect to come off one at least once or twice a year (not badly) - not sure if he was just trying to scare me off? she's blue and a super sport, and now with extra grrrr  . Pictures now here |
| Strangely Anorak Location: Charvil, Berkshire | Posted - 19 January 2006 10:27
Dave (or anyone else), does the Brompton fit in the Seven? I'd guess that it would fit in the passenger seat, but I haven't got my Seven at the moment to be able to measure it. Giles, from what I've read, the small wheels mean that the centre of gravity is low, so the bike should be stable. The short wheelbase makes them either responsive or twitchy, depending upon your point of view. Sounds a bit like a Seven  . |
| moosetestbestanden Windbag Location: At the track | Posted - 19 January 2006 12:59
This bike here will fold down to fit in a std. sized suitcase. I like mine ok, for short rides or city rides. ------- Chris E Blatibus Unum |
| philwaters Yawn..... Location: Reading, Berkshire | Posted - 19 January 2006 13:10
Hi Jason, When we used to sail, we used to see a plastic folding bike a lot. I'm racking my brains to remember the make, but they were nice and light and, of course, didn't rust in the sea air... The only downside was they had very small wheels and never looked too stable. Might be worth looking into via a boat chandlery. Why does it need to fold? Can you not take full sized bikes on a train anymore? |
| batteredoldsupersport You are at a complex junction Location: Not Hull, thank God, but Leeds. | Posted - 19 January 2006 13:15
I think folders are OK within their design capabilities. They are less fun/slower than rigid bikes but OK for difficult commutes. 25 miles each way is too far unless you are a very good and keen cyclist prepared to do 90 mins each way, every day. One spill a year? Probably, yes. I commuted by bike for just over 2 years in France, 6 miles each way, and clocked up 1x low speed off on a greasy bend, 1x as above on gravel, 1x dazzled by oncoming lights, lost the road edge and rode into the hedge , and 1x landing on a Clio bonnet when the driver turned in front of me. No injuries though. I also fell off injuring my back and splitting my lip one 14th July evening but that was 'cos I was p#ssed.When I was cycling in London as a student my biggest problem was blind pedestrians who think that because you aren't making engine sounds you aren't a hazard. Even if you are doing 25 mph. |
| Post Reply |
|
Lotus Seven Club Forums
ChitChat
OT: Brompton folding bike experiences?
|
Please note: Any opinions expressed in the posts above are those of the author, not of the Lotus Seven Club |
Click Here To Close thread (Topic Starter, Administrators & Moderators Only).
Show All Forums | Post Reply