Brompton: There's more to life than FTP and 53x11...

[dem]

Well if we're doling out Brompton love..

Funny story.. used to do a lunch ride up a local climb (San Bruno - site of NYD hillclimb) and one of the guys who rode was complaining the reason he was slow is he didn't have a $5000 bicycle. So I rode my Brompton one day instead. Same result.

[fuzzalow]

Originally Posted by tumbler

Here's a shot of mine under my desk. Give me a shout if you see us out there.

Of course you will get a shout out with your Bianchi Celeste-esque Brompton. Shouldn't be too hard to miss seeing that.

Question for you: How useful do you find the rear rack accessory? I was on the fence about it but I think I shoulda got one although I think it would be more useful with a net to hold things on rather than the elastic strap thingy.

Originally Posted by Nags&Ducs

Completely agree with you Fuzzy! I've always loved races road bikes, but I've recently become enameled with classic-styled city bikes and folders. Especially the likes of Pashleys and Bromptons.

Hope you don't mind if I show off mine and my wife's Brompies. I've had mine for a couple of months, and my wife just got hers the other day. Mine is the raw. Just put the O-bag on it to imagine what it'll look like when we do city touring.

No problem, bring it on! This is a bike that deserves a space with the Paceline forum, it already has a cult following world-wide so the cognoscenti here will not be denied. What little I have already witnessed of the entire Brompton scene is that it is more a celebration of a lifestyle in freedom & mobility than the standard church, row and pew of sport cycling. A very different head. There is a special interest group of Brompton-heads that meet up here in town for rides to wherever - I might look into doing that.

I was riding down Second Avenue this evening and heard some woman at the crosswalk comment sarcastically that I would go "a mile a minute" on that bike. I guess she thought the tiny wheels on the Brompton were comical. Gotta smell the roses my dear and you gotta go where you wanna go, do whatcha' wanna do...

[Ray]

Originally Posted by fuzzalow

I was riding down Second Avenue this evening and heard some woman at the crosswalk comment sarcastically that I would go "a mile a minute" on that bike. I guess she thought the tiny wheels on the Brompton were comical. Gotta smell the roses my dear and you gotta go where you wanna go, do whatcha' wanna do...

My wife refers to my Brompton as my "clown bike" because of the tiny wheels.

Brompton by ramboorider1, on Flickr

-Ray

[Fatty]

What is FTP ?

[BobbyJones]

Here's a repost of my unboxing pic from 3 years ago.

About 10k miles later of all weather use, the only maintenance i've really done is replace 2 tires (Marathons), 2 sets of brake pads, 1 chain, 1 chain set, idler wheels and a suspension block. Oh, and a handful of flats. It's a little rough around the edges, but its still the bike of choice for my 25 mile daily RT commute.

Mines been weekend camp touring, on 80 mile group rides, on trains, ferries, "chinatown" buses, up mountains, on single track, dates in the park, and in and out of more taxi trunks, hatchbacks, movie theaters, supermarkets, restaurants and bars than I can count. I still haven't flown with it though.

Besides being incredibly practical for my lifestyle, its just fun to ride! Never fails to put a smile on my face. If I could only have one bike and was a more casual rider, the Brompton would be it

I was looking for a recent photo, but the only ones I have all have friends riding it. They're all smiling too.

[pdmtong]

If I ever commute by train or move into SF, yea, I am all over Brompton,

Fuzz has got the hot set up!

[weaponsgrade]

Here's mine. Yes, that it is a King headset and a Moots Ti bar. I also made an upgrade to the stock steel post. The outer "seat post" is an aluminum tube that I cut out from a cracked aluminum frame. The inner "seat post" is the clamp from a Ringle seat post that was also cracked. I want to do something with the cranks next.

[fuzzalow]

Originally Posted by Fatty

What is FTP ?

Functional threshold power. The maximum wattage an athlete can sustain for 60 minutes. An important measure of fitness capability and a benchmark for gauging training program effectiveness. Athletes work an entire season towards improving this number/result.

The thread title alludes to just riding a bike for not the purpose of athletic obsession and speed but as just to ride a bike. Which is not to say there isn't racing in a Bromptons-only style competition. Bromptons are their own cult bike and eco system.

I would like to mod and tinker with my Brompton as most cycling buffs would. Gotta figure out how to get Campagnolo parts onto this bike.

[tumbler]

Originally Posted by fuzzalow

Of course you will get a shout out with your Bianchi Celeste-esque Brompton. Shouldn't be too hard to miss seeing that.

Question for you: How useful do you find the rear rack accessory? I was on the fence about it but I think I shoulda got one although I think it would be more useful with a net to hold things on rather than the elastic strap thingy.

Very useful. I use it on a weekly basis, usually dropping off packages at UPS/USPS, or occasionally strapping a briefcase to it. I have fit a TON of stuff on that thing, to the point where it looked like Santa's sleigh was rolling down Madison Avenue. The elastic straps do a pretty good job for me. I occasionally carry an extra bungee when I'm hauling something big, but the standard ones work well for 90% of what I carry. I wouldn't be surprised if someone makes a net attachment for the Brompton as well.

[christian]

Originally Posted by fuzzalow

I would like to mod and tinker with my Brompton as most cycling buffs would. Gotta figure out how to get Campagnolo parts onto this bike.

Record Pista chainset
Record front hub
Record head set
Euclid or (my preference) Centaur OR levers
Campagnolo cap

I am running out of ideas...

[christian]

Somebody already done the first:

[shovelhd]

Blasphemy.

[veggieburger]

The issue I always had with my Bike Fridays was the rattles. so many tiny parts, it seemed I was always wrenching on something or another after every ride (esp headset).

Same situation with the Bromptons, or little maintenance needed?

[BobbyJones]

See my post above...

Originally Posted by veggieburger

The issue I always had with my Bike Fridays was the rattles. so many tiny parts, it seemed I was always wrenching on something or another after every ride (esp headset).

Same situation with the Bromptons, or little maintenance needed?

[tumbler]

Originally Posted by veggieburger

The issue I always had with my Bike Fridays was the rattles. so many tiny parts, it seemed I was always wrenching on something or another after every ride (esp headset).

Same situation with the Bromptons, or little maintenance needed?

I would say very little maintenance is needed. I ride mine every day on some pretty rough roads and the only thing I do is check the tire pressure every few weeks. The right shifter is plastic and makes a little noise over rough pavement, but functions perfectly so I just leave it alone.