16 Inch Wheels

Well, it looked like it might rain today, so I took my old, normal bike to work.

I'm sure I'll get to the point where I don't care about shielding the Brompton from bad weather and just take it everywhere, but it's still kind of new and shiny and I'm happy for it to be a "fair weather" bike at present.

I have to say, riding my old bike for the first time since I got the Brompton has brought home how thoroughly I've fallen for the Brommie (which I've started to call "Babs" - short for "yeah, baby!". And, yes, I know how sad that is).

I am definitely a convert to the 16 inch, foldable life.

My old bike just seems ridiculously huge. Why would you need such ginormous wheels? Why do they take so long to get rolling? What's the point of that top bar? Why is everything so high off the ground? Why is it so cumbersome to move? And why can't all bikes have an internal gear hub?

It doesn't help that the old bike was a size too small as well. Things are ridiculously large, and yet not quite large enough. Everything is just a little too close and at the wrong angle, so that even though the seat is uncomfortably high off the ground and set far back on the seat post, it's still a little too close to the pedals and the handlebars.

That's my own stupid fault, of course. I didn't have a model of that bike to look at, and I was used to women's step-through bikes previously, so when I ordered it I was working with a mixture of ignorance and nervousness. It's one of the reasons why I was determined to try the Brommie before buying it.

So, I think I can safely say I'm a foldie fan now. Riding my old bike has brought home how much the new bike has changed the game.

Plus, I had to leave it outside, which is boring. I much prefer having my bike under my desk - it's a great conversation starter.