The heretics guide to Brompton use - Part One - locking it up outside!

[Time Waster]

I lock my Brompton bike up outside all the time. Every time I use it I end up locking it up outside. I still have it.

Are you a Brompton heretic too?

This thread is brought to you via a Brompon reddit where people automatically jump on anyone who does this. I mean they argue with you that you should lose your job over it by taking it into work against what is allowed. They are so scared that if it is left alone for any time evil men with angle grinders will suddenly appear and take it away.

Yet to happen to me. In fact the only time it did go missing was when it was taken in my old job when I did take it inside (an evil bugger who was pretty spiteful at times but I got it back).

So I was thinking that it would be good to post about some of the things that the Brompton afficionados warn newbies against doing but you actually do without consequence. Indeed anything that could be seen as heretical to the more fanatical Brompton fansbois out there. Kind of like Android phone users telling Apple fanbois what their phone can do but apple can't. If you ever do that you dp get a strong response.

BTW I work where there is high security and I physically can not get the bike through the turnstiles. So I lock it outside the gate or in another part of the site I take it through a traffic gate and lock it inside a bike shed there. One of only two or three bike users who even bother locking up in that inner shed. It is fun reading the afficionados try to tell me I should still take it inside. The usual dimpa bag will get it in. Not through a turnstile that is only just big enough for me and my work bag it won't. They do not understand that, it blows their mind and they tell me I am wrong.

So as one heretic who only sees the Brompton as a tool to get around the train guard kicking me off when it is busy to any other heretics out there. What is your fanbois encounter. How does your Brompton heresy come out??

 

[Drago]

I thought they were called 'train managers' these days?

 

[Time Waster]

Revenue collectors on my Northern train route as one told me once. After he caught another fare dodger with a £100 fine and potential £1500 prosecution / conviction if his higher ups discover the guy has either given a false identity or has fare dodged before. That Revenue Collector was funny but totally fair about his fare checking!!

He took pleasure in catching fare dodgers out. As he was taking details to send the fine too he always had a grin on his face no matter whether it was a scruffy youth or old dearie playing on the old codger sympathy vote. BTW I knew well dressed manager type who fare dodged and the odd old grannie too. This guy was the only one to nail them all which I thought was great. The others all let the old grannie off but the scruffy youth heading off to work early in the morning who genuinely could not get the ticket machine on the station working he always fined. Seriously I saw one revenue collector let an old grannie who I had seen do that act a few times off then fine the young guy who said the same thing about the same machine. I actually knew the guy and he was a hot mess in the organisation and time management. Seriously he always tried to get tickets but he always had issues that caused him to not get the machine working for him. Things like it not taking the money and he left the card at home. All his issue but the others that get away with it do it all the time and are dodging.

At least this collector I like does them all equally, albeit with a smile on his face when doing it!! I had a good chat with him about one guy who so obviously gave him a false address. He said that would not stop him getting fined and it would then be a £1500 fine instead of just the £100 fare dodge fine.

 

[Time Waster]

My most amusing contact with a revenue collector was when she told me I could not get on with my unfolded Brompton as it was full. That was my first use on the homeward leg and the reason I got it. So I folded it and walked to get on right in front of her. She fumed and her colleague who had just got off the train at the end of the run told me I could get on as it was just luggage but to go up the other end as there was more room there. The lass who tried to stop me was fuming.

I had another amusing incident I observed that involved her, but this time it was cycle friendly. That route was always full of holiday makers with huge cases from the Airport. some trains they filled the cycle area. Well ther were a couple of cyclists trying to get on so she shouted out along the carriage and told them that if they had to move their cases and put then on the racks above their heads or she would have then taken off and into lost property and throw the owner off. Apparently she could. Anyway that led to panick as people lifted these oversized cases above their head with it looking very unsafe and the cycle space was absolutely palatial for the cycles that were put on. Every cyclist in the carriage and trying to get on had the biggest grin on their face even if they were not with bike at that time

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

The most heretical thing I do with my Brompton is ride it to work and park it inside the store at the back of the showroom floor…

I work for Trek. There’s probably about 150 bikes on the floor. 149ish Treks and one Brommie.

I’ve been known to secret my Dutch bike away in the roadbike display as well.

 

[Time Waster]

Seriously I got halfway through your post and played "where's the Brommie". I gave up then read on and saw the comment about Dutch bike. D'oh!

 

[steveindenmark]

I am very used to the Brompton knee jerkers. I do not lock my bike up. I just lean it against the wall. They are forever telling me it will get stolen. But they cannot tell me when. 5 years later, I still have it.

When I tell them its just a bike. You would think I had peed on them. 😁😁

 

[Time Waster]

It is when i tell them that I am physically unable to take it indoors at work they still come back to tell me I should take it indoors at work. One day I will ask them how to manage it. There is a security fence around the entrance that is twice my height and a turnstile to get into it. Has anyone ever managed to get a laptop rucksack, themselves and a brompton through such a gate?? Or indeed just themselves and the brompton though. I am nearly 100kg, 196cm tall and I struggle to get through on my own!! I am not a heavyset fella neither and some even call me slim!!

It really blows their mind when you put things to them like that. All they can think of is that the bike must go indoors. I think one told me to change my job!! Now that one was a serious comment and got a load of likes and supporting comments.

When I said that taking my bike in would see me disciplined then they said that they could not work for a company that would not let them take their Brompton into the office. Another doozy. Seriously I have heard more but I cannot remember them. I do have a problem remembering joke punchlines too so I guess whilst these comments were deadly serious they too are jokes!!

Sorry but I bought a Brompton to fulfill a job. I use it for that job and that involves storage in the most practical way that is above all possible. It is not possible to store inside with this role it has. BTW on my previous job I had to ride it through puddles that were right up to the hub at times. Somehow the SA hub still works perfectly well. I think the water did not quite reach the indicator chain part so I think it did not get in. However riding in the rain has resulted in a lot of the nuts and bolts rusting rather a little too much. There is rust water coming out of the fold on the main tube after every rainy ride and overall I do not rate the quality of materials like bolts and nuts and the plastic "deraileur". It is an M6R but I have not had the +/- gears working for years. Can't be bothered fixing it since I manage on the hub gears. In fact I only ever use 2 and 3 gears on the hubs. I don't need any more than that.

Just as well. This is a workhorse tool for the job I have for it. I care not about trying to keep it a prom queen type of a bike. Some of my fellow train commuters have road bikes and you see them picking little bits of fluff or dirt from the bikes while they wait for the train to stop at their station. Their bikes are immaculate every single day and on the homeward bound journey too. Ridiculous behaviour IMHO as they are going to get it mucky as soon as they ride off from the station. It is usually a bit claggy there. You don't have your sunday best as your commuter hack bike IMO. Each to their own though.

 

[Time Waster]

BTW I use an ancient cable lock from Kryptonite. Must be about 25 years old and the only key I have for it is actually slightly twisted too. As I work at an engineering company I bet that no matter what lock I have there will be someone who can defeat it with tools to hand and probably in seconds at that!!

Still no bike thefts in a decade or so apparently so who cares what I use. I use a cable so it goes through the seat when the seatpost is dropped and the little triangle and the steel stand. The stands are those wheel bender with a wheel tray and there are two layers with the top ones coming out in a drawer style that then drops down so you can wheel bikes onto them. I use the lower level as quicker to use. I cycle to save time on my door to door commute. I can only clock in when I get to my office. So I have cut out any waste of time in my commute. Straight off the train, through the gates as my printed QR code ticket is in hand ready. I have my lights on as soon as through the gates and out the door. I am off. I have a quick route worked out and when at the security gates into the site I have my security card ready. Scan and in then straight to bike sheds. Off bike and locked up in minute as lock and pass card are all to hand. no opening up rucksack or bag. Then walk round to office and in. 5 minutes from gate to office.

Everyone else is about the same. Commute is dead time so we all minimise it where we can. Brompton from the station is half the time to walk and the company bus service can not beat the bike. AS I said it is a tool, an efficiency tool. Although I am slightly thinking about whether I would be better off with a rigid road bike. I know from a certain route I use both for. Dropping off or picking up a car from the local garage. Takes 8 minutes on the Brompton or 5 on the bike. About a 38% reduction in time on the road bike than the Brompton which is actually a bit slow.