Cycling UK Forum

Most points to consider are already covered, but the first thing I would do (in shop) is pick up a folded one. You might find it a lot heavier than you expected. How far would you have to carry it.

I find mine easier to carry when it's unfolded.

As said you can get by wheeling it most non cycling places, then only fold for train, bus, etc.

The hire option is a great idea to see if you want one.

Yes, they do hold value better than the great majority of brands, but prices have fallen in last 12 months as the lockdown madness faded.
Go for 2013 or later because of the brake levers and calipers and the spider cranks. Butterfly over-bar shifters changed to under bar triggers in 2017 (I prefer the former because of arthritis!).
Broadly speaking, a low mileage 6 speed from 2013 onwards should be around 7-800 quid. A lot will depend on where you are located. If not in London, being prepared to travel a plus!

if you are buying a used brompton there are some things worth knowing. Like any other bike they wear out chains, sprockets, cables, brake blocks, and wheel rims. These are mostly consumables which are expected to wear with mileage. The chain/sprocket(s) in particular can also suffer from neglect. These consumables are mostly not very expensive but a bike needing a full set would make a bad buy. The brompton also has some special parts which can also wear out. The frame hinge, the swingarm bushings, the left pedal, the seat binder, and the chain tensioner all fall into this category. Other items tend to wear out ahead of these but as some of them are fiercely expensive (eg. the LH pedal is about £50) you need to keep an eye out.
Bromptons have always had hub gear options; if looked after, these ought to last the life of the bike. However, in addition to developing faults by other means any hub gear can quickly be damaged by being ridden on when poorly adjusted. The early bromptons were sometimes fitted with a SA five speed gear which most folk will agree is something of a curate's egg. They could not use SA gears of any kind in the early noughties so SRAM gears were fitted instead. SRAM gears can be fixed, but unfortunately the spare parts are no longer made in many cases. This leaves the options of 1) replacing the whole hub/wheel, 2) making something else work, or 3) robbing a 'donor' for the bits you need. 3) is greatly helped by the fact that most of the SRAM parts were also used in lots of other hubs/bikes too.

I did exactly the sort journey the op describes for years and found it a system that worked well for me. I chose to use the cycle to work scheme, considering that I’d welcome the additional security of buying a new cycle from a reputable local dealer, at the same time as enjoying a considerable discount.
After rather disliking the first Brompton, a model with M (?) bars and 6 speeds, I sold it and used the c2w scheme again to buy a flat bar 2 speed which was lighter, simpler and perfectly adequate for my uses. Everyone has different needs, of course. I still have it although I no longer commute in the same way.

I am really grateful for all the replies on here. So much useful advice plus some warranted reality checks! Much appreciated.

Another option is to buy two cheap utility bikes, and stable one in London, ideally one that looks so awful that barely anyone would bother to steal it. Waterloo and Euston both have significant populations of such bikes in their racks, each very securely locked.

Regarding the resale value of used Bromptons......... If a purchaser is able to use the Cycle To Work scheme, the resultant 'price' of a new bike will be less than it would cost for most 2nd-hand bikes! Some would say 'they aren't the best place to buy' but Evans are offerring some Bromptons at below list price if the purchaser uses their 0% pay over 3 months facility. That always seems a strange arrangement (has been the 'norm' if buying cars on finance for years), but indicates the seller is gaining from the finance company (though how it adds up with zero percent baffles me )

LucyEliz wrote: ↑25 Sep 2024, 11:10amAnd how awkward do people tend to find them when manoeuvring them on and off trains etc?

If a train is packed to standing room only it can be difficult or impossible to board with a Brompton.

If you are changing trains within a station a Brompton is quite a hefty lump to manage on escalators and stairs, if I have anything but light baggage I'll head for the lifts. Using lifts takes longer, especially if you're queueing behind other people with luggage and cases for the limited space available. Allow some extra time for any connections within stations.

I wouldn’t try to carry the Brompton too far. They are quite weighty. If you have one with the rack it can be folded and rolled on its roller wheels. Otherwise, wheel the bike unfolded onto the station platform and then fold it up before getting on the train. Practice the fold a few times and you will get quicker. It can be done in about 30 seconds.

My son works in London and is currently commuting from Northampton several times a week. He bought a secondhand Brommie (about 5 years old) for £650 from Facebook Marketplace, he rides the 2.5 miles to the station, commutes on the train to Euston, then rides to his office near Kings Cross. He also uses it to attend business meetings around central London during the day. .

Yes the trick with a Brompton is not to carry it, if you can. In order of preference:

• Ride it
• Push it, fully assembled
• Push it, part folded (though I personally never do that)
• Tow it folded, on its small wheels
• Carry it

So, if getting off a train, you work out whether it's better to tow it a bit, or unfold it immediately on the platform and push it. That's where the advice to watch what other Brompton users do on your particular journey comes in.

As others have said, normal checks buying second hand, but also the pivots at the folds, especially for the rear triangle. It actually takes significant use to cause wear there (I've had a second-hand one in regular use - 10 or more rides in a typical week - for eight years, and only just done the rear pivot in the last 12 months). Ditto the seat sleeve, which I've also recently replaced for the first time.

^ gaz: "If a train is packed to standing room only it can be difficult or impossible to board with a Brompton."

Well, yes, but even more so with any other bike! I have boarded trains with one where I certainly could not have done with a full size bicycle irrespective of having a cycle reservation booking!

TrevA wrote: ↑25 Sep 2024, 11:13pm I wouldn’t try to carry the Brompton too far. They are quite weighty. If you have one with the rack it can be folded and rolled on its roller wheels. Otherwise, wheel the bike unfolded onto the station platform and then fold it up before getting on the train. Practice the fold a few times and you will get quicker. It can be done in about 30 seconds.

That’s the way to do it. The folded Brompton is at the bottom of the list of How Shall I Carry It.
It goes: ride as far as decently possible & technically not allowed once inside a station *
* wheel while unfolded
* fold, then push on the special wheels
& lastly, fold & carry.
Once mastered, the fold can famously be reliably carried out in seconds - just as well, as our trains can be busy enough that the bike has to be folded to be small enough for the passenger & bike to squeeze into a crowded carriage.
Time was when Bromptons were a sort of curiosity and back when the UK was nicer, you could almost guarantee that folks standing in the doorways of busy trains would smile and obligingly budge up a bit to let you in. Now some trains can be stuffed full to capacity and beyond and bloomin’ Bromptons are everywhere, such commuters are just seen as yet another nuisance…
One last comment. As over full trains are more common, it is possible to use the folded Brompton as a seat of last resort, to sit on in the doorway. Its not a very comfortable experience, mind!
* note too that cycle lamps must be turned off on railway station platforms, although in practice, one is seldom challenged. It’s to do with the way station staff signal to train drivers…

I have a used Dahon and it's awesome, and far cheaper than a Brompton. I would recommend getting one of those used as a test, and if you like it THEN get a Brompton. Halfords Raleigh folding bikes and Decathlon's Tilt folding bikes also get reasonably good reviews and are quite cheap.

That being said I did see an electric Brompton in a shop a few days ago and was impressed, it looked exactly the same as a regular Brompton to my untrained eye although a tad pricey @ £3.5k ish. Do they hide the battery in the frame? Or do they plonk a giant battery in the frame at the last second once you've already purchased the bike and committed to taking it?

jimster99 wrote: ↑27 Sep 2024, 5:02pmDo they hide the battery in the frame? Or do they plonk a giant battery in the frame at the last second once you've already purchased the bike and committed to taking it?

Official e-Brompton battery connects to the front luggage block.

the LH pedal bearing is crying out for a DFC conversion. This gives an opportunity to change out 2/3 of the bearing parts which is enough to rebuild many lightly-worn pedals, since the part that is not changed is usually the last to wear. The conversion makes the bearing almost twice as strong. The converted bearing has a naturally longer wear life, uses the lubricant of your choice, and it has a better failure mode too. Since the conversion is much less expensive than a new pedal, it is a very good repair. Since it prolongs the life of this bearing (which commonly fails) it is probably worth doing anyway.
SKF say that the axial load rating of their bearings is ~1/4 the radial load rating. IRRC, some manufacturers say the axial load rating is even lower. AFAICT SKF are silent on the subject of cantilever loads (which this bearing sees), but certainly the loading condition is not commonplace; 'cruel and unusual' would be an apt description, I think. The loading slots can be favourably oriented because of the cantilever loading. Assuming they are on the RHS of the bearing, I think it should be best if the slot in the outer race is in the 6 o'clock position w.r.t. the pedal, although anywhere in the lower half would probably do. The inner race I think should be oriented so that when the crank is vertically upwards, the slot is at the 6 o'clock position ie. in line with the crank. If the loading slots breach the diameter the seals run on, it is best if, after loading of course, the slots are filled locally (eg. using epoxy resin, sanded down if necessary). This way the seal lip still sees an unbroken surface which gives the seal every chance of working.
The easiest way to get spare balls (and the only way to get another inner race) is to get another bearing of the same size and type. If an identical bearing (ie. from the same maker) cannot be sourced, fret ye not; commonly different manufacturers use very similar internal designs, to the extent that parts can often be swapped about.