Which Brompton?

[irc]

My daughter lives in Cambridge. She has been lucky enough to have been given a £1500 Evans Voucher for getting to the second stage of selection for a new job and attending an interview. I thought she was referring to a Cycle to Work Voucher but no. She hasn't decided which of two offfers to accept and this is just a no strings attached voucher.

She currently bike commutes every day on an Edinburgh Bicycles 1x9 hybrid which is at least 15, maybe 20 years old as I used it for commuting in Glasgow before passing it on.

she isn't too mechanically able. Not much past fixing punctures. The current bike is pretty bombproof being a 1x9 fitted with Marathon Plus tyres. It has the benefit of being old and scruffy enough to not be a theft target.

So. She asked me what she sould buy. Either a new commuter bike. Or a road bike for general fitness riding and keeping the old bike for any time she is parking in Cambridge. She has never used a drop bar bike.

My suggestion is - buy a Brompton. Usual reasons. Any commute within Cambridge is doable on a Brompton. Get a puncture just call a taxi etc.

I have no idea which one though. More gears are nice but is the 3 speed hub more reliable and less likely to need fettling. Which handlebar for 5ft 9 5ft 10 rider? What luggage?

Talking under £1500 budget, No titanium oe electric.

My suggestion would be - 3 speed. £1250. Use the balance to buy luggage/accessaries.

https://www.evanscycles.com/brand/bromp ... e=93373341


Is a 6 speed better and no less reliable? More gears are always nice.

[simonineaston]

Cool! Congrat.s to daughter. You can tell her that the Brompton S2 I bought has been a reliable and much used favourite for over a decade. However the M6 I had before it, I hated, so she might want to try before she buys...

[Sandy Bags]

Simonineaston is correct, it is essential that your daughter tries before she buys..the various handlebar and 'stem' setups on Bromptons all result in drastically different rides..I personally have the older 'h bars' which are more upright, and I love them..I found the lower handlebar arrangements made for a more 'twitchy' ride. I think what this highlights, is that it is all about personal preference. Luckily, Evans usually have demo Bromptons of popular configurations to try out.
What I can advise though, on the general and mechanical front, is that your suggestion of a Brompton to your daughter- bearing in mind her usage and mechanical 'nous'- is a very sensible one, IMHO. I have a 6 speed Brommie, if I could go back and do it again..I would probably go for the 3 speed hub geared only version that you are suggesting. The 6 speed adds complexity and weight that are not really necessary for your Daughter's prospective use, and as long as she is relatively fit and healthy, the 3 speed hub should be fine. I'm not sure if Brompton still use the same 3 speed hub as on mine (on my bike this is combined with a derailer as well..) but if they do, it can also be oil lubricated through the indexing chain port..which makes it thereafter incredibly low maintenance and, IME, very reliable.
Hope that helps, good luck to you both.

[irc]

Thanks. All makes sense. If any city can work with a 3 speed Cambridge can I suppose. And I'll suggest higher bars and a test ride.

Cheers

[SA_SA_SA]

Even the modern shallower M (now called midrise) bars are alarming flexy (if less so than original prw 2017ones) so even if I liked the height I would replace them with something stiffer:

Surely flexing aluminium is asking for trouble from fatigue?

[TrevA]

Having owned a 3 speed Brompton, I thought it was rather overgeared. I know Cambridge is pretty flat but I struggled on the slightest of hills with my 3 speed, where I live. If she can afford it, I would go with the 6 speed. If I bought another 3 speed, I’d lower the gears by fitting a smaller chainring and/or a larger rear sprocket. If used for commuting, you need mudguards (which come as standard on most models) and a rack would be useful. I didn’t find the M handlebars too flexy. My recommendation would be for a CLine Explore 6 speed with a dynamo upgrade, and change the tyres to Marathon Plus for better puncture protection.

We bought our Bromptons from Rutland Cycles in Peterborough, and they let us test ride them around the car park.

[fastpedaller]

You haven't stated if she will be able to always take a Brompton indoors! If not it will very likely be stolen.! Being generally ok to take indoors is a big plus with the Brompton. If unable to take it indoors she may as well stay with the bike she already has.

[SA_SA_SA]

You can lower the gearing of a 3 speed.
Eg with the modern chainset fit a 39T ring to go with 14T sprocket for touring. I have a nonbrompton but standard sturmey 15T sprocket for cycle camping but needed to increase the tensioners' err tension.

[iandriver]

Do not leave a Brompton, even we'll locked up anywhere in Cambridge. It is a real hotspot for professional thieves and an easy trip to London to sell it.

It really is pancake flat. The biggest climb you will get is a railway bridge. My 15 mule commute into the south or the city and out of the north is a about 150ft of elevation in total.

[hercule]

On the other hand a Brompton can last you a long time and she might not always live in Cambridge. A six speed would be more versatile especially if she brings it up to Edinburgh on visits home…

[PT1029]

3 speed should be enough for Cambridge.
They come with a standard gearing or lower gearing (smaller chainring). You can choose this when ordering/buying.
As a fan of hub dynamos, I'd say get one with a dynamo hub. Lights always there/available.
Get one with a rear rack. When folded the bike stands/rolls better. Also the rear light on the rack is visible. The rear light on the models with no rear rack has the light obscured by the rear brake - not sure how they have got away with this for so long!
Bromptons have very twitchy steering so do test ride. I test ride quite a variety of bikes at work. A Brompton is the only bike I am reluctant to ride one handed (say for signalling) as it is so twitchy.
You can choose no end of colour options. I was spared this conundrum by buying an ex demonstrator.
Twitchy or not, when I use my Brompton nothing else would do the job!
I used to work in a Brompton dealer, they survive tremendous abuse/neglect by their owners.

[fivebikes]

Tough choice….. I love my Brompton, a six speed with a lowered gearing, rack and guards. Originally a P model with a version of a comfort bar which I swapped out for some Thorn bars with a gentle rise. Much happier and cos they are slightly wider than any Brompton offering, make the ride more stable.
Totally agree about security though…unless it can be carried inside, too tempting for bike thieves.
In which case a best bike for enjoyment/fitness etc with the old bike kept for commuting, would be my choice!

[drossall]

A six speed only really gives you one extra gear in terms of range - what would be 1, 2 and 3 become 2, 4 and 6 with a new gear 1 below. The reason I love mine has more to do with the gears being closer together. I only really use 1 or 6 quite rarely, though they are nice to have when I do need them.

[deeferdonk]

I was going to point out that brompton now have a 4 speed option. But then had a look on the website and realised that is in the new P-line range and would cost ~£2500, so out of the specified price range.

[steelframe]

In general a Brompton is a good idea and I second the tipp to get it together with a front bag - absolutely worth it. Regarding the gearing: I've never been a huge fan of the 3-speed: massively overgeared IMHO plus huge gear steps. Either a 2-speed or a 6-speed. The 2-speed is pretty underrated in my opinion: If it is mainly flat you are not missing out anything, it is a very nippy ride and you save a very welcome ~650g compared to the 3-speed. The 6-speed on the other hand adds only like 150g to the 3-speed, so probably the better alternative with more opions.
For a commuter in the flat -> 2-speed
For a universal bike with more options for touring -> 6-speed with lowered gearing

From 2023 on the 3 speed hub is only available in the low end A-line, no more for the standard C-line. For a commuter I would also go for the dynamo lights - hassle free commuting guaranteed. Rack or not is for one a question of price and second a question of how often and how far the bike will be rolled. Plus the optics are better w/o rack.
Bars depend on needs and I second that the bars make a huge difference. As changing after buying is an expensive exercise choose wisely. S bars for the smaller, M bars fit more or less everyone, H bars are ergonomically too high for almost everyone. But the H stem is best if you want to fit different bars, i.e. wider ones. Even at my height (1.87m) the H in factory setup is way too high for riding.
I would not agree that the M/H bars do flex and clearly not that they would flex as much as the older version did. The are perfectly fine if - as all Brompton bars - not very wide. Nice for filtering through traffic, perfectly ridable but depending from the body shape of the rider too slick and a tad wider may be more comfortable. Aftermarket solutions like the Joseph Kuosac bars help.

Given the available money I'd probably go for a 2-speed with dynamo, w/o a rack plus a front bag. Handlebar choice depending from size and taste of the rider. Alternatively a 6-speed with lowered gearing with otherwise the same setup.