Cycling UK Forum

Hi. I'm thinking of buying a Brompton - in fact, of going through all the palaver of ordering one with lots of modifications, including titanium forks and adjusted gearing. (Basically the S6L-X, for those who know about these things...)

I'm interested in one of the six-speed ones, but I was just wondering if anyone out there has any experience with the increased gearing. Since there's such a long waiting list for the bloody things, I can't find one in a bike shop to take on a test ride.

So, this is my thinking: I understand that the lowest gear on the six-gear bike is lower than the lowest gear on the two- and three-gear ones. Since I'd like to be able to use the bike for long-ish rides out of town (20 or 30 miles, say), it therefore seems like a good idea to order one with increased gearing, so that the higher gear is better for what I believe cyclists call "touring" - by which I understand, going quite a long way on roads of varying gradient; and the lowest gear, since it started off lower than on the other models, would still be reasonably low.

Does this logic make sense? I don't want to spend all that money on something that might frustrate me: if the higher gearing makes it awkward to get up hills in the south London area, then I'll be really cheesed off.

Any tips... ?

Mine's a six gear: achieved by having three lever positions on one side of the handlebar and two on the other. It's nearly three years old now so don't know if newer gearing is changed/developed.

Lowest gear is wonderfully low - I can get up the steepest of hills so long as I take my time. You would probably go faster than me up hill because my limitation isn't leg-power it's asthma. On good days I can climb quicker. I think you could push up the gearing in order to get a better top gear without suffering too much on hills.

Top gear isn't top enough for me to consider anything beyond 10 miles distance - but that's because I have the Dawes Galaxy as an alternative, it's not because the Brompton wouldn't be a pleasant ride, just not as quick. Your solution sounds positive - I look forward to hearing your verdict.

Hope this helps - the long wait should be worth it

Montaillou wrote:Hi. I'm thinking of buying a Brompton - in fact, of going through all the palaver of ordering one with lots of modifications, including titanium forks and adjusted gearing. (Basically the S6L-X, for those who know about these things...)

I'm interested in one of the six-speed ones, but I was just wondering if anyone out there has any experience with the increased gearing. Since there's such a long waiting list for the bloody things, I can't find one in a bike shop to take on a test ride.

So, this is my thinking: I understand that the lowest gear on the six-gear bike is lower than the lowest gear on the two- and three-gear ones. Since I'd like to be able to use the bike for long-ish rides out of town (20 or 30 miles, say), it therefore seems like a good idea to order one with increased gearing, so that the higher gear is better for what I believe cyclists call "touring" - by which I understand, going quite a long way on roads of varying gradient; and the lowest gear, since it started off lower than on the other models, would still be reasonably low.

Does this logic make sense? I don't want to spend all that money on something that might frustrate me: if the higher gearing makes it awkward to get up hills in the south London area, then I'll be really cheesed off.

Any tips... ?

20 or 30 miles on a Brommie?

You’re a better man than me.

I have the M6R Plus with the standard gearing and no, it doesn’t go very fast. However, it’s not a great climber either so if you’re journeys are expected to take in any hills with higher gearing you’ll need the thighs of a horse and re-enforced knees to keep them from exploding on tough climbs.

If you intend cover some ground is a Brompton the right bike for your purpose?

I cycle up to 6 or 7 miles on mine at the most. I tend to use it for trips to the local shop or to take me as far as the train station/bus stop. If I need to do any more miles I get the road or mountain bike out.

If you absolutely need a folder and need to cover miles you might want to look at one of the 26” wheeled folders out there such as a Dahon.

Gazza

The brochure on Brompton's web site lists the gearing of the 6 speed as 3.22 meters to 6.87 meters (metric system), equivalent to 40 inches to 86 inches.

86 inches gives 20 mph at 80 RPM, which is enough for what most people would consider touring. Spinning out is possible on downhills but unlikely on the flat.

40 inches as a bottom gear is not that low.

Personally I find the standard gearing on my 6 speed fine and would neither raise nor lower it. Any higher and I would have to walk up quite a few hills, and all that would be gained is a slightly higher average speed as a result of being able to continue pedalling down hills.

mhara obviously has legs of iron as i found the 6 spd woefully inadequate for hills. (i tend to spin rather than pump)

The brommies descend (or plummet) rather well , so downhill gearing is a waste of time.

Also, you cant really get out of the saddle with the brommie as all the nrgy goes into flexing the bendy handle bars. I havent tried the new brommies with the stiffer stems. I have seen someone climbing out of the saddle on one of the low stem types (is that the M type?) and it looked really good. However, i wouldnt want to try those bars for 20-30 miles as it didnt look very comfortable for a long distance option. Any experience anyone?

Ive ridden a brommie for 20 miles it was nice as there were no hills and low wind.

The brommie is a killer town commuter bike (v.low maintenance, does the job, tiny folded volume. There are far better bikes for general purpose folders.

essexman wrote:mhara obviously has legs of iron as i found the 6 spd woefully inadequate for hills. (i tend to spin rather than pump)
...
Also, you cant really get out of the saddle with the brommie as all the nrgy goes into flexing the bendy handle bars.

Legs of iron? I would describe them as "could kick-start a jumbo jet".
There was a reason the picture I posted of myself stopped at hip level! Hockey at school plus years of swimming as well as cycling.

I had my Brompton fitted with the handlebar reinforcers, though that's not because I'm often up off the saddle. Useful for quick speed-up off from traffic lights, but never for hills.

I think climbing out of the saddle is an upper body strength tactic and I'm pretty average female in that regard. Be interested to know how often women resort to climbing out of the saddle compared to men?

Montaillou

I was in just the same position as you - and ended up with a Mezzo D9 instead.

It comes with 9 speed as standard, and you can add a front mech and ring easily too. And....it folds/unfolds in a fraction of the time.

mhara wrote:There was a reason the picture I posted of myself stopped at hip level!

Is that really a picture of you?

Freak!

You have the head of an Impala.

>;o)

Gazza

2Tubs wrote:

mhara wrote:There was a reason the picture I posted of myself stopped at hip level!

Is that really a picture of you?
Freak!
You have the head of an Impala.

>;o)
Gazza

Ah, but maybe I'm really the Tick-bird and not the Impala. Have you seen the legs on a Tick-bird?

I meant the pic in the Tea Shop

2Tubs wrote:20 or 30 miles on a Brommie?

You’re a better man than me.

the limitations of a Brommie are all in the mind

An Israeli chappie is entered in the Paris-Brest 1200k audax on one, and an Italian bloke did the London-Edinburgh 1400k on one in 2001

Thanks to everyone for replying! As it happens, I've spent the last 24 hours (more or less all of them!) doing loads of research on the net. I think I've decided to go for a Dahon - either the Mu P8 or the Speed TR.

However, if any Brompton partisans want to have a last-ditch attempt at persuading me otherwise, give it your best shot... My reasoning is as follows:

I really want something for commuting and riding around London for social purposes (so sometimes 8 or 9 miles - longer than the average commute), as well as the occasional excursion beyond the suburbs. While there's obviously a lot of traffic in London, there are also quite long stretches of not-so-busy roads in the suburbs, as well as quite a lot of hills. So, a wider gearing range and a generally more comfortable ride for longer journeys seem like priorities. And I want a folder both for storage in an upper-floor flat and the occasional resort to public transport (in bad weather).

The advantages of the Brompton, as far as I can make out, are chiefly the very compact folding and the high quality of components (although, having said that, I've read many complaints about Brompton gear mechanisms and cheap brake-handles... ?). I must say that I haven't seen anything yet that convinces me that a Brompton is good for tackling the distances I want to cover fairly regularly - and my thighs are reasonably substantial, but nothing out of the ordinary...

So, as I say, I'd like to hear anything anyone has to say in defence of the Brompton at this stage (and really, my mind is still open a chink - honest!). But beyond that, I'd also be very interested to know people's opinions on the Dahon Mu P8 (or possibly the XL) and Speed TR. The latter is obviously a comprehensive solution to the gearing range issue, but is it taking a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Reviews of the P8 (of which there seem to be precious few - so mainly I'm talking about the promotional material) suggest that it's ok both for town riding and longer journeys in the countryside. Can anyone confirm this... ? I must admit that its lack of suspension worries me very slightly...

Sorry to veer off my own topic rather - all I can say is, as a relative cycling neophyte, I've certainly learned a lot in the last day...

But now I MUST SLEEP!

andrew_s wrote:

2Tubs wrote:20 or 30 miles on a Brommie?

You’re a better man than me.

the limitations of a Brommie are all in the mind

An Israeli chappie is entered in the Paris-Brest 1200k audax on one, and an Italian bloke did the London-Edinburgh 1400k on one in 2001

Indeed, on the ultimate list of End to Ends there is an account of a guy who did LE-JOG on one.

Not for me though!

Gazza

Montaillou wrote:Thanks to everyone for replying! As it happens, I've spent the last 24 hours (more or less all of them!) doing loads of research on the net. I think I've decided to go for a Dahon - either the Mu P8 or the Speed TR.

However, if any Brompton partisans want to have a last-ditch attempt at persuading me otherwise, give it your best shot...

I wouldn't dream of trying to persuade you . It's great to go for what really suits you. If we were all the same there wouldn't be any difference - and then how would this Forum proper

As a Brompton user I love it..I have only the Basic c Model and 50 miles is not prob..The secret is keep your tyres as hard as you dare ...Problems for Bromptons are not hills or distance but other factors like breaking spokes,fiddly puncture mends etc., & the need for servicing more than a full size bike cos the tiny wheels do more work.Hills I think are a question of simple physics and tiny wheels.I find I can get up most hills but its a question of speed which often can be no faster than walking.You will, manage it.If you try to keep up with some one on a full size bike you will suffer.A toe clip on the non folding pedal also helps.Other brands maybe better for luggage carrying..I would say