Brompton Advise £1000

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

as you can see, looks brilliant for all weathers. stock brakes freeze solid in winter.

 

[ColinJ]

ahh...but the bwr 6 speed gives 302% range and you have to be going downhill regular to make use of the bottom gear (or the legs of chris hoyle). having a top gear in reserve is wiser. it's a brompton thing colin.

I see... that makes sense then.

ot. we still on for wed?

We should be. I'm slightly concerned about my sore leg but the only way to see if it still works properly is to try and use it!

The forecast is looking okay. Much cooler, but dry. Suits me - I was wilting yesterday!

I'll PM you tomorrow to arrange ride details.

 

[supermoocow]

so maybe the 6 speed with -12% gearing is best???

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

depends on you. but most people seem to end up reducing gearing rather than increasing. from my experience i reduced after and cost me more to do so.

 

[SavageHoutkop]

If I had to buy mine again, it'd still be an M6R, probably still standard gearing. I use my rack a lot, also use the front luggage though. I have the Eazy wheels, good upgrade (but mine are on the rack).

If you only want one front luggage for the moment (esp if laptop carrying) it's the T bag or the C bag - depends on the size of your laptop which one you will find better. I also love my folding basket for shopping. I only recently got a C bag, before that it was just the folding basket. If you have S bars you can't use these.

You'll need the block (£15?) also the frame and the bag itself. Some shops sell them as an all in one, some sell them all separately; just make sure you get them all.

I got the tyre dynamo (no longer an option) which was a huge waste of time and effort, it got binned a few months later and I now ride with a Smart 3W on the rear and a set of AyUps on my helmet.

I have marathon plusses on my bike, but AFAIK they're not standard, you'll have to ask the shop to fit them for you.

Also Ergon grips make a world of difference, if you get the smaller version no cutting is needed, but if you have big hands it might be worth it. I have the small ones (GP1s?) and Mr Savagehoutkop has the larger ones. ISTR someone on the Bromptontalk forum saying that the foam thingies that Bromptons ship with are now glued on so if you don't want hassle and are buying B-Spoke, ask them not to put them on in the first place.

If you are heavier or like a 'sporty' ride get the firm suspension block (free option).

Also if you are tall (or at least not short) the extended seatpost (also free) might be needed.

Cheers chaps,
So basically it looks like the following:

M6L (or would it be better to get M3L with lower gearing? Will this still have a decent top speed?)
T Bag
Standard saddle rather than Brooks
Lights sounds like the dyno hub maybe pretty good? Is the Sona that much better?
M+ typres
Are easy wheels still needed without rack?
Shorty bar ends
Can't find any option for drum brake...

I can spend more than £1000 if worth the extra cash (is titanium worth it?).

Thanks again

 

[SavageHoutkop]

If your commute was reasonably flat then a 2-speed would probably be fine.

My commute is flat and for commuting only I could easily get away with a 2 speed. However, when fully loaded with a week's shopping in a headwind, it's less fun.

Also if you do take the bike on holiday with you, especially if you go to Jersey and then still don't learn that sea = hilly coastal bits and go to Cornwall next, you'll appreciate the extra gears

 

[Yellow Fang]

as you can see, looks brilliant for all weathers. stock brakes freeze solid in winter.

Is that a hub dynamo or a drum brake? If a drum brake, where do you get them from?

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

hub brake

http://www.wrhpv.com/small_stuff/hubbrakewheel/index.html

 

[Jugular]

I use some full size ergons on mine and find them no problem to fold with... AFTER I got the easy wheel equivalents off eBay. If you're not a current Brooks fan then I woudn't bother paying extra for a saddle. The stock saddle is quite comfortable.

When I went about and looked for modded Bromptons sold by various shops around about I was keen to get them, bear in mind any structural modifications will void the warranty. With hindsight I'm still pleased I didn't get any weird mods, though they would be fairly unique, if you like that sort of thing.

I'm happy with the normal gearing and 6 speeds, there is little weight or price penalty to pay so it suits me well. I use my Brompton as a stadtfiets (utility bike). It's folds into a shopping trolley at sainsburys and pulls my trailer from B&Q. I use it daily (except, like now, when it's in for a free service), however I'm still hankering after a good cumbersome (full size) bike.

 

[supermoocow]

Thanks for the help guys.
I can either pick up a 2010 M6R with shimano hub dynamo for £880 (or colour option for £930)
or a 2009 M6R with no dynamo for £790
or a 2009 M6Rwith bottle dynamo for £799

Is it worth going for the 2010 model over the 2009?
Is the hub dynamo worth having?
Is the bottle dynamo a good compromise?

Thanks again... on the final run now...

 

[CopperBrompton]

The bottle dynamo is worthless: I had it on my last Brompton and removed it.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

no difference between 09 & 10. but the 2010 has a hub dynamo which is well worth the extra money. colour is personal. i wanted a yellow but too tight to pay £50. the black looks okay.

 

[Crankarm]

Go for the 6 speed bike for sure. When the touring pannier is fully loaded and you're going into a stiff headwind or touring in the Alps you will be grateful of the extra gears. Stick with standard gearing then change one or both of the rear sprockets accordingly.

Don't bother with the rear rack 1) it's ugly IMHO and 2) adds far too much weight. If you need a rear rack for when you go touring for instance then the Topeak beam seat post rack is excellent. You can mount it slightly higher up so heel strike is not a problem or panniers grounding. Plus you can still fold the back wheel under. The bike is then perfectly balanced.

I never had a problem with the standard jockey wheels that the bike uses when half folded that a lot of owners seem to think are crap.

Go for the M bars which are strong enough, fit the cross bar if you are paranoid about snapping them. If you are hanging onto the bars that strongly you need to alter your riding technique - relax your shoulders and put the power down through your legs.

Don't bother with the hub dynamo or any dynamo - a waste of time and money. They always fail or give unreliable lighting performance. You can get very cheap, bright and reliable SMART LED lights which are easy to remove or if you leave them in situ don't interfere with folding.

Go for short stubby bar ends. My choice were Titecs at £9.99 which do a perfikt job and don't affect folding.

If you have a remotely long leg (30+") you will need the telescopic seat post extension.

Ditch the Brompton folding pedal and other side to fit SPDs the Shimamo M520s are cheap. Fitting SPDs greatly increases how much control you have over the bike, accleleration, handling and your cycling effficiency. The fact that the SPD doesn't fold isn't a prob you soon get used to it. The benefits far outweight the slight inconvenience of having it sticking out when folded.

Go go for the touring pannier but be careful with the bag frame as Brompton no longer supply it as an ALL metal frame. They have used plastic, so IMHO, it is not so strong as all steel.

I have never had a puncture with the Brompton Kevlar tyres. I wouldn't fit SMP+s as they are a ba$tard to fit and take off ...........

When you get your new Brompton thoroughly grease the inner brake and gear cables as Brompton aren't generous on the lube. Mine were dry when I got mine and the brakes crap. This improves braking performance no end so one can actually stop on a 5p piece and responsiveness is improved 1000 million percent.

Buy the seat post pentaclip although it might come with the bike now anyway, so you can fit your own saddle of choice. Me - my saddle is a Specialised Boddy Geometry Sport £19.99, very comfortable.

But go for a 6 speed, without rack or dynamo anything.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

spd's pffftttt!!!! hub dynamo rubbish?...pffft!!! brompton kevlar tyres are just as bad to get on / off as m+, m+ are way way better and just as easy to fit. new frame, i have had over 20kgs of books on it and it didn't even wobble over potholes. reduced gearing makes more sense than fitting none standard sprockets which mess with the gearing spaces does not. seat mounted rack?....extra pressure on a long seat pin with a plastic bush...really?

 

[CopperBrompton]

SPDs aren't really what Bromptoning is all about. Hop on, hop off, fold, become a pedestrian.