I have a 50+ year old, 5 spd Sturmey Archer Raleigh 20 folder that was originally 39 pounds, and many years ago I rebuilt it with alloy components so it's 28 pounds. And more recently upgraded the marginal brakes with Tektro BMX dual pivot calipers. It easily fits in a small car trunk but isn't a quick fold and doesn't get nearly as small as a Brompton. I have spent some time in NYC and there I have rented a Citibike, and found that to be a viable method of cycling without the worry of losing a locked bike or having to carry it into stores, museums, restaurants. When I have recently begun to travel on an airplane with a bike (I didn't fly for a long time, it's a big carbon hit as you know) I got a padded bag and take a full size bike partially knocked down to fit the padded case. Airlines now count that as a regular checked bag. So although I have always been tempted and intrigued by the Brompton, I haven't yet found the compelling use case for me. I live on an island, Martha's Vineyard, and most of what I need is within a 5 mile radius (much of which can be partially reached by woods trails) so I'm able to do most local transport by bike, but a folder isn't needed.
I have done the same and love mine. The Raleigh 20 internal hub 3 speed. I'm interested in upgrading my brakes as well. Thanks for tip and brand and type. I would love to see pictures of yours. Cheers
The issues were 1) the stock Raleigh 20 brakes are flexy, really long reach single pivot sidepull brakes, and 2) when I put the alloy bits on the bike many years ago I made the mistake of putting levers with the wrong pull ratio (duh Marc). So I found that Tektro made a long reach dual pivot caliper called the 900A, and I bought a pair as well as a set of flat bar levers with the right pull ratio.
The front brake was a simple drop-in, but the rear brake mount is way too high up, so I kluged a solution. I epoxied two 1”x1/8” steel strips to the front and rear sides of the seat stays, below the existing brake bridge. I put a stack of washers between the two strips so that tightening the brake bolt wouldn’t bend the steel strips beyond what was needed to clamp them sufficiently to the stays. (The epoxy isn't needed once the brake bolt is tightened. Better solution would be to braze them on.)
I took it out for a test drive and yowza, what a difference! I can skid the rear tire.
Of all my bikes (20) which includes two Fridays and a Strida, the Brompton is the go to bike, for the reasons you state, planes trains buses and automobiles connection, no fuss, easy storage, easy lock, fast unfold and go, and great accessories. I’ve also not gotten a flat even though I carry a full repair kit.
I have borrowed Bromptons, most enjoyably when in Portugal, and Spain. And used it to travel around cities and on trains and buses between cities. It was wonderful in Bilbao and The Basque country! I plan on buying an ebrompton hopefully by next winter. They are fairly pricey and I would hope that with the new plant and new production intentions the prices might stabilize or drop a bit. Fingers crossed! They really are a very sensible bicycle for all ages. About the only place I would not write a Brompton, and here I'm speaking from experience, is on a single track through the trees! :-)
The Brompton looks great. We bought a folding bike from Decathlon a few years ago, to share as a couple and with a view to taking it on holiday mostly. It was their sturdiest model, good tyres for mixed terrain etc, so it was really too heavy to be easily portable, and we never did properly get the hang of the folding mechanism. We used it a bit, but my husband (we got it for his 80th birthday) found the riding position uncomfortable and precarious, and I found the small wheels frustrating. Finally I part-exchanged it for an e-bike, which is wonderful but heavy and encumbering, and, as you say, always a worry from the security point of view.
Still riding my 20 year old Brompton in NYC. I splurged a bit on it after a bad experience with a used folder from a cheaper manufacturer that I picked up off Craig's List. It beats the heck out of riding the clunky Citibikes. On top of it being a joy to ride - almost as much fun as my road bike that I use for longer recreational rides - it's an attention-getter. When I first got it, I was being asked every few blocks what it was. Not quite as often these days, but it still happens once every week or so, especially when I'm in the process of folding or unfolding it.
And I get an extra bonus: bringing it into my classrooms (because I don't have to lock it outside), it becomes a bit of a teaching tool sitting up front by the podium.
Wow. Bicycles with old-fashioned fixability! Bicycling makes so much sense. I was surprised to find out recently that—Even adding all the energy of constructing a bike—biking is more carbon neutral than walking. Get a bike. Ride it. Run errands with it.
Susan, I was quite surprised by this. After all, what is more simple than walking? The explanation I read on this said that the fuel for our bodies comes from food. With today's agriculture--modern tilling techniques, synthetic fertilizers, farm machinery, transportation, and even refrigeration and cooking--all food has a carbon footprint. When we walk or cycle we use up more energy, more food, than when we are at rest. Bicycles increase the efficiency of our travels. On a bike, a person in general uses about 1/3 the energy than when he or she walks. So you use less energy, less food, and less carbon on a bike!
I've heard that too, and though it's interesting, and probably arithmetically true in terms of calories/energy, it presupposes that one only eats exactly the calories required for the expenditure of energy for any particular activity. Would that were so, if it were there would be no obesity! Personally and anecdotally, I know full well I eat more, or want to, when being sedentary than when moving about, whether walking, cycling or whatever. I haven't really noticed much difference, in terms of my appetite or food consumption, between an hour's walking or an hour on the bike, maybe a bit more for the latter since it's more aerobic? But then I've also covered more ground, of course.
Also it assumes that all calories are created equal in carbon terms, which isn't so either. Walking on a vegan diet versus biking on beef?
I remember when my brother's then teenage daughter used to walk to school ( before we were really aware of carbon footprints etc) he concluded that it cost more in shoe leather for her to do so than for him to take her in the car. Bit tenuous really!
I'd say that publicist was right to pitch your Substack- now that I read this, I really want to look more closely at Brompton! It sounds like a perfect solution for so many urban transportation problems.
There's been a lot written comparing the Brompton to the Bike Friday Tikit (no longer made) and Pakit. For the use case Lloyd is focused on, the minimal folded size of the Brompton appears to be better by far. Somewhere online I found an image with the Pakit and the Brompton folded side by side, it's worth considering that aspect. I have owned Bike Friday travel bikes so not biased against that company, but if I was looking for an urban folder it would be a Brompton.
I have a 50+ year old, 5 spd Sturmey Archer Raleigh 20 folder that was originally 39 pounds, and many years ago I rebuilt it with alloy components so it's 28 pounds. And more recently upgraded the marginal brakes with Tektro BMX dual pivot calipers. It easily fits in a small car trunk but isn't a quick fold and doesn't get nearly as small as a Brompton. I have spent some time in NYC and there I have rented a Citibike, and found that to be a viable method of cycling without the worry of losing a locked bike or having to carry it into stores, museums, restaurants. When I have recently begun to travel on an airplane with a bike (I didn't fly for a long time, it's a big carbon hit as you know) I got a padded bag and take a full size bike partially knocked down to fit the padded case. Airlines now count that as a regular checked bag. So although I have always been tempted and intrigued by the Brompton, I haven't yet found the compelling use case for me. I live on an island, Martha's Vineyard, and most of what I need is within a 5 mile radius (much of which can be partially reached by woods trails) so I'm able to do most local transport by bike, but a folder isn't needed.
I have done the same and love mine. The Raleigh 20 internal hub 3 speed. I'm interested in upgrading my brakes as well. Thanks for tip and brand and type. I would love to see pictures of yours. Cheers
The issues were 1) the stock Raleigh 20 brakes are flexy, really long reach single pivot sidepull brakes, and 2) when I put the alloy bits on the bike many years ago I made the mistake of putting levers with the wrong pull ratio (duh Marc). So I found that Tektro made a long reach dual pivot caliper called the 900A, and I bought a pair as well as a set of flat bar levers with the right pull ratio.
The front brake was a simple drop-in, but the rear brake mount is way too high up, so I kluged a solution. I epoxied two 1”x1/8” steel strips to the front and rear sides of the seat stays, below the existing brake bridge. I put a stack of washers between the two strips so that tightening the brake bolt wouldn’t bend the steel strips beyond what was needed to clamp them sufficiently to the stays. (The epoxy isn't needed once the brake bolt is tightened. Better solution would be to braze them on.)
I took it out for a test drive and yowza, what a difference! I can skid the rear tire.
Of all my bikes (20) which includes two Fridays and a Strida, the Brompton is the go to bike, for the reasons you state, planes trains buses and automobiles connection, no fuss, easy storage, easy lock, fast unfold and go, and great accessories. I’ve also not gotten a flat even though I carry a full repair kit.
The Net Zero isn't ambitious but their new factory definitely is. Unfortunately, many people don't like ambition - have a read of the roadblocks going up in the face of their decision not to add more parking for the factory: https://road.cc/content/news/new-car-free-brompton-factory-facing-delays-306637
I have borrowed Bromptons, most enjoyably when in Portugal, and Spain. And used it to travel around cities and on trains and buses between cities. It was wonderful in Bilbao and The Basque country! I plan on buying an ebrompton hopefully by next winter. They are fairly pricey and I would hope that with the new plant and new production intentions the prices might stabilize or drop a bit. Fingers crossed! They really are a very sensible bicycle for all ages. About the only place I would not write a Brompton, and here I'm speaking from experience, is on a single track through the trees! :-)
The Brompton looks great. We bought a folding bike from Decathlon a few years ago, to share as a couple and with a view to taking it on holiday mostly. It was their sturdiest model, good tyres for mixed terrain etc, so it was really too heavy to be easily portable, and we never did properly get the hang of the folding mechanism. We used it a bit, but my husband (we got it for his 80th birthday) found the riding position uncomfortable and precarious, and I found the small wheels frustrating. Finally I part-exchanged it for an e-bike, which is wonderful but heavy and encumbering, and, as you say, always a worry from the security point of view.
Very detailed fix, nice. Pictures?
Still riding my 20 year old Brompton in NYC. I splurged a bit on it after a bad experience with a used folder from a cheaper manufacturer that I picked up off Craig's List. It beats the heck out of riding the clunky Citibikes. On top of it being a joy to ride - almost as much fun as my road bike that I use for longer recreational rides - it's an attention-getter. When I first got it, I was being asked every few blocks what it was. Not quite as often these days, but it still happens once every week or so, especially when I'm in the process of folding or unfolding it.
And I get an extra bonus: bringing it into my classrooms (because I don't have to lock it outside), it becomes a bit of a teaching tool sitting up front by the podium.
Wow. Bicycles with old-fashioned fixability! Bicycling makes so much sense. I was surprised to find out recently that—Even adding all the energy of constructing a bike—biking is more carbon neutral than walking. Get a bike. Ride it. Run errands with it.
how can riding a bike be more carbon neutral than walking?
Susan, I was quite surprised by this. After all, what is more simple than walking? The explanation I read on this said that the fuel for our bodies comes from food. With today's agriculture--modern tilling techniques, synthetic fertilizers, farm machinery, transportation, and even refrigeration and cooking--all food has a carbon footprint. When we walk or cycle we use up more energy, more food, than when we are at rest. Bicycles increase the efficiency of our travels. On a bike, a person in general uses about 1/3 the energy than when he or she walks. So you use less energy, less food, and less carbon on a bike!
That is fascinating, Paul! Thank you for the information.
I've heard that too, and though it's interesting, and probably arithmetically true in terms of calories/energy, it presupposes that one only eats exactly the calories required for the expenditure of energy for any particular activity. Would that were so, if it were there would be no obesity! Personally and anecdotally, I know full well I eat more, or want to, when being sedentary than when moving about, whether walking, cycling or whatever. I haven't really noticed much difference, in terms of my appetite or food consumption, between an hour's walking or an hour on the bike, maybe a bit more for the latter since it's more aerobic? But then I've also covered more ground, of course.
Also it assumes that all calories are created equal in carbon terms, which isn't so either. Walking on a vegan diet versus biking on beef?
I remember when my brother's then teenage daughter used to walk to school ( before we were really aware of carbon footprints etc) he concluded that it cost more in shoe leather for her to do so than for him to take her in the car. Bit tenuous really!
I'd say that publicist was right to pitch your Substack- now that I read this, I really want to look more closely at Brompton! It sounds like a perfect solution for so many urban transportation problems.
Is there a 3-wheeler Brompton? If not now, when?
Equal Time. Check out Bike Friday. They have a complete line of folding bikes including electric. They are made in Oregon. Here is one for city and commuting- https://bikefriday.com/product/bike-friday-pakit-compact-folding-bike/
those look great! thanks for the tip.
There's been a lot written comparing the Brompton to the Bike Friday Tikit (no longer made) and Pakit. For the use case Lloyd is focused on, the minimal folded size of the Brompton appears to be better by far. Somewhere online I found an image with the Pakit and the Brompton folded side by side, it's worth considering that aspect. I have owned Bike Friday travel bikes so not biased against that company, but if I was looking for an urban folder it would be a Brompton.