My beloved Brompton

I wanted to do a little piece about my bicycle

Lucky you, you can even see a reflection of me taking the picture in the background if you squint. I wanted to explain the make, model, spec, and a little about how it works, what makes it different, and why I configured it the way I did. Certainly, before I bought it, there was a lot on the net raving about Bromptons, some disparaging vignettes, but not a huge amount in terms of practical explanation about why it does what it does. Even the guy in the shop struggled with explaining some of it as they are a bit of a specialised field.

I have a Brompton M6-L, and the individual constituents and costs are itemised below:-

Brompton M Type bike           £600
Standard ratio 6 speed gearing £120
Mudguards, no rack                 £45
Black Frame                             £0
Orange extremities                   £25
Brooks B17 Special Saddle     £50
Schwalbe Marathon Tyres       £10
Battery Lighting                       £35
C Bag Set                                 £95
Eazy [sic] wheels                     £15

There are 3 types of Brompton - M, S, and P. The S is sporty (not really in my repertoire), with flat handlebars, and the P has handlebars I cannot understand. Check the Brompton website for details. The M type is the original, and has 'sit up and beg' handlebars, as befits a more upright riding style. If you want to race, get a bloody Trek Cyclo Cross. Incidentally, more on lycra clad Adonis' with cleats on their 2 mile commute from Highbury to Houndsditch another time. Brompton say no bike is standard, a cynic might see this as a great way to charge for all kinds of bolt-ons, but there you go.

I went for 6 gears. You can get single speed, or 3 speed also. For me, I always knew I didn't need 27+ gears (no-one does, certainly not in London. Marketing and little else) but the thought of leaping to single speed was a little daunting. The gears are definitely one of the best things about the Brompton. They are hub gears. Basically, this means that there is a barrel on the back axle which contains a load of cogs. As you change gear, the different cogs engage with each other and made it harder or easier to pedal. Remember Grifters? Same thing. On the rear, there is a dérailleur, similar to the cogs on the rear cassette of a road/ mountain bike, but there are just two. The great thing about hub gears is that you can change them when you are stationary and start off in the right gear without having to do all that clicky clacky business to get where you want. It really makes me hoot when the lights go green and I pootle off whilst the be-sunglassed hi-vis athlete honks high out of the saddle, looking like he's pedalling through black treacle as his shimano gears clatter in panic like a foot-treadle loom circa 1790. The hub gives you the three gears you use, the dérailleur gives you the option of a slight variance in each gear - you can change the dérailleur on the left hand control while pedalling like on a normal bike with cassettes and dérailleurs. For the one on the right, you should stop pedalling for a split second to allow the cogs to engage, particularly if down-shifting. If this sounds complicated or labourious, trust me it isn't. Bear in mind this is a bike used for cycling around London - lots of stop starting, and top end speed not the be all and end all. Ask any cyclist and they will tell you that Bromptons have a turn of speed and acceleration that is alarmingly impressive. Don't bother off the lights, you won't win.

I see some Bromptons with racks on the back. I don't know why - the clearance from the ground is so low that anything you could get on there would hardly carry anything. The way to carry things on the Brompton is by way of front luggage. The bike can come (they all do, although they are theoretically optional) with a tapered plastic block which fits directly to the chassis of the bike just above the front wheel. To this, you clip on a frame onto which you can slip any of the types of Brompton luggage. I bought the C Bag which has a 25 litre capacity, and then later on the basic fabric basket which is 24 litres. The C Bag has pockets all over the shop, and a bright yellow lining so you can find things easily. Tip: You can remove the frame and use it as a messenger bag easily. Often I was lugging the whole thing round with me when I didn't need to. Once you've got the frame, you can buy any of the Brompton bags to fit on it. I use the basket on a daily basis, capacity only a bit less than the C bag, but arguably more usable as it is a square space. You can chuck everything in it and pop it on and off as and when. It costs £16.50. Here it is:

I was umming and ahhing for a while about the colours. Plain black was what I defaulted to, but I knew if I went for that option I would be annoyed I hadn't been more adventurous. I got the orange front and rear extremities at an additional cost of £25. I've not seen another like it. The Brooks saddle in brown clashes a bit with the black tubular frame (see my hatred of this colour clash elsewhere in the blog) but I can live with it. If I had my time again, I'd probably go for burgundy or dark blue. Although I quite like the white one, 70s Porsche Carrera styley. Hey ho. The Brooks saddle is an essential for any bicycle. Vastly superior to the ones that come with. Bikes and their saddles are a bit like ipods and their headphones. A shame to have such good hardware and be so dismissive of the peripherals.

The standard Brompton tyres are ok, especially now they have Kevlar lining, but the Schwalbe marathons are much superior for a modest cost. Don't bother with the Kojaks unless you're mental and live in a country where it never rains.

If you test ride a Brompton, you may find that your feet catch on the standard trolley wheels at the base of the seat pillar as your foot comes up at the back - this problem will be averted if you use the Eazy wheels - they are a lot thinner. Essential. I've seen roller blade wheels on the back of some which I will get one day when I get around to it. Which means I'll never do it. What a lot of people don't realise is the sheer brilliance of the design. When folded, the carrier block protrudes in such a way that you can attach your bag to it and tow it around the shops like a trolley.

Not only does this save hugely on bags and so forth, it means you don't have to leave your bike unattended.

So that is a brief description of my bicycle. There is also something more about a Brompton that it's difficult to  put into a little bit of writing. The way it has a distinct 'Londonness' to it. The way it collapses like something out of Harry Potter into a confusing mesh of metal and rubber.  I have cycled it off road - it's a complete disaster whatever their website says. This is an animal for the urban jungle, and it is, like so many animals found throughout nature, perfectly suited to it's environment. More than that, it is a beautiful example of pure British, illogical, brilliant design. It's as British as cucumber sandwiches and the smack of leather on willow. I love that it makes no sense to flip the back wheel under the frame. I love the fact the frame and pillars seem to bend round corners to make it into this compact package in less than 30 seconds when you need to jump on a bus or in a cab . Or that you can use it as a trolley. Or that it has a part called 'the nipple'. I wouldn't want to ride anything else.