# Brompton tool options



## Plumpton (20 Mar 2016)

Hi all. Whilst I'm waiting for my brompton to arrive I'm sitting down and thinking of tools...

My riding is mainly going to be rural roads so a mobile phone and debit card is not as ideal as it would be in a city. With that in mind I do think I need to carry a small puncture repair kit. 

My current plan is to travel very light and get the Brompton branded in frame tool kit and pump. That means the basics are stored on/in the bike.

I know I could carry a much cheaper and better kit in a ruck sack but I reckon I'll be out and about without a bag...

I'd welcome a more experienced view from you all...


----------



## srw (20 Mar 2016)

Unless they've _very _significantly upgraded it, the Brompton pump is worse than useless.

What sort of mechanicals are you thinking of having? The only ones I've had while out and about that have stopped me riding are punctures - and Marathon plus tyres more or less put paid to them. Getting off the wheels (particularly the back one) is such a faff that I'd rather pay the small speed penalty of decently puncture-proof tyres than try and mend anything while riding.

Yes, I mainly ride in the city - but I think I'd think the same if I was mainly a country rider.


----------



## mjr (20 Mar 2016)

Zefal do a good little puncture repair canister (single use: pull out the sharp object, shake, invert and connect the canister, spray it in, ride 3km, pump up, complete the ride) and wiggle has some good little pumps in their lifeline range (hose connection is essential for me). Messy if they fail, though.


----------



## shouldbeinbed (20 Mar 2016)

I have the Brompton tool and it is not only a thing of beauty but a thing of quality too, it is one of the best presents I've ever received, all I've added into it is a couple of skab glueless patches. I keep a spare inner tube in the long section of frame & I have a small leatherman pliers multitool on my keyring all the time. I've taken to switching my Brompton toolkit to my other bikes when I take them now.


----------



## TheDoctor (20 Mar 2016)

I have some scab patches, two tyre levers, a 15 mm spanner and a small multitool stuffed in the front part of the frame. All the functionality of the Brompton tool, but I didn't need to buy anything.


----------



## Rohloff_Brompton_Rider (20 Mar 2016)

shouldbeinbed said:


> I have the Brompton tool and it is not only a thing of beauty but a thing of quality too, it is one of the best presents I've ever received, all I've added into it is a couple of skab glueless patches. I keep a spare inner tube in the long section of frame & I have a small leatherman pliers multitool on my keyring all the time. I've taken to switching my Brompton toolkit to my other bikes when I take them now.


This +1.


----------



## Plumpton (20 Mar 2016)

Thanks for your replies. I wont be doing enough mileage to need to do serious road side repairs but I would be happy sorting a puncture so I guess I need atleast a tyre lever, some patches and something to pump up the tyre. If the brompton pump is as bad as people say it is, can I store a co2 canister inside the frame or would that be a stupid thing to do?

Its already been suggested that I use that slime stuff so maybe that's enough?


----------



## TheDoctor (20 Mar 2016)

Get Marathon tyres and you'll hardly ever need to use the Brompton pump?


----------



## Plumpton (20 Mar 2016)

Marathon or Marathon + ?


----------



## srw (20 Mar 2016)

Plumpton said:


> Marathon or Marathon + ?


Either. Marathons do puncture occasionally, M+ almost never unless they're worn or you hit a six-inch nail.

On a tandem (so twice as much rider weight), a bit of very sharp gravel has punctured our Marathons. On the other tandem, it took a half-inch very sharp flint to puncture the M+.


----------



## Plumpton (20 Mar 2016)

I spec'd marathons when ordering the bike. My dealer has offered to swap them for Marathon + tyres before I take delivery of the bike.

Maybe I'll take that offer and not bother carrying a puncture repair kit around with me...


----------



## annedonnelly (20 Mar 2016)

I do find that the M+ tyres puncture more on the Brompton than on the hybrid. I guess it's the the route I use & the fact that it does more miles per week. That's why I also use Slime which generally seems to hold things together for about 10 miles.


----------



## shouldbeinbed (20 Mar 2016)

Plumpton said:


> Thanks for your replies. I wont be doing enough mileage to need to do serious road side repairs but I would be happy sorting a puncture so I guess I need atleast a tyre lever, some patches and something to pump up the tyre. If the brompton pump is as bad as people say it is, can I store a co2 canister inside the frame or would that be a stupid thing to do?
> 
> Its already been suggested that I use that slime stuff so maybe that's enough?


The Brompton pump is genuinely terrible, I use a Lezyne mini pump that I've zip tied the holder to the frame and it's head sits in the head piece on the frame, it all holds perfectly and without rattling or looseness. 
I've not had a flat on my Brompton yet with the standard Kevlar tyres fitted, I am quite careful with keeping them well pumped up and cleaning out any bits of debris. My Birdy has Marathon Green Guards and they're excellent bombproof just a step down from the top level M+ rubber.


----------



## 12boy (21 Mar 2016)

I have 3 Lezyne pumps, a floor and two shorties for my bikes. I carry a tool roll which has a 15 mm wrench, the shorty Lezyne, 4, 5 and 6 mm allen wrenches, a couple of steel tire irons, some glueless patches, a spare innertube, a spare quik link and a few zip ties. The tool roll is about 8 inches long and 3 thick and goes in my bike bag or pack. With these things I can leave home, go to another city and know I can deal with most issues short of pulling a crank. Replace brakes, adjust the saddle, fix a flat, whatever. I have two shorty Lezynes because I have one tool bag for my Brompton and one for my Surly which has 700 c wheels. I don't get many flats with Schwalbe Marathons but I don't want to be 20 miles from home and have that be the time I get one. I like some kind of a front bag or saddlebag to carry my tool roll and jacket, gloves etc if needed.


----------



## srw (21 Mar 2016)

Has anyone ever actually needed any of those tools they carry with them on a Brompton while away from home?

Genuine question - I can understand taking tools for a multi-day tour, but not for a day ride.


----------



## shouldbeinbed (21 Mar 2016)

srw said:


> Has anyone ever actually needed any of those tools they carry with them on a Brompton while away from home?
> 
> Genuine question - I can understand taking tools for a multi-day tour, but not for a day ride.



The odd minor tweak but not often. I've not used my life insurance yet either.


----------



## 12boy (21 Mar 2016)

To fix a flat you will need a 15 mm wrench, patches and tire irons. I have heard you can pull the tube without taking the wheel off, but i have never done that and that requires you know where the puncture is. Sometimes in the rain or snow it is easier to find the thorn or glass sticking through the tire,remove that and just use a new tube, fixing the bad one at home. I have,especially when trying out different handlebars or new brakes, found it good to be able to adjust those things with an allen wrench. I have also had a quiklink fail about ten miles out and it was nice to have another. However, where I live there is no public transportation, so the option of getting to the destination that way is not available.


----------



## Kell (22 Mar 2016)

I've got the Brompton pump on my bike (just came with it I think).

I wouldn't say it's brilliant, but it's not rubbish either.

It pumps the tyres up. What more do you want?


----------



## mjr (22 Mar 2016)

Kell said:


> It pumps the tyres up. What more do you want?


Connector hose, gauge and able to fit Woods/Presta valves?


----------



## Plumpton (22 Mar 2016)

My bike is on order and still a few weeks away. The brompton site says a pump is not included. I have read it'd rubbish but as a last option on the side of the path, its probably better than nothing. I suspect I will end up with the Marathon + tyres, brompton tool kit and pump so that I can travel very light.

My colleagues at work are avid cyclists and they have a small bag on the back of their saddles with the basics...

I've chosen the standard brompton saddle for my bike and assume I could connect a small bag to the saddle and carry some basics. That would probably be cheaper than the brompton kit but not as neat?


----------



## srw (22 Mar 2016)

User said:


> Yes, I have fixed a puncture on my Brompton once in the last four - five years.


QED

For the £50 the Brompton toolkit will cost you'll get a 30-minute taxi ride in most of the country.


----------



## srw (22 Mar 2016)

Kell said:


> It pumps the tyres up. What more do you want?


More than 30psi.


----------



## mjr (22 Mar 2016)

Plumpton said:


> I've chosen the standard brompton saddle for my bike and assume I could connect a small bag to the saddle and carry some basics. That would probably be cheaper than the brompton kit but not as neat?


I think so. I have a small tool bag that moves between the various bags I attach to various bikes (most often either an Alpkit Airlok Xtra or a satchel), along with the appropriate inner tube for that trip's bike.


----------



## mjr (22 Mar 2016)

srw said:


> More than 30psi.


http://www.biketrax.co.uk/m6b0s238p230/BROMPTON-High-pressure-pump says it does 100psi. Did you meet a dud?


----------



## srw (22 Mar 2016)

mjray said:


> http://www.biketrax.co.uk/m6b0s238p230/BROMPTON-High-pressure-pump says it does 100psi. Did you meet a dud?


They've upgraded it!

[edit]

No they haven't - that's the same pile of poo as used to be supplied with the bike. It's probably still in the garage somewhere. If I get around to it I'll try it out and report back


----------



## mjr (22 Mar 2016)

srw said:


> They've upgraded it!


Your feedback probably scared them into it!


----------



## Kell (23 Mar 2016)

Clearly, it's not going to get as much pressure in as a track pump. And without a gauge, it's hard to tell. But I've found mine useful for topping up.

I'm also pretty sure that as it's a zefal there will be a presta valve fitting that you could buy or insert from another pump.

My old zefal pump for example has a valve that comes out and turns over to go from Schrader to Presta. Not checked this one yet, but as I've not seen it mentioned anywhere, I'm going to assume it doesn't.


----------



## shouldbeinbed (23 Mar 2016)

I agree with SRW, My Brommy pump was absolute dross vs the Topeak pocket rocket & Lezyne mini pump I also have, it went in the bin. track pumps don't come into it.


----------



## Plumpton (23 Mar 2016)

AmI right in thinking that the Topeak pump will fit in the same space as the original Brompton pump?


----------



## Kell (24 Mar 2016)

Maybe that's the problem. I don't have another high pressure pump to compare it to.

All my other small pumps are large volume/low pressure.


----------



## shouldbeinbed (24 Mar 2016)

Plumpton said:


> AmI right in thinking that the Topeak pump will fit in the same space as the original Brompton pump?


the pocket rocket has a smaller head section, You could fettle the pump bit on the brompton frame I guess, tho I've not tried that, My Lezyne ABS flex hose pump is a better fit, tho still smaller than the Brommy Zefal one.


----------



## windmiller (3 Apr 2016)

I just ordered the Tern multi tool from Evans, £21.59. Not exactly a thing of beauty like the Brompton tool kit but handsome is as handsome does.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdyHWzw98TM


----------



## chris folder (5 Apr 2016)

Hi nice little tool kit good price to


----------



## shouldbeinbed (5 Apr 2016)

Nice looking tool, couple of drawbacks vs the Brompton - the frame fitting is a real bonus for the Brompton for travelling light days, Wearing regular trousers with a smartphone, wallet and housekeys in the pockets already, a multitool with patch kit box is going to be a very tight fit or uncomfortable lump extra to work in????

A couple of glueless patches also sit nicely in the Brompton tool so it really does't need the extra patch box to add bulk or lose in the cold and wet at the roadside.

The allen keys/screwdrivers in the Brompton kit are the ubiqutous interchangeable head types o easily replaceable if damaged or worn & on a longer lever ratchet too, so are a moment of simplicity and more than enough leverage to use in even the tightest of spots, more akin to using a 'proper' allen key set v the more standard stubbier multitool, style on the Tern.

I was wondering about the 15mm spanner in that vid and was pleased to see that they had thought of that and made it more effective than first impression, but the Brompton again is a more solid one by the looks of it, ring headed so less chance of nut rounding (or knuckle skinning) slippage and is a comfortable doddle to use with the tool 'box' designed to act as the wide long comfortable handle, it is set up with the ring head already out so it works immediately without any faff or construction at all.

On the upside for the Tern tool - it is less than half the price and the nifty looking chain tool included within the unit that has clearly been well thought out and seems a better thing that a usual multitool chain tool device are both real winners over the Brompton one.


----------



## chris folder (5 Apr 2016)

Hi the brompton tool don't fit all brompton bikes the older models the inner hole though the frame is slightly smaller on the bikes the tool will not fit in bike frame


----------



## shouldbeinbed (5 Apr 2016)

chris folder said:


> Hi the brompton tool don't fit all brompton bikes the older models the inner hole though the frame is slightly smaller on the bikes the tool will not fit in bike frame


I guess it was designed to fit the frame they currently produce.

Unlucky for older Brompton owners I guess but, its not in Brompton's interest to manufacture a relatively new product that only fits an obsolete frame dimension.

Oddly but lucky me, that it fits perfectly in the seat tube of my 2001 original frame Birdy


----------



## chris folder (5 Apr 2016)

Hi I think it's brompton bikes before 2009 the tool kit dont fit. The kit only slots inside frame 3/4 top half of kit sticks out and bike cant clamp together


----------



## jay clock (5 Apr 2016)

+1 for the fancy tool kit being stunning just to own and look at
+1 for repairing a Marathon at the roadside being the worst of all cycle repair jobs


----------



## jay clock (5 Apr 2016)

also I have a 2014 Brompton and the couple of occasions I used the pump it was fine


----------



## StuartG (5 Apr 2016)

chris folder said:


> Hi I think it's brompton bikes before 2009 the tool kit dont fit. The kit only slots inside frame 3/4 top half of kit sticks out and bike cant clamp together


I didn't know that so it is great news to this 2006 owner. I can no longer be tempted. Well, I could buy a new Brompton to fit the kit I suppose ...


----------



## StuartG (5 Apr 2016)

User said:


> It must be nearly worn out by now anyway.


Nope - the Brommie is going strong. It's the rider that is showing signs of wear.


----------



## snazpizaz (15 Feb 2020)

12boy said:


> I have 3 Lezyne pumps, a floor and two shorties for my bikes. I carry a tool roll which has a 15 mm wrench, the shorty Lezyne, 4, 5 and 6 mm allen wrenches, a couple of steel tire irons, some glueless patches, a spare innertube, a spare quik link and a few zip ties. ......



what are the zip ties used for ?


----------



## 12boy (15 Feb 2020)

Zip ties can secure flopping cables, attach fenders, hold a jacket onto saddle rails and do many temporary fixes fairly well. They weigh almost nothing.


----------



## shingwell (15 Feb 2020)

You can get re-usable zip ties (try ebay) - I keep a few tied to the ring spanner of the B tool kit so they are basically stored inside the frame, but you can get them out again.


----------



## snazpizaz (15 Feb 2020)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=re-usable+zip+ties&_sacat=0

cheers folks


----------



## chriscross1966 (16 Feb 2020)

Rohloff_Brompton_Rider said:


> This +1.


+2


----------



## chriscross1966 (16 Feb 2020)

srw said:


> Has anyone ever actually needed any of those tools they carry with them on a Brompton while away from home?
> 
> Genuine question - I can understand taking tools for a multi-day tour, but not for a day ride.



Yep.. luggage blocks spontaneously loosen and that endangers your headlight, also the spanner and tyre levers are invaluable in puncture situations. Folks having issues with a Brompton pump need a Zefal Z-Hose in their lives, being able to pump with the pump head on the floor transforms that pump and the Z-hose gets you a pressure gauge...


----------



## srw (16 Feb 2020)

srw said:


> They've upgraded it!
> 
> [edit]
> 
> No they haven't - that's the same pile of poo as used to be supplied with the bike. It's probably still in the garage somewhere. If I get around to it I'll try it out and report back


To come back to this. In 2017 I bought a new Brompton. It came with the same old apology for a pump as before. Last year I got a slow puncture and used the supplied pump as a get-me-home measure. It just about got 30psi into the tyre, after 100 pumps. That was just about tolerable for a 15 minute ride through Hyde Park. I'd have been better taking the tube, even though it would have involved two deep-level lines at rush hour.


----------



## srw (16 Feb 2020)

chriscross1966 said:


> Yep.. luggage blocks spontaneously loosen and that endangers your headlight, also the spanner and tyre levers are invaluable in puncture situations. Folks having issues with a Brompton pump need a Zefal Z-Hose in their lives, being able to pump with the pump head on the floor transforms that pump and the Z-hose gets you a pressure gauge...


24 years of Bromptoneering and I've never had to tighten the luggage block, and have had so few punctures that any investment in a portable pump would have been a waste if time. Any tool takes up valuable bag space.


----------



## oldwheels (16 Feb 2020)

I have had 2 visits from the fairy and used the standard pump which came with the bike. No idea what the pressure came to but certainly felt hard enough. For tools etc I probably have too many but I am often well away from any help so better to have them. The tools live in a bag behind the saddle which remains on the bike even when folded. In the attached pic. ignore the front bag which carries jacket,food etc.


----------



## 12boy (16 Feb 2020)

My tool kit with pump, 4, 5, and 6 mm Allens, couple steel tire irons, park patches, a couple zip ties and a screwdriver allows mecto fix quite a few things even when far from home.


----------



## snazpizaz (16 Feb 2020)

I agree an OTG tool-kit lite is worth having - mine resembles @12boy -
Wasn't sure what the spanner was for @chriscross1966 when you get a puncture on a brommie .....?


----------



## 12boy (16 Feb 2020)

Gotta have a 15 mm wrench for the axle nuts. Mine is a cut down one with a wooden handle which allows for more pressure without hurting the hand. I see I cdidnt metion it above.


----------



## chriscross1966 (20 Feb 2020)

snazpizaz said:


> I agree an OTG tool-kit lite is worth having - mine resembles @12boy -
> Wasn't sure what the spanner was for @chriscross1966 when you get a puncture on a brommie .....?


Yeah, and when you're in the workshop putting the rear wheel in, use the same spanner... doing it up with a standard length spanner will make it hard to get off with the kit one in an emergency....


----------



## Gunk (7 Apr 2020)

12boy said:


> Gotta have a 15 mm wrench for the axle nuts. Mine is a cut down one with a wooden handle which allows for more pressure without hurting the hand. I see I cdidnt metion it above.



My 2001 Brompton has 15mm nuts on the rear axle and 13mm on the front, the Brompton tool kit only has a 15mm spanner, I presume later bikes have 15mm front and rear?


----------



## 12boy (8 Apr 2020)

Tis 15 mm, just checked.


----------



## 12boy (8 Apr 2020)

Tools...Nice to have along just in case. Since I replaced the 10 mm bolts that pinch brake cables with Allens I can do most things on the road that might need a little TLC.


----------



## Gunk (8 Apr 2020)

12boy said:


> Tis 15 mm, just checked.



Thanks


----------

