# Bromptons



## steveindenmark (6 Jun 2014)

Why do Bromptons constantly hold such a high price?

I fancy a dabble in the folding market and a Brompton would be my first choice as it is British, old school. But they are never cheap.

Steve


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## AndyRM (16 Jun 2014)

I could be wrong, but it was my understanding that the buyer was able to specify pretty much the whole set up of a Brompton build so it follows that they're expensive and there's not much of a second hand market.


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## shouldbeinbed (16 Jun 2014)

They're the right mix of form, function and marketing

Bespoke or off the shelf models, well put together, surprisingly decent to ride for the way they look and have that kudos/hype/fan follwing akin to Apple Mac's and other iconic or niche brands that keep the market bouyant.


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## annedonnelly (16 Jun 2014)

You'd need to offer me a lot of money to get me to part with mine 

It's turned out to be perfect for the commute I'm doing.Decent to ride with the convenience of taking it on to buses, trains, etc. whenever I need to.


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## palinurus (17 Jun 2014)

The fold is really good, if you use the bike in conjunction with public transport this is really handy. Really neat, and probably still unbeaten (for a practical bike anyway).


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## daniel_hokkaido (24 Jun 2014)

saw a ton of these bikes in Barcelona last week. Nice to see british bikes around mainland europe!


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## John the Monkey (24 Jun 2014)

The fact that the parts are both readily available, and reasonably priced too might have something to do with it as well.


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## mllond (24 Jun 2014)

It's just such a clever bike. Fantastic functionality - I have a 9.5 year old L6 (6 gear) model which copes with the supermarket run (fold it up and bung in the trolley, nobody minds at Sainsburys), commutes, hills, the Dunwich Dynamo and a long haul flight (Vancouver via BA). Superfast fold. Marathon Schwalbes mean that my last puncture was in 2012. Compared with a VW Golf, the value stays high but maintenance costs are low! And perhaps tellingly, I have several mates who have contrived to have their Bromptons stolen, all of whom have bought either new or secondhand replacement Bromptons but not any other folder. And if you like personality, well, no contest!


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## Wolfthing (18 Nov 2014)

The chap in the shop where I ordered mine said that one of the reasons they hold their money is because they're still made of steel, whilst other folding bikes are made of aluminium/alloy.

So in years to come they're still pretty much as good as when they were new.

Personally I think it's because they've come up with this great design and then stuck to it without regularly faffing about with it.

It's really difficult to work out if you're looking at one or ten year old Brompton!


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## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (18 Nov 2014)

Simple..

Supply and demand....

Demand outstrips supply....

Therefore the second hand market becomes bouyant.


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## the_mikey (18 Nov 2014)

They're just great bicycles, super compact yet perfectly rideable and practical.


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## TheDoctor (20 Nov 2014)

They do it all. Currently touring on mine, and it's not caused me any problems. Trains, buses, climbing mountains, it just works. It's not just the best folder I've got, it's the best bike I've got.


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## Gravity Aided (13 Feb 2015)

Best alternative I can think of is Bike Friday, and they cost the earth as well.


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## Gravity Aided (14 Feb 2015)

Brompton folding mechanism-

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5B_lB21a74


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## Racing roadkill (16 Feb 2015)

A Brompton is a very nicely built bit of kit, you can configure them with all sorts of bells and whistles, which makes them fairly bespoke. That said, I think they are a triumph of style over substance, and personally, I wouldn't want to pay the premium.


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## the_mikey (16 Feb 2015)

Racing roadkill said:


> A Brompton is a very nicely built bit of kit, you can configure them with all sorts of bells and whistles, which makes them fairly bespoke. That said, I think they are a triumph of style over substance, and personally, I wouldn't want to pay the premium.




Jealous? 

Bromptons are incredibly versatile, they can be used for touring, commuting, shopping, excersise, in ways that a lesser folding bike can't quite match.


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## John the Monkey (16 Feb 2015)

the_mikey said:


> Jealous?
> 
> Bromptons are incredibly versatile, they can be used for touring, commuting, shopping, excersise, in ways that a lesser folding bike can't quite match.


I think the only caveat I'd pop into that is "if they suit you". I love mine, and I find it incredibly useful and versatile. That said, I'd not want to ride much more than 10 miles on it, given the choice.


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## srw (16 Feb 2015)

Racing roadkill said:


> A Brompton is a very nicely built bit of kit, you can configure them with all sorts of bells and whistles, which makes them fairly bespoke. That said, I think they are a triumph of style over substance, and personally, I wouldn't want to pay the premium.


A carbon "racing" bike is a very nicely built bit of kit, you can configure them with all sorts of bells and whistles, which makes them fairly bespoke. That said, I think they are a triumph of style over substance, and personally, I wouldn't want to pay the premium.


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## Sara_H (16 Feb 2015)

[QUOTE 3538561, member: 45"]They're not all that.[/QUOTE]
Are too!


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## Racing roadkill (16 Feb 2015)

the_mikey said:


> Jealous?
> 
> Bromptons are incredibly versatile, they can be used for touring, commuting, shopping, excersise, in ways that a lesser folding bike can't quite match.


Yeah really jealous  I've had 3 Bromptons, that I've picked up for a lot less than retail, second hand. They are nice bikes, I wouldn't pay full whack, that would make whoever did a bit of a plank IMHO. Anyone who spec'd this







for example, would need their head read IMO.


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## Racing roadkill (16 Feb 2015)

srw said:


> A carbon "racing" bike is a very nicely built bit of kit, you can configure them with all sorts of bells and whistles, which makes them fairly bespoke. That said, I think they are a triumph of style over substance, and personally, I wouldn't want to pay the premium.


Good for you. TT bikes aside, I've never had a Carbon "racing" bike personally, only 'sportive' bikes, and one with a C2C type of geometry.


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## Racing roadkill (16 Feb 2015)

John the Monkey said:


> I think the only caveat I'd pop into that is "if they suit you". I love mine, and I find it incredibly useful and versatile. That said, I'd not want to ride much more than 10 miles on it, given the choice.



I can agree with that. I did about 170 miles, in one hit, on a Brompton. That was quite a chore. The rims were Fubar by the time I'd finished, as were my legs


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## the_mikey (16 Feb 2015)

John the Monkey said:


> I think the only caveat I'd pop into that is "if they suit you". I love mine, and I find it incredibly useful and versatile. That said, I'd not want to ride much more than 10 miles on it, given the choice.




Yes, I agree with that, The Brompton is a triumph of form combined with function, it's a pretty good bicycle too, but it is what it is, and there's always a compromise with every bicycle, the compromises made in the Brompton mostly add to its charm. 

If I'm making a journey to the railway station to visit friends / family , the Brompton wins every time.


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## Pale Rider (16 Feb 2015)

the_mikey said:


> Yes, I agree with that, The Brompton is a triumph of form combined with function, it's a pretty good bicycle too, but it is what it is, and there's always a compromise with every bicycle, the compromises made in the Brompton mostly add to its charm.
> 
> If I'm making a journey to the railway station to visit friends / family , the Brompton wins every time.



Agree with this and @John the Monkey.

I love my Brompton for hacking through town up to a maximum of about 10 miles.

Some riders tour the world on them - not for me - but it is a testament to the quality and versatility of the bike.


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## John the Monkey (16 Feb 2015)

Pale Rider said:


> Some riders tour the world on them - not for me - but it is a testament to the quality and versatility of the bike.


Exactly. Although it's terribly unfashionable to admit that people have different opinions that might also be right, dontcha know.


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## Fab Foodie (16 Feb 2015)

[QUOTE 3539609, member: 259"]I could get a nice new Ti Brommie with all the bits for what we've just paid in annual "road tax" for my wife's car, and have enough left over for a couple of barrels of beer. And I'd be able to sell it for a reasonable price if I got bored with it, too.[/QUOTE]
... unlike the wife ....


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## the_mikey (16 Feb 2015)

[QUOTE 3539609, member: 259"]I could get a nice new Ti Brommie with all the bits for what we've just paid in annual "road tax" for my wife's car, and have enough left over for a couple of barrels of beer. And I'd be able to sell it for a reasonable price if I got bored with it, too.[/QUOTE]

Barrels of beer? You'll be wanting a cargo bike for them...


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## Gravity Aided (6 Mar 2015)

Trailer.


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## Brand X (11 Mar 2015)

Bromptons are very overpriced, the gear system is quite clever, but there is no reason a basic Brompton should cost more than £400 and anything over £700 is ridiculous, these days putting a hinge in the middle of a frame is not the cutting-edge of engineering technology but it seems to double or triple the price of folding bikes. It's not that Bromptons are great, the problem is that cheaper folding bikes are poor by comparison.


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## Fab Foodie (11 Mar 2015)

Brand X said:


> Bromptons are very overpriced, the gear system is quite clever, but there is no reason a basic Brompton should cost more than £400 and anything over £700 is ridiculous, these days putting a hinge in the middle of a frame is not the cutting-edge of engineering technology but it seems to double or triple the price of folding bikes. It's not that Bromptons are great, the problem is that cheaper folding bikes are poor by comparison.


Having just purchased a Brompton it soon becomes clear why they are more than a bike with a hinge and why they command a high price.
It's not a high volume product, it's hand made in the UK, probably 99% of the parts and components are specifically made and designed for it. The fold is unique and incredibly well thought out, way better than any other - all the dirty gubbins on the inside of the fold, the way it locks together, the way it stands by flicking the rear wheel under, you can use it as a shopping cart yadda yadda yadda. As a bike it's very versatile, with use you soon realise it's capabilities, it's ease to travel with, it's load-lugging capabilities. It copes with smooth and roughish terrain. It's a lot of fun to ride, comfortable over distances and surprisingly quick. It has charm.
Other folders are good too, ride well enough, but If other folders were as good, they'd be charging more for them, but they're not.


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## Brand X (11 Mar 2015)

It's a good design, no argument there, but the price.. so expensive. If I was living in London making lots of money, commuting to work every day on the underground and I was in need of a folding bike, the Brompton would be in my top 3 choices of folding bikes but it's not a bike I would own as a second bike, it's too much money to spend on a toy. I think that's the market the Brompton is primarily targeted at; City commuters who work in offices and are cash-rich enough to buy the best.


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## srw (11 Mar 2015)

Brand X said:


> It's a good design, no argument there, but the price.. so expensive. If I was living in London making lots of money, commuting to work every day on the underground and I was in need of a folding bike, the Brompton would be in my top 3 choices of folding bikes but it's not a bike I would own as a second bike, it's too much money to spend on a toy. I think that's the market the Brompton is primarily targeted at; City commuters who work in offices and are cash-rich enough to buy the best.


Nope - any commuter who has a multi-modal journey. I bought my first (at not too much lower a same cash price as I paid for my second) 17 years ago because it was cheaper than adding the tube to my train commute. Almost every annual season ticket in London (and, probably, most cities) is more expensive than a Brommie. And the Brompton will last you 10 years.


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