Bye Bye Baldy

When I was originally ordering my Brompton and looking through the myriad options, the one I thought was simplest was the choice of tyres. The Schawalbe Kojaks were high pressure - so low rolling resistance, have a "Raceguard" strip, and are lighter than the alternatives. A no-brainer, or so I thought.

Now, nearly a year later, I'm not so sure. On my full size bike I have some Kevlar lined tires and they have lasted for years with only two punctures. I was hoping that the "Raceguard" part of the Kojaks would work similarly effectively. Unfortunately it simply doesn't - I've had around 7 punctures in under a year, cycling perhaps 3 miles per day (and I wasn't cycling for a couple of those months) which is too many for me. Below you can see some of the chunks gouged out of my rear tyre by bits of glass and sharp stones.

Having looked around a bit, it seemed that the Schwalbe Marathon Plus is the way to go for reliability, so I ordered a pair of those. I saw a number people online complaining that they were very difficult to fit. Fortunately during my research I also found a video that explained how to fit them fairly easily. The trick is to squeeze the sides of the tyre inwards so that you can push them into the well in the middle of the wheel, this then gives you enough slack to get the last bit of tyre over the rim without needing any tyre levers.

I'll update this blog in a few months with details of any punctures or any other issues with the new tyres.

Pedal Update

A few months ago I wrote about how my pedals had detached themselves a couple of times. I thought it was only fair to post an update to say that since then they have behaved perfectly. I also haven't removed them deliberately in that time which may or may not be related.

However, having now started my new commute, I've come to the conclusion that I would have been better off just getting some rather simpler and cheaper non-detachable pedals and using a pedal spanner if I ever had to remove them.

Handlebars

As I mentioned before, I now have some fairly comfortable bar ends on my Brompton, but they were unfortunately set at a less than ideal angle, to keep them (barely) clear of the ground when the bike was folded.

Looking at the variables open to me it seemed like the simplest and cheapest to try was a new set of handlebars. Whilst it seems that you can spend upwards of £100 on handlebars(!) for this experiment I went with a rather more modest set at a grand cost of £11.81 including shipping from Amazon.

The most important thing to look for when buying new handlebars for a Brompton is to ensure that they are 25.4mm (1 inch) in diameter at the clamping point. Some mountain bike handlebars are rather wider. The set that I got are shaped so that the grips are about 3cm above the clamp. I hoped that this would help to stop the riding position from being too severe and also provide some clearance for my luggage (a T bag).

Fitting the new bars was fairly straightforward it was just a case of:
- Removing everything from the old handlebars, noting the routing of the cables. (Also note that if you still have the original Brompton grips you almost certainly won't be able to get them off without ruining them so you'll need something to replace them with).
- in my case undoing the handle bar brace on one side.
- loosening the handlebar clamp.
- sliding out the old bars and sliding in the new ones.
- reversing the other steps above, remembering to route the cables correctly.

The new handlebars went in fairly easily as they only bulge out at the clamping point (the grip ends are at the normal 22.2mm diameter) which meant that the curves in the bar went through the clamp without much trouble.

With everything fitted I found that I could easily position the bar ends at the angle I wanted and keep them clear of the ground when the bike was folded.

However, there are a couple of other clearances you need to worry about when changing the handlebars:
- The clearance between the brake levers and any luggage you may have
- The clearance between the cables to the rear of the bike and the front cog

With these handlebars the brake levers are a little close to my T-bag for my liking, I wouldn't be able to pack it too full. The brake and gear cables, whilst closer to the front cog, seem to be OK.

In use the first thing I noticed was that the riding position felt very strange compared to before. My arms felt quite widely spread, the steering felt a bit less lively, and my knees were getting rather close to my stomach when peddling.

The first two of these changes are down to the fact that the new handlebars are rather wider than the standard m-type handlebars and I got used them fairly quickly. The third change was down to the new handlebars obviously being much lower. I've never owned a proper racing bike but looking at picture it seems that they often have their handlebars down below the height of the saddle so it may just be my overly large stomach getting in the way! (Or it may be that having a longer distance between the saddle and handlebars on a full size bike counteracts this issue somewhat).

After a couple of rides I also noticed that the saddle feels rather less comfortable than before, I'm not sure whether this is down to the change in riding position or just the fact that I haven't ridden a bike for a few months. I may try tipping the saddle forwards a little to see if that's any more comfortable.

Overall I'd say that these handlebars are a qualified success. They allow me a good bar end position but are a bit uncomfortable at the moment - I'd not go on a long ride without a few trial runs first to see if I could get comfortable in the new position.

Given my findings I think I'll try to find another set of handlebars with a bit more rise in them to see whether I can get a better compromise between bar ends and overall comfort.

Brompton Ergon GR2 grips and bar ends

Sometime ago I mentioned that I was going to try some longer bar-ends on my Brompton. The main reason for the change was that I'd cut my first set of Ergon grips to match the original brake levers and then promptly changed the brake levers for different ones.

I thought I'd take the opportunity to try some slightly longer bar-ends as the first ones I tried were a little short. This time around I went for the latest Ergon GR2 grips (the older 2010 version are a little shorter and seem to be made of metal). I thought that if the new ones were too long to fold I'd still be able to use the new grips with the old bar-ends. That turned out to be wrong as the two grips use completely different systems for attaching the bar-ends to the grips as you can see below (note that the GR2 grip on the right is upside down in this picture).

 
Fortunately, the new bar-ends turned out to fold just fine.

The other change I made was to go for the smaller size grips. I found some information on the internet, supposedly from Ergon, that said that the only difference between the grip sizes was the circumference of the grip. Comparing the two grips above you can see that actually the pad area is also a little bit smaller on the smaller grips (although I guess the difference could be down to the different models, but that seems unlikely).

As before I went for the normal length grips knowing that I'd have to cut them down a little. As you can see below, with the new brake levers the grips are only slightly too long.

Unfortunately, due to the length of the bar-ends they need to be pretty much horizontal when unfolded so that they stay off the ground when the bike is folded, and even then one still gets a little scratched. I would prefer to be able to angle them slightly upwards for riding.

I do prefer these longer GR2 bar-ends to the shorter GC2 ones; the extra length makes a difference and helps you to get a decent grip. The rubbery patches on the bar-ends also make them feel a bit more comfortable and less slippy. Whilst overall they are not quite as good to use as the normal bar-ends on my full size bike, they are still pretty good. For anyone looking to get some bar-ends I'd definitely recommend these over the shorter GC2s.

Not so superior after all?

I've now had my detachable pedals detach themselves twice. The first time was immediately after I'd been demonstrating how the pedals worked to some friends so I put it down to user error re-attaching them. However, the second time occurred after a few weeks of riding without detaching the pedals.

Both times the pedal came off as I stopped once whilst I was still moving and once just after I'd got off the bike. As I said before I never had trouble with the pedals on my Dahon, and coupled with when they came off I think it may be the twisting to get out of my Power Grips that does it.

Of course that shouldn't be enough as you have to twist the collar as well as push it in, but close inspection reveals that the twisting spring only pushes the collar a few millimetres away from the crucial point, you can twist it a full 90 degrees away manually though. Any rubbing between the shoe and the collar during forward pedalling should actually help to secure the pedals, so I guess that I must have back-pedalled and then twisted my foot out to cause the pedal to detach.

At the very least I'm to have to be a bit more careful from now on. I am even considering sending the pedals back and getting some non "superior" ones that will be a bit more of a hassle to take off, but won't come off by accident (due to the plastic locking ring). I'll wait and see what my new commute is like and how often I'll need to take the pedal off.

Brompton Stickers and Paint

As I mentioned in my rather long and rambling initial thoughts, the orange paint on my Brompton doesn't seem to be very hard wearing. Looking over the bike recently I noticed that the front brake cable had already managed to rub through the paint on the fork and was getting close to doing the same on the main frame tube.

Coupled with the paint chips I reported on initially I decided it was time to get some touch up paint and see what it could do. So I bought some matt Brompton paint from SJS cycles. As the cable rubbing was only going to get worse with time I also bought some protective stickers at the same time (I found it surprisingly hard to find bicycle stickers that weren't either branded or reflective).

Before painting I cleaned the chipped and worn areas with a little white spirits. Applying the paint was fairly easy, there is a small brush in the lid (like a nail varnish brush). The only thing to be careful is to wipe the excess paint off the brush before starting.

The paint dries fairly quickly, and, once dried, is a fairly good colour match (at least on my frame) but not identical. You can see the colour difference here, along with the fact that it's doing a better (but not perfect) job of standing up to the pressure on the inside of the joint.

Once the paint was dry I applied protective stickers wherever there were signs of rubbing. As some areas only had light marks so I didn't re-paint them but still stickered them. The main areas were where the cables touch the frame and forks and where the front wheel hooks over the rear triangle when folding.

With my new brake levers there were also signs of wear where the cables rub on the other side of the front fork when the handlebars are folded. Finally I stuck one sticker under the chain to protect the frame from all the grease that comes off there.

I'm fairly pleased with the results. The stickers are fairly thick and so should provide good protection - as long as they stay put. So far one has slipped out of position but I do at least have plenty of spares in the original pack.

Brompton Power Grips

In my previous post on pedals I mentioned that I also bought some Power Grips to go with them. I use
SPD shoes and pedals on my full size bike and I really like the way they secure my feet on the pedals. So I wanted something similar for my Brompton but without the need to wear special shoes. Before moving on to SPDs I had used toe clips which worked reasonably well so I started searching for toe clips suitable use on a Brompton. Whilst searching I ran across a few people that were recommending Power Grips as a superior alternative so I decided to give them a go.



The first thing you notice about Power Grips is the price, they're not exactly cheap for what they are at around £22, plus another £8 for reflectors if you want to be legal in the UK after dark. However, as far as I'm aware they're a fairly new idea and it seems reasonable to reward innovation.

Fitting them to my pedals was pretty straightforward just requiring a 3mm allan key and an 8mm spanner (you'll need a philips head screw driver too if you're not fitting reflectors). If you are fitting reflectors read both sets of instructions before starting as the reflectors replace a good proportion of the original fixings. You'll just have to undo your handiwork if you fit the grips first and then look at the reflectors.

The standard fittings look solid and are entirely metal, however when fitting the reflectors it looks like metal bolts are held in place by the plastic of the reflector. So far I've not had any trouble, but this system at least looks a bit less strong than the normal fittings so I'll be keeping an eye on it.

The main downside with Power Grips is that take a bit of setting up to match your shoes, and you then can't use them properly with any other shoes (unless they happen to have the same external circumference) without readjusting them. You can of course still ride in other shoes, they just won't be gripped as well. This isn't a  problem for me as I almost always wear the same shoes but could be an issue for some.

Some people have also not liked the fact that you have apply a twisting force to tighten the grips as it has hurt their knees. So far this hasn't been a problem for me - perhaps because I have quite grippy soles on my shoes. This means that once I've twisted them in they tend to stay put on their own.

I've been using the Power Grips for a few weeks now and I am happy with them. They hold my feet better than toe clips without straps, and don't require the constant faffing of toe clips with straps. They are also a bit easier to get your foot out of in an emergency. I had an episode early on when I was still getting used to having my feet strapped in to my Brompton. I did the usual thing of stopping before remembering to get my foot out of the strap but still managed to get my foot out in time to catch myself. I'm fairly sure that with proper toe clips I wouldn't have been quick enough.

Given the choice I still prefer my SPD shoes though, so if I ever went on a really long ride I'd look into getting some removable SPD pedals and just replace my current pedals for that trip.

Brompton Pedals

The Brompton folding pedal is very cleverly designed but the plastic section in the middle doesn't seem to be strong enough to cope with hard pedaling and creaks a bit when put under stress. Usually flipping the pedal the other way up works (probably because it transfers the stresses to the metal sections of the pedal) but not always for some reason.

So, I decided I wanted something a bit sturdier and something that would also allow me to attach toe clips later on. Whilst you can find people online that have attached toeclips and similar things to their Brompton pedals they all seem to involve drilling extra holes, and I'd still have the pedal creaking to contend with.

My Dahon had removable MKS pedals, and as it turns out MKS seem to be the main player when it comes to detachable pedals. Some googling later I was suitably inspired by this post describing not just a nice set of MKS pedals but also how to fit Power Grips to those pedals (my Power Grips will have to wait for a separate post).

One thing I wasn't keen on with the Dahon's pedals was the little plastic clips that you were supposed to use to lock the pedals in place. They were fiddly to remove and I managed to lose one of them. Personally I never had a problem cycling without the locking ring, but it still niggled (you can find stories of people accidentally detaching their pedals whilst cycling). So I was particularly happy with the added bonus of the MKS Esprit EZY Superior pedals. Namely the "superior" attachment system that does away with the plastic locking ring in favour of requiring the locking collar to be rotated as well as pushed.

Removing the existing pedals isn't exactly straightforward. The righthand one can be removed easily enough with a normal 15mm pedal spanner. However the folding pedal needs a 24mm box spanner to get it off.

Once removed the Brompton cranks show an interesting asymmetry. The righthand crank has the usual indentation for a pedal washer (not fitted with the Brompton pedal, but shown below with both MKS washers fitted).

However the lefthand crank is completely smooth.

The folding pedal instead has a very large washer.

It seems that the indentation in the righthand crank is little narrow for the MKS pedal so the pedal started to bite into the crank before the washer took the load. So, I ended up using both MKS supplied washers on the righthand pedal. On the lefthand pedal I used a single pedal washer I ordered from eBay.

The new pedals are much sturdier, although a bit less convenient to fold. Personally it's a trade-off I'm more than happy with.

Brompton brake levers

As I mentioned in my initial thoughts the biggest disappointment with my Brompton is the performance of the brakes. The cable oilers I fitted helped to some degree but I decided to try some different brake levers too.

I bought a pair of Shimano R550 levers in black. At £15 for a pair they are only about £5 more expensive than a replacement pair of Brompton levers but they are much more solidly made (and no doubt a bit heavier for it too). There are other levers around, but the important thing to check is that they are suitable for calliper brakes rather than V brakes.

These levers are much narrower where they attach to the handlebar than the Brompton levers. This means that if you use Ergon grips they need to be cut much less than with the standard lever (although they do need to be cut all the way around).

At first I found the levers a bit hard to use, but I realised that this was because I'd positioned them similarly to the old levers and they were facing almost straight down making them hard to reach. I adjusted the handlebars back to about vertical (when unfolded) which allowed me to position the levers at close to 45 degrees and still fold the bike. In this position they are much more usable and importantly feel much more positive than the original levers.

Brompton Ergon GC2 grips and bar ends

Note: Since writing this post I have fitted some GR2 grips and bar-ends which overall I prefer to the GC2s.

The thing I probably missed most when moving over from my larger bike were bar ends. I find them really helpful for going up hills, and also more comfortable than holding the main handle bars in general.

Looking at how the Brompton folds it seems that bar-end choice is limited by the clearance between the folded handlebar and the front wheel. So I started researching what other people had managed to fit onto their Bromptons. The most popular choice seemed to be the Ergon GC2 grips with integrated stubby bar ends, so decided to try them out. They come in three different lengths; normal, short for use with grip shifters, and one short one long for use with a Rohlhoff shifter. The grip shift version would have been too short so I went for the normal length knowing that I'd have to cut them down a little.

Fitting them was fairly easy, firstly I removed the original grips. These are made of foam and a glued on to the handle bar so I had to cut them to get them off. The glue used to stick them in place wasn't too hard to scrape off using an old plastic store card.

I then moved the gear shifters and brake levers as far inboard as I could (as I have an M type Brompton that wasn't very far) and used a pen knife to cut the grips around the brake levers. (Note, if you plan to change your brake levers you should do so before cutting up your new grips. The replacement brake levers I got [that's another post] require far less cutting of the grips so I now need to get a second pair!)

The grips and bar ends are both secured by a 4mm allan bolt in the underside of the bar end. I recommend tightening it so that you can just about move the grips and then sitting on the bike to adjust the grip and bar end positions. Even then I'd also recommend carrying an allan key with you for a week or two to tweak the positions as you ride.

I pushed my handlebars as far forward as the fold allows and the bar ends don't interfere with the fold, although the lefthand one does scrape on the ground sometimes when the bike is folded.

The new grips are nice, and definitely better than the Brompton ones. Although, for me at least, they are not the revelation that they are for some. The bar ends are just about long enough to provide a second hand position when combined with the hand grip. As far as providing extra leverage goes, the bar ends are usable over short distances but I wouldn't want to use them on a long hill. Also being combined with the grips, the bar ends take up minimal space on the handlebar, which is useful given the very limited space on the M-type handlebars.

So, overall I'm happy with them, and as I indicated above I'm planning to get a replacement pair. Although I've now pushed the handlebars back a bit so I'm going to try some longer bar ends next time.

Brompton Cable Oilers

As I mentioned in a previous post, one of the (few) disappointments with my Brompton is the brake performance. After a bit of research one thing I saw recommended was fitting cable oilers to allow easy lubrication of the brake cables. However I couldn't find any information on how to fit them or what the different sizes meant - although it seemed that one size was for brakes and one was for gears. So, I ordered a packet of each and resolved to work it out when they arrived. The other thing I ordered was a packet of cable endcaps.

As it turned out the measurement relates to the outer diameter of the cable, the 5mm ones fitted the brake cables and the 4mm ones fitted the gear cables.

To fit an oiler you need to disconnect the relevant cable and remove the inner cable from the outer (which means removing the existing cable end cap). Then you need to cut the cable outer somewhere in the middle. You can (and probably should) use proper cable cutters, but as I didn't know about them I just used a hacksaw. If you do use a hacksaw make sure that there are no sharp edges left to rub against the cable. Once the outer is cut it's fairly straightforward to fit the oiler.

First reinsert the cable.

Secondly thread the cable oiler onto the cable and push it on to the cable outer.

Finally insert the cable back into the other part of the outer and push that into the oiler.

Once re-assembled the cable can be re-attached and re-capped, and then it's ready to oil. Just push the rubber ring to one side, insert the tube from a can of WD40 or similar and squirt until lubricant comes out of the ends of the cable.

As the Brompton front brake cable is already in two sections I used two oilers on it, and one on the rear cable. I also fitted one to the hub gear cable. However, the derailleur cable was rather frayed at the end (I think probably inevitably due to the way it's attached to the lever) so I left it. It would have been impossible to reinsert the cable into the outer if I removed it - it was difficult enough to re-attach it to the gear lever. I still have spare oilers and if I ever need to fit a replacement derailleur cable I put an oiler on it first.

After oiling the cables I noticed a definite improvement in the brakes, and I hope that lubricating the cables this way will increase their lifespan and also push out any grit or dirt that might have got into the ends of the cables.

So overall they're a little fiddly to fit, but cheap and I think, worth it.

Brompton Handlebar Brace

Brompton manufacture an optional handle bar strengthener for the M type handlebars. As I was planning to install some bar-ends on the bike I thought the strengthener would be a very good idea to help counteract the extra bending force I'd be applying when I used the bar-ends. Aside from stiffening the handlebars the strengthener also has a couple of other things going for it:

• It lengthens the lifespan of the handlebars - they are aluminium and will eventually fail. Brompton tell you to replace them at least every 5000 miles without the strengthener although they appear to be silent on how long they will last with the strengthener (reading literally you may never have to replace the handlebars).
• It provides extra space to mount lights, cycle computers, etc (although it has quite a small diameter, so make sure the clamps for your equipment will fit).
• It's cheap - about £10

Anyway, fitting the strengthener was straightforward and required only one 3mm allan key and two 17mm spanners.

The instructions are clear and well written, but it's worth emphasising a couple of points:

1. The strengthener is not symmetrical - it has a back and a front. So make sure you get it the right way around
2. The strengthener should not apply any force (pulling in or pushing out) on the handlebars. It should just be a snug fit.

Merell, what were you thinking?

I've recently bought a new pair of Merrell Chameleon Evo shoes, as all my previous pairs of Merrell shoes have been comfortable, and the Gore-Tex ones nicely waterproof.

These new ones seem to be similarly good, except that I have to wonder what on earth they were thinking when they chose the laces. The laces on these shoes are thin and smooth and won't stay done up for more than 10 minutes at a time. Were I actually hiking in these shoes I would very quickly get fed up or have to tie them in some kind of knot!

Brompton Part 2

I've been riding my Brompton the short distances on my current commute to get it broken in and get used to it. My initial impression in mostly positive, but there are a few niggles. Some good and not so good points follow:

Folding
Folding has always been a strength of the Brompton and it doesn't disappoint. The folding action is reasonably fast once you get the hang of it, although the Dahon was probably marginally faster due its quick release levers instead of screws. Once folded the Brompton is about as small as they come, plus the chain is on the inside of the folded bike; other commuters will thank - or at least not curse - you.


Attention to Detail
Brompton have been refining the same basic design for many years now and that shows through in a number of nice touches like the hand grip under the saddle, the folding pedal, and the option to "park" the bike easily.


Colours
The Brompton frame is divided into two sections for the purposes of painting it (one if you go for the titanium option) with any combination of red and black being included in the normal price. To change the colour of either section to one of the many options costs a not unreasonable £25 extra. I went for orange on both sections and I'm very pleased with the result. The orange is a bright and vibrant one, exactly what I was after.


Saddle
Bicycle saddles are very subjective things, but personally I like the default Brompton one and have no intention of changing it.


Luggage
Another traditional strong point of Brompton is their luggage. I went for a "T bag" as it was the largest available and it seems to be a well made piece of luggage. The frame that supports it and attaches to the bike is fairly sturdy and clips onto and off the frame easily. I recently took the frame out and use the bag as a shoulder bag for the first time, and in that scenario it was less good (although the ability to that at all is appreciated). I imagine that the S or C bags would do better in this role due to their shapes.


Instructions
The Brompton comes with instructions on how to fold and maintain the bike. Even better, the instructions are written very clearly and precisely and accompanied by diagrams. There's a sort of old-school re-assurance from the fact that the manual appears to have been written by someone that really understands the engineering behind the bike.


Gear range
I went for the 6 speed option which provides the biggest range of gears. I find it quite impressive that Brompton have managed to cover in 6 gears the same range that my full size bike uses 18 gears to cover.


Gear changes
The hub gear on the Brompton is definitely easier to change than that on my old Dahon. You need to back off the power much less on the Brompton to allow it to change gear which is useful when going up hill.


Lights
The lights are a mixed bag. The front light is pretty bright, but needs to be twisted out of position whenever the bike is folded. The rear light integrates nicely into the frame of the bike so it will always be there when you need it. However, it doesn't flash and is fairly low down on the bike, so I immediately bought a cheap flashing light to attach just under the saddle to complement the built in one.

Adjustment
You don't expect a huge amount of adjustment on a folding bike, but a few do feature handlebar height adjustment. The Brompton allows you to move the saddle backwards and forwards a bit, and you can tilt the handlebars a little bit (but not too far or you'll interfere with the folding). I found that moving the seat back a bit made a noticeable improvement to the comfort of the riding position for me (I am about 5"8').

Brake and Gear Levers
The brake and gear levers both feel a bit flimsy, which is disappointing on bike this well designed (and expensive!).

Brakes
The biggest disappointment with my Brompton is the performance of the brakes, when new it was almost impossible to lock the back wheel even when trying hard. Apparently this is a newer rear brake, much improved over the design of a few years ago. All I can say is that I'm glad I never had to use the old design. I have made some changes (stay tuned for future posts) as well as adjusting the brake position and the brakes are now reasonable. At some point I may look into replacing the levers which may help further.

Paint
Whilst the paint is a good colour, it has already chipped in a couple of places which doesn't bode to well for it's long term survival. I may have to buy some touch up paint and see what I can do.

So, overall I do like the bike a lot, especially with the modifications I've made. Although, if I hadn't bought it on the cycle to work scheme I would be smarting a bit at the cost. It seems that you do pay a fairly large premium for all that clever design, and the fact that the bikes are built in London.

New Brompton

We're currently trying to sell our house so that we can move nearer to our families. Anyway, the upshot of the planned move is that we will be living about a mile from the railway station with a _very_ steep hill in-between. A second consideration is that the train from Rochester only goes to St Pancras rather than Kentish Town so there's a bit of a journey at the far end of my commute too. So, the obvious solution to this transport issue (and a way to get some exercise) is a folding bicycle.

I have previously owned two folding bicycles, one a very cheap piece of basic rubbish from eBay, bought to test the feasibility of a folding bike on my current commute, followed by a rather nicer Dahon Curve SL (review courtesy of The Folding Society). As luck would have it I sold the Dahon a few months before we decided we wanted to move so I was back in the market for a folding bike.

Whilst the Dahon had been a fairly nice bike there were some issues with it, the main annoyance was that it had been designed such that the handle bar quick release lever was positioned just where it could gouge the frame every time the bike was folded. Turning the quick release lever around did nothing to alleviate the problem. Dahon obviously knew about the issue as there was a thick but very soft plastic pad stuck to the frame just where it clashed. That lasted all of a few weeks before it had worn through.

That issue with the Dahon seemed symptomatic of a certain lack of design, so I was interested to see what many years of refining basically the same design could do in comparison. In other words I wanted to try a Brompton. When I found out that Bromptons were available in a range of colours, including orange, and how much I'd save by using the Cycle to Work Scheme the deal was pretty much sealed.

My main concern was to make sure I could get up Star Hill in Rochester. To that end I took my full size bike to a footpath in St Albans that I judged to be about the same gradient and cycled up that in a number of gears to find out which one was low enough to comfortably get up the hill. I then worked out that the relevant gear worked out at 30 gear inches. To get that low on a Brompton meant choosing one of the 6 speed models, after some research I went for the 12% lower geared option giving a range of 29 to 88 gear inches (for comparison my full size bike has a top gear of 89 gear inches).

The other big choice with a Brompton is the type of handlebar. In the end I went for the M type, mainly because I could then get the largest bag to go on the front (the S type handlebars restrict the choice of luggage that will fit).

Impressions, and details of some modifications I've made to follow.