# London to Brighton on a Brompton?



## Adeola (19 Dec 2017)

Hi all

Can you do the London to Brighton (54 Miles on Road) on a Brompton bicycle?


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## ianrauk (19 Dec 2017)

Yes, plenty of people have done just that.


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## vickster (19 Dec 2017)

I can't see why not if you are fit enough. For most it's a bimble not a race (due to sheer number of cyclists). Pal of mine did it on a Halfords Apollo BSO MTB (knowing her with no air in the tyres or lube on the chain)!

@jefmcg did the rather longer and darker Dunwich Dynamo on a folder


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## Adeola (19 Dec 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> Yes.
> Or at least, if you can do that distance on any other bike, you can do it on a Brompton. I have.
> 
> (Edit. Ah, it's "The" London to Brighton as in a specific ride. Have to say I haven't done that. Just "a" London to Brighton)



Yes. It’s a specific ride but it’s not a race.


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## Racing roadkill (19 Dec 2017)

I once did Southampton to London and back again, on a Brompton, London to Brighton is about 1/3 of that distance, so it should be fine.


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## Adeola (19 Dec 2017)

Thanks for your responses. 

I signed up to the event and have a Brompton. 

I mentioned it to somebody and ended up feeling quite silly due to what he said. 

Started contemplating buying a road bike. 

Your responses have put my mind at ease.


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## Ajax Bay (19 Dec 2017)

ln the FAQs:

*6. Are there any requirements as to the type of bicycle or carriage I can use? *
Participants don't need a specialist bike for the event, but it is recommended that they use a bike with gears and ensure that everything in working order and road worthy before the event.
It is essential that participants check: gears, brakes, the frame and wheels. If the participant isn't confident checking these then they should take their bike to a bike shop.
As the Bike Ride is on roads, a road bike is the most efficient to use, however it's not imperative. If a mountain bike is used, the rider will be better off replacing the knobbly off-road tyres with 'slick' tyres. This will reduce the friction and therefore make the job easier. The main thing is to check the bike is roadworthy before setting off and remember a helmet - this will reduce any head injuries in case of an accident.

Be proud of your Brompton. Many of the other riders will be envious.


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## Adeola (19 Dec 2017)

Ajax Bay said:


> ln the FAQs:
> 
> *6. Are there any requirements as to the type of bicycle or carriage I can use? *
> Participants don't need a specialist bike for the event, but it is recommended that they use a bike with gears and ensure that everything in working order and road worthy before the event.
> ...



I read that before I signed up. That’s why I felt silly. I thought that maybe I had missed something and there was some kind of inside secret.


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## Racing roadkill (19 Dec 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> The only challenges a Brompton is likely to give for longer rides are that you may have a relatively small gearing range more suitable for city riding (depends which model you have) and the riding position can get a bit monotonous. I tend to get aching shoulders after a few hours on the Brompton. If it's a windy day you can get blown around a bit, especially if you are a large target like I am.
> 
> On the gearing front, I doubt you'd have a problem. I think the BHF route goes via Turners Hill and up Ditchling Beacon. Apart from that there's not much in the way of hills (although it's not entirely flat) and Turners isn't much of a hill really - it's only steep for a very short section by the antiques shop near the top. Depending on your gearing and fitness you may have to walk up Ditchling Beacon, but from what I've read I think the road can be a bit blocked with people walking anyway.
> 
> I've also read that bikes are banned from trains on the day of the BHF ride but I guess you can get a Brommie home on the train! (You'd need to confirm that)


I rode up some big hills on my route ( including white down lane to Ranmore Common) the biggest issue was that the wheels on the Brompton aren’t very big, and they weren’t in very good condition at the end of the Ride.


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## rivers (19 Dec 2017)

I saw a guy do the great Weston ride on a Brompton last year. He made it up Burrington combe and a few other, but smaller hills. That was 57 miles, if he did the short route. I reckon you'll be fine London to Brighton.


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## Pale Rider (19 Dec 2017)

Adeola said:


> I signed up to the event and have a Brompton.
> 
> I mentioned it to somebody and ended up feeling quite silly due to what he said.



I bet 'he' had never ridden a Brompton.

Some people, out of ignorance, deride them as 'shopping bikes'.

Owners know different.

Lots of people on here thrash their Brommies on a commute and/or do longer rides at the weekend.

The main thing is you ride a bike you are comfortable on and like riding, so if you enjoy the Brompton at the moment, you will enjoy it on London to Brighton.


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## jefmcg (19 Dec 2017)

People have done London-Edinburgh-London on Brompton. You'll be fine.

An advantage of riding a small wheeled bike is that people will think you are a superhero(ine) doing it, and when you pass better equipped riders - and you will - they will have no excuse.


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## flake99please (19 Dec 2017)

The bike is more than capable. The biggest thing that would make the journey difficult would be a lack of fitness. 

If you don’t mind my asking... What would your average weekly mileage be?


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## Adeola (19 Dec 2017)

flake99please said:


> The bike is more than capable. The biggest thing that would make the journey difficult would be a lack of fitness.
> 
> If you don’t mind my asking... What would your average weekly mileage be?



That’s something I’m working on now. There’s still 6 months to go, so I’m building up my fitness and practicing daily.


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## Jason (19 Dec 2017)

Bromptons have done this many times on fnrttc , but they suffered more punctures iirc


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## flake99please (19 Dec 2017)

Adeola said:


> That’s something I’m working on now. There’s still 6 months to go, so I’m building up my fitness and practicing daily.



Then I expect you to be more than capable of doing the ride on a Brompton. Have a great ride.


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## Cycleops (19 Dec 2017)

It’s a great day out, I’m sure you’ll really enjoy it. There are plenty of stops so you can take it at your own pace. There are also loads of helpful people on hand if you do have a problem. 
What’s happens on the return now? There used to be special trains laid on. At least with your folder you shouldn’t have a problem.


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## Fab Foodie (19 Dec 2017)

Done it several times on a Brompton, it’s fine! I’ve ridden 100 miles in a day and toured the outer hebrides with full camping gear on it to. So with some practice it’s no problem.

London Brompton Club -worth joining their fb page, a good bunch who use and abuse Bromptons in many different ways!


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## swansonj (19 Dec 2017)

Jason said:


> Bromptons have done this many times on fnrttc , but they suffered more punctures iirc


That's an interesting observation. Is there any reason why small-wheeled bikes are more prone to punctures?


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## steveindenmark (20 Dec 2017)

Adeola said:


> Thanks for your responses.
> 
> 
> I mentioned it to somebody and ended up feeling quite silly due to what he said. .



Much cooler to do it on a Brompton. Its not a race, its a leisure ride.


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## CopperBrompton (20 Dec 2017)

flake99please said:


> The bike is more than capable. The biggest thing that would make the journey difficult would be a lack of fitness.


I honestly wouldn't worry about that. There are tonnes of people who basically only cycle once a year on this ride, and all the ones I know finish it.


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## Tim Hall (20 Dec 2017)

Adeola said:


> That’s something I’m working on now. There’s still 6 months to go, so I’m building up my fitness and practicing daily.


I think being comfortable on the bike might be important too, as you may be sitting on it for six hours or more.


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## jay clock (20 Dec 2017)

Adeola said:


> That’s something I’m working on now. There’s still 6 months to go, so I’m building up my fitness and practicing daily.


The practising daily bit REALLY helps. Years ago I cycled to Brighton from London, having never done more than 10 miles and I had been doing a few weeks of commuting 2x5 miles a day. Was a doddle.

Then a couple of years back I did an Ironman and was doing 2x6 miles a few times a week on my Brompton. Helped massively

Finally I did a club TT on my Brompton a couple of years back. Pissed off the old timers something rotten but still I managed 33 mins vs a usual 30 mins on a road bike

Do lots of short rides and maybe a couple of longer ones and you will nail it


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## T4tomo (20 Dec 2017)

I've seen a bloke do it on a Raleigh chopper, and turn round and cycle back!


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## Tim Hall (20 Dec 2017)

Doing it on a BMX wouldn't be sensible either.


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## jefmcg (20 Dec 2017)

I'm going to share this again. This is me arriving in Brighton after having cycled 98km, my longest ride at that point. You can't see my pink sandals or bike shorts.

And I scalped a couple of roadies on the way.


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## Ming the Merciless (20 Dec 2017)

A well maintained Brompton will be fine. You won't believe what wrecks of bike shaped objects it is attempted on by people who clearly hardly cycle at all.


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## jefmcg (20 Dec 2017)

YukonBoy said:


> A well maintained Brompton will be fine.


You didn't click my link above. I did it on a poorly maintained... Mezzo, actually, but the point remains.


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## Adeola (20 Dec 2017)

I feel so much better after reading your responses. As I understood, it’s not a race. So I knew that I could leisurely cycle. 
However, I was informed that I should do it quickly and was told that if I finish on a Brompton I’d receive a round of applause because it’s quite impossible. 

I felt patronised and quite silly. 
So, thanks!


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## SkipdiverJohn (21 Dec 2017)

My main concern if attempting to ride that distance on ANY sort of bike would be how comfortable the saddle is over a long period and how sore my backside would be at the end of it.


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## jay clock (21 Dec 2017)

jefmcg said:


> I'm going to share this again. This is me arriving in Brighton after having cycled 98km, my longest ride at that point. You can't see my pink sandals or bike shorts.
> 
> And I scalped a couple of roadies on the way.
> 
> View attachment 387865


You clearly cheated.. You are wearing cycling glasses! 

Well done!


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## topcat1 (21 Dec 2017)

Meet @CharlieB cigarette smoking, shorts wearing in the middle of winter Brompton owner on his way to brighton (sorry on his way to Whitstable)


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## lazybloke (21 Dec 2017)

SkipdiverJohn said:


> My main concern if attempting to ride that distance on ANY sort of bike would be how comfortable the saddle is over a long period and how sore my backside would be at the end of it.


+1
I never saw any need for padded cycling shorts until I peeled my undercarriage raw on the London to Brighton. 
That was over 20 years ago and I'm still squirming at the memory.
Be comfortable!

A fab ride otherwise.


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## andrew_s (21 Dec 2017)

Tim Hall said:


> Doing it on a BMX wouldn't be sensible either.


I saw a chap do the Elenith 300 km audax on a BMX one time (Kidderminster to Tregaron & back).


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## Fab Foodie (21 Dec 2017)

Penny farthings and unicycles have also done L2B.


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## Adeola (21 Dec 2017)

lazybloke said:


> +1
> I never saw any need for padded cycling shorts until I peeled my undercarriage raw on the London to Brighton.
> That was over 20 years ago and I'm still squirming at the memory.
> Be comfortable!
> ...


I bought myself a pair of padded cycling leggings a few weeks ago.
I can’t believe the difference it makes.


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## swansonj (21 Dec 2017)

jefmcg said:


> I'm going to share this again. This is me arriving in Brighton after having cycled 98km, my longest ride at that point. You can't see my pink sandals or bike shorts.
> 
> And I scalped a couple of roadies on the way.
> 
> View attachment 387865


So I read your original thread via the link ... and discovered that far from being the only person maladroit enough to end up in that garage and that garden centre while trying to follow the A23 cycle path (in my case cycling home from a Brighton Fridays), I am in fact in the best of company....


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## buzzy-beans (21 Dec 2017)

vickster said:


> For most it's a bimble not a race (due to sheer number of cyclists).



From my experience quite some years ago, I would say that at least the first 1 or 2 thousand entrants (like me) were trying to do the ride as fast as they possibly could [and in my case, a significant amount of money had been bet on me that I couldn't do it in less than 2 hrs. 30 mins.].
Of these early departing cyclists a lot of them were wearing club shirts.


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## vickster (21 Dec 2017)

Good for you. For the other many thousands including the OP it isn't


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## TheDoctor (21 Dec 2017)

buzzy-beans said:


> From my experience quite some years ago, I would say that at least the first 1 or 2 thousand entrants (like me) were trying to do the ride as fast as they possibly could [and in my case, a significant amount of money had been bet on me that I couldn't do it in less than 2 hrs. 30 mins.].
> Of these early departing cyclists a lot of them were wearing club shirts.


It's always gratifying to see club riders "beating" someone who a) wasn't competing and b) is dressed as a llama or some such.
Ride whatever you like and enjoy the day


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## srw (22 Dec 2017)

There will be two tricky bits riding to Brighton on a Brommie. The first is getting to the top of Ditchling Beacon - it's steep, and the Brompton's bottom gear isn't all that bottom. On the other hand, if you're doing the mass participation event it's reported that most people are walking by that stage. The second is getting from the top of the Beacon to the seafront. It's quite a long, steep hill down, and the Brompton can be twitchy.


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## Cycleops (22 Dec 2017)

That reminds me watch out when climbing Ditcling Beacon you’ll often hear the cry ‘coming through’ accompanied by gasping and heavy breathing in an attempt to get to the top without dismounting.


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## Dan B (23 Dec 2017)

I did the L2B event once on roller skates (had to take them off and walk down a couple of the hills, thobut). I felt awful the next day but that was because we spent longer in the pub in Brighton afterwards than we had done on the ride itself.

A Brompton should present no problems.


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## buzzy-beans (23 Dec 2017)

Cycleops said:


> That reminds me watch out when climbing Ditcling Beacon you’ll often hear the cry ‘coming through’ accompanied by gasping and heavy breathing in an attempt to get to the top without dismounting.



I can well recall cycling down the road immediately to the North of the start of the dreaded Dithcling Beacon and your view ahead looses the skyline because of the South Downs, you can't actually see the start of the climb because the road bends slightly to the left and a pub on the left hand side, but then you turn the corner and booooooooooooooooing, bloooooody hell the road immmediately goes skywards at what must be something like 1 in 3 !!


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## Tim Hall (23 Dec 2017)

buzzy-beans said:


> I can well recall cycling down the road immediately to the North of the start of the dreaded Dithcling Beacon and your view ahead looses the skyline because of the South Downs, you can't actually see the start of the climb because the road bends slightly to the left and a pub on the left hand side, but then you turn the corner and booooooooooooooooing, bloooooody hell the road immmediately goes skywards at what must be something like 1 in 3 !!


It's not 1 in 3. The average gradient is 1 in 11 (9%) with short bursts of 1 in 6 (16%). The nearest pub is back in the village, about a mile back from the start.


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## swansonj (23 Dec 2017)

Tim Hall said:


> It's not 1 in 3. The average gradient is 1 in 11 (9%) with short bursts of 1 in 6 (16%). The nearest pub is back in the village, about a mile back from the start.


Spoilsport. It's the nearest flaming thing we've got to a proper hill in the south so we're entitled to make the most of it. @buzzy-beans missed out the hairpin bends, the snow banked up at the sides by the lone snow plough that made it through, the precipitous drops to the sides, the thinning of the oxygen, the road signs lost in the clouds, the vultures (or are the condors?) circling overhead, and the memorial half way up to those who tried valiantly but perished in the attempt.


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## swansonj (23 Dec 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> Hmmm. That's a bold statement with thread-derailing potential.
> 
> But I do know how Edmund Hilary must have felt on first seeing Everest. When you emerge from Wivelsfield and see the huge mass of the South Downs looming above you.


Actually, I do think that Dirchling has many of the classic features of Alpine passes, which do distinguish it from many other climbs in the south: the view increasing progressively as you get higher till you can eventually see a whole vista for miles and miles; climbing through the tree line and changing vegetation; changes of gradient but still continuously upward; the bend near the top when you think you might be there but turn the corner and see more to come; a final straight; the sudden opening out of a different view the other side as you crest the top; admiring the superb view next to people who've driven up and feeling virtuously smug. It's just that they're all scaled down. A bit like a steam loco on Ratty or RHDR.


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## Lonestar (23 Dec 2017)

Cycleops said:


> That reminds me watch out when climbing Ditcling Beacon you’ll often hear the cry ‘coming through’ accompanied by gasping and heavy breathing in an attempt to get to the top without dismounting.



Sorry mate.I was in a hurry.


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## Pale Rider (23 Dec 2017)

I agree about Ditchling, a nice climb - if there is such a thing.

But you do end up being bumped and boosted from behind by motor traffic.

Based on my once only experience.

But I doubt you could ever do it free of traffic, unless you went up in the small hours.


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## srw (23 Dec 2017)

Dogtrousers said:


> Hmmm. That's a bold statement with thread-derailing potential.


It's a good thing I read down before deciding to derail the thread.

Ditchling is a pussy cat compared with some of the hills in the bit of the South that's to the Northwest of London.


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## Tim Hall (23 Dec 2017)

User said:


> That reminds me of a story.


Ditchling uber alles.


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## Adeola (25 Jun 2018)

I did it!
It was tough but I did it...on the Brompton.

I won't be doing it (on the Brompton) again though. Haha! Time to purchase a fancy road bike.


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## C R (25 Jun 2018)

Adeola said:


> I did it!
> It was tough but I did it...on the Brompton.
> 
> I won't be doing it (on the Brompton) again though. Haha! Time to purchase a fancy road bike.


Well done I bet you feel as happy as you were tired when you finished.


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## Adeola (25 Jun 2018)

C R said:


> Well done I bet you feel as happy as you were tired when you finished.


Pretty sure I shed a small happy tear.


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## Alan O (26 Jun 2018)

Adeola said:


> I did it!
> It was tough but I did it...on the Brompton.
> 
> I won't be doing it (on the Brompton) again though. Haha! Time to purchase a fancy road bike.


Excellent - many congrats


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## Ming the Merciless (26 Jun 2018)

Great stuff maybe do it at night now. Might be a suitable group for that


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