elyob said:I'm a little confused ... I want one as cheap as possible but as practical
as possible.
There's your first problem then. The cheapest is the C3, but though the
frames are the same the rest of the componentry has short cuts and there
are no mudguards. So rather less practical. Another way to get cheaper
is 1 or 2 speed, but though 1 or 2 isn't that much smaller sounding than
3, in practice your gear range will be rather restrictive so unless you
never intend going up hills I'd suggest a 3.
I don't like the girly handlebars, not sure which of the gears
Quoted message said:is the best to go for and have read to get lower gearing.
If it bothers you that much get the straight bars, but I doubt it will
bother you after a bit of riding. If it's street cred you're worried
about, you've already lost most of it (at least in "proper bike" terms)
with a step through frame and wee wheels. But the "girly" bars work,
and give a comfortable, upright riding position. The "girly" bars don't
need a special, lower capacity bag which the straight bars do, if you're
using Brom's luggage.
As suggested above in my first para, I think a 3 speed will give you a
lot more useful a bike than a 1 or 2. The 6 is a bit nicer, giving
"half" gears in between the 3 normal, but you don't need it. I
personally use the -18% gear option, but Dundee has some rather more
serious hills than most of London. But I'd be inclined to get the -12%
in any case, even if I lived in NL, as I find the standard range just a
bit higher than I like. The Brompton is particularly badly suited to
standing on big gears and honking, but stay sat down and use the gears
and it's a nice nippy ride.
Quoted message said:So, can anyone explain which one a heavy set 6ft bloke with powerful legs
should go for? And where to buy that isn't Evans but may be able to change a
few pieces if required. Alternatively, what's the waiting list like?
Waiting list may be down to merely 2 months by now... or not... But you
can get an a la carte one if you're prepared to wait. Bikefix may well
have a load on the shelf and should be able to change stuff.
I personally think the Brom luggage is very good. It's a lot to pay for
what you get in terms of physical stuff, but it just works incredibly
well. Not really convinced about the rear rack, but then I don't have
one so that's more a thought experiment than practical experience.
For a 6 footer, you'll probably want the extended or telescopic seat post.
Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/
