Brompton Folding Bike Reviews?

[IRG]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

I have a Giant Expressway foldable right now. My arse agrees with you totally. Get a suspension if you can. Foldable bikes are lightweight and you will feel every jolt.

Except the Brompton, which has very clever suspension where it matters on the rear wheel.

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by IRG

Except the Brompton, which has very clever suspension where it matters on the rear wheel.

Except the front, because the bike is so light you loose control.

Also notice the brompton only gets up to 6 speeds.

The brompton is sweet for a commute but not a tourer imo.

[ranger58sb]

Not a fan of rear suspensions for a boat bike. Most I've looked at won't allow mounting a seriously load-bearing rack on the back.


I have front suspension on our DownTube, with a rigid rack mounted on the rear. That works pretty well and I can usually carry serious weight back there; especially if I can fit the load (at least mostly) into the milk crate I usually zip-tie onto the rack.


That bike has an internal Sturmey-Archer 8-spd hub, quite sufficient for my purposes. Most of the rest of the bike is fine, aluminum frame, stainless stuff including chain, not tooooo heavy, folds easily enough... but much of the fastening hardware is plain steel, not so great.

-Chris

[Kenomac]

I received an email from the Helix folding bike company which indicated they've pushed back pre order production for another year, so the first pre orders won't be filled until the end of 2016... if ever, while the company still tries to sort out some engineering issue with the seat post angle. Sounds like B.S. To me.

Anyway.... I ordered up a couple of six speed Bromptons over the weekend from London, England to be shipped directly to Italy. A black S6L for me and a bright pink M6L for Mrs. Mac.

Thanks everyone for the replies, they were very helpful in making our decision.

Ken

[med]

I would have thought that one of these would be perfect for use on the boat:-

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/500-hopt...d_8328552.html

[SaltyMonkey]

SIX Speeds? Six? You're hardly going to progress with that ol keno. I have six on mine and I'm frustrated because I need 20 more.

[Kenomac]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

SIX Speeds? Six? You're hardly going to progress with that ol keno. I have six on mine and I'm frustrated because I need 20 more.

We need the six speed because much time is spent going very very slowly on city cobbled sidewalks snaking between pedestrians whilst sightseeing. The mountain bikes worked out well for this with the low gearing.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

SIX Speeds? Six? You're hardly going to progress with that ol keno. I have six on mine and I'm frustrated because I need 20 more.

I spent a lot of time as a teenager riding with "only" three speeds. Why would one need more than six?

A few years ago I met a couple who had the Strida bicycles on their boat. I didn't get to ride one but they looked like a great boat bicycle.

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by Kenomac

We need the six speed because much time is spent going very very slowly on city cobbled sidewalks snaking between pedestrians whilst sightseeing.

Originally Posted by rwidman

I spent a lot of time as a teenager riding with "only" three speeds. Why would one need more than six?

Because you get up to 6 and you cannot go any faster and cannot keep up to traffic or get where you need to go in time or in downhill situations it becomes a safety issue. Believe it or not, having no traction with your pedals is a safety issue. Also Im in a hurry to get things done. Hence a bike to get in and out of town. If I wasn't in a hurry, I'd walk which is better for you anyway

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

Because you get up to 6 and you cannot go any faster and cannot keep up to traffic or get where you need to go in time or in downhill situations it becomes a safety issue. Believe it or not, having no traction with your pedals is a safety issue. Also Im in a hurry to get things done. Hence a bike to get in and out of town. If I wasn't in a hurry, I'd walk which is better for you anyway

I'm thinking the six speeds are spread out over about the same ratio as 20 or more speeds.

I rode my three speed to and from work in Washington DC traffic for a year or more (in the 1970s) and had no trouble keeping up with traffic. I had a pretty steep and long hill to go up and had no problem.

What I liked about the three speed was, all the gearing was internal. The chain didn't have to move from one sprocket to another. I never had an issue with the three speed's gears. I wish I could find one today.

[SaltyMonkey]

3 and 6 speeds suck. I'm very curious about those new drum like variable speed gizmos w/o gears...almost like in-mast furlers.

[rwidman]

Originally Posted by SaltyMonkey

3 and 6 speeds suck..

I'm glad we got that settled.

[SaltyMonkey]

Originally Posted by rwidman

I'm glad we got that settled.

Tell me more about hubs

SPEEDHUB: www.rohloff.de

[SailRedemption]

Ideal bike would be a folder (enter your choice here), add an internal gear hub, like the http://bike.shimano.com/content/sac-...sg-s700-s.htmlShimano Alfine 11sp or Shimano Nexus 8sp. Then change out the main and rear sprocket for Gates carbon drive sprockets to fit their drive belt.

No rusting, heavy chain. No rusting, heavy derailer. No excessive gearing up forward. Just quiet, smooth operation.

But at $800 for the carbon drive and $300 for the rear hub.. It is a significant purchase.. Oh yea and you have to modify the frame to get the belt it the rear triangle (no master link).

http://www.gatescarbondrive.com

See more @ redemptiverepair.com

[CarinaPDX]

Looking at just the number of gears is way too simple. Range and spacing are at least as important. The standard 3sp Sturmey or equivalent serves the high speed end of the range but is useless for hills. Brompton's 6sp with a slightly smaller second rear gear doesn't space out evenly or go very low. The Schlumpf Mountain Drive (Products - haberstock mobility GmbH) with a 2.5:1 reduction works out to provide a very wide range with very even spacing (~33% between each pair of gears over all 6 speeds), but it is a bit expensive. The lowest gear is a true granny gear, and the highest is plenty for the road. Highly recommended.

Road bikes with 18, 21, 24 or higher have a lot of overlapping gear ratios. Of course the spacing is tighter than a 3sp or 6sp, but that is primarily important for serious cyclists who are trying to keep their cadence at optimum throughout the range. If that applies to you, fine, but most will be well served by a good 6sp.

Greg