As mentioned in my previous post, I’m thinking about buying some more folding bikes. I’m thinking about getting an IF Mode
(because it looks pretty), and/or a Strida (because it looks funky). I don’t really have a good reason to buy
another folding bike, apart from a slight case of BAS* (much like my rather
tragic case of MIAS**) that has plagued me for years, although I have managed
to keep it largely in check.
As I’ve been thinking
about these bikes, I’ve been indulging in some very similar behaviour to what I
was doing back when I was researching my first folding bike – that is, cruising
the internet to find other peoples’ opinions and reflections on their bikes.
And I started thinking
about what past me would ask present me about buying a Brompton, and what
advice present me would give to past me on this topic.
I’ve had my Brompton
folding bicycle for around two years now, and I think I’m in a good position to
go back in time and give myself some advice.
It’s not actually much use to me, as my time machine hasn’t arrived in
the post yet, but hopefully it will be useful to something else.
Why did I buy a Brompton?
Well, I was originally
planning some glorious holiday that would involve riding a bike all over
Europe, and I wanted a bike that would travel well. The original idea was to use a train or a bus
to travel the large distances and use a bike to travel the short ones, so I
wanted a bike that could easily be taken on a train.
My research led me to
two bikes, the Brompton and Bike Friday’s World Tourist. I poked around, I read some reviews, I asked
some questions. The people who had
experience of both said the Bike Friday was the hardier bike of the two, and
probably the best suited to touring, but that the Brompton did a better job of
fitting in the luggage section of a bus should you decide to catch busses more
frequently than you thought you might.
My attempts to
test-ride a World Tourist failed miserably when the bike shop I arranged a test-ride
through decided actually making sure they had the bike in stock was too much
hard work. But I did get to test-ride a
Brompton and I didn’t mind it at all.
Besides, I secretly
wanted the Brompton anyway – the fold was just the coolest thing out there. YouTube clips of the BF had nothing on the
Brompton’s fold – and I wouldn’t have to dismantle the bike to put it on a
plane or train, which was a big plus for someone who is very good at losing
screws.
Bottom line, the Brompton had the best fold on
the market, as far as I could
see, and it was one of the bikes that was frequently mentioned as a touring
machine.
What model of Brompton did I buy?
I got the P6R, which means I had
the “P” shaped handle bars, with six gears and a rear rack (with the little
wheels on it). I also got the Schwalbe Marathon PLUS tyres, for the puncture resistance.
I bought this because
it was recommended for touring. The “P”
handle bars give you a bit of flexibility with your hand positions and were (at
the time) the tallest handles in the bunch.
Six gears gives you a decent range of options for travelling long flat
straights and hills. A rear rack is
always useful and the little wheels meant I could convert the bike into a
“trolley” and take it into shops with me.
What accessories did I get?
I bought the cover and bag, the B-bag and the folding basket at the same time as the bike from the same shop. From a different store I also bought a T-bag and a Carradice Camper longflap saddlebag. Eventually I also bought the telescopic seat pillar.
If you went back in time, would you do it again?
Buy the Brompton? Absolutely. I love that bike and it's now my primary commuter.
But...
I never took it "touring" (although I have bundled it in the boot of my car to take on holidays), and I made some key decisions based on a "maybe I'll do this" that I never did. There are some things I'd do differently.
What would I do just the same?
I'd still get the 6 geared version. I'm pretty much a six-gear girl - even when I have more gears on my bike, I'll only use about four of them. Occasionally I'll kick into a slightly higher gear or a granny gear depending on the road, so 6 gears suits me just fine.
I've not had a puncture yet, so the tyres are okay.
I'd still get the rack with the wheels because it's convenient for pushing the bike around when it's folded (although the little wheels do get black stuff on the back of my legs while I'm riding).
I'd still by the cover and bag - that thing is worth it's wait in gold. It's the accessory I use every single day. The bag stays on the bike and I keep my lights in the bag to make sure they're close at hand, and whenever I take the bike into my house or my office (which is all the time) I put the cover on it. A) it keeps bike related dirt of everything else, B) it makes it all look like a bag sitting in the corner of the room, rather than a bike.
The other accessory I use fairly regularly is the T-bag. I put my clothes in there when I'm commuting, and I usually use it to carry my repair kit and lock/chain and such.
I'd probably also get the basket again, even though I hardly use it, just because you don't always want a huge stuff-sack every time you go out on a bike.
If I could check in on an alternate universe, I wouldn't mind seeing if there's a version of me who bought the C-bag instead of the T-bag and basket to see if I could have gotten away with just getting the one bag, but I'm pretty happy with those two bag thingies.
What would I do differently?
I'd test-ride an H-bar before settling on the P-bar. Yeah, there's less space to move your hands around, but it's taller. It wasn't available when I was looking, so obviously this doesn't benefit past me at all - but if you're thinking of a Brompton this is worth considering. Occasionally I find the level of the P-bar is just a little be lower than I'd like it to be, and a more upright stance would be nice.
I would just buy the extended or telescopic seat post right from the very beginning. I was at the top end of the standard seat post in the test-ride in the shop, and wondered if I should go higher. I should have gone higher. Much knee pain could have been avoided if I'd opted for flexibility. The extended would probably have been fine - I don't actually need the extra height of the telescopic one, I just decided to get the most flexible post possible after spending a year cursing the short one.
I would hold off on buying the B-bag or the Carradice saddle bag until the bike tour was something that was definitely happening, rather than something I'd like to do. These bags have both been sitting in a cupboard doing nothing at all for two years.
Since I'm probably just going to keep using the Brompton exactly as I have been using it and hire bicycles for overseas tours, kitting myself out for a tour was a waste of money.
Lesson learned - buy only what you need for right now (especially if it's going to cost just as much to buy something later as it would to buy it now). Add other stuff later when you actually have a confirmed use for it.
What other nuggets of advice could I pass on?
Well, the thing with the little wheels on the rack for one - the black rubber leaves marks on the back of your legs. It just does, and will keep doing it (two years later, no change). Plan your clothing accordingly.
Another thing is, the back tyre will go down if you keep the bike completely folded while it's not in use. I thought there was a problem with the tyre, wheel or tube and spent a bit of money having bike people look at it. Eventually I realised it's just because the frame of the bike is putting pressure on the tyre while it's folded.
You just need to remember the back wheel will need to be pumped up more often than you may, at first, expect. If you've had it folded for a few days, you'll definitely need to fix the pressure before riding anywhere.
There's a bit of flex to the bike that's a bit strange at first - you bob around a bit if you don't get the "sweet spot" in terms of cadence. Go up a gear and you should be okay.
Would I use the Brompton for touring?
I don't know.
To be perfectly honest, I'm more likely to hire a bike at my destination. Whenever I think of taking the Brompton with me on a big trip, and the percentage of my luggage it would take up, and the fact that I don't trust baggage handlers to not break everything, I can't help but think it's all just too much bother.
I've quite successfully hired bikes in the past, so...
I might eventually take it for sojourns around Australia - as in, take a train to X and then ride around X on the Brompton. Maybe. I don't know. I'll see. I'll probably never put it on a plane, though.
If I did take it for serious touring, I probably wouldn't use the B-bag. I'd go for a chubby cyclone bike trailer (https://www.radicaldesign.nl/en/products/bicycle-trailers/cyclone/cyclone-iv-chubby) - something else that wasn't in existence when I bought my bike, but came out shortly afterwards. Sure, it's hideously expensive, but it's a trailer that fits the bike inside it - and you can get a "carry system" that lets you carry the darn thing on your back. What more could you want from luggage?
This is another reason for why you should hold off buying anything until you actually need it: You never know if something better is going to come along.
*BAS = Bike Acquisition Syndrome
**MIAS = Musical Instrument Acquisition Syndrome
What accessories did I get?
I bought the cover and bag, the B-bag and the folding basket at the same time as the bike from the same shop. From a different store I also bought a T-bag and a Carradice Camper longflap saddlebag. Eventually I also bought the telescopic seat pillar.
If you went back in time, would you do it again?
Buy the Brompton? Absolutely. I love that bike and it's now my primary commuter.
But...
I never took it "touring" (although I have bundled it in the boot of my car to take on holidays), and I made some key decisions based on a "maybe I'll do this" that I never did. There are some things I'd do differently.
What would I do just the same?
I'd still get the 6 geared version. I'm pretty much a six-gear girl - even when I have more gears on my bike, I'll only use about four of them. Occasionally I'll kick into a slightly higher gear or a granny gear depending on the road, so 6 gears suits me just fine.
I've not had a puncture yet, so the tyres are okay.
I'd still get the rack with the wheels because it's convenient for pushing the bike around when it's folded (although the little wheels do get black stuff on the back of my legs while I'm riding).
I'd still by the cover and bag - that thing is worth it's wait in gold. It's the accessory I use every single day. The bag stays on the bike and I keep my lights in the bag to make sure they're close at hand, and whenever I take the bike into my house or my office (which is all the time) I put the cover on it. A) it keeps bike related dirt of everything else, B) it makes it all look like a bag sitting in the corner of the room, rather than a bike.
The other accessory I use fairly regularly is the T-bag. I put my clothes in there when I'm commuting, and I usually use it to carry my repair kit and lock/chain and such.
I'd probably also get the basket again, even though I hardly use it, just because you don't always want a huge stuff-sack every time you go out on a bike.
If I could check in on an alternate universe, I wouldn't mind seeing if there's a version of me who bought the C-bag instead of the T-bag and basket to see if I could have gotten away with just getting the one bag, but I'm pretty happy with those two bag thingies.
What would I do differently?
I'd test-ride an H-bar before settling on the P-bar. Yeah, there's less space to move your hands around, but it's taller. It wasn't available when I was looking, so obviously this doesn't benefit past me at all - but if you're thinking of a Brompton this is worth considering. Occasionally I find the level of the P-bar is just a little be lower than I'd like it to be, and a more upright stance would be nice.
I would just buy the extended or telescopic seat post right from the very beginning. I was at the top end of the standard seat post in the test-ride in the shop, and wondered if I should go higher. I should have gone higher. Much knee pain could have been avoided if I'd opted for flexibility. The extended would probably have been fine - I don't actually need the extra height of the telescopic one, I just decided to get the most flexible post possible after spending a year cursing the short one.
I would hold off on buying the B-bag or the Carradice saddle bag until the bike tour was something that was definitely happening, rather than something I'd like to do. These bags have both been sitting in a cupboard doing nothing at all for two years.
Since I'm probably just going to keep using the Brompton exactly as I have been using it and hire bicycles for overseas tours, kitting myself out for a tour was a waste of money.
Lesson learned - buy only what you need for right now (especially if it's going to cost just as much to buy something later as it would to buy it now). Add other stuff later when you actually have a confirmed use for it.
What other nuggets of advice could I pass on?
Well, the thing with the little wheels on the rack for one - the black rubber leaves marks on the back of your legs. It just does, and will keep doing it (two years later, no change). Plan your clothing accordingly.
Another thing is, the back tyre will go down if you keep the bike completely folded while it's not in use. I thought there was a problem with the tyre, wheel or tube and spent a bit of money having bike people look at it. Eventually I realised it's just because the frame of the bike is putting pressure on the tyre while it's folded.
You just need to remember the back wheel will need to be pumped up more often than you may, at first, expect. If you've had it folded for a few days, you'll definitely need to fix the pressure before riding anywhere.
There's a bit of flex to the bike that's a bit strange at first - you bob around a bit if you don't get the "sweet spot" in terms of cadence. Go up a gear and you should be okay.
Would I use the Brompton for touring?
I don't know.
To be perfectly honest, I'm more likely to hire a bike at my destination. Whenever I think of taking the Brompton with me on a big trip, and the percentage of my luggage it would take up, and the fact that I don't trust baggage handlers to not break everything, I can't help but think it's all just too much bother.
I've quite successfully hired bikes in the past, so...
I might eventually take it for sojourns around Australia - as in, take a train to X and then ride around X on the Brompton. Maybe. I don't know. I'll see. I'll probably never put it on a plane, though.
If I did take it for serious touring, I probably wouldn't use the B-bag. I'd go for a chubby cyclone bike trailer (https://www.radicaldesign.nl/en/products/bicycle-trailers/cyclone/cyclone-iv-chubby) - something else that wasn't in existence when I bought my bike, but came out shortly afterwards. Sure, it's hideously expensive, but it's a trailer that fits the bike inside it - and you can get a "carry system" that lets you carry the darn thing on your back. What more could you want from luggage?
This is another reason for why you should hold off buying anything until you actually need it: You never know if something better is going to come along.
*BAS = Bike Acquisition Syndrome
**MIAS = Musical Instrument Acquisition Syndrome
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