# [Brompton] Cheaper alternative to Off Yer Bike handle+strap?



## Winfried (21 Mar 2018)

Hello,

The Off Yer Bike handle + strap looks like a very nice idea when I need to carry the Brompton folded up the stairs or on a train platform, but… I find €70/£60 a bit steep.

Is there a cheaper alternative?

Thank you.


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## annedonnelly (21 Mar 2018)

There was leather one on here a couple of years ago I think. But is was probably more expensive.

I always pick mine up by the seat. Not that I ever carried it far. I would always wheel it through the station and only fold it near where the train door would be.

There's an IKEA bag that fits if you want to put it in bag for carrying.


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## ianrauk (21 Mar 2018)

I have found the easiest way to carry a Brompton up and down stairs is to do it unfolded with the saddle hooked on your shoulder.


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## T4tomo (21 Mar 2018)

The Brompton has a saddle and a main tube to hold. These silly strap things are a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. 

I've never once looked at my strapless Brompton and thought "Ooh I wonder how I'm going to pick this up?"


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## alicat (21 Mar 2018)

> I have found the easiest way to carry a Brompton up and down stairs is to do it unfolded with the saddle hooked on your shoulder.



This is the way to do it.

On a train platform, I pull/push it along with the back wheel and rack folded under (like a shopping trolley).

In supermarkets I put it in the trolley along with my shopping. Simples!


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## Kell (22 Mar 2018)

If you don't have the rack (like me) it really doesn't roll well when folded. I even bought the easy wheels, but it's still clearly not designed to do that.

As above, I push mine fully unfolded along the platforms then carry it on my shoulder up and down the stairs and only fold it when I get to the train doors. 

However, I will concede that I do this while wearing cycling clothes and a dirty, 9-year old commuting Night Vision jacket. I might not want do this if I was suited and booted.


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## Winfried (24 Mar 2018)

Thanks much for the feedback.

Whenever possible, I do carry it unfolded with the seat sitting on my shoulder, but occasionally, I have to carry it folded, such as when taking the Eurostar, where security insist the bike be folded and bagged even before passport check.

I found a cheaper solution: A dog leash + a couple of carabiners. I'll add some handlebar tape or soft velcro so the frame doesn't get scratched.


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## 12boy (24 Mar 2018)

Must be stoopid..how does that work? Carabiners on the frame or clipped together to make a sling? A stout bag with a strap might be easier.


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## Fab Foodie (24 Mar 2018)

If I know I’m gonna need to carry mine a fair distance I’d take the Dimpa bag and sling it over my shoulder.


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## Winfried (27 Mar 2018)

12boy said:


> how does that work? Carabiners on the frame or clipped together to make a sling? A stout bag with a strap might be easier.



Clipped together around the frame.

I don't know of a stout bag - Dimpa or otherwise - that is as compact and fast to use just to walk a couple of hundred meters/yards with a folded Brompton.

I do like the OffYerBikeOnYourShoulder product, but not the £60/€70 price tag, considering I mostly use my Brompton to travel. And even then, it's not very common to be required to carry it folded for more than a few meters.


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## alicat (27 Mar 2018)

> occasionally, I have to carry it folded, such as when taking the Eurostar, where security insist the bike be folded and bagged even before passport check.



I travel fairly frequently with my Brompton on Eurostar. I do fold it so it goes through the x-ray machine. Once they insisted that I put it in the Dimpa bag before Security. I complied because otherwise I risked missing my train. However I later looked up the conditions of carriage and nowhere does it say the bike has to be bagged before you get on the train. So next time I will ask them to justify their request.


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## Kell (27 Mar 2018)

Rather than £60 for the strap, I still like the look of the Sidewinder.

Now selling at £49.99 on ebay.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ye9j6C6anTQ?


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## Pale Rider (27 Mar 2018)

alicat said:


> So next time I will ask them to justify their request.



Probably best not to, because by appearing awkward over what could be characterised as a 'security issue' you are giving them an excuse to ruin your day by denying you carriage.

There are limits, but polite compliance is the best way even if it involves some lip biting.


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## Winfried (27 Mar 2018)

Likewise: I'd rather not waste time trying to persuade security personnel to let me roll the Brompton and only fold it just before boarding.

Thanks for the info the SideWinder. Unfortunately, my B doesn't have the Brompton rack, so it looks like it won't fit.

However, the GOrack Fold & Roll is a complete rack + wheels*.

Still, that doesn't solve the issue of having to carry the B folded up/down stairs, in which case a shoulder strap is a must.

* "A new batch of GOrack with improved design is ready for shipping in Spring 2018."


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## reppans (27 Mar 2018)

FWIW, I carry my B quite a bit while touring - up to 1/4 mile bushwhacking deeply into the woods for secluded wild camping (and back out every morning), and once even hiked up a 30 story staircase with full touring gear. 

The easist way I found to carry the B long distance is to flip it upside down and rest the main tube on top of one shoulder with a pad attached to main tube - pretty much the same way you'd carry a 5gal. water cooler jug on your shoulder balancing between your head and hand (holding seat tube in the triangle). On longer portages, I extend the seat post and strap the front wheel (so it doesn't unfold) and rest the the main tube across both shoulders behind my neck - I wrap my left arm around the seat post and hold the seat to keep it in position and balanced, and sometimes right hand on the hinges to support some weight. 

I used to travel a lot with my parents as a kid and was the designated porter... for stairs and longer distance portage, I guess I aways found suitcases easiet to carry on top of my shoulder.


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## Winfried (27 Mar 2018)

Thanks. Not sure I got it ("flip it *upside down* and rest the main tube on top of one shoulder with a pad attached to main tube"), but the problem I needed to solve is how to carry a _folded_ Brompton some hundred meters/yards.

At 12-14kg, it can be hard, even without any physical deficiency. Hence my looking at the available solutions.

I have a two-week trip planned somewhere else in Europe next month, and I'll probably get to experiment :-)


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## reppans (27 Mar 2018)

Winfried said:


> Thanks. Not sure I got it ("flip it *upside down* and rest the main tube on top of one shoulder with a pad attached to main tube"), but the problem I needed to solve is how to carry a _folded_ Brompton some hundred meters/yards.
> 
> At 12-14kg, it can be hard, even without any physical deficiency. Hence my looking at the available solutions.
> 
> I have a two-week trip planned somewhere else in Europe next month, and I'll probably get to experiment :-)



Yeah... I carry folded, and mine's over 15kg with all the crap I load on/in the bike, and I'm not big guy at ~1.73m/70kg. I carry between 100 and 400m to stealth camping spots.... no way I could do that with the bike hanging low at my side carrying it briefcase or shoulder strap style.

Not sure if you are familiar with backpacking physics, but when carrying a heavy weight on smooth terrain, it is easier to align to your CoG if the weight is up high - then you only need to lean a few degrees to counterbalance everything over your natural CoG. The lower the weight is carried, the more you'll need to lean over to counteract that weight (although a lower CoG has advantages over difficult terrain).


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## robrinay (28 Mar 2018)

If you check on eBay you’ll be able to buy woven nylon straps buckles etc. and make a nylon version for a great deal less. On the other hand saddle stitching is easy if tedious - search on YouTube. The tools are cheap - leather needles awl ruler and waxed thread so why not make your own from a piece of leather?


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## Winfried (28 Mar 2018)

Thanks. I'll try the dog leash + carabiners option, and if turns out to be a bad idea, shell out £60 for a OyBOyS package.


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## Winfried (29 Mar 2018)

Look what I just found at the local Decathlon :






https://www.decathlon.co.uk/bike-carry-strap-black-id_8357598.html

More comfy than a plain rope.


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## Bill (2 Apr 2018)

I have been down this route before! Go to a Poundshop and buy three dog collars. Two of them go around the frame and the other one loops through the other two for the carrying handle....Cost??! Three pounds.....Some fashion mined owners spend over 50 pounds for this item....which I find rather sad....


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## Winfried (2 Apr 2018)

Smart :-) Thanks.


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