Looking at Brompton Prices

Dransfield said:

Have I got this right... A Basic Red Brompton costs £375, and then mudguards, rear carrier, dynamo
lights, and a range of colours take you up in big steps to £621 for an orange L3 traveller.

So one pays up to £245 for for mudgds, rack, lights and colour? Sounds like a BMW price list to
me, or have i got it wrong?

(I was looking at foldingbikes.co.ukindex1.htmlOpen ↗)

Yes and no. The basic C3 is a cheaper build than the L or T series. Adding the bits you mention to a
C3 would create a C3 with bits on, not an L3 or
T3. The same is not true between the L & T series. The differences are all listed at
bromptonbicycle.co.ukspecification.htmOpen ↗

Tony

--
raven-family.comraven-family.comOpen ↗

"The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable man persists in trying to
adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." -- George
Bernard Shaw

"Dransfield" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Have I got this right... A Basic Red Brompton costs £375, and then mudguards, rear carrier, dynamo
lights, and a range of colours take you up in big steps to £621 for an orange L3 traveller.

So one pays up to £245 for for mudgds, rack, lights and colour? Sounds

like

Quoted message said:

a BMW price list to me, or have i got it wrong?

(I was looking at foldingbikes.co.ukindex1.htmlOpen ↗)

Dransfield

Having look wistfully in the past at the Brompton there is certainly a "basic" model as you describe
BUT if you look at the specs etc for the models the pricing is not quite as BMW-like as you suggest
! Take a look at bromptonbicycle.co.ukbromptonbicycle.co.ukOpen ↗ for the details on specs etc.

I have no axe to grind either way, or any connection with Brompton - just make sure that you are
comparing chalk and chalk when looking at the prices.

RG ( .... the folder I own is a 1975 Bickerton which can only be described as being akin to riding a
bag of tent poles!)

RG Don't even think about it said:

RG ( .... the folder I own is a 1975 Bickerton which can only be described as being akin to riding
a bag of tent poles!)

Not too many of those left. My father has one - I sheared the seatpost off it once, which dumped me
[censored]-first in the road in a very undignified fashion.
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> Distortion Field!

David Damerell said:

RG Don't even think about it said:

RG ( .... the folder I own is a 1975 Bickerton which can only be described as being akin to
riding a bag of tent poles!)

Not too many of those left. My father has one - I sheared the seatpost off it once, which dumped
me [censored]-first in the road in a very undignified fashion.

There's a chap I've seen a couple of times in Winchester who has converted one into a recumbent,
with the 'cowhorn' bars reversed to give underseat steering.

It seems to wobble/flex a lot

John B

"John B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

David Damerell said:

RG Don't even think about it said:

RG ( .... the folder I own is a 1975 Bickerton which can only be

described

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

as being akin to riding a bag of tent poles!)

Not too many of those left. My father has one - I sheared the seatpost

off it

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

once, which dumped me [censored]-first in the road in a very undignified fashion.

There's a chap I've seen a couple of times in Winchester who has converted

one

Quoted message said:

into a recumbent, with the 'cowhorn' bars reversed to give underseat

steering.

Quoted message said:

It seems to wobble/flex a lot

John B

The comment "wobble/flex a lot" is the understatement of the millennium - I'm about 15 stone and
tall, I dare not stand up on the pedals! (have to confess I only keep it for novelty value - last
used it to fetch my wife's car back from the garage, all of a mile away - but it did give the
service manager a laugh....)

RG

RG said:

"John B" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

There's a chap I've seen a couple of times in Winchester who has converted

one

Quoted message said:

into a recumbent, with the 'cowhorn' bars reversed to give underseat

steering.

Quoted message said:

It seems to wobble/flex a lot

John B

The comment "wobble/flex a lot" is the understatement of the millennium - I'm about 15 stone and
tall, I dare not stand up on the pedals!

That could explain his conversion to the dark side.

John B

Dransfield said:

Have I got this right... A Basic Red Brompton costs =A3375, and then mudguards, rear carrier, d=

ynamo

Quoted message said:

lights, and a range of colours take you up in big steps to =A3621 for a=

n

Quoted message said:

orange L3 traveller.

Note Tony's mail on differences between the C and L & T models, but=20 further to that, you can't
have an "L3 Traveller", 'cause if it's a=20 Traveller it's a T, not an L...

I have an L3. Having looked at the options I decided the C represented=20 a false economy, and I
haven't changed my mind since buying the L. If=20 you get a Brompton then (a) they're great and (b)
I'd personally=20 recommend one of the gearing reduction options. I also prefer dynohubs=20 to
bottle dynamos, so had Kinetics put in a SON for me rather than the=20 bottle system available on
the T. I use the Brompton pannier rather=20 than a rear rack.

Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics,
Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

-I have an L3. Having looked at the options I decided the C represented -a false economy, and I
haven't changed my mind since buying the L. If -you get a Brompton then (a) they're great and (b)
I'd personally -recommend one of the gearing reduction options. I also prefer dynohubs -to bottle
dynamos, so had Kinetics put in a SON for me rather than the -bottle system available on the T. I
use the Brompton pannier rather -than a rear rack.

-Pete.
--

Hmmm... are the brakes on the brompton as bad as they look? I was considering one but am tempted by
the lightweight Dahons instead (single-speed Presto SL, say) - these have V brakes and save a bit
of weight.

Off the original topic, but any comments?

AndyK

AndyK <[email hidden]> wrote: Hmmm... are the brakes on the brompton as bad as they look? I
was considering one but am tempted by the lightweight Dahons instead (single-speed Presto SL, say) -
these have V brakes and save a bit of weight.

Off the original topic, but any comments?

AndyK

The brakes used to have a poor reputation but the ones they are now fitting are fine. I'm not the
lightest person around but found I could lock the wheels with them if I tried. If you want more
power the US distributor does a V-brake conversion kit for the Brompton but I don't find it
necessary (as someone that has Maguras and Hope discs on other bikes).

Tony

--
raven-family.comraven-family.comOpen ↗

"All truth goes through three steps: First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed.
Finally, it is accepted as self-evident." Arthur Schopenhauer

AndyK said:

Hmmm... are the brakes on the brompton as bad as they look?

They look like dual pivots to me, and work fine! That represents an upgrade from the Mk 2, where the
brakes were "adequate", but they're really not an issue any more IME.

Quoted message said:

considering one but am tempted by the lightweight Dahons instead (single-speed Presto SL, say) -
these have V brakes and save a bit of weight.

But you're always back to the fundamental problem of the Brompton folding better than anything else
that still gives a decent ride (possibly excepting the more expensive R&M Frog). If you want a
lighter bike with better performance and are prepared to spend Real Money I'd have a serious look at
the various flavours of Birdy, but if the primary goal is something with a quick, easy and very
compact fold then the Brompton is probably still the best game in town. They're generally assumed to
be "toy bikes" just from the looks but they're quite capable machines. Did ~30 miles on the Saturday
of Easter weekend, including at least 5 off road and aside from getting off for a Ford that I'd have
ridden through on the MTB there weren't any issues. Some very amazed looking folk on MTBs though...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

AndyK said:

considering one but am tempted by the lightweight Dahons instead (single-speed Presto SL, say) -
these have V brakes and save a bit of weight.

<snip Pete's nice comments about them nasty heavy Bromptons>

Quoted message said:

Pete.

You're not making this easy for me, Pete!

I'll just have to toss a coin, or sell a kidney and buy one of each!

AndyK

AndyK said:

You're not making this easy for me, Pete!
=20
I'll just have to toss a coin, or sell a kidney and buy one of each!

Just sell your liver too and get a Birdy Grey. "Only" =A31500, but it=20 does have a Rohloff Speed
Hub as standard...

Pete. --=20 Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics,
Ninewells Hospital Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Dransfield said:

Have I got this right... A Basic Red Brompton costs £375,

Sounds like a good opening for an enterprising soul to do a deal with South Central Trains for
when all us normal bike riding commuters are obliged to buy folders next year with the
introduction of class
375/319 stock. I might even consider a 2 tone green "new southern railway" one if I got a discount.

martin said:

Sounds like a good opening for an enterprising soul to do a deal with South Central Trains for
when all us normal bike riding commuters are obliged to buy folders next year with the
introduction of class
375/319 stock. I might even consider a 2 tone green "new southern railway" one if I got a
discount.

Problem with this is that AFAICT Brompton are practically having to beat off prospective new
customers with a [censored] stick as it is... (which is why discounts on them just don't happen: why
bother, then they sell at full price?). Though having said that, I think they're still very good
value if you want what they do.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You're not making this easy for me, Pete!

I'll just have to toss a coin, or sell a kidney and buy one of each!

Just sell your liver too and get a Birdy Grey. "Only" £1500, but it does have a Rohloff Speed Hub
as standard...

Pete.

Wow - didn't know they did one of those - probably a third of that price is the hub. Come to mention
it, probably a third of the WEIGHT is the hub...

So I think I'm nearly persuaded to start with a Brompton L3, strip off everything that's not
strictly needed to make it go, fit SPD's and a lighter saddle, etc. I had considered the C3 but with
the extra cost of improving the brakes, chainset, spokes... The lightest Dahons (8-9 Kg they claim)
seem a bit of an unknown at the moment.

(I live in a 1st floor flat and am fed up of dragging my otherwiuse wonderful tourer up stairs for
those 1-2 hour rides.)

As for the luxury stuff in the future... well, what we save by not running a car... : )

AndyK

ps - can't sell my liver. "It's my second most favourite organ" as someone once said.

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Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit

The latest range of Dahons seem to be getting good reviews now. The Folding Society now have a new
Speical Interest Group dedicated to them. Maybe worth checking it out first at:

www.foldsoc.co.uk

Regards

TB

AndyK said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

You're not making this easy for me, Pete!

I'll just have to toss a coin, or sell a kidney and buy one of each!

Just sell your liver too and get a Birdy Grey. "Only" £1500, but it does have a Rohloff Speed Hub
as standard...

Pete.

Wow - didn't know they did one of those - probably a third of that price is the hub. Come to
mention it, probably a third of the WEIGHT is the hub...

So I think I'm nearly persuaded to start with a Brompton L3, strip off everything that's not
strictly needed to make it go, fit SPD's and a lighter saddle, etc. I had considered the C3 but
with the extra cost of improving the brakes, chainset, spokes... The lightest Dahons (8-9 Kg they
claim) seem a bit of an unknown at the moment.

(I live in a 1st floor flat and am fed up of dragging my otherwiuse wonderful tourer up stairs for
those 1-2 hour rides.)

As for the luxury stuff in the future... well, what we save by not running a car... : )

AndyK

ps - can't sell my liver. "It's my second most favourite organ" as someone once said.

--------------EC73840B1906D9BAD51A8346 Content-Type: text/html; charset=us-ascii
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit

<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0 transitional//en"> <html> The latest range of Dahons
seem to be getting good reviews now. The Folding Society now have a new Speical Interest Group
dedicated to them. Maybe worth checking it out first at:
<p><a href="foldsoc.co.ukfoldsoc.co.ukOpen ↗">www.foldsoc.co.uk</a>
<q>Regards
<r>TB
<s>AndyK wrote: <blockquote TYPE=CITE>>> You're not making this easy for me, Pete! <br>>> <br>>>
I'll just have to toss a coin, or sell a kidney and buy one of each! <br>> <br>>Just sell your
liver too and get a Birdy Grey. "Only" &pound;1500, but it <br>>does have a Rohloff Speed
Hub as standard... <br>> <br>>Pete. <br>>
<t>Wow - didn't know they did one of those - probably a third of that price is <br>the hub. Come to
mention it, probably a third of the WEIGHT is the hub...
<u>So I think I'm nearly persuaded to start with a Brompton L3, strip off <br>everything that's not
strictly needed to make it go, fit SPD's and a lighter <br>saddle, etc. I had considered
the C3 but with the extra cost of improving <br>the brakes, chainset, spokes... The
lightest Dahons (8-9 Kg they claim) <br>seem a bit of an unknown at the moment.
<v>(I live in a 1st floor flat and am fed up of dragging my otherwiuse <br>wonderful tourer up
stairs for those 1-2 hour rides.)
<w>As for the luxury stuff in the future... well, what we save by not running a <br>car... : )
<x>AndyK
<y>ps - can't sell my liver. "It's my second most favourite organ" as someone <br>once
said.</blockquote> </html>

--------------EC73840B1906D9BAD51A8346--

AndyK said:

So I think I'm nearly persuaded to start with a Brompton L3, strip off everything that's not
strictly needed to make it go, fit SPD's and a lighter saddle, etc. I had considered the C3 but
with the extra cost of improving the brakes, chainset, spokes...

Stripping down a Brompton to save ounces strikes me as a bit pointless, to be honest. Since the
riding position is quite upright and the bar stem will flex quite a bit if you haul on it you're
never going to break any speed records and the wind resistance will make far more difference than
you'll make up with a razor-blade for a saddle and such like.

Quoted message said:

The lightest Dahons (8-9 Kg they claim) seem a bit of an unknown at the moment.

From what I've seen of the Dahons they're good pieces of kit (they're the biggest manufacturer of
folding bikes in the world, btw) and I certainly wouldn't object to owning any of the ones I've
seen and examined. The Brompton is the best there is when it comes to a quick and compact fold on a
useful bike, but that's not the only consideration. If there's something else that folds well
*enough* for your purposes it makes very good sense to look beyond the Brompton.

Quoted message said:

(I live in a 1st floor flat and am fed up of dragging my otherwiuse wonderful tourer up stairs for
those 1-2 hour rides.)

If this is the only problem and you want something reasonably quick/light and can't afford a Birdy
Black then I'd say a Dahon would probably make more sense than a Brommie.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

So I think I'm nearly persuaded to start with a Brompton L3, strip off everything that's not
strictly needed to make it go, fit SPD's and a lighter saddle, etc.

The only thing to remember is that the Brommie comes with a very neat folding left pedal. I find
this very useful as it stops me cracking my shins when carrying the bike and it makes it a few
inches narrower when it comes to luggage space on trains and doorways.. My Brompton is my one
non-spd bike out of the four. If someone releases a folding spd (or other system for that matter)
pedal then I'll be buying it straight away.

Colin

<snipped loads of helpful hints from various people>

Thanks all, some good comments to think about (possibly too many!)

The Brompton will be the best for the occasional train trip as well as most of my shorter rides;

The Birdy (also Airnimal, etc) will probably be the best performance machine, though I want
something cheaper as a first folder - maybe later, if I get bitten by the bug...;

Dahon do some (probably) slightly lighter/faster alternatives to the Brompton;

I'm going to think about it, look around, probably toss a coin and will eventually buy SOMETHING...
I'll come back with the details...

Cheers All, AndyK