Brompton....folding cycle...

zambuck said:
Anyone use this folding cycle....?...I have one and I think it is probably the only British Design that has remained fully British made product and has never gone abroad for manufacturing unlike may other products, and that should be celebrated.

The Designer has just received an Award from Prince Phillip....

BBC NEWS | UK | Royal award for fold-up bike man

Brompton Bicycle » Brompton folding bike
Click to expand...


I just bought a Hybrid trail road bike today from Halfords. :DLast
Raleigh bike I had got stolen. :mad:

Planning on buying another two and keeping them at fixed sites. The Brompton will definitely be one those three bikes.

One of my friends has a Brompton and he said he has been using it for quite some time and it never goes wrong. Can't recommend it strongly enough.
 
Hiya Zambuck,

It's been a long time......

Try Dr Moulton, he's been making folding bicycles for 50 years or so now: they were all the rage in 1980s - honest?

Here's a link: MOULTON Bicycle Company

British is best, to quote 'Al' Fayed? :eek:

Ciao

Mayfly
 
counter_violent said:
Any idea on cost...can't seem to find prices anywhere
Click to expand...

They vary from around £250-£500. I don't recall where I saw the prices but having looked again I think they may have taken pricing off their site as price increases maybe on the way for 2010.

I think they only sell through resellers...

The Brompton Folding Bicycle | Sport | guardian.co.uk

Also, having bought one today I do think bicycle prices are definitely on the increase.
 
Hi Mayfly

Moulton is another one, but I must say but the price is too steep at around £3.0k or so I think, and folded size is not as small as Brompton.....But one of the lightest and a class act indeed.....

Counter violent

Brompton - fully loaded - if that is the word - retails around £850/- or so....and that includes lights, pump and 6 gears....Colours vary depending on the model type....racing green, black etc....

The story of Brompton designer is a great story....how a good engineer with a good design never gets assistance either from Government of venture capitalists and it takes him years of hardship and struggle to just break through...Read his story on Brompton web site....
 
Last edited:
Atilla said:
I just bought a Hybrid trail road bike today from Halfords. :DLast
Raleigh bike I had got stolen. :mad:

Planning on buying another two and keeping them at fixed sites. The Brompton will definitely be one those three bikes.

One of my friends has a Brompton and he said he has been using it for quite some time and it never goes wrong. Can't recommend it strongly enough.
Click to expand...

...Hi Atilla

...The lights on the one I have works with a dynamo using wheels....I would recommend buying the one with the dynamo built in front hub...Slightly expensive, but better....

....Regular service is another thing with these bikes...as long as you do that, from Brompton nominated cycle shop, it will give years of service...
 
Good story on the history of the venture.
In a world obsessed by bigger is better...makes a refreshing change to see the little man win through.:)
 
Yeah they're not cheap. I loked at getting one and I have to say the price put me off a touch. But I'd say 90% of the folders I see round town are Bromptons. Quite happy with my hybrid these days, although I did see someone selling extremely cheap folding mountain bikes on ebay that I thought would be good for trips out of town (I'm not a hardcore off-roader). I put a bike rack on my car for the first time in the summer and hated having it on there. It seemed really flimsy and I was convinced the fkn thing would fly off on the motorway causing carnage.
 
Yes, Bromptons are pretty well respected. I don't know if they are 100% British components though.

There are still some British makers in the world of hand-built bikes, e.g. the likes of St John Street Cycles (Thorn), and the smaller specialised makers still around. However, most of their components (especially transmission, brakes and tyres) are imported.

Even the classic touring bike, the Dawes Galaxy, has not been built in Britain for years.

Not quite sure what the deal is with formerly Sheffield-based Orbit cycles. I thought they had gone out of business. However, there would appear to be someone trading under that name in Matlock, Derbyshire with someone else doing the tandems. May just be an old, now-dormant website though.

It's hard to make money out of good-quality bikes. They are cheap to run and last too long.
 
Brommies are great. Other folders have their good points, some are faster, some are lighter, few if any fold smaller, and for all round good riding, easy folding, convenience and handling Brommie does the job really well.
Mines highly geared for extra speed (just a larger front sprocket to increase the ratio) Keep the tyres well pumped for best performance.

Lots about the design and development here....

http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/mod/resource/view.php?id=211311[/url]
 
Mayfly said:
Saw this on the wired earlier, looks fantastic:

YikeBike - The world's first super light electric folding bike. | Urban Freedom

A real head turner if ever there was one! Mind you handling is everything (was too me anyway), and I think it'll struggle with the real aficionados? Price squeezes that other spot too... ouch! :eek:

Enjoy

Cheers

Mayfly
Click to expand...

....'Was toooo you' anyway it seems.....OOOo...Sound like Typhoo advert...!

...Brilliant design...probably shape of things to come...
 
Mayfly said:
Saw this on the wired earlier, looks fantastic:

YikeBike - The world's first super light electric folding bike. | Urban Freedom

A real head turner if ever there was one! Mind you handling is everything (was too me anyway), and I think it'll struggle with the real aficionados? Price squeezes that other spot too... ouch! :eek:

Enjoy

Cheers

Mayfly
Click to expand...

Ye gods.....I'd like to see what happens when you have to brake hard on one of those things. Come to think, where were the brakes anyway?

Fundamentally, the Victorian safety bicycle hasn't been improved upon in over a hundred years. All that's changed is the materials and detail of the components.
(OK, I would concede that the Brompton and the Moulton are important improvements but only in a specialised niche; there may also be a case to be made for the mountain bike, but it won't be me who'll be making it).

I doubt whether that electric toy we've just seen will be around in another hundred years.
 
There are potholes in london bigger than the wheels on that thing. Deathtrap on the roads I cycle on I reckon. Still, the small, compact, folding design means it would fit neatly inside the wheel-arch of a bendy bus
 
montmorencyt2w said:
There are still some British makers in the world of hand-built bikes, e.g. the likes of St John Street Cycles (Thorn), and the smaller specialised makers still around. However, most of their components (especially transmission, brakes and tyres) are imported.
.
Click to expand...


I'd like a Thorn with Rohloff 13 speed gear hub. But way too pricey for me at the moment. They are made individually to order.
T h o r n C y c l e s L t d.
The gear hub alone is over £500
Rohloff Speedhub - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The shimano derailleur gears I have on my hybrid seem good at first but compared to the Rohloffs they don't have the range. Its Cleaner too.
The brommie's 3 gear hub is good too, 3rd gear can get to a decent speed. A 13 gear hub would be great.
One day maybe.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

counter_violent
Henry Allingham 112
Replies
0
Views
3K
counter_violent
counter_violent
A
Royal Family for Hire
Replies
2
Views
2K
Ambrose Ackroyd
A
M
eSignal Wins a Variety of Awards
Replies
0
Views
1K
Mina
M
M
eSIGNAL RECOGNIZED AS TOP FINANCIAL SOFTWARE
Replies
0
Views
2K
Mina
M
F
I feel so outraged about... BetOnMarkets
Replies
5
Views
4K
fxeconomist
F
Top