Tips, tricks & tinkering

Preventing problems - taking care of your Brompton

When you just purchased a (used) Brompton

Retension spokes

• Phil Gough:
  I have now had the rear wheel replaced (using the Sturmey Archer steel hub with brass washers again) because the wheel had become so sloppy that the spoke holes in the original hub had become ovalised and rendered the it useless. That was my lesson learned, that spoke tension should be part of regular checking routine.

Toss out abbrasive brake blocks

Grease

• Jonathan Brickley, Feb 2000:
  I also found when servicing the bike that my dragging brakes were caused by a complete absence of grease on the caliper pivots.....it's well worth dismantling and greasing from new!!

Regular checks

Basic brake care

• If (like me) you're too lazy to do this, get some softer brake blocks (Tips, tricks & tinkering - Alternative brake blocks).
• Or do it less often? Asked how he'd taken the B over 2,000 mi in a long trek he did some years back, Channell Wasson reports:

  I have had no problems with the Brompton brake blocks. Keep the rims clean (steel wool is useful) and sand any glaze off the brake blocks. I do this occasionaly.

Infrequent inspections (but do it sometimes!)

Replace the brake cables

Check the handlebars

• Custfold, Aug 1997:
  The point about inspection cannot be stressed (sorry no pun intended) enough. The failure of early B bars is preceded by a very noticable crack line -usually along the neutral axis of the bend, for around 3-6 months before it fails.
  The top of a loaded beam is in compression, the bottom is in tension (and vice versa for cantilevers). As you approach the centre of the beam they cancel each other out until at the neutral axis the result is zero, ie neither tension nor compression. This is the reason why rolled steel beams are "I" (capital i) shaped, because you need the most material at the top and bottom where the stresses are highest. And why if you're putting holes in timber floor joists to run cables, pipes etc, you should always drill through the centre and not notch the top or bottom.
  There's no reason why bars should fail at the 'neutral axis'. I suspect this is a mis-use of the term because obviously you would expect failure where the stresses are highest. Failure is caused by the torsional stress set up in the horizontal part of the bars when you push or pull against the handles, which is highest on the surface of the bar and zero at the centre
• Custfold, Aug 1997:
  Oops I made a wee assumption, which may not hold absolutely true. The line appears on the neutral axis of the bend where the alloy handlebar tube has neither been stretched or compressed, it was a crack, as the failure of the bars focussed onto it from upper & lower faces at the clamp. Now in use it may be that the 'neutral axis' of the bend may focus stresses, because the tube is deformed from a true radius to have thicker walls, and larger diameter in that plane and not be a neutral axis of the whole unit under load. Stress modelling program anyone?

Check the frame clamps

• Custfold:
  Did spot an aesthetically displeasing Brompton front main frame clamp, on one machine - possibly a mis matching of assemblies/tolerances, but the 2 halves did not meet evenly in the clamp - possibly damaged pivot pin, or mis drilled holes - and suggested the owner referred back to check this was not a damaged or defective finish bike, which had got out. Do however check the clamp plates occasionally for damage if the bike is intensively used. One of my earliest machine's plates (1989) started to show signs of the alloy clamp cracking, and tightening right to the frame (no gap). These pieces are crucial to keeping the frame stresses evenly distributed (the bike can be ridden with them loose but it is (sic) not recommended and very noticable in the ride quality). Later issue clamps are not anodised - could this reduce the potential skin effect of the harder Al2O3 ?
  Such a series of annual checks and visual awareness is just the same as one would do for the UK motor vehicle annual test after the vehicle reaches 3 years old, and would include examining highly stressed points at frame 'junctions' and rear pivot for deformity, and large areas lifting paint (a previously noted indicator of a crack or movement of the metal below). Brake cables should be examined, as should rim wear etc - above normal brake checks and spoke tightness. Over a long period wear will also occur in the rear pivot pin and bearings, but this does tend to be relatively minor - perhaps dismantling at 4-6 years for a check on a heavily used machine might reveal a need for renewal.
• Peter Amey, Aug 1997:
  No sign of a crack in my T5 handlebars (touch wood) but I did get two lovely, propagating fatigue cracks in one of the aluminium frame clamps after about 3000 miles of hard use. These are worth checking - the main frame tube folding in half at speed would make even handlebar failure look tame!
• David Henshaw, Aug 97:
  On the subject of fatigue failure, someone mentioned the hinge clamp plates. It's worth inspecting these on older machines, as they do eventually develop cracks, but I have not heard of a catastrophic failure. However, Dave Holladay has broken just about everything else on a Brompton, so I'm sure he can correct me on that. All alloy parts that 'work' should be replaced after high mileage - I replaced my plates at about 8,000 miles, still crack-free, but a bit the worse for wear.
• Custfold, Aug 1997:
  Again I can only point out that looking at the clamp plate when you tighten it gives a clue (a crack in the corner) well before failure, and the other clue is that the clamp will 'bottom' onto the hinge plates, which will then be slack, and only a completely insensitive rider will not notice the hairy handling. This is akin to not tightening the main frame clamp before riding off (do not try this at home children). There are 2 types of plate - shiny (new) and satin anodised (old) IIRC. I have changed 1 main frame clamp plate in 7.5 years, during which I've broken 2 main frames, and front sections. NB you can tighten the clamps whilst riding should you forget this minor detail, it doesn't do the hinge plates much good though :-(
• Custfold, Jun 1999:
  My second clamp this year has been changed - split half way through and the front kept moving when braked hard - check those clamps as a regular detail you heavy riders.

Check for frame cracks

• David Hansen, Jun 1999:
  [...] a crack between the weld and tube in front of the hinge. The crack was around about half the circumference of the weld. Presumably the ride had aggrevated a crack that was spreading slowly.
• Custfold, Jun 1999:
  Score on this failure with Holladay Bromptons - 4 units - now avoided by sweating on an outer sleeve - major stress raiser in 2 points - abrupt change of section & material in joint from tube to hinge casting, and HAZ for that little loop that hooks the front brake cable away under the frame.
  Watch also for a smile under the joint from main tube to y branch for b/b - early frames had less meat to form the joint and a number parted - the failures are usually noticed early by bike crabbing along road out of track, and pedals hitting ground on corners (fixed wheel freaks will appreciate that whatever one rides one keeps pedalling out of habit)

Check for loose pivot bolts

Check the front carrier block

Check suspenion block pretension

Check rim thickness

Check for handlebar cracks

Grease the front hub and tighten its cones

Riding issues

• Is it normal for the hub gears to go "tick-tick-tick" when you pedal forward?
• Hub gear troubleshooting
• Preventing punctures
• Slipping tyre-side dynamo
• Auto-engaging bottle dynamo
• Blown tail lights
• Keeping it up
• Broken spokes
• Chain falling off while riding over bumps or while unfolding
• Front light lens falls off
• Pantour suspension front hub
• If you have problems or worries about a particular part, look it up in the Tinker section...

How can I go faster?

• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Changing the Brompton's gearing set-up
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Alternative tyres
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Toe clips/clipless pedals
• Adopt a more aerodynamic riding position: Tips, tricks & tinkering - Rotating the handlebars
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Electrically powered Bromptons

Rolling resistance tests

• A2B, May 98:
  Here in Castle Cary, we've been using the same test hill for some time. We've found that if you put the same rider on the same bike, and sit him in the same position under the same weather conditions, the results are pretty accurate.
  Measuring average speed in MPH from a standing start, we found that Swallow tyres performed best at 70psi, hitting 13mph, a well-worn set of Raleigh Records performed best at 60psi, achieving 13.6mph, and the Primos gave the best results, managing almost 14mph at just 50psi. We went on to fine tune the pressures and found a performance peak at about 14.3mph with 65psi in the rear tyre and 45psi in the front. 1.3mph best to worst might not sound much, but it's a 10% performance boost for very little outlay.
  Obviously, the weight of the rider has an effect, but we went on to produce a recommended pressure v rider weight chart, which was printed in Folder 18. There's no doubt that Primos give a clear advantage, but you need to set the pressures with care.

Suspension versus efficieny (biopacing?)

• Stein Somers, May 2000:
  A Brompton user recently aired concerns about the suspension block consuming part of his muscular output. Something referred to as biopacing, although an internet search suggests this term was really invented for oval chainrings. Anyway, everyone can see the suspension block squeezed in and out at each pedal stroke; when you try to do the same off the bike, the effort seems huge.
  So, I wondered while stumping up a steep hill the other day, how much is that squeaky little devil costing me? When riding at speed with a standard 6W generator on, it doesn't take long for the generator to start feeling warm. The 6W is the power sent over to the bulbs; more than twice that power is taken from the wheel. Roughly some 10W is wasted heating up the generator.
  The suspension block doesn't seem to become warm at all. Of course rubber doesn't pronounces its temperature as good as metal, but if I've been wasting a sizable amount of energy, shouldn't I feel *something*?
  I gather from literature that during this effort, leaving me out of breath, I might be hammering 400 watts through that poor chain. And it seems the suspension block accounts for at most a mere percent of that? So why bother...
• Matt Hayworth, May 2000:
  Yea, it seems like the point of shock absorption and springy seats is partly to cut down on rider fatigue which results in part from being jarred unnecessarily. So the shock absorber probably does more good than harm.
• David Dodson, May 2000:
  Pure springs do not absorb any energy (but absorb shocks...).
  So-called 'shock absorbers' (in the conventional use of this term) are energy absorbers used to attenuate oscillations in springy position-control systems such as transport suspension systems. Energy-wise they convert motive power (only) to heat. A springy suspension element may be included in the shock aborber unit (as in some car shock absorbers with an outer coil spring element).
  Rubber shock absorbers are (usually) in effect mainly springs, but not pure springs -- the rubber's hysteresis absorbs energy. But if they don't heat up much they are not absorbing much energy.
  But if you have anything at all like a car shock absorber - typically an oil filled cylinder with a piston with holes in it that the oil is forced through - then we are probably in the realms of much greater energy absorbtion than with rubber.

How can I improve comfort?

• The first steps to folding wisdom - Do I need a longer or telescopic seat post?
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Comfy saddles
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Alternative handlebars
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Rotating the handlebars
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Bar ends
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Handgrips
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Toe clips/clipless pedals
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Twist-grip or other gear changer for the 5 speed hub
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Changing the Brompton's gearing set-up
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Brompton Recumbent Conversion Kit

Changing the Brompton's gearing set-up

• shift the gearing range to a more suitable level (trade in the highest gears for very low ones or vice versa):
  • Tips, tricks & tinkering - Does the Brompton use a special crank, or can I find a suitable replacement at any decent LBS?
  • Tips, tricks & tinkering - Replacement rear sprockets
• extend the gearing range (add very low or very high gears):
  • Tips, tricks & tinkering - Multiple front chainrings
  • Tips, tricks & tinkering - Geared bottom bracket - the Schlumpf Mountain Drive
• decrease the gearing steps (add gears in between the existing range):
  • Tips, tricks & tinkering - Multiple front chainrings
  • Tips, tricks & tinkering - Geared bottom bracket - the Schlumpf Mountain Drive
  • Tips, tricks & tinkering - 7 or more speed hub gears

What are gear inches?

• Ian (two Bromptons) Oliver, Sep 2001:
  Excel spreadsheet for working out Brompton gearing
• Bob Gelman, Oct 1999:
  This Gear Calculator should be very helpful! http://www.pagesz.net/~scotty/gear-form.html

Is it normal for the hub gears to go "tick-tick-tick" when you pedal forward?

• Stein Somers, Sep 1997:
  Absolutely, though only in middle (neutral) gear and above.
• Anthony Cartmell, Sep 1997:
  The ticking is coming from a free-wheel ratchet in the hub gear. The hub has a couple of epicyclic gear sets, with dog clutches and ratchets to change gears. If you change gear while free-wheeling you can hear the different ratchets buzzing at different speeds.
• Phil Gough, Sep 1997:
  My older model 5-speed ticks at twice the rate as it has two sets of pawls.

My heels hit those darn castors!

• David Hansen, Sep 1997:
  This was a problem for this male, until I unscrewed the Brompton wheels, turned them round and screwed them back in. As a result it is hard to catch my shoes, as they slide down the slope of the coned part of the wheel.
  This does make the folded bike slightly less stable, but not to any noticeable extent.
• mike, Oct 1998:
  I have big feet and did a lot of damage to my ankles by knocking them on the castors at the front end of the rack in the first couple of weeks - I now have an unstable bromton when folded because I removed the front (large castors) and I have not made my ankles bleed since.
• Mr A Follis, Oct 1998:
  My problem with the castor wheels is that they snag the turn-ups on my good trousers. I've ripped one pair. Then again maybe turn-ups are out of fashion and Brompton are just doing me a favour.
• Another cure: Tips, tricks & tinkering - Improving the castors

Waggly rear ends

• Rob Cope, Aug 1998:
  Roland & anyone else with waggly rear ends (Brompton, that is),
  You need to get your dealer/agent to have a look ASAP. The main bearing between frame & rear triangle is worn or loose: unlikely to break (substantial piece of silver steel) but it does you & the bike no good to keep using it. Whatever you do, do *not* just tighten up end screws with an allen key: they are Loctited in place & screwing/ unscrewing breaks the seal & makes it likely to loosen up more.
  When this happened to me last year, I ended up back at the factory (live 2 km away lucky me) for a new bearing sleeve: presume your dealer can sort it out locally.
  All done under guarantee: Brompton stand by their products.
• David Henshaw - A to B Magazine, Aug 98:
  Several very important points here.
  ONE Never, ever unscrew the allen-head screws holding the rear triangle to the frame... honestly, there is nothing in there worth looking at. The screws are Locktighted in place at a high preset torque. If you break the Locktight, the screws WILL certainly unfasten in use and the rear triangle could come adrift.
  TWO Because the bearings need to be very accurately reamed to size with a custom-made reaming tool, only Brompton can fit them. So the assembly is neither user or dealer serviceable at present.
  THREE As enthusiastic Brompton users you can do two things: Keep an eye on the screws - any movement may mean one has come loose. If the bike is more than a year or so old, run oil into the bearings on a regular basis. If you commute every day in all weathers, that should really be once a week.
  FOUR Movement in the bearing is not a problem. My six year old bike has quite a bit of play and I barely notice it on the road. Once the rubber suspension is compressed, the triangle is restrained from moving sideways too much.
• Phil Gough, Mar 1999:
  Owners in the London area of ageing and/or high mileage Bromptons which have developed slack rear fork pivots may be interested that Tim Whiity of Cyclecare (30 Blythe Road, London W14 0HA) has got the tool to do this job. He has just rejuvenated my 1988 T5 which no longer shimmies about when carrying a load on the back. Cost was just under £40, but I had partially dismantled the bike before I took it in (to fix another problem). You get new bushes, pivot, nylon washers and Allen-head machine screws.
• Custfold, Mar 1999:
  I have - through breaking about 6 rear frames - had the rear pivot spindle out on many occasions.
  A few comments -
  1. the spindle does wear noticably, and on one quadrant more than the other 3 I fit new spindles if I notice wear.
  2. the ptfe washers collapse - I now use brass ones
  3. the system for the machine screws is not brilliant - I have tried star washers under the coutersink faces, and am trying to locate screws with better quality drive sockets which can be impact driven to tighten them and do away with the unreliable locktite system. A tip is that if your chainring is larger you cut a nick to allow the bolt to be tightened without having to take the transmission apart.
• David Edge, Apr 1999:
  AFAIK the advice against DIY is the need to precision ream the new bushes once you've put them in.
• Custfold, Mar 2000:
  It may be worth checking first that the PTFE washers that take side thrust are not kaput.
  I've replaced mine with brass washers and also looked at impact drive CSK machine screws as both these are sources of slop in rear end usually well before the pivot bush fails - but they do wear, as pins removed but destroyed when changing rear frames have shown.
• If you want to DIY anyway: Tips, tricks & tinkering - Removing the rear triangle.

Adjusting suspension

• Try the fully adjustable version suggested by the designer - aka a standard Brompton block with a jubilee clip (approx 50p) restraining its, err, fuller figure from bulging too much. [ A jubilee clip or hose clamp (US) is ] a circular band tightened by a screw, often used to hold hosepipes on to water taps. Ironmongers have them. Result: fully adjustable suspension!

Rear mudguard too short (the mud striped back syndrom)

• Bernd Bieker:
  I had the same problem and attached a small 4" flexible plasic strip to the rear fender.
• Jane Thomas:
  Definitely too short! Although when I phoned Brompton they denied there was a problem. I ended up with a super-duper extension made out of a front muguard and castor so the whole thing still rolls under when folding (I found my early experiments caught the ground when flicking the wheel under to fold). The extra length also allowed me to mount a Busch & Muller 4D lite on the mudguard (dynamo driven LED light + capacitor so it stays on when you stop), and I am very happy with the arrangement.
• Malcolm Lyon:
  My only disappointment with the bike has been the silly short mudguard, or fender, fitted to the L model. When riding in the rain, I found I finished up with a skunk stripe up my back. I am pleased to say I have solved the problem by developing a semi rigid mud flap which in no way restricts the folding. Brompton Bicycles did dot think it could work but I have demonstrated it to them at their factory and can assure you it does.
  It is easy to make. Just cut a piece of semi stiff butyl rubber sheet of one eighth inch thickness into a rectangle of 4 inches by 1 and 7/8ths. It can be held in place by 2 pop rivets with rivet washers to sandwich it. Or if you want a really simple fitting drill two 3mm holes about 15mm apart, down the centre line on the mudguards tail and secure the flap with 3mm cable tie.
  I have made up a small stock of these and I am pleased to say that I have recieved a good number of orders from Folding Society members here in UK. I mention the construction details in case any of our Brompton pals in more isolated areas, like the US, want to overcome the problem. I call the device a Damp Patch Eliminator,... DPE ... or Skunky for short!
  For the kits that I produce, I use butyl rubber of about 3.5mm thickness. When this is riveted in place under the mudguard it takes up only about 4mm which is a very small intrusion into the clearance.. the cable tie method is slightly thinner. On the L model to increase the clearance you merely gently squeeze the four mudguard stays together towards the centre plane of the wheel and the clearance is increased. This is needed anyway from time to time with thumping the roller wheel takes when tucking the rear wheel.
  The natural curvature induced by the mudguard to the flap, adds to it rigidity giving it a springyness to resist deformation by the tuck under. It works beautifully. I took it to show the Brompton factory - they were surprised but impressed.. and said they had been considering a solution.
  On the T model there should be enough clearance but I guess one can gain bit more through adjustment.
  You do not need a wide or pear shaped flap the rear as the spray comes straight off the centre of the tyre. On the front a wide flap is needed because your also have to cope with the spray deflected from the road towards the botton bracket and your feet. I doubt if a curved in front flap will over come this problem.

  I am marketing a simple kit which will completely eliminate the problem of your rear damp patch. This has been developed and tested on the L model but I hear from people that it works well on the T model too.
  2 pounds 50 pence including postage.

  Malcolm Lyon 2 The Mill, Turvey, Beds, MK43 8ET

  This is not commercial venture - just a service to fellow Brompton enthusiasts!

• Peter Amey:
  A rear mudflap works wonders. On my T5 I found I could not use any of the commercial mudflaps I found because they all need to go between the mudguard and the tyre; on my bike at least, there simply isn't room. I cut a mudflap out of an old inner tube and used impact adhesive (Evostick) to fasten it to the outside of the (thoroughly cleaned with alcahol) mudguard. The flap is 3 inches long and extends 2 inches below the end of the mudguard. It is pear shaped being the width of the mudguard at the top and about 3 inches across near the bottom. To make it keep its shape I laminated it with a couple more pieces of inner tube using rubber solution. I no longer have a mud stripe up my back so it must work. Being rubber, the midflap doesn't seem to suffer from flicking the ground when I break the bike's back (before wringing its neck to complete the fold :-)) - stiffer materials, such as are being discussed for front mudguard extensions, might well get ripped off during the folding process.
• Stein Somers:
  At the moment a thin plastic patch the width of the mudguard (cut from the cover of a pocket agenda) extends my rear mudguard for exactely 4cm measured at the centre. It is fixed between a stronger plastic strip (cut from a telephone card :) and the inside of the mudguard, with 2 tiny nuts and bolts through the sides of the mudguard, and has been guarding mud without intervention for a pleasant time.
• Mark James:
  I used a strip of reflective fluorescent strip super glued onto my L5 approx 5cm flap and 1.5-2 stck onto the mudguard Had it on for four months and no muddy strip
• Stein Somers, Apr 1998:
  Saw a brand new T5 with a new fancy looking type of mudguards, about a centimetre longer at the rear. Brompton is strangling the mudguard extension business!
• Nico J. de Boer, Oct 1998:
  Tromm (our famous Brommpton dealer in Amsterdam) has a very beautiful _and_ effective rubber extension of the mudguard. You see this type of thing in increasing numbers on "mountain" type of bikes in the Netherlands. Maybe it's a common accessory these days.
• Chris Newport, Nov 1998:
  I took the advice posted in this list (I think) and cut up an old inner tube, cementing 2 layers of the rubber together using standard puncture repair solution to give the right thickness.
  Then loosen the screws that hold the mudguard stay and remove the fixing plate, cut 2 holes through the rubber, and fasten the rubber strip to the mudguard beneath the fixing plate.
  It took about 15 minutes and works just fine.
• Ulric Schollaert, Jun 1999:
  Velodroom (Brussels) also fitted a self-made flap for the back wheel (made out of a strong, flexible sort of gum, fixed with screw and bolt for easy replacement). I've found out that it holds very well and doesn't suffer from regular folding/parking. I wonder how B. have not come up with the brilliant idea themselves!
• Mark James, Jan 2000:
  Add a length of rubber / reflective tape approx 6cm at end of mudguard/fender a smear of superglue after cleaning the fender does the trick wont last for ever but my first effort lastest 2 years of moderate use. Custfolder has fantastic but rather large cordura type flaps that really stop everything ace for the frontalmost reaches the deck.

Loose frame clamp

• Ludger Offerhaus, May 1998:
  I'm surprised to hear you get that, My clamps tend to get stuck more and more, taking increasing force to unscrew them.
• Custfold, Feb 1999:
  If the clamp face bottoms out on the hinge - it has spread out and shoul be changed (a set of spark plug feelers helps here). The clue is usually cracking along the inside faces.

Loose chainguard

• Willi Mindak, Feb 99:
  The chainwheel disk (chainguard) is attached at 5 points to holes in the chainwheel. When starting at a traffic light I accidently kicked 2 of these 5 fixing points out of their holes in the chainwheel. Trying to get them into their holes again prooved difficult. After some banging and cursing I examined the chainguard closer. Turns out that the chainguard has little plugs fitted where it is inserted into the chainwheel. You push the plugs back to the outside, insert the chainguards plastic hooks into the holes in the chainwheel, and push the plugs flush with the rest of the chainguard. Job done. When you try to push the chainguard back on without moving the plugs first you are more than likely to damage the chainguard hooks, and the thing will come off again. No earth- shattering revelation, but I thought I'd let you know.

Undesirable sounds

• Ian Charles, Aug 2000:
  Likewise, we haven't experienced any significant noise on either of our two Bromptons in more than ten years (no idea of mileage), certainly no worse than with our various conventional bikes.
  Don't want to spoil this fascinating string, but surely a product which is at least in part hand built will vary; the type of use it's put to will affect likelihood of rattles, squeaks etc developing; and - this is something which has been alluded to before, I think - what about the weight of the rider and possible load?
  • Mike, Aug 2000:
    Well I'm 13 and a half stone and I've had an additional 3 stone of shopping on it and no odd rattles.

Localising the nosiy culprit

• John R. Bolt, Oct 1999:
  Don't be too sure that the noise is coming from the bottom bracket. I had a similar situation a year ago, and went slightly nuts trying to figure out the source of the noise. I, too, was pretty sure it was from the area of the bottom bracket, and figured it was probably one of the pedals. After a lot of experimentation, I finally established that the source was actually the front wheel. The bearings had apparently not been adequately lubricated in the first place, and were now noisy, but with a sound that I would not have expected.
  So it can be quite difficult to localize a noise, and the "obvious" source may not be the real offender.

Clanking

• Stuart Quick, Aug 2000:
  I had this on my T5 for a while. Everytime I hit a bump there was an almighty 'clang' sound. I originally thought that it was the rear jockey wheels...however, I found out that the back wheel was very slighly loose. i.e. the compression nut on the rear bearings was not done up enough. I found this out by turning the bike upside down and gripping the wheel, and being able to rock it side to side very slightly. I took the wheel off and did up the compression nut just enough to stop the play - but no more than that as the bearings will wear out prematurely if too tight.
• Jonathan Brickley, Aug 2000:
  i have a similar rattle on my 500 mile brompton L5...I assume it is the little plastic wheels rotating and rattling(that's what it sounds like)...I keep forgetting to grease them to see if this damps it out....May try it now as you have reminded me.Will advise if it does the trick after riding to work tomorrow...
  Just been and greased the wheels...they are swines to undo as Brompton have used loctite on them....needed a foot long flat screwdriver with self grip wrench clamped to the shaft of the screwdriver, before they were beaten!Need to rest the bike on a solid surface and really lean on the screwdriver handle to stop it slipping.On a quick roadtest, bike is much quieter(you don't realise how noisy it is until the rattle has gone.....) The little wheel on the back of the mudguard is riveted together, may be worth drilling out so it can be greased,but I sprayed some gooey motorcycle chain lube on it ...seems to have done the trick.See if that's the problem on your bike..... ps don't forget to reloctite the screws
• Nico van Beek, Aug 2000:
  Who knows! Curious. But I don't think that's the problem. It's a metallic rattle.
• Roland Elsenberg, Aug 2000:
  some weeks ago I took my Sprinter 5 apart. I found that a tiny spring from a paw had come loose. After reassembly the hub was much quieter, but has started to rattle again. I don't know if the rattle is the same in all gears or if it depends on the gear I drive. I confess I forget to sort that out every time I enjoy a ride. On my Gazelle with SA 3-speed a noise appeared at 10000 km. In an advertisement by Sachs I found a sentence like: "some hubs are reported to have lasted for 10000 km". Surely 10000 km is nothing Sturmey-Archer would advertise about. The Gazelle is now well above 30000 with the hub still going. It even gets quieter, or perhaps my ears worse :)
• Mindak Dietmar, Aug 2000:
  Yes, the noise is a problem on my bike as well. About a year ago there was a thread in this list about it. I went as far as removing everything on the rear triangle and came to conclude that it originates at the hub. I promised myself to take the hub apart but haven't come round to it yet. One of the list members described how he had ruled out the coasters by riding with his feet on the rear carrier touching the coasters. Don't try this at home was his sound advice.
  I compared the noise to empty cans on a string being pulled behing the bike. Very entertaining on cobblestones. I wouldn`t go as far as advising people against buying a Brompton, but it is definately much less enjoiable on poor surfaces. Now that the brake issue is solved we might get to the bottom of this. Has anybody experiene with other hubs on the Brompton? I know the rear triangle is too narrow to take other hubs unmodifieed, but have heard of several attempts to use the Sachs 3 and 5 Speed and even the Rohloff. Do they clank as well? And what makes that clanking noise in the Sturmey-Archer? Any ideas?
• Stein Somers, Aug 2000:
  Boy, I'm happy my T5's are quiet. I'm very sensitive to noise, sometimes even the ticking in higher gears gets on my nerves. The Sachs 7 speed on my recumbent however rattles annoyingly, although I wouldn't compare it to pulling empty cans. It also has some gear changing problems. The Sachs 5 on my cumbersome are quiet until they implode (which took four months for the first two).
  I read on the Utopia Forum that the Rohloff 14 speed makes a distinct grinding noise in the lowest gears. The Shimano hubs are reported to exhibit not even ticking, but I know someone who complained that the roller brake rattled like hell. I rode one recently and it was very quiet and braking power smoothly controllable. Alas, maximum braking power couldn't match an original Saccon brake on a Brompton in the rain.
• mark james, Aug 2000:
  I have the same loud noise mostly when I freewheel (5 speed 10/96). Not little wheels. My new mk III is fine after approx 1000k.
• mark james, Aug 2000:
  That rattling around the rear wheel has now struck my new Mark 3 whilst freewheeling and its starting to rattle after around 6-700 miles. It is irritating on a less than smooth surface, my older bike is very noisy and rattles a little even when pedalling. Something must be loose as my front cones need substantial tightening too.
  Why should some rattle and others not? Haven't tried to tighten anything yet, keep you posted

Squeaking

• Anthony Cartmell:
  A friend's T5 and mine both did this when they were new. It sounds just like the rubber block, but the squeak is in fact coming from the suspension hinge pin. Try putting some light penetrating oil on the plastic spacers at each end of the hinge, and fold/unfold the bike several times. This eventually fixed my one (I also took the rubber block to pieces, greased it etc. all to no avail). I toyed with the idea of adding a grease nipple, but this might mess up the bearing which I think is oil-impregnated.
• Channell Wasson:
  WD40 took squeek out for me--it never came back
• Peter Amey:
  I have had this occasionally and have always been able to clear it just by rotating the rubber block a quarter turn. No idea why this works or what causes the noise in the first place :-)
• Phil Gough, Sep 1997:
  Also check that it's not slack spokes causing the rim to move in relation to the hub.
• Custfold, Sep 1997:
  As well as the pivot, heavier riders can break up the system used to fix the suspension rubber. This will cause the bolt to 'saw' a neat slot down from its original position through the plate on the rear frame, and at the same time slim down the bolt by wearing away the thread, and then the rest of it. This will give a squeaking noise.
  I have made a system which rigidly fixes the rubber to the frame, and has a 'floating' metal bearer pad which rests on the main frame (and does not crack up with heavy loads). I'm not yet happy enough to say it's a sellable item, and may try out some alternative rubber bushes. It has made an immense improvement to my rear end.
• David Cox, Jun 1999:
  In hot weather the rear suspension elastomer squeaks on mine but that's after years of use. I little grease on the bold cures it but usually the weather changes before I get round to doing it. Also check that the mudguard or the stay is not rubbing on the tyre.

Creaking

• Andrew Holland, Dec 1998:
  I had creaking noise on my Brompton which took some time to trace [...] to the rear suspension block (Shock absorber) The bolt was rubbing with the metal of the rear frame. The metal to metal contact had cut a slot in the rear frame. The reason for the failure appeared to be a stepped bush that the shock absorber bolt passes through.
  The rear frame is about UKP100 and the washer is probable a few pence but has to be bought as part of the rear shock absober UKP 8.
  When I got the part as with brompton parts there was some fitting instructions that told you how to pre compress the shock absorber and thus prevent the bush jumping out of position.
  It would appear that I am not the only one to have had this failure. It would be helpful if this adjustment were in the owners manual.
  I have spen the last 12 months with a slot in the rear frame but with the rear shock absorber pre compressed have had no futher trouble.
• Paul Weeks, Oct 1999:
  Bucket of water over the rubber suspension thingy cured mine...
• Larry Chinn - The Freewheel, Oct 1999:
  The creaking is probably caused by a loose crank arm. If the sound remains after tightening the bolt, then it could be the bottom bracket. Chains do stretch after a while especially after the kind of riding you described.
  A loose bottom bracket might also cause creaking. It's a good idea to overhaul the bottom bracket about once a year, especially if you ride during the winter in the rain.
  A stretched chain also wears down the teeth on your rear cog and more so the chain ring, since it's aluminium. You can tell if you've got a stretched chain if you can see space between the link and teeth when you pull the chain tight. Also the teeth on the chain ring will be sharp and pointed. If your chain is really stretched, it will skip, especially when pedaling hard. In any case, if you see any of these symptons, you need to replace the chain ring along with the chain.
• Deborah Eacock, Oct 1999:
  I suggest that you check your cranks. Disconnect the chain from the front chain-ring and check for wobble or looseness in your cranks. Also, check the rubber block for rear suspension. Also, tighten the screws that hold down the rear rack.
• Stein Somers, Oct 1999:
  Whenever it happens to me, I get off, give a twist to the suspension block and gone is the creaking.
• Graeme Smith, Oct 1999:
  I experienced a creaking sound which I suspected was coming from the bottom bracket or folding pedal. Shortly after this I changed the pedals for SPD pedals and the creaking went away - Could it be your pedals ?
• Mindak, Oct 1999:
  Me too. The creaking started after about a year with approx. 5 miles/day. I suspected loose cranks, and as the proud owner of a torque wrench tightend them up to the right torque. Even though they were quite loose it didn't improve things. I tried a second right hand pedal from another bike and the creaking disappeared.
• Bob Gelman, Oct 1999:
  I've had a squeak in my seat post, where it attached to my seat, on my Birdy. It drove me nuts for a while; very difficult to "listen" while you're riding. I actually thought it came from the FRONT of the bike for quite a while. I finally asked someone jogging if they would allow me to ride along side them so they could "listen" and tell me what part of the bike it was coming from. This was really deceptive since there was no torsional movement when you weren't pedaling and the squeak stopped when you coasted. I suspected something in the bottom bracket, chain area for a long time. Spokes rubbing together can be especially tricky. One just has to be patient with these things and track them down.
• Nico J. de Boer, Oct 1999:
  One more unexpected source of creaks while pedaling can be the frame hinge: after a droplet of oil my creaks disappeared.
• David Edge, Oct 1999:
  In my case, tighten the bottom bracket in its housing. It does need that fancy FAG tool that's also used for low-end Campag BBs. Not much you can do to overhaul it. It's one part of the bike that has given me little trouble.
• Paul Brady, Oct 1999:
  Creaks are usually from the crank arm losing up a little or perhaps the seat post. You can remove the crank and put a little bike grease on there and tighten it back up. That usually takes care of it.
  • Len Rubin, Nov 1999:
    Whoa! Hold on there! Bad advice alarm! Don't grease the tapers of bottom bracket spindles or crank arms! Clean them, check (and retighten the bolts if necessary) on a regular basis, but do not grease them, as they are MEANT to "seize"! Grease will perpetuate loosening and wear, as the softer aluminum will keep traveling up the lubricated slope of the harder steel crank taper. If you ride throughout the winter, more frequent maintenance may be necessary to prevent galvanic corrosion, but greasing them is a bad idea.
• Robert Payne, Nov 1999:
  It ended up being a lot more simple to fix than I thought. I ended up rotating the rubber suspension block and puting oil on the folding points, cranks, and pedals. No creaking anymore.

Cracking

Ticking

• John R. Bolt, Sep 1997:
  I had the same annoying noise coming from my T5, and I worked harder than now seems necessary to isolate the source (lubricating frame clamps, adjusting bottom bracket, etc.). In my case, it turned out to be coming from the right (non-folding) pedal. This cheapie pedal does not seem to be adjustable, so I replaced it with the right pedal from an old Bickerton, which is better quality anyway. Recently, tho, a quieter "tick-tick-tick" has been coming back. I suppose the new pedal is now giving me a problem--but at least this pedal is adjustable, so one of these days I will have a look at it.
• David Henshaw, Sep 97:
  Easy solution to this one. Drill a small hole in the plastic end-cap and inject oil every couple of months. The pedal will stop ticking and last almost indefinitely. Try to avoid fitting better quality pedals - they're all heavier than the nice basic items on the Brompton.

Clicking

• Deborah Eacock, Jun 1999:
  I discovered that the click corresponded to torque on the pedals. No, it was not in the cranks, rather a slight mis-adjustment of indicator spindle into the hub. Check the location of the red spot in 2nd gear. Also, drop a few drops of oil into the hub.

Screaming or scraping

• Hanel, Steven, Jun 1999:
  By alignment I hope you mean toeing them in [Tips, tricks & tinkering - Do the 'toe in'].

Rattles from the rear

I have tried tightening all the screws and so on at the rear but this has made no difference. (I have not tampered with the rear hinge screws since the Brompton owner's manual emphasises that these should be left alone.) At one time I suspected that the mudguard might be vibrating against the luggage rack. I therefore put some pieces of foam rubber between mudguard and rack but still the rattle remained. I have wondered whether the source of the problem might be the castors on the rear rack, but if I try riding with my feet on the castors on the front of the reack (don't try this at home, children), the blasted rattle is still there.

Has anyone else had a similar problem? I so, how did you cure it, or did you just hurl the bike over a cliff, driven into an irrational rage by the rattle?

• Stein Somers, Nov 1997:
  One Dave Holladay, casually passing through Brussels today to deliver my Custom Folder order (and meet some Euro officials along the way), just told me they do come loose. At least when you wheigh 95 kg and tow an even heavier load!
  What about the castor pair at the back? Please, before you indulge in acrobacy, may I suggest temporarily locking them with sticky tape.
• Custfold@aol.com, Nov 1997:
  Have you;
  1. Taken hold of the upper section of the rear triangle and firmly holding this with bike on its wheels, tried to rotate this around the rear pivot in the same plane as its axis of rotation. My rear pivots regularly loosen and there ar 2 key clues - a small discomforting change in handling which becomes more pronounced as the condition worsens, and a wobble when folding the back under. My opinion of important connections secured by Loctite (tm) if a proper mechanical system is a viable option is that a design improvement is desirable. The Brompton design however has a lot of constraints which mitigate against the over engineered belt & braces, and I have cut a slot in the (53/61) chainrings, to allow me to get a Allen keys into the sockets without dismantling the crankset every time (tip here, do this so that the other side is not covered by the l/h crank!). I have however recently painted the bolts, with Hammerite (tm) paint and tightened them into the paint film. I think there might be other action to develop this further but it hasn't been a pressing issue, as I can always tighten the things as needed. The trailer howver does knock 6 bells out of the rear end, especially when you've got around 100Kg on the tail!
  2. Have you checked the suspension system. The original one has a bolt and guide which float in the rear frame, and will obviously be tight when you're not sitting on the bike. As a very heavy (120+Kg with backpack) rider I soon cut the plastic face from the unit, and then proceeded to have the fixing bolt saw its way down through the frame, and rub itself into a waisted, and wasted shadow of its former self. Fortuitously the hole is suitable for an M8 bold which can be fixed to the rear frame, if the suspension rubber has some degree of float (as on the Birdy IIRC), and I may try some Birdy rubbers as an option one of these days.
  3. Check also the folding stop plate, and SA componentry
• Norman Tulloch, Nov 1998:
  [...] my T5 has exactly the symptoms that you describe and has had them for the last year or so. Like you, I have tried and failed to find the cause. If the rattle does suggest the hub is on the way out, mine seems to be taking quite a while to die and otherwise works just fine. (There's a foolishly over-confident statement!)
• Graham S Jones, Nov 1998:
  Maybe it's heresay to mention another make, but hub-geared Moultons have being making rear end rattles since 1962. From the bottom bracket back, Bromptons, Moultons and AMs are very much the same. The rattles have something to do with the amplitude of vibration of small wheels on the road and idle hub gear internals - hence why it stops when you pedal.
  My L5 rattles, but my 1963 Moulton Deluxe (FW S-A hub) has done so since I got it 10 years ago, and it's still going strong.
• David Edge, Dec 1998:
  This sounds to me like a misaligned chain tensioner - the chain is perhaps running with the sideplates on the jockeys. If you can get someone to hold the back of the bike up while you turn the pedals it will be obvious enough.

Noise from the front

Silencing a whiny generator

1. A little oil around rotor
2. Check alignment of rotor to side wall
3. Super glue two o rings on rotor. ( Be sure not to get "s/glue" on rotor shaft area) [or get a regular dynamo cap from any (European?) bike shop]

Why is the Brompton's steering sensitive?

• Jim McLaughlin, Jun 2000:
  I'm not sure what you mean by "trail", I am guessing that is what we call "caster" in the US. Caster does affect the self steering. I believe it is defined something like this:
  Project a line down the axis of the fork to the point where it hits the ground. The tire will hit the ground usually somewhat behind this, and the offset is referred to as caster.
  I'm not versed in the trade offs, though I believe the racing types prefer twitchy steering (less caster?) and the masses perhaps prefer less twitchy steering. I assume the small wheels have much to do with it. For example, every recumbent I have seen has a small wheel in front and it is a given that recumbents do not lend themselves to riding with no hands.
  The Brompton's short wheel base might have something to do with it but I think less so.
  We need a physicist or engineer out there who can enlighten us on the geometry. But rest assured that one quickly becomes accustomed to the Brompton's balance, there is no special danger. Riding with no hands is never a good idea on any bike.
• Ka Lun Tam, Jun 2000:
  I have experienced that too, pushing my bike by the saddle. I had always assumed that part of the reason I can steer from the saddle on a regular bike was because the weight of the front wheel allowed it to "fall" to one side, so I can lean the bike to the left and the wheel would "Fall" left, thus turning itself to the left. With the smaller wheel on the B, I had thought it just wasn't heavy enough.
  By no means a theory with any scientific basis...
• Wei-Yuen Tan, May 2002:
  Self-steer and steering sensitivity are separate qualities, but both are related to head-tube angle. Steering sensitivity decreases as the head-tube angle departs from vertical. Self-steer (identical to the caster effect) increases as trail increases, where trail is the distance between a) the point of contact between the tire and the ground, and b) the intersection of the ground with an imaginary line passing through the centre of rotation of fork (i.e. a line extending from the steering column). The amount of trail is determined by the amount of fork-rake and the head-tube angle.
  To say that the Brompton's steering is due to its small wheels is indirectly true but inaccurate. Small wheels, a low headset placement and a telescopic steering column allow for a compact folded-form but entail that the head-tube angle must be close to vertical, hence the sensitive steering.

Riding on the sidewalk - is a Brompton a children's bike?

• Ka Lun Tam, Feb 2000:
  Well, here in Ontario, you're allowed to ride on the sidewalk so long as your wheels are under 24" in diameter, which the Brompton happens to have.
• Peter O'Reilly, Feb 2000:
  NYC ordinance permits you to ride on the sidewalk only if under age 14 *and* the bicycle has wheels less than 26 inches in diameter.
  NYC Bicycle FAQ: http://www.ci.nyc.ny.us/html/dot/html/get_around/bike/bikesafe.html

Wobbles and top speed

• Custfold, Aug 2000:
  Wobbles occur mainly as steering geometry alters to reduce the trail - with small wheels this is more rapildy changed that with large wheels. Perhaps as you go faster you put weight forward, and thus create what bikers over here know as a tank slapper.
  Sitting back and transferring weight rearwards will increase the trail and a wobble can be enhance or removed - especially if you have a fairly weighty backpack on to make weight transfer of considerable effect.

Folding and unfolding issues

• Adjusting the seat post after unfolding
• Chain falling off while riding over bumps or while unfolding
• Getting it up or down
• The Brompton folding pedal folding too far
• Folding when you don't want it: Stop your rear end from sagging

Handlebars suddenly flipping open while folded

• Anthony Cartmell:
  I have has several embarrassing moments when the handlebars decide to unfold, usually hitting someone as I'm clambering aboard a train. I have had some success with strengthening the frame clip by threading an old spoke through its holes and twisting the ends together. The spoke wire makes a round-ish O shape which has plenty of spring in it. I reckon a re-design of the clip would be a good idea, as it relies on a very narrow part of the plastic which wears quickly.
• Mark James:
  If you use bar ends (Tips, tricks & tinkering - Bar ends) that solves the folding problem
• Dave Holladay, Oct 1997:
  There is also a neat little transporting the bike trick which avoids the flapping 'bars problem, I found out when folding the black 1(2 with foot & finger) speed machine. A pannier shock cord loop fitted under the clip for the gear changer, with the Custom Folder swing under stop strap, will neatly link together as a positive closure.
• David Hansen, Jan 1998:
  If you look at where the handlebars clip into the folded bike you will see a U shaped bit of plastic on the bike, and a round shaped bit of plastic on the handlebar stem. The round bit of plastic should strike both sides of the U shaped bit at the same time while being folded. If they do not then this may be the cause of the problem. Rotate the U shaped bit until the round bit strikes squarely (you will hopefully need to unfasten it to do so).
  Alternatively the U shaped bit of plastic may have been weakened and so allowing the round bit to slip out. A bent piece of springy wire inserted into the holes in the U shaped bit will hold the two halves of the U together and so help prevent unclipping.
• Nico J. de Boer, Feb 2000:
  Even better: take about 3" of the threaded end of an old (or new) spoke, and bend it into the abovementioned "flat-bottomed U shape":
  The width of the "legs" should be a little (1mm, 1/32") less than the distance of the holes in the fitting. The length of the legs equals the height of the fitting. Insert it from below, and secure it by screwing on the spoke screw (the T in my figure). In this way, no excess sharp ends stick out from the fitting. Also you can easily bend it a bit narrower. (I've got the idea comes from the Brompton specialist at Roelofs Bike Shop in Arnhem, The Netherlands.)
• Custfold, Jan 1998:
  The clip usually weakens and breaks after use over many years or in cold weather. One option is to copy the Cresswell and fit a plastic pipe clip (15mm) - trimmed slightly and screwed onto the steerer stem, with the old capscrew in the old hole.
  To further secure the bars it would appear that the fitting of a pannier shock cord under the gear changer clip, and either hooking it into the spokes of the front wheel, or as I discovered - combining this with the anti fold under strap, the clip can hook into the strap and hold the whole bike as a unit - when the bent bit of the front mudguard stay which can gradually un-bend (see Jane Thomas's note) ceases to clip over. I've made a separate clip which stays on the axle to do this on all my bikes.
• Custfold, Mar 1998:
  The performance of the front clip which retains the bars will deteriorate, as it depends on a very thin section of plastic to give it a 'spring' around the bung which seats into it (Design students of synectics bent might find analogy of a cruder natural occurrence in interlocking components).
  From early days Brompton users have developed options to combat this
  1. using heavy wire - fashion a supporting spring clip which fits into the existing holes - the old style toilet roll holders (back of stall door/Mk 1 BR coaches etc) are exactly the right gauge wire.
  2. make/buy the Grigsby special clip - Avon Valley Cyclery - see A2B
  3. fit the anti fold-under strap plus a shock cord under the gear changer and clip them together when the bike is folded, remove the 2 plastic parts and accessories to balance weight increase and reduction. (both Custom Folder bits)
  4. follow style of Cresswell Micro, and remove plastic parts, before fitting a 15mm pipe clip (trimmed slightly) to engage with the cap screw in the fork crown.
  The deterioration of the clip is advanced if the plastic female part on the forks is loosened or knocked such that the line is not square with the male part on the steerer (very common), or the male part is knocked round on its thread, or fiddled with (it adjusts in & out on the thread)
  BTW the Brompton does make a nice seat with a back rest if the handlebars are folded down and the frame propped (my bikes have bars which touch the ground - and stubbies should have same effect) one can then sit along the main frame and lean back against the seatpost, with room for a second person in extremis on the frame and possibly someone small on the rear T carrier ......
• Erwin de Vries, May 2000:
  Alternatively, use a plastic tie-rap, which you put through the holes in the handlebar catch. You can tighten it click by click until it holds the nipple just right, therefore easier to adjust than using a spoke. Added bonus: put a rubber O-ring between the frame and the handlebar catch, and do not overtighten the allen bolt. This makes it possible for the catch to align itself to a certain degree. Otherwise, slightly misaligned catches sometimes break in two, I am told by experienced Bromptoneers.
  • Nico J. de Boer, May 2000:
    However, tie-wraps tend to break after a year (daily folding/unfolding), while a bit of spoke might hold out longer (currently being tested).

Frequent Folding fosters Frame Flange Failure?

• Roland Elsenberg, Feb 1999:
  Mine had at least four folds and unfolds each day for four years. On some days many, many more. Hinges, threads, bolts and clamps still work well, although I have read advice to change the clamps. The only wear due to the process of folding so far is in the clamp and plastic part locking the seatpost.
• Custfold, Feb 1999:
  The hinge component that fails first is the pivot pin (an interference fit roll pin) - with my frequent frame rebuilding I note that both my steerer hing pins (7 and 1 speed bikes) keep coming out and have to be whacked in with a heavy hard object when the sloppy handlebar becomes too frightening to ride.
  I did use a 6mm bolt once.
• Phil Gough, Feb 1999:
  I don't think it's something to worry about. My T5 has had 10 years of daily folding (250 working days a year so between seven and eight thousand folding operations. The wire clip on the front mudguard stay that locks onto the rear chainstay is very tired now, and I've got through 3 of those plastic handlebar locking clips. That is a part that could do with beefing up.

Is there a preferred gear to select before folding?

• David Hansen, Mar 1999:
  Optimal to avoid stretching the gear cable and so causing adjustment problems, top.
• Mike Hessey, May 2000:
  If you have one of the old 5-speed models with twin cable, then the left hand lever should be in the upper position to reduce cable tension.
• Jonathan Brickley, May 2000:
  I find it's best to be in second for speed of folding as the pedals whizz round to the correct position without dragging the chain tensioner device with it,and pulling off the chain>Mine's a 5 speed with 300 miles on the clock, maybe it will loosen up in time

Coping with passers-by: "how much does it cost?"

• Stephen W. Butler, Jul 2000:
  I have heard that Rockefeller, annoyed by frequent questions as to how much his yacht cost, would reply "If you have to ask, you can't afford it".
• Ka Lun Tam, Jul 2000:
  I have definitely been asked that question on numerous occasions. Obviously, if it's someone I know, I will be honest with them. If it's someone in a bike shop, I might tell them outright too.
  If it's a total stranger on the street, however, what I normally say is that they can buy a folding bike for anything from $200 to $2000 or more, depending on what features they want, how comfortable, etc. I then tell them I spent a little more on mine because I had it customized to match my specific measurements requirements. Ultimately, however, I never actually say how much my specific Brompton cost.
  My answer, I feel, tells them how much a generic folder could cost and might even get them interested in getting an inexpensive folder whereas the real cost of a Brompton could scare people away from the folding experience. By telling them that this bike is made to my specs, I'm hoping to make it appear that its value is a lot lower to anyone else, because it was really designed specifically for me.
  I don't know if any of this works, but I haven't had my B ripped off me yet! :)
• John R. Bolt, Jul 2000:
  I used to be more polite that I am now, and say "well, I can tell you they don't give them away." Nowadays, though, unless the questioner looks like someone who might tear me limb from limb, I just tell them flat out that that is an impolite question and it is none of their business. If I want to save my skin, I will say "a few hundred dollars" and let it go at that.

Carrying or rolling issues

Techniques for carrying a folded Brompton

• Phil Gough:
  I discovered early in my career as a Brompton-riding and -carrying rail commuter that having about 24lb weight acting as a straight down pull on the upper arm socket was no joy, and if one in fact just picked it up in the unfolded state and tucked the shoulder under the nose of the saddle then you got a balanced load with the weight distributed over more muscles and joints. You can even run with it like this to catch a train. I rarely carry luggage on the rear carrier, but I found that it was easier to remove it first as it upset the balance of the load. At most rail stations the surfaces are usually smooth enough for towing the bike in folded state using the little wheels, carrying the luggage in the other hand.
• Carl Etnier, Jun 1999:
  This may be old hat to many of you, but it was a serendipitous discovery for me today.
  I have carried the folded Brompton either by the nose of the saddle, or by the middle of the main bar, about at the top of the curve. This is reasonably close to the fore-aft center of gravity, but considerably to port of the port-starboard c.o.g. That means that the bottom of the bike swings in towards my leg, and I have to hold my arm further away from my body to compensate.
  Today I discovered by accident that if you hold near the top of the little curved tube that goes from the bottom bracket to the main tube and angle the main tube downwards, it is possible with relatively little force to pivot the bike around the fulcrum of the nose of the saddle on one's wrist, and hold it so the wheels are perpendicular to the ground. This means that the bike can be held much closer to one's body without hitting it, and makes possible a more natural gait.
  • Gary Kendall, Jun 1999:
    I tend to do similar but without rotating the bike, hence a little more strain on the wrists. If all you want to do is get the lateral centre of gravity correct then try turning the saddle slightly to the right, before lifting the bike by its nose.
• Greg Lassonde, Jun 1999:
  I've discovered another way to carry the Brompton that's especially useful for getting up and down stairs. I've developed repetitive motion illness (tennis elbow) from computers and needed an alternative to carrying the full weight. So ... I simply hoist the saddle on my right shoulder and bear most of the weight there. I find that I need to keep the bike a short distance from the side of my leg or the frame clamp will bruise my leg.
  • Phil Gough, Jun 1999:
    Yes, this is the method I prefer, but with the bike unfolded, the nose of the saddle in about at the c.g. point and with the rear half of the bike hanging down behind gives a strain free lift. I even run for trains with it this way.
• Stein Somers, Jun 1999:
  My right hand holds the top tube underneath the saddle. The saddle acts as a spacer between leg and wrist. I leave the left crank in a 6 o'clock position, pedal just behind my right leg, rather than turning it clockwise as prescribed.

Stop your rear end from sagging

• Custfold, Jul 1997:
  Alternative for non folded transfers is to use a strap (like our system [which fits around the seat post, clips into the rear triangle in 5 secs or less, and flicks out to fold equally fast; contact Custfold for details], or a toeclip one), which keeps back wheel up, and then rest nose of saddle on your shoulder. The balance of the bike, with a lightly loaded, or no front pannier, is such that it sits with no strain for hands free activity, in almost any situation - climbing stairs etc.
  The balance of the bike generally, and its neutral handling allow you to dismount, let the bike roll on untouched, and place your right hand onto the frame at the fork of the 'Y', and pick it up cleanly - if you have a wide grip over the top, if not under the frame.
  This can also be done when transferring the hand from the saddle, pushing the bike, down to the frame, and lifting in one clean action - hell this really needs a video for rider training!
• Stein Somers:
  Seen in Weymouth: a simple plastic bar, pierced through by the seat clamp on one side, and with a hook on the other side that catches the luggage rack on the rear triangle. To let the triangle swing freely again, just lift the lever. It is kept up by friction.
• Channell Wasson, Mar 1998:
  We use the Ortlieb Ex-Tremer dray bag back pack. All Bromptons fit into it. $99 US dollars plus shipping of about $20. I take my bike aboard airliners with this bag.
• Custfold, Mar 1998:
  A standard Brompton should fit an average newspaper delivery bag which comes complete with shoulder straps - or there is an Ortlieb bag which can be supplied that a bike will fit in with saddle removed.
  The cheap option is to use the news bag, which can double as a waterproof cover for the front pannier - when riding the bike. Think we'll try and stock some if there's interest.
• Phil Gough, Mar 1998:
  [...] the "rear end hanging down" feature [...] has been useful for me. A 25-lb bike in folded form acts straight down from the shoulder and as he says, is not comfortable to carry any distance, the pain is exacerbated by having to have the arms held away to some extent from the body due to width of the package. If you hoist the bike up (unfolded) and tuck your shoulder under the nose of the saddle the weight is balanced nearer to the centre of the machine and you can sprint up and down the steps to the rail platform with relative ease. The hanging rear wheel helps with the favourable weight distribution and reduces the risk of striking other people compared with a rigid bike.
• Custfold, Sep 2000:
  An alternative to the plastic thingy is to modify the thick part of an Adie handlebar mounted front light bracket - from the days when all bik lighs fitted onto a simple standard bracket, the dimensions of which probably were standardised on the old oil lanterns used on horse drawn carriages. This conveniently curved part will locate against the seat tube and generally stay in place.
• S. Joshua Ogawa, Feb 2003:
  Those Taiwanese made Brompton sold in Japan come with a tiny metal piece on the seat post lever axis that keeps brompton from folding itself when lifted. It's such a great addition to this bike but the UK (European) models lack of it and even in the shop catalogues they are not found. I decided to draw it with a CAD so that people can bring it to a metal shop to have it made. It should not cost too much, it's a simple item that can be made even in a home workshop.
  As there are no many people who can read the CAD files so i made it in JPEG format. If correctly printed it's in scale 1 to 1. If anyone who wants it in AutoCAD DXF or DWG format I can mail it to him/her. [Josh's mail address is ogawa.satoshi at chello.be]
• Rainer Zenz, Mar 2003:
  I didn't know of this tiny metal piece, but I have constructed some similar hooks in autumn. The main difference is: they are mounted vice versa and I think this is the better solution. If they fit well, you need just a fingertip to unlock and they lock automatically (or with another fingertip).
  Unfortunately my metal shop didn't build the last version for months (so it WAS my metal shop) and I couldn't test that version, but there are some photos and drawings from all versions on our site: http://www.bromptonauten.de/umbauten/arretierung.html
  Take a spoke and try out.

Put your bike on a diet

• Leonard Rubin:
  either bulk up at the gym, or put your bike on a diet -- I have reduced the weight of mine to 21 lbs! I am also finishing up a 6 lb. (possibly 5 lb.) folding companion trailer that doubles as a hand cart/luggage cart and is carried, collapsed, on the bike when not hauling a load! (check Tips, tricks & tinkering - Leonard Rubin's UFB ("Ultimate Folding Bike" or "Super-Brompton") project)
• More on weight watching in A to B magazine issue 1 (The first steps to folding wisdom - A to B)

Carrying assistants

Collapsable luggage racks

• De Clarke, Sep 1999:
  Those who have to lug Brommies around airports and so forth (in hard or soft cases) might want to look at the dTUBE folding luggage cart. I just got one to use on my next trip. It could be lighter, but maybe only at some sacrifice of strength; the design is really tasty and the quality is reasonably good for the price. I got mine from a mailorder travelwares catalog.
  Folded up it looks like a smooth aluminium cylinder with some hardware along one side. About the height of a wine bottle and a similar weight, about the diameter of the business end of a baseball bat, maybe a little slimmer. You could definitely find room for it in a mid-size suitcase, but I plan to stick it in the bike bag when not in use.
  Unfolded it looks like a sturdy little alloy luggage cart with minibungie hold-down straps. Rated for 60 lb or so, as I recall. at first glance you wonder how the heck it unfolds, but it's actually simple when you know the steps (like the bike).
• De Clarke, Oct 1999:
  Well here is my promised report on the DTUBE in real life, as opposed to the pretty pictures at the Magellan's catalogue site.
  On the whole I think it is a successful device. Having lugged the Brommie (encased) across Keahole airport (leeward shore of Big Island, Hawai'i) on a previous trip, I would say *anything* that obviates that schlep is wonderful. On this trip I had 4 pcs luggage including the Brommie, total weight well over 70 lbs. Whew.
  The DTUBE unfolds swiftly into its working shape. I rolled the encased Brommie and a laptop case without much difficulty. The Brommie case went on the platform, secured by the mini-bungie, and the laptop strap was hooked over the top of the frame, so the laptop rested against the brommie case. It wheeled very easily and I couldn't possibly have handled the luggage without the cart.
  A caveat: the wheels are quite small and I had to go slowly over rough surfaces. The wheels stand proud of the frame ends by only a small margin, so the frame ends will ground and scrape when crossing very small declivities like (this was annoying) the deeply recessed grout between floor tiles at baggage claim. I had to be careful to cross the grout at right angles: if a wheel slipped into the grout line, there was a godawful scraping noise and a sudden braking action :-)
  The wheels are clearly not going to last forever. They are already abraded and scuffed by the rough surface of parking lots and roadways. I will examine them closely this weekend and see if they look replaceable. I am not sure how long the bungie cord will live either. It's fairly slender.
  You have to be sure to lock all the folding cross members very firmly in place, particularly those at the back of the cart. If not locked with a fair amount of pressure they will come loose over bumps and the thing will start to sag. The reinforcing struts for the "platform" can bounce out of their locating notches when this happens, producing a melodious tinkling (as they drag on the ground) and a quick stop for repairs. However, if you solicitously lock each cross member before proceeding, the cart will hold together. There is a warning note about this on the packaging: believe it.
  You can't stand the cart upright unattended with a tall heavy case (like a Brommie) installed. At rest it leans forward, and... more than once I saw my cart slowly topple over. Quickly I learned to wheel it into contact with a counter or bench before letting go of the handle.
  Although the DTUBE unfolds in a jiffy, mine was not always so willing to fold up again :-) This was a little stressful at baggage check, since I was trying to pack it back into the Brommie case which was being checked -- with 100 anxious people in line behind me there was considerable pressure to get the damn thing folded away and stuffed into the bag before putting the bag on the weighing platform. Of course (Murphy's law) it would always balk at the final telescoping action. Same when getting into ground transport. I spent the first 2 miles of the shuttle ride to my conference in a silent struggle with the DTUBE, while the shuttle driver grinned and asked me where the heck I got that funny looking gadget.
  On the return trip I rearranged the cargo somewhat and put the DTUBE in my carryon duffel bag. Thus I could check the big items and then go wrestle with the DTUBE in decent privacy :-) Airport security did not seem to be alarmed by the big metal cylinder. The laptop worried them a lot more.
  On the whole I still think the DTUBE is a good design. My difficulties in getting it to telescope back down may be due to a deficiency of technique. I did practise before leaving, but what is easy to do in one's living room after a good night's sleep is not always so simple when jetlagged, hungry, and the cynosure of impatient gazes from all 'round.
  You simply cannot beat the small size of the folded package, and for me this is the deciding factor. Hope this info is useful for anyone trying to decide whether to buy a DTUBE. Wheels and a handle built into your Brommie case would be more convenient, but if you don't have 'em then this thing works pretty well.
• Gozum WEH, Oct 1999:
  Got mine yesterday and was quite impressed. The review published here discussed problems with folding the dtube may stem from not reading instructions, the assembly collapses when the body is SQUEEZED and handle folded, these items unlock the pillars. Its exceedingly compact and well made. It reminds me of the mechanics of folding the Brompton, daunting at first, simple and quick when done right.
  Its only potential weak point are plastic wheels, however, many wear prone parts have screwed-on braces and are potentially replacable [bungee cord and wheels]. The documents state the dTube is gauranteed for the life of the owner.
  Worth a look for a compact, portable, and strong hand trolley that can be placed on the Brompton, its pannier, basket or the modified Topeak Quick Release rear Rack.

Straps to help you carry a Brompton

• Savi Maharaj:
  I'm hoping this will be useful information for people (like me) who suffer from arm-lengthening problems when carrying the Brompton. (I live in a fourth-floor flat in an old building, so this is a subject close to my heart.)
  I've started using a shoulder strap which I found on sale at one of those shops that sell remaindered books, low-price CDs and other cheap odds and ends. The strap was marketed as a gadget for travellers, the kind of thing you see on sale at shops in airports.
  It looks like this: there is a fabric strap with a metal clip which goes around the top tube of the bike. This is connected by an elastic fabric strap to a loop which goes over the shoulder and is made of a broad band of fake leather-type material. It's very comfortable and seems to work well. My only concern is that it might soon fall apart -- the materials can't be that great because it only cost 2 quid! I've only had it for about a week so far.
  [...] the strap is called "The Weightlifter" and it comes from:

  The Go Travel Products Co. London Fax 0181 906 2245

  PS: I have no financial interest in this gadget.
  The length is adjustable to some extent. I've adjusted it to suit the height I usually carry the bike: my arm is just slightly bent at the elbow. By the way, I should have explained, the strap is not intended to support the bike on its own -- I still hold the bike in my hand but the strap allows my shoulder to take some of the weight. According to the package blurb, the elastic part of the strap is supposed to allow the load to be shifted back and forth between arm and shoulder (by bending or straightening the arm). I do sometimes let the bike hang from the strap for a moment if I need a free hand for opening doors, etc.
  One other point that just occurred to me: the fact that the bike touches me means that this strap would not be very comfortable for horizontal walking. The bike would bang against my legs. (It does that when I carry it without the strap as well -- I guess my arms aren't strong enough to hold it away from my body.) The strap does help a lot when I'm carrying the folded bike up and down stairs.
• Rob Hague/Somerset,UK, Apr 1998:
  I have been using a shoulder strap made by 'Op/Tech USA'. The middle section is neoprene, with webbing for the ends. I bought it from my local photography shop. It is intended to be used to carry tripods and comes with a quick release buckle on each end. With careful adjustment, one end loops around the folded Brompie hinge and the other end around the seat tube frame bit... Works great...
• Koichi Yoshino, Nov 1999:
  Hello. I use a strap for cooler box. I bought it at a outdoor store for about 9 dollars. It says it can hold about 50Kg. Both ends are adjustable and have plastic hooks. Strap is mede of nylon. I fix one end to the head tube and the other end to the seat post. It doesn't damage the bike frame at all. And I can carry my bike very easily.
• Erwin de Vries, Sep 2000:
  I've made a hook to keep up the rear end of the bike, because I carry my luggage on the back of the Brompton. I took a 4mm thick iron rod (with a plastic outer cover) which is bent to go around the seatpost, then slightly to the rear, and then projects downwards and forms a hook around the top bit of the rear triangle, near the rubber suspension block. No scratching of seatpost/triangle because of the plastic outer layer. I've made the hook just tight enough to grip the triangle when I'm not sitting on the bike. Unhooking the rear can easily be done when the suspension block is compressed a bit (sitting or leaning on the saddle).

Bags to carry a Brompton

• Channell Wasson:
  A dry bag [Ortlieb X-tremer] is now available for the Brompton which has straps to allow it to be carried as a knap sack. It is completely water proof and quite comfortable when used on one's back for carrying the Brompton.
• Frank Tompson, Jun 1998:
  I bought a very basic big plastic woven bag (red/white/blue check design) with a zip top and 2 carry handles in a market yesterday. It is a bit of a squeeze, and frustratingly is not quite big enough to enclose the whole bike (at least with a rack fitted) as the saddle and the handlebar stem hinge/front carrier block project above the zip line. However, it gets you 90% of the way there, and would be good enough to tidy things up sufficiently to save you getting slung out of the saloon bar of the pub.
  The carry handles actually go all the way under the bag and up the other side, so although it all looks very flimsy, it seems to be fairly robust, while at the same time being very light, folds small, and at UK 1.50 pounds (say, US2.50 dollars) hardly breaks the bank. Carrying is somewhat easier than by the saddle or the frame.
  I saw these when I was in Australia recently and suspect they might be manufactured somewhere in the third world, so they might be available fairly widely.
• David Henshaw - A to B Magazine, Jun 98:
  We've come across these before - they will just take an 'L' type with standard seat pillar, and are available in a lot of markets and other places for 1.50 or less... excellent value. I think they're called Parrot Brand, and I seem to recall they're made in China.
• Dave H, Jun 1998:
  We found these to be the universal Chairman Mao suitcase for carrying the spare universal Chairman Mao change of suit in China in 1988, they are very versatile, and began appearing in the West around 1990 ISTR. Various sizes are available. The stitching and zip are a little weak, and the material can fray if seams are damaged, or a serious cut occurs. Warning in China/HK do make sure you can identify your bag - a bit like finding your Brompton at a Transport Conference :-)
  Meantime at Custom Folder we're making a Brompton sized shoulder bag (like posties sack) for £39.98 and a very basic shoulder strap and attaching slings to slip over the saddle and front hinge and carry the bike on a strap over your shoulder (£12.50).
• Ian R. Platt, Feb 1999:
  The Taiwan Neobike version has a shoulder bag that looks OK, it matches the black covers on the UK models in looks, but I don't know about the details of the fabric as I have no experience of one. They are priced at 6,000 Japanese yen here (=GBP 30) If required, I could make further enquiries.
• Custfold, Feb 1999:
  Ortlieb produce a stuff sack which is intended for canoe expeditions, as do Mad River Canoe (in their Voyageur Range) - Channell sells the Ortlieb, although attempts to track this mega-bag down for UK sale have been difficult, as the UK ranges seems not to get such a large item. The bag has roll-down seal and is nominally watertight with welded seams - the degree to which it will float is not known.
  I would like to find a slightly different proportion of York Box - of which the current York 200 makes a fine folding trailer & rucksack, seat (for 2 waiting at an station), floats with up to 200lb inside, and carries a spare Brompton inside (as shown to Bicycle Doctor in Mcr) but with the lid off as the shape is not quite right. The York 80 makes a fine watertight and floating front pannier and it is really frustrating that the economics of importing them is so poor (they take up a lot of volume for very little weight, and freight charges are based on an optimum density - so I'd pay 100% charge for something which in theory was only 5-10% of the potential consignable load. We might get something but....
  If any Transpond travellers are wanting a useful item to bring over to Europe then pack your stuff in a York 80, which is exactly the size limit for going in the overhead lockers and can be easily fastened to the Bromptom pannier frame. But if carrying one full of papers you'll need to beef up the front block fixings (they are only rated at 16Kg against 30+Kg with the box) - You got home with stuff in the soft holdall you put in the box.
  Meantime a very effective way of carrying the Brompton is to use the newspaper delivery bag (a larger version of what bike couriers use) - we have made some enhanced versions selling for around £40 with slightly looser dimensions and full velcro shut flap and will make more once we have moved in to new premises (next week we hope) Our s-mail - send SAE for pic. Tightwads might try their local free paper and buy a bright yellow or orange bag with printed name - 2-3 super hot washes removes this - at a cost of around £5, or mugging/bribing the paper boy to win one. It isn't perfect - the fit is tight, and you need at least 1 strap to tie the flap over but it works.
• Stein Somers, Aug 1999:
  There's also the slightly mysterious Carradice "Brompton Carrying Bag", a limited offer advertised in "A to B" issue 12. Is it the one shown at the Cycling & Leisure Exhibition, NEC 1 March 1999 http://www.whooper.demon.co.uk/foldsoc/cycleis.html?
• Ian Charles, Aug 1999:
  I don't know if it was the one shown at the Cycle & Leisure Exhibition but I bought two last week for our Brommies and so far they seem to be very effective and a significant improvement over the original bag, albeit at an extortionate price (I did however manage to negotiate a ten percent discount). I bought them through the ad in A2B.
  Main advantages - carrying: the support strap is well placed to enable the weight to be 'shared' between the arm and the shoulder; and fitting: the all-round zip makes it much easier to put on and remove.
  It doesn't fit as tightly as the original which in some circumstances can be a disadvantage. For example, we're taking the bikes in the car on holiday and want to cover them but will not be carrying them. The closer fitting 'original' bags will be used on this occasion. On the other hand, the space may provide us with the opportunity, long considered, to find some inflatable material, such as a couple of pillows, which could be inserted between the bike and the bag and thus provide lightweight protection when travelling by air (despite the reassuring experiences recently contributed, we've often suffered minor breakages and damage)
  I suppose compared to the fragile-looking jacket at over five times the price, which someone in a bike shop tried to sell me the other day as the only way to stay dry when it rains, the new Carradice bag may not be such bad value after all.
• De Clarke, Sep 1999:
  The airline gave me no grief on the return trip with the brommie safely in a cordura bag that I got (used) from Channell. I checked it as a suitcase with no questions asked. However, the brommie and bag, even with shoulder strap, was a monstrous burden to lug around the airport after reclaiming it from baggage check. I really can't carry it very far, so will have to fit wheels to the case or else invest in one of the recent dinky luggage carts that fold up to teeny size (and could be stored in the bag with the bike when not used).
• DRMLyons, Oct 1999:
  On a recent trip to New York I took a large rucksack and managed to wedge it diagonally from the rack up against the seat post, secured with the bungees. The machine was a little top have when pushing by hand, but the overall ride quality was acceptable. For shorter distances I carried it on my shoulders. Personally I think a decent rucksack is far more practical than a suitcase.
• De Clarke, Oct 1999:
  I tried the Ortlieb pack and returned it to Channell. It was the dickens of a job fitting the bike into the pack, and then getting it out again. I couldn't see undertaking this struggle at a bus stop. Channell says that if you pre-bag the bike in slick nylon fabric it is easier... still seems like major hassle.
  Once stuffed into the pack, it's a rather unwieldy and heavy load (well, I'm fairly short) and doesn't ride well on the back. My back anyway. The straps weren't too comfy, considering the weight of the Brom. If you are quite tall, broad in the shoulders, and strong, then it might work for you.
• Channell Wasson, Oct 1999:
  The Ortlieb dry bag back pack needs a second look maybe. There is a technique to using it. Like so many things these days it must be learned.
• Ian Charles, Oct 1999:
  The new Carradice bag is very good - it's not a back pack but a shoulder bag. It has a very well-positioned hand grip to take the strain off the shoulder and the all-round double zip makes it very easy to put on the bike. I haven't taken it by plane yet (plan to do so in a week or two) but I think that there is enough room to put one's clothes on the outside to act as padding.
• Ian R. Platt, Oct 1999:
  The Taiwanese Brompton also has a shoulder bag that looks good. it costs about ¥4,000 (approx £20) here in Tokyo, I think. I guess they would be obtainable separately, and considerably cheaper elsewhere.
• Mccoy, Andrew, Oct 1999:
  I have a Taiwanese Brompton and Bag. The bag is attractive, but not terribly useful for carrying the bike any distance, neither is it useful for checking as luggage on planes.
  The problem with carrying is that the Brompton is just too bulky to comfortably carry on a shoulder strap - there is always some part of the folded bike trying to attack another part of your anatomy. Most successful is to attach the shoulder strap to the folded bike, leaving the bag's zipper partially open at the top. At least then the bike is not "flopping about" inside the bag as it is being carried. It's still awkward to carry though.
  In terms of using the bag to check onto a plane as luggage, the bag is not tough enough, and holes will appear where the bike rubs through to adjacent luggage as the plane vibrates its way across the miles while the Brompton snoozes in the hold. This problem could probably be used by the application of bubble wrap to the bike inside the bag. Also the airline handlers managed to bend one of the zippers on the bag pocket, so that no longer works either. IMHO, the problem of rough airline handlers can never be solved! As an aside, the Taiwanese Brompton uses a pressed metal clip to hold the fold closed. This clip was bent out of shape and also stripped a considerable quantity of paint from the stay on the bike during the aformentioned plane journeys.
  The bag does look good, and it is very impressive to rock-up to a new place with the bike enclosed and then proceed to remove the bike, unfold, fold the carry bag into the mini seat-pack bag and ride away. Observers are so stunned they almost applaud!
  For those trying to disguise the Brompton on a train or in a building this bag could well be the answer. Although the big red BROMPTON logo may be something of a give away to astute observers.......
• Koichi Yoshino, Oct 1999:
  I also have a Taiwanese Bag. But I rarely use it because it's a little heavy to carry around. When I need to disguise my bike, I use a shoulder strap and UK cover that has no flap but a rectangle hole on its top. The hole is wider than flap hole. The shoulder strap is attached to the folded bike directly. So I can also hold the flame from the top hole of the cover. And I can roll it steering with the shoulder strap. It is pretty comfortable.
• Olivier Pascaud, Sep 2001:
  I use the Dahon Double Play rucksack for the B. and [...] it's the 16 inch model. Flat, the bag is about 90 x 57 x 31 cm.
  The Bromton bag is just a cover. The Double Play rucksack is a bag that you can close and it's a Backpack or can be carried on your sholder. Folded into it's own pocket the bag is a bit less than 30 x 20 x 8 cm.
  • Ian Charles, Sep 2001:
    The [bag] I received first [in error] is very much like the Carradice [with top zip and shoulder strap], slightly less convenient to use, and not fitting as tight (although as has been pointed out, this could be an advantage if you want to put more padding in or carry clothes etc), and it also has a small zipped side pocket. I was charged about 26 UK pounds including delivery which makes it less than half the price of the Carradice.
    The correct (rucksack) bag I ordered from Dahon has now arrived and I'd like to offer a few comments, although others I know such as Olivier have used it far more extensively.
    The quality seems to be fine as far as I can see and it looks reasonably waterproof. At under 30 UK pounds, it seems very good value. I know the Carradice has come down a lot in price and is now around 34 pounds, but the Dahon does offer quite a lot more.
    Like the Carradice, it zips all round and has a good single shoulder strap and two carrying handles, but not the tension handle which eases the weight when using the shoulder strap. However, this probably doesn't matter much because in addition, of course, it has back (rucksack-type) straps and a chest strap to go between them which helps to stabilise the rather unwieldy package when carried this way. Furthermore, it has an internal pocket and also an external pocket which doubles as the carrying pack when the bag is folded - and even comes with hip belt. All in all, a good product and I think relatively good value for money.
    Apart from wishing I had some better skills at origami getting it to fold into itself in the hip bag, I have one further observation on its use: the plethora of handles, straps etc would need to be dealt with (taped or tied down) if it was being used to transport the bike by air. If that was the only use to which I was putting the bag, and was likely to carry it on my back, I think the original B bag or the Carradice would be more convenient.
    And Olivier was of course correct - the smallest (16 inch) size is just right, tight but not too tight in places, and a little loose in others which means clothes can be included. I haven't carried it a long distance yet but it would seem to me that one should put the bike in the bag with the handlebar rather than the folding pedal facing one's back. Anyone with a bad back should also bear in mind that it's OK once on the back, but lifting it and getting into position without assistance could be a little painful. But overall it seems to me, having had both the Carradice and the original B bags, that this one is just as good, more versatile in many ways and only moderately less convenient in others.
• Colin lamont, Nov 2002:
  Dutch Army Canvas "sausage" Kit Bag (five pounds sterling in 1993)! Vulnerable parts (non-folding right pedal, castors) removed; pipe insulation taped to extremities (to protect them & bag); bag padded with clothing, etc. in plastic bags. No problem except rear luggage carrier occasionaly needs straightened on arrival. Bag (with some luggage) is roled up and carried on rear luggage rack, with remaining luggage carried, to train station or local accomodation, in brompton front panier, (cabin luggage) handlebar bag & rucksack.

Rolling on the castors

• Stein Somers, Oct 1997:
  The Brompton method of unclipping the handlebars and lifting and pulling the folded package is not satisfactorily because
  • you still have to continuously carry half the weight, and the plastic castors add a lot of drag to that
  • keeping equilibrium is hard (probably I miss care and patience)
  • and you have to uncover the package whenever you want to move it
  
  Outside trains I'm happy carrying it beside me, particularly since I dumped the folding pedal (Tips, tricks & tinkering - The Brompton folding pedal folding too far). But sometimes I have to walk through several carriages to get to where I'm supposed to sit. In the small corridors you have to hold the folder out in front or behind you. Not only quite tiresome, but the chainring peeks out of the package and leaves lube stains (unless it's covered, which I always do now). You can't use a luggage trolly in a carriage corridor, can you? Nor can you unclip the handlebars. The bike should have decent castors so you can always roll it.
  • Stein Somers, May 1999:
    This is why some people mount in-line skate wheels instead of the standard castors. They have a larger diameter, so that the front wheel is lifted from the ground, and obviously roll better. You can push the folder by the saddle without lifting anything, and steer by applying sideways force. Once the castors are aligned properly, the folded package will roll in a straight line so you can button your coat while you approach the unfolding site (AKA the launch ramp :^)
• Tom Vogt:
  On inspecting those silly little wheels the pulling option seems to be an far fetched. However, I was surprised to see how well it works when, this summer, I witnessed Jane Henshaw wheeling here Brompton around with ease. It takes a bit of skill to keep the bike balanced but works quite well (again, on smooth surfaces).
• David Goldfarb, May 1999:
  The front wheel touches the ground when folded on my L3, but it rolls freely, making the bike more stable when pulled in that position.
• Jonathan Brickley, Jun 2000:
  All I do is fold the brompton normally and leave the handlebar in the upright position.As you say,the front wheel can catch on the ground, so I tip the bike over and run it on the mudguard wheel and the nearest rack wheel.I find it rolls along great on 2 rather than 3 wheels! You can drag it behind you quite easily...
• Giles Robinson, Jun 2000:
  I found this "front wheel contacts the ground" a problem too. I stuck a bit of wood to the underside of the frame where it touches the back wheel when folded. This raises the frame, and thus the front wheel, allowing free pulling. Not elegant, but it works. You also need to rotate the plastic thingy that, with the seat post, locks the folded bike together.
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Improving the castors

Improving the castors

Removing the original castors - they're stuck!

• Alasdair Baxter, Sep 1998:
  I had to go down to the local engineers' suppliers and buy a super heavy duty screw driver before I could get the castors off. That put a further £8.00 on to the total price of the conversion.
  I didn't put the new wheels on using Loctite because a small tube of the stuff costs £6.00. Is Loctite a belt and braces approach or has anyone had the problem of the castors working loose due to vibration etc? I have a niggling doubt as to whether I should actually buy some Loctite after all.
• David Edge, Sep 1998:
  Harissa (1997) has lost a castor a couple of times and all three of us have suffered from loosening of the front carrier block, so we have invested in some.
  Yes, the old castors are a beast to get out!
• Todd Bettenhausen, Dec 1999:
  Ask a competent mechanic to use an "impact driver" on them... this is a device resembling a screwdriver which imparts a sharp, sudden torque when struck with a mallet on its butt end. Usually a moderate blow is all that's required, with little or no damage to the fastener.
  • Bob Gelman, Dec 1999:
    Any motorcycle service shop will have one of these. I'm sure they'd give your bolt(s) a whack gratis just for having the fun of seeing your "funny bike".
  • glassonde, Dec 1999:
    any auto or machine shop should also have one ... I'm a former machinist (1976-1981), have an impact wrench in my tool box, and dragged it out last weekend to used for the first time in 15 years ... on a plastic soccer player from a fusball game ... I'm sure your Brompton will hold up just fine with the appropriate whack

Alternative castors

• Leonard Rubin:
  For a luxurious roll, I have also successfully upgraded (replaced) the castors with the smallest size (44mm) inline skate wheels available. (For the machine shop crowd, these can be thinned to half width with even better results).
• Custfold, Sep 1997:
  [...] an adapted set of lineskate wheels, which can be fitted with no additional parts or machining to a Brompton T model.
  The first production models are now out to the public - I'm doing an introductory price until November - can s-mail details. If demand reaches appropriate levels the kit will be packaged and available widely through retailers.
  Have just checked the width of the wheels which replace those odd shaped rollers that used to catch my heels (usually its women who have the problem as they cycle with feet closer in). The OEM width is 155mm, the kit width is just under 140mm, an that include projecting bolt heads at approx 4mm each side - a dome cap socket screw can be substituted at small extra cost.
  I have also thought through a method of providing a 4 wheel kit for the L model, and hope to be working on this early in October - suffice to say there will be a Y bar with the 2 wheels which fits in place of the single castor once a neat bracket is sorted out.
  • Will they raise the folded package enough to clear the front wheel?
    Well it seems to - on a smooth surface, if you're going off-road, dragging the Brompton around I'd suggest fitting the 72mm wheels instead of the 64mm ones which are double the price to buy and a bit wider (doesn't affect 140mm dimension though). My seatpost will catch if pushed right in.
  • Does it come with all spacers and screws and requires no drilling?
    Effectively yes, but may need a little adjustment if rear roller holes don't line up exactly due to casting tolerances.
  • How to get it?
    I'm in Glasgow PO Box 15174 G4 9LW, as in The Folder, now known as A2B adverts, and listings. I'm hoping to have a means of accepting $ in smaller quantities soon so that I can send things to US more easily.
  (To fit wheels directly the rack will need drilling out for 6mm - M6 -bolts, may require lights to be re-seated, and also have a front roller width of over 160mm).

  My experience, and reports form users is that once fitted the bike then needs a brake to park it when folded - usually achieved by dropping the seatpost down a bit further, or fitting a 1" rubber bung in the bottom (extending post). The standard kit uses slimline black 64mm wheels, although clear 72mm wheels can be used at extra cost - approx #1/wheel.
  The fitted bike will travel over a smooth surface for great distances, and usually gets rolling on as little as 4% gradients. With a high saddle I usually push on this, but the kit will allow the bike to run on the rear set only holding the saddle slightly higher, and under its nose.

• Stein Somers, Nov 1997:
  At last I have decent castors on my T5, in the form of Custom Folder's capable castor kit. Installation is easy and so is compensating for the imperfect horizontal alignment of the original castor mounting points.
  The result: a folded Brompton freed in one dimension. It floats effortlessly and silently along a line (or rather a curve; straightening the curve was a bit harder). By raising the saddle, the package can easily be steered with a slight push starboard or port. Now "carrying" a folded B has become as much fun as pushing the shopping trolley when I was young. I even leave the pannier clipped on so I don't have to carry any weight anymore.
• Custfold, Nov 1997:
  [would like a set for my 1988 model with the original chromium tubed carrier]
  The front wheels will obviously be OK, but I'm not sure how well the back set will lock on to the smaller section of steel frame available. Alternatively I do have some alloy carrier frames to swap with broken alloy or steel ones, but I'll have to recall if the mudguards for the steel frames are the same - no m/g stays, and 2 brackets fro front/rear connection to carrier frame. If this is so then you can fit the new carrier on in place of an old steel one.
• Channell Wasson, Oct 1997:
  Go to a skate board store and have skate board wheels installed. If you can fine the thin style skate board wheels as used by racers, they might appeal to you more for lightness. I use mid-sized ones but the larger are even better for pulling the bike along train platforms.
• Channell Wasson, Jun 1998:
  Would you like to use skate board wheels instead of plastic main frame roller wheels? More durable, roll easily when towing bike along platforms, look sharp, AVAILABLE NOW IN Brompton RED OR Brompton BLACK. Can be shipped first class postage immediately. The red wheels have black inserts as bearing retainers. The black have subdued printing on one side saying "Huricanz".The complete kit includes two high quality wheels, four sealed bearings, two axles, and mounting screws with lock washers. In 10 minutes they are on and you are off again amazing the world. Here is the price for complete kit: USA $19, UK 14 English pounds. Price includes postage charges for England, USA and Europe. Send to C.M. Wasson 423 Chaucer St., Palo Alto, CA. When the money arrives, the wheels will roll to you. Checks or credit card ok
• Ian R. Platt, Sep 1998:
  I fitted some inline skate wheels in stead of the rollers: nice idea, but unless you're crossing a billiard table...
  I could only get 1.7cm thick wheels and standard diameter (about 6. 5cm? - I can't remember at the moment), each of which have two bearings, one each side of the wheel. Yes, they stick out a bit, but they do allow the beast to roll across normal pavements. They are the usual, cheap ones, i.e. 'hard'. They haven't caused the bike to run away yet. Any other type seem to be on an exponential rate of costs. I have yet to get the bung for the bottom of the seat pillar to provide a brake for the machine, the shop has been shut for the last two days. I shall continue to search for thinner wheels, if they are not more expensive. Total cost, wheels + bearings: £8.
  The axle sizes of the wheel bearings was slightly larger than the diameter of the bolts which needed to be a bit longer than the originals on each case. I used thin-walled plastic tubing (the heat- shrink type (very thin-walled) in one case, and some used 'normal' tubing on the other. It seemed to beef up the axles for the wheels just enough.
• Custfold, Sep 1998:
  That is because the normal way to fit these in lineskates is by putting an axle sleeve through the wheel and the bearings onto the sleeve, the bolt (M6) then passes through the sleeve in a well known engineering method of fixing bearings to provide rigidity without undesirable forces from tightening the wrong bits against each other. We use standard sleeve system on our skatewheel conversion kit, but as there is no need for 2 bearings in the duty that we use it for, we save weight (4 less bearings), and reduce the width of the front rollers by 15mm. Our wheels are not the cheaper 1 piece units as the bearings are not a good fit and the fixing system we use works a lot better with the CalPro units.
• Elaine Sewell, Sep 1998:
  You can buy two things from skate shops to remedy the problem of larger diameter bearing holes. The first is a thing called a "top hat" which is top hat shaped (strange that !) piece of plastic and presses into the bearings, you need two per wheel (one for each bearing). The second is simply an aluminium sleeve that fits between the bearings.
• Graham A. Patterson, Sep 1998:
  So, the wheels at the rear of the carrier should have a low position for load carrying, and a high position for wheeling. The adjustment for position shouldn't involve any weight penalty, and would ideally be automatic when the back is flipped under.

Using improved castors

• Alasdair Baxter, Sep 1998:
  A few weeks ago, I fitted a Dave Holladay set of skate wheels to my Brompton T5. Thereafter, it moved like quicksilver but when I towed it with a piece of rope it became quite unstable if the wheels hit an irregularity in the surface of the station platform. On one occasion, I was only able to stop it falling on to its side by yanking up the rope to suspend the bicycle.
  Being quite tall, it hurts my back to hold the bike by the back of the saddle and wheel it along on the two rear castors. What I really need is some sort of handle.
  It occurred to me that Doggie Technology might be the answer. Were I to get hold of the handle used by blind people to control their guide dogs, I could then get hold of a small dog collar which would slide over the nose of the saddle. I could then fit the handle to the collar and pull the bicycle along without having to stoop too low and also the rigid handle would give me a better degree of control over the stability of the bike.
• Stein Somers, Sep 1998:
  I raise the upper stage of the telescopic seat post, or rather I leave it where it was unfolded. My hand, in a natural position, pushes the saddle forward, and slightly sideways for steering. The bike may be covered with the saddle sticking out (a Brooks B-17 will just pass through the hole in the Brompton cover). My local train station is slightly downhill so the bike almost rolls out the door by itself. The only rolling problems I have are:
  • bar ends scraping the ground and/or one of the castors
  • keeping the castors lined up to maintain a straight line

Broken castor

• Custfold, Jan 1998:
  Learn the step-over dismount, which can be done at moderate speed with practice.
  1. Lift right foot off pedal and place forward of left foot with calf brushing main frame (practice this coasting along down a slight hill)
  2. when you feel confident drop the right foot to the floor and in close succession lift the left foot from the pedal (and start walking/running) AND let go with the both hands from the 'bars, allowing the bike to roll free for a few seconds.
  3. Bunny dip as required to grasp the main frame in the Y if the unit on the top tube (this can be practised when walking alongside the bike hands off bars, grap frame) and lift the bike. If an anti swingunder strap is fitted the bike will lift as a unit, and the nose of the saddle will rest on your shoulder, allowing hands free for other activity.
  As you can see the training breaks down to 3 elements just like learning to ride a bike - Controls, Balance, Pedalling. With further practice the rider can follow through neatly to running up or down a flight of steps (carrying the bike) in one seamless flowing move.
  With a 'free' rear end the back wheel will swing and upset the balance momentarily, until it is grasped with the frame (and consequent dirty hand)
  The use of lineskate wheels (Tips, tricks & tinkering - Improving the castors) overcomes the problem of breaking the plastic ones.

Bent rear castor wheel stays (L-model)

• Jeff Stone, Feb 1998:
  I have to push in on the fender supports almost every time I unfold the bike to raise the fender a little off the tire. Of course, the more I do this the weaker the fender supports become, but what else can I do?
• David Cox, Feb 1998:
  Bending the stays out again seems to work and they and the chromo-plastic guard have lasted 4 years of hard use in all weathers.The spring in the stays protects the guard/fender but it is tempting to fold with a flourish which does the damage. I also found that the frame mini-wheels soon got splayed after going in the luggage to the States. Judiciously bending them out restored a bit of castor action on ultra smooth surfaces.
• David Henshaw, Feb 98:
  Fender/mudguards are not generally a problem on the British-made Brompton. A deliberate decision was made to use light fender stays that would bend, but not be destroyed, in the event of over-enthusiastic folding, or every day airline handling. The stays get bent fairly easily, but they're easy to bend out, by applying even pressure on both sides at once. They should last for years - my six year old bike, with 15,000 miles on the clock has just had new stays fitted because the mudguard eventually cracked up. If you are bending the stays regularly, I'm afraid you're being too brutal in the fold! 1998 Bromptons have a different fender/mudguard/stay assembly (the old supplier went bust) that has yet to be tested. I have very little knowledge about the Taiwanese bike, except that Brompton are very concerned about the quality and attention to detail.

Bent front castor wheel stays (T-model)

• Phil Gough:
  Yes, the same thing happened to me after about four years of daily commuting by train. One of the tubes eventually snapped off. This made the folded bike unstable and it would fall over when the train stopped. I made some enquiries about brazing it back on but was told (correctly or not, I don't know) that it would be difficult to align a repair and make a strong joint. I therefore forked out £50 (fifty pounds sterling) for a new rear fork assembly, which was superior to the original in having the properly aligned little pulley wheels for the 5 speed hub gear which is now trouble-free, something that the old one never was. However, it might have been nicer to have hung on to the 50 quid, or bought a front bag instead. It never occurred to me that sitting on the saddle of the bike when folded may have caused it.
• Channell Wasson:
  Suggest you go to a hardware store (iron monger) and buy a six inch nipple of 1/2" id galvanized pipe. Remove the caster wheels and then slip the pipe(nipple) over the bent wheel stay and straighten it by eye. On the new Bromptons this wheel mount stay seems to be beefed up a bit. If you have bent the new style, you will need a larger inside diameter pipe to make the repair. Hope you can make sense of this.

Taking a Brompton aboard motorised transport

Ensure your luggage is not considered a bicycle...

• Carl Etnier, Oct 1999:
  Good suggestion for most circumstances. It would not have fooled the people at the security checkpoint (metal detector, X-ray machine) last night, however.
• De Clarke, Oct 1999:
  I found that the people with the x ray machines didn't seem to care about the bicycle transit fees. Only the people at the luggage weighing counter were obsessed with charging more for bikes.
  My brommie (encased) was x rayed at the ag inspection station at Hilo and I thought "Oh no, they will tell the cargo handlers that it's a bike!" But all they wanted to know was whether there were any fruits and vegetables in the case. They labelled it "no produce," waved me on, and the checked luggage desk remained happily ignorant of the satanic velocipedal monster lurking within :-)
• Mark Maier, Oct 1999:
  Covering the bike and denying that it is a bicycle at all helped once I had a confrontation with a German train conductor, about 5 years ago. Note that this was a train where bicycles were not allowed in the first place and if they would have been allowed I should have payed for an extra ticket. The principle used is that every object that is recognizeable as a bicycle is a bicycle and has to be treated as a bicycle.
  My Brompton was sitting on the seat opposite of me, covered with a large blue garbage bag (lacking the 'official' Brompton cover) with only the saddle sticking out. The conductor came to check the tickets and asked whose bicycle this was and I said it's mine but it is not a bicycle. - Yes, it is a bicycle! - How do you know, you can only see a blue bag and a saddle? - This is a bicycle!! - It could be a folded hometrainer, for example. - But I say it's a bicycle!!! - [...]
  He ended up getting very red in the face, not being able to prove it is a bicycle and of course not being allowed to open the package for proof. Eventually he left the compartment without having me thrown off the train and without having fined me for not having paid for the 'bicycle'...
  I must admit it did hurt denying my Brompton was a bicycle, as to me personally it is more than just a plain bicycle... I'd assume with a better cover that does not leave the saddle sticking out you should not have to go that far.
• DRMLyons, Oct 1999:
  As has been mentioned before on this list -COVER IT UP - then if asked say it is bicycle spares, an exercise machine, sewing machine, orthopaedic therapy machine, sado-masochist pleasure unit..... or whatever. The stranger explanation you give for it the less likely you will be questioned! As to covering it up, the cheapest and smallest folding is a black plastic bin bag.
• Chris Newport, Oct 1999:
  Maybe for long journeys where there's a risk of being challenged about 'being in possession of a bicycle' you could take the wheels off.
  Then you're just transporting bicycle PARTS. Surely *that's* not illegal anywhere?

Can we sit on a folded Brompton?

• Andrew Mackay - The red flash round London's roundabouts, Mar 1998:
  I've now sat on the cross bar of my folder Brompton for 4 and a half years! I think that only people who are quite slim can do so. Especially if you have a block mounted for the Brompton front pannier. Sitting on the cross bar does not seen to stop folding or damage the bike as far as I'm concerned. Occasionally if I put my weight more on the top of the front wheel I have later to bend down the metal hook on the front mud guard but this has been fine and appears not yet to have fatigued. It is rather like sitting on a moving garden gate in the train. There are usually no proper seats available so I perch on the cross bar and smerk at the standing comuters. My Brommie has made commuting quite enjoyable since there are a regular group of cyclists exchanging route maps, tips and sharing newspapers.
  Brompton could not advertise the "sitting option" because it will not suit all bottoms.
  Once, when I did have a seat I also had to turf an erant bike-sitter off my Brompton.
  I saw a Brompton near Charing Cross station (London) with a very handsome nautical rope bound all the way round the cross bar which might make sitting more padded. =
• David Henshaw, Mar 98:
  In my experience, it's perfectly safe (and quite comfortable) to sit on the frame tube. Turn the saddle sideways and relock it to give yourself more room. Then (very important this) make sure the saddle stem is right down. If your weight goes down through the stem to the ground, the roller wheels will not take any weight. If they do, they will almost certainly break, unless you're quite light. I have never done the bike any harm with the stem right down. Brompton wisely don't make any comment about sitting on the folded bike, but it's very useful on a crowded train, and it means you're effectively giving a seat to someone else. (Why don't they provide seats for everybody?) If you DON'T sit on the bike, there's a chance that someone larger will, which is even worse.
• Rob Cope, Aug 1998:
  you can, so long as you let the seatpost right down so it, not the pulley wheels take the weight. Otherwise, you'll bend/break the pulley wheel axles (though these have been strengthened of late)
• Custfold@aol.com, Sep 1998:
  I use the Brompton as a seat, but not in the folded state. On trains - if the train is crowded, fold down the handlebars and rest the bike against the partition - sit on the main tube and use seatpost as a backrest. My larger bars will act as a stand with the front wheel turned, so I can sit down almost anywhere. If you are small/feeling sociable you might even get 2 on the crossbar, and since the bike carries you riding in this mode it should carry the same load sitting down.
• S.P. Klein Bog, Sep 1998:
  I found that when using the brompton as a seat the attachment points for the little wheels around the luggage carrier will bend over time. On my Brompton (1994 T5) one of these points finally cracked and would have broken off eventually. The bike would not stand upright when folded anymore. The entire rear frame was replaced at no cost by Fiets A Parts, the Brompton importer for Holland three years after I bought the bike.
• Custfold, Sep 1998:
  Watch the likes of Ryanair and cheapo airlines though - I was charged twice for the B - once as a bike and then as excess baggage and the company then said they only charged for one or the other but refused to refund either charge - the UK air users council were a bit toothless in getting any result - and I suspect the chummy first name terms with the airline person meant they had regular exchanges.

A Brompton in a bus

• Custfold, Nov 1998:
  We can supply a shock cord elastic which can be fixed under the gear changer on the 'bars. With the rear triangle strap, one hooks the end of the shock cord onto the buckle of the strap and this holds the handlebars as an insurance over the clip slipping off - it can also be stretched around a stanchion. Alternatively T type owners can use one of the carrier elastics
• David Hansen, Nov 1998:
  The best way to carry a Brompton on a bus is to put it in the luggage rack sideways, ie facing across the bus, with the bike resting against the bulkhead at the front of the rack.
  With the bike like this it is pressed against the bulkhead when the bus stops and doesn't go anywhere. Acceleration isn't as fierce so it shouldn't fall over. When the bus corners the bike is pressed against the bus side or the guard rail of the luggage rack. The better buses have deep luggage racks with higher guard rails than the older ones, where luggage carrying was not considered so well. The only sort of new bus with poor luggage carrying facilities are the low floor ones strangely.

A Brompton in front of a bus

A Brompton in the trunk of a car

• Ruud H.G. van Tol, Apr 1998:
  Some remarks about Dimensions:
  I use my Brompton mainly to go to Hertz to pick up a car. A nice ride from my house through the Vondelpark, about 5 minutes.
  The only cars so far that the Brompton doesn't fit in nicely:
  • Fiat CinqueCento
  • Ford Ka
• Bob Gelman, Oct 1998:
  Neither [Brompton nor Birdy] fits easily in the truck (boot) (a/k/a "rear glove compartment") of my Miata.
  • David Edge, Oct 1998:
    A 'Miata' is some kind of motor car, I imagine. The nearest word in my dictionary is 'miasma': an infectious or noxious vapour, from Greek miaino 'pollute'.

Legal matter - is it still a bicycle?

• Bob Gelman, Feb 2000:
  Many auto insurance policies here in the US have an exclusion for stolen bicycles; e.g., when you have theft coverage you are insured for the loss of your car and/or its contents, but bicycles are excluded (sometimes you can get them covered for additional money, in a "rider" to the original policy). Since folded bikes may be put "out of sight" and stored in a locked trunk (boot), I wonder if one could successfully argue (personally, I'm doubtful about this) that the bicycle insurance exclusion doesn't apply to a folder hidden away in a locked trunk. The hidden folder would seem to present no more risk to the insurance company than any other item (unlike bikes attached to various OUTSIDE parts of the car). Indeed, the folder would be LESS of a risk than any item casually left on the seat of a vehicle (these ARE insured) and in full view of the world thru the windows of the car.

Don't lose your bits

The problem

• Custfold, Sep 1998:
  It can happen in air travel mostly - the clamp plate bolt can be extended just enough to fit a thin nyloc nut and still have enough travel - we sell kits of a longer bolt and a thin nut - Alternatively just tighten the clamp up across the clamping face when travelling.
• Phil Gough, Oct 1998:
  [...] the clamps vibrate out easily when carried in a motor vehicle. I nearly lost one in the boot of a taxi.
• David Cox, Oct 1998:
  I've had one clamp loosen itself and come off while left side down in the boot of a car. I usually tighten them now just in case.
• David Dodson, Oct 1998:
  I lost a clamp whilst hitch-hiking with my Brompton lying on its side in a car boot. A replacement costs ± £5. I'll adopt the 90° idea to reduce screwing/unscrewing.
• Mr Bob Imrie, Oct 1998:
  I used to think the clamps wouldn't come out, (even though we once lost one on a Cresswell folding trike) but got my trusty T5 out of the car yesterday and one of the clamps was lying on the boot floor. So I'm sure you should check occasionally to make sure you don't unscrew the clamps further than the absolute minimum to release the hinge. I'm sure they would be a relatively expensive spare part to buy!
• Peter Amey, Oct 1998:
  I only do this when the bike is laid down on its side; it is not necessary when it is upright.

The cure

• Custfold, Oct 1997:
  Brompton Tips as in A2B p.23 issue 2
  There is a simpler solution to the tip for retaining clamp plate bolts (not technically a pinch bolt as it doesn't pull two faces directly together) - don't know why I didn't think of it earlier, although in 8 years I've never lost one. The solution is to buy a longer M8 bolt, and fit a THIN M8 locknut (the bolt will tap out of the moulded wing (c.f nut) plate). [...] Do however occasionally check the clamp plate ends, and internal corners for cracking, and the 'fit' of the clamp to ensure that there is a small gap always between the frame and inside face (with the hole in it). Replace clamp if cracked (I usually have some).
• Custfold, Nov 1997:
  Well I've made some up - should really charge around £2, but if I buy sensible quantities it can work at £1.80 + £0.70 p&p or stout envelope with stamps for 70gm.
  The plate just clears the clamp lugs, and the whole seats down with the nut on the bolt - a special length for the purpose.
• Custfold, Oct 1998:
  The OEM bolt is just long enough to allow the clamp plate to clear the seatings, I have made bolts 5mm longer (not in standard R series size progression) and fit ''thin" Nyloc (tm) nuts which just fit without fouling anything details Box 15174 Glasgow G4 9LW
• David Low, Sep 2002:
  I'll do that I thought. I bought two longer bolts and some lock nuts. First problem was that the unthreaded portion of the bolt prevented the clamp being tightened. Had I had a die I could have cut the thread down a bit, but did not have a die. I then bought two screws to replace the bolts (screws being threaded all the way up to the head). I cut down the locknuts to make thinner nuts and fitted the clamps. All seemed fine.
  It wasn't fine. First trip out was only to the post box. I got there but when setting off again the clamp on the handlebar assembly came lose, the bars went forward and I was tipped onto the road. Aarrgg. (I'm not sure about the spelling of that word but I knew how to say it at the time.)
  After recovering I examined the clamp and discovered my mistake. I had not realised that the end of the longer screw was pressing hard against the back of the hinge casting and preventing the clamp from closing correctly. It looked closed but it was still loose enough to be pushed off the shoulders of the hinge plates when pressure was applied. Aarrgg. I shortened the screw and it is now fine. If you make this modification make sure you don't make the same mistake.

Another bit not to loose

If you have lost it or you want a second one to protect the world from the other wheel nut, try... R.Hainsworth, Aug 2002:
[...] the plastic screw top from one of those 1 liter tetrapack cartons which are used for orange juice and similar. The carton is the one with a "gabled" top, ie. /\ with a screw cap one of the "roof pitches" and the screw cap fits the B wheel nuts perfectly when properly trimmed.
A further advantage is that the top comes in a different colour according to cartons contents so an approximate match or psychadelica can be achieved for the discerning B owner.

Bromptons on commercial air flights

Testimonials

• Channell Wasson:
  To Mexico I will go on a Boeing 737 and the bike fits nicely in the overhead on that airliner.
• Mark James:
  Went to frieburg with bike had to go in hold [...] Bike would have been absolutely ok if bar ends hadnt bashed chain ring it was in plastic bag No couldn't put in hand luggage that was BAirways
• Pierre Virlogeux:
  I don't have any experience with my Brompton by plane, but I take it with me in the TGV ( Train a Grande Vitesse ) franch high speed train from Toulouse to Paris. I lock it on the luggage rack near the door of the train and it is O K. Generalally People look at me when I fold my Brompton on the plattform and they think that it is a good idea. Sometimrd I take it also in the nuses or in the underground in Toulouse. The underground employe says that it is forbidden to take a bike but when I fold it he says O K !
• Arnold Brown, Oct 97:
  I've taken mine to the south pacific from Canada. I made a lightweight plywood box, painted it black and treated it just like a suitcase. This way I don't worry about it sitting around in the airport etc. I don't believe you can expect to put your bike in the over bin it's just too big--that is unless you always fly first class and board early.
  It's worth the effort to bring on a trip. My wife first laughed at the idea, now she wants one of her own.
• Richard Lighton, Nov 1998:
  Technically (i.e. according to the rules) at least for international travel a Brompton is too big for carry-on luggage.
• Lucas Fletcher, Mar 1999:
  I know of a man who has regularly gotten his Brompton into the overhead lockers in a plane. It never worked for me, but sometimes the flight crew is harried enough to not notice a bike being carried on, and they will put it into their own private cubby. Otherwise it will have to go into the cargo hold. Channell sells hard and soft cases for the bike. I've had good luck handing the bike to the airline people and asking them to put it in one of the huge plastic bags they keep around, to slap "fragile" stickers all over it, and to hand-carry it to the plane. It does count as an item of luggage but so far nobody has asked for extra money.
• M. J. Zimmers, Mar 1999:
  I would recommend a hard case for packing your Brompton. If this is not an option, consider lining a soft case with a product that is sold for camping sleeping bag padding (sorry, I don't know the name of it). It is a closed cell, tough foam about 5/8" thick and is available at any camping store or REI (Recreational Equipment Incorporated) http://www.rei.com/index.html. It provides additional, but not complete, protection.
• David Cox, Mar 1999:
  I've flown my Brompton several times in its soft bag but with generous amounts of pipe insulator wrapped around bits that need protecting and held in place with parcel tape. I stick bits around the folding pedal, brake levers, front hinge (otherwise it pokes through the bag) both clamp bolts and anything else that seems to stick out or might rub. This has so far worked well, although the airline knows it is a bike and sometimes charged me extra. No real harm has come to the bike - the roller wheel stubs got a bit flattened over the years.
  I also put a luggage strap around the bag to give something to tie labels to and to hold the whole package together.
• Valerie Zuver, Mar 1999:
  I recently flew a recumbent bike on Delta airlines in the U.S. Their policy is bikes may be checked as part of a customer's free baggage allowance if presented in a box less than 62 linear inches (length+width+height).
  They specifically address bicycles in their luggage FAQ, but do not mention anything about letting air out of tires. I wonder whether the airline does not know to request this, or it's unnecessary.
  We found a functional (not beautiful) 29-inch Samsonite hard-shell suitcase at a thrift shop for USD $8. It holds a folding bike perfectly.
  A tip I learned from Hugh Kerns, builder of Peregrine Bicycle Works folding bikes (http://www.pbwbikes.com): use sections of old innertubes as protective boots on protruding parts of the bike.
• Ostlers, Mar 1999:
  I'm an L3 owner since December. I'd like to share some experience and post some questions and comments.
  Last week I finally had an opportunity to use the bike for one of the reasons I bought it: ground transportation during a business trip.
  I flew Southwest Airlines and was able to board with the bike in Albuquerque and San Jose, and stow it in the overhead bins. LAX was another story. After getting to the head of a very long, several minute, security- checkpoint line, I found that the converyor belt that moves carry-on luggage through the scanner was augmented in front by a piece of plexiglass with a rectangular cutout corresponding, presumably, to the maximum width-heigth dimensions for carry-ons. The L3 wouldn't go through in any orientation. I was sent to the Southwest counter to check the bike; then I waited the line at security, again.
  The only noticable ill effect of going through the checked baggage gauntlet was the front fender rubbing on the tire. This was fixed by bending it back towards its original position.
  1. some airlines offer to check the bike in as a 'special item' or some such. In my experience this is at best of no value and at worst can actually increase the likelihood of damage. Baggage handling is probably not the world's most stimulating job and there appear to be some ways in which the work can be made more fun: on the many occasions I've watched them from inside the plane, it looks as if they take especial pleasure in handling with extra severity anything described as delicate or 'special' (friends who had temporary jobs with the post office always told me the same applied there to any letters or parcels marked 'handle with care')
  2. anything stuffed between the folding sections is of some help - I use newspaper and that seems to do the trick, although it is always a surprise when there is no apparent damage afterwards, even if it's just the chain being knocked off
  3. after carrying out (2), the aim I'm sure is to strap the bag as tightly as possible and a couple of good luggage straps are fairly effective
  4. both Ryanair and SAS carried the bike free on a couple of occasions and subsequently tried to charge me. I insisted that had been told by someone in the company that there would be no charge. This was not strictly correct, I admit, but they were also less than truthful when they told me that there had been a 'recent change of policy'. Anyone tells you that, it's almost certainly not true and, like me, if you stand your ground you will eventually succeed and not be charged. This is because they can't afford to waste too much time with the queue growing behind.
• Stephen Casey, Mar 1999:
  On a recent trip from Oakland airport to San Diego (a one hour flight) my brompton, which was checked in as "fragile", arrived like it had just been given to the primates at the San Diego zoo. I couldn't believe how it could come out looking worse than others which had absolutely no markings. Fortunately the bicycle survived.
  On the return trip I decided to hang out and watch as they offloaded the baggage. I called one of the stewardesses over to witness what I was seeing-3 baggage handling gorillas tossing the bag around. They clearly read the 4 "fragile" stickers and also noted the tag which read "bicycle" and were amusing themselves at how light and lofty it was. Perhaps a good selling point for the Brompton but a nervous sight for an owner. I'm writing SWA, since I do quite a bit of flying with my Brompton. I have brought it on as carry on in the past, but would like to be able to check it in on occassion and feel secure that they will treat it with care. My letter offers a suggestion: a handwritten letter from someone high up that should this article not arrive unscathed at its destination, all people responsible will be similarly "booted" out of the airline!
• Stuart Quick, Mar 1999:
  I've taken my Brompton to the US twice. The first time I had it packed using the standard Brompton cover with rag around the bicycle's extremities to prevent chafe. It survived with no damage whatsoever. It was checked in to the oversize baggage counter - the guys there seemed genuinely interested in the novelty of the bike and I think they took some extra care. Virgin Atlantic were even kind enough to find a safe spot for it in the cabin.
  The second time I was doing a round trip to Hawaii - I took extra care (because of the distance) by packing it into a heavily padded cardboard box. Once again, it was checked into the oversize baggage counters. During the trip, it amassed 18 fragile stickers from Hawaiian, United, and Virgin airlines - even the baggage handler wrote 'Please handle with care' on the box. The result was that between San Francisco and London it must of been dropped from a significant height, buckling the rear frame and splitting the 1/4 inch tubing. Virgin have told me they are going to pay for the new rear triangle and hinge pin (73 pounds in total). We shall see...
  I probably won't be using fragile stickers again.
• Custfold, Apr 1999:
  In conversation with European Cycle Mfrs Assoc Chief Exec (based in Paris) he noted that many cumbersomes are now shrink wrapped instead of those clumsy big boxes of tri-wall cardboard. The results have been amazing
  Less loss of parts (once shrink wrap is cut any reclosing is obvious tampering)
  Less damage to bikes (it is obviously a bike so handlers stand it on its wheels, don't stack it horizontally, or stand on the box, or put the box under a pile of other things)
  finally the shrink wrap can be punched through to hang the bikes up on meat hooks.
  I send bikie racks in similar fashion making it obvious that the object is tubular steel frame and thus not suitable for standing on/stacking.
  Best way IMHO for flying with Brompton is to use one of those shrink wrap your baggage franchises like that I saw in Seattle, but which was annoyingly shut just when I really could have used it. Other alternative is to ask for Wheelchair bag - a tough HD poly bag which American Airlines (or was it Untidied Airlines) used for my bike on one trip - brilliant as all parts contained and staff can see exactly what is inside.
  Still I can imagine a cartoon for A2B - "Folding bike-do not fold"
• Custfold, Apr 1999:
  Montreal - home to Bicycle Bob, and Claire Morissette of le Monde a Bicyclette who first encountered the Brompton in 1990 - so they know what it is.
  Some airlines offer a HD clear polythene wheelchair sack (Untidied Airlines did for me) which envelops the bike whilst making it obvious what is inside.
  Also in Montreal is Velo Quebec who manage Tour de l'Ile (du Montreal) M. Jean Prevost was in Graz last week for Velo City.
  Travel on Metro and much of PT is possible with bikes due to efforts of le Monde who took on fluffy Hippos, and ironing boards, and have a portable 25m bike lane, and kit to bring Moses and children of Israel to part the waters of any river crossing obstructing your cycle route.
  Worst problem in winter with Brompton was the 5 foot high mounded snow between footway and roadway following clearance of these, oh and riding through 3-5" of snow.
  In '92 I got better value flight to Toronto and hitch hiked to Montreal (8 hours) alternatives being bus or train (VIA Rail is not very clever though as they have trains with no carry-on bag facilities at all unless you are really bolshi - they instead insisted on pre travel check-in and sent baggage in trucks by road!)
• O'Reilly, Peter, Apr 1999:
  There is an excellent website located below which provides pretty comprehensive information concerning traveling with bikes on planes. It provides informal reviews of travelers experiences with many different airlines, Euro/Asian/N. American, etc. http://www.gfonline.org/BikeAccess/welcome.htm
• Channell Wasson, May 1999:
  Try it on Boeings. Their overhead compartments are a bit deeper that the MD80's. Remove seat and clamping bolts to make package smaller. Use the Brompton nylon cover or the back pack for brompton. I've always been able to get it in. One time on return from England BOAC took it away at airplane door. Nevertheless, the Brompton arrived in good shape. Good luck,
• PHolden960, May 1999:
  Air CAnada ahs pretty strict carry-on req's, but will allow in the overhead a folded suit bag 22" x 22 1/2" x 9", so-o-o-o ...
• Jim McLaughlin, Aug 1999:
  I have checked my T5 in both the Samsonite and the cloth cover on different occassions. No trouble either way although once the airline made me sign a waiver when it was in the cloth.
• Andrew Mackay, Oct 1999:
  I flew over [UK to USA] on Virgin Atlantic with the Brompton in the brompton bag. I said it was "bicycle parts" at the check-in and the luggage men carried it by hand ( on a trolley ) on and off the airoplane. Despite this one of the knobs to screw tight the joints got slightly bent but I was able to be fully mobile in San Francisco and what a joy the city was.
• Jim McLaughlin, Oct 1999:
  Last weekend I took my T5 on the airlines within its Samsonite. With all of the enhancements I have added, it was a bit tighter fitting it into the case than last time. (Alas, these days I am fitting tighter into my bike shorts too.) I had to change the SPD pedals back to folding pedals and remove the trailer hitch. But I left on the fancy roler blade wheels. I noticed a small crack in one corner of the Samsonite after the trip and I'm wondering if I shouldn't have temporarily removed one of the skate wheels to make it fit in the case better. They are easy to take off and on.
• Schollaert Ulric, Oct 1999:
  I have recently taken a B onboard a small Boeing (737-500). This was the second time, but here the airplane was apparently the smallest Boeing and I was first told that the B would not fit in the bins above the seats. I asked to try at my own risks, and found out that the bins are just as perfect for a B as in other 737s. I have thus flown my B with Sabena and with Jetair/Sobelair. The B is bigger than the standard accepted hand luggage, but when asked I insist that the bike is fragile and that I prefer giving away all my other luggage. The best is to register all other luggage and to keep only the B as hand luggage. You also must be among the first people in the airplane, otherwise you will spend time negociating space in the luggage bins with other passengers.
• De Clarke, Nov 1999:
  Based on my recent travel experiences in the US I would never, ever try taking a Brom in the cabin. Cabin locker space is small, the Brom is heavy and large: hard to get it down the narrow aisle, let alone heft it up into the plastic OH bin. The airlines staff are (with some reason) usually pretty short of patience with people trying to carry on stuff that exceeds the posted limits, which a folded Brom certainly does. I wouldn't try it in the States.
• Tom Vogt, Nov 1999:
  Regarding the Brompton and carry-on restrictions. I know that these restrictions have become more stringent in the past year but I've flown three times from San Francisco to London with the Brompton safely stowed in the window-side (larger) overhead bins. After removing the seat and right pedal there was no problem with the size. However, the bicycle did exceed the weight restriction. It's a hit-or-miss thing. If it's a lightly-loaded flight with few passengers I doubt there's be much problem--but one never knows how crowded a flight will be.
• alex mumzhiu, Nov 1999:
  I like to travel to remote places and I have found that the cheapest way to travel is as a freelance air courier. I always take my folding bicycle as carry-on luggage, because couriers are not allowed to check a luggage. I have not encountered any problems taking the bicycle on an airplane, however if the flight is full, the airline personnel do not allow the bike in the cabin and they put it in the luggage compartment at no charge. Since 1994, I have traveled in this manner from New York City (where most of courier trips depart) to Paris, Zurich, Stockholm, Rome, Copenhagen, Madrid, Mexico City, San-Paulo Buenos-Ires, Tel-Aviv, Bangkok and Tokyo. I have recently switched from Dahon to Brompton. A Dahon is 3 lbs. more heavy and 5 inches longer then Brompton, but its width is about 2-3 inches less. These 2-3 inches may be critical. A Dahon fits into the overhead compartments of airplanes, and I did not try my Brompton yet. The most restrictive airline is North-West. Airline.
• Aircarl1, Jun 2000:
  Technically, a Brompton would fit in the overhead on most widebody aircraft i.e.; 747, L 1011, DC-10, 777,. A lot of the narrow body aircraft are being retrofitted with new deeper overhead bins to fit "rollaboard" suitcases side by side. The problem is those dumb little templates on the X-ray machines at airport security. I hate those things Even a "legal" carryon thats a little overpacked has trouble getting through. I am curious though if the wheels, fenders and seat post were removed and put through separately, if the Brompton could somehow be squeezed through the X-ray machine. That would be an interesting project to make a carry-on Brompton!
• Ian Charles, Jun 2000:
  Dimensions are not the problem: if you've travelled anywhere outside the USA in the last few months (I can't speak for everywhere, but I've been throughout Europe, Australia & New Zealand), you'll have leaned it's the WEIGHT which is the real issue today, more so than dimensions. Very few check-ins anywhere outside the US these days allow one to carry on luggage without weighing it first - and anything over 7 kilos may present a problem (I'm assuming the majority of Brompton riders are not in a position to travel business class).
• Matt Hayworth, 00 13:49:06:
  Airport security at many U.S. airports has taken to putting metal guards over the fronts of x-ray machines that won't let anything past that exceeds the limit. The cutout looks like this:

  
       ---------
  
       -       -
  
       -       -
  
  ------       -------
  
  -                  -
  
  -                  -
  

  Your item needs to fit going through the tall way (not too tall) or by laying it down flat. No Brompton would fit through, as far as I know.
• Timothy Williams, Sep 2001:
  I recently flew with Buzz from Stansted to Murcia. The lady at the check in desk saw the wheel of my B and asked whether the bag contained a bike. I said it did and she wanted to charge me extra. Fortunately the Buzz lady in Linate, Milan didn't have such an eagle eye and given that I hadn't paid on the first leg of my journey, Buzz in Stansted waived the surcharge. This is the first time that I have ever been asked to pay for a bike on a plane.
• See Tips, tricks & tinkering - Packaging a Brompton - coping with evil baggage handlers.

In the cargo, do I need to let some of the air out of my tyres to prevent them from bursting?

• M. J. Zimmers, Mar 1999:
  Cargo holds are pressurized and temperature controlled on Douglas & Boeing jets and presumably on most others, although I have no firsthand experience with the others, tire pressure should not generally be a problem. However do be aware that "pressurized" does not mean that sea level pressure is maintained, more likely is a cabin altitude of about 6000' - 8000', this figure varying somewhat for each type of aircraft.
• Valerie Zuver, Mar 1999:
  I recently flew a recumbent bike on Delta airlines in the U.S. [...]
  They specifically address bicycles in their luggage FAQ, but do not mention anything about letting air out of tires.
• Channell Wasson, Mar 1999:
  Don't worry about about the tire pressure if you are using 75 psi
• Custfold, Mar 1999:
  A cylinder is strongest means of making a pressurised container - short -for the purists - of using a perfect sphere (as demonstrated daily by raindrops & bubbles)
  Thus aircraft are flying tubes, but with the caveat that a sudden drop in pressure - which is why you have those masks - could cause a shock reaction in your tyres <pop>. Other things going into the hold are equivalent to tyres, but I cannot think of any just now.

Packaging a Brompton - coping with evil baggage handlers

• David Cox, Oct 1998:
  If you put the Brompton in the soft bag and protect it a bit with polystryene pipe insulator (otherwise sharp bits wear through the bag). It seems to travel OK although you might invoke extra charges.
  • David Edge, Nov 1998:
    This is what we did with reasonable success. The padding was our clothes for the holiday in carrier bags and the soft bags were actually the bags we also use to disguise cumbersomes.
• Len Rubin, Nov 1998:
  My companion and I have traveled with two Bromptons in their slip covers as well as two custom extra large front carrier bags and two rear quick-release-seatpost-racks w/rack trunks, all transported through the airports and rail stations on two ultralight, instantly collapsible ClickCarts (folds and expands like a folding umbrella, and sold through the Sharper Image catalogue.) We put all of it in the overhead bins with no trouble, other than removing the saddle and pedal prior to boarding, so as to gracefully fit them in the bins without struggle.
  This was on transAtlantic flights (United, I believe). I have not tried this domestically, as I usually take budget flights with smaller carriers, and they are much tougher with the size restrictions (the bikes would clearly fit the overhead bins, but they won't get past aggressive airline personnel and those infernal go/no-go fixtures!)
• David Edge, Nov 1998:
  The last time I was on an aeroplane (Brussel-East Midlands), they were taking attache cases and big coats from the passengers to put in the hold as they climbed aboard. The compartments would have taken a large woolen scarf or a small handbag.
  An HS-146 I seem to recall.
• Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604, May 1999:
  What I did was get a cardboard box that the bike is originally shipped in, boxed it up in that, and flattened it at the other end. I was able to leave it at the hotel in London where I normally stay, since I started and ended my trip there, but if you have a rental car, it'd fit in that reasonably.
• David Cox, May 1999:
  I have taken the Brompton to USA, Canada, Cyprus, Rhodes, Italy, Germany on a variety of airlines charter and scheduled. I put it in its soft bag with some pipe insulator taped to protruding bits (mainly to protect bag) and a luggage strap to keep it together and provide something to tie lable to. There is no way that European carriers will welcome a Brompton as carry on luggage - they dont even like trolley bags or 11 lbs of designer carry on bag. It has been in the hold with no problems each time. Some airlines just take it eg. Lufthansa scheduled, others ask what it is and sometimes ask me to take it to the fragile luggage bay, one US carrier wanted me to sign something to say they could damage it at will (but they didnt!) one probably Airtours said it was "out of guage luggage" and charged an extra £20, another charged as for a bike, skis, surf board but as we were well over our luggage allowance this was cheaper than paying by extra weight anyway. I used to warn airlines in advance but now just turn up. The Brompton thus packed seems to go through the conveyor belt systems without difficulty.
• Stein Somers, April 2002:
  A close affiliate of the Brompton company, Simon Koorn, advises not to cover a Brompton on flights with the standard cover. Tie it together to prevent it from falling open, or put it in a hard case.
• Ian Charles, Sep 2002:
  [Andrew Ritchie and Ian at Cycleshow 2002 in London] briefly discussed transport of Bromptons by air. Ritchie told me he always puts his bike upside down in the standard bag so that it is very clearly exposed as a bicycle and trusts that the handlers will take care of it. He has only once incurred any damage carrying it that way.
• If you have a folding pedal, be aware of Tips, tricks & tinkering - The Brompton folding pedal folding too far.
• Investements: Tips, tricks & tinkering - Suitcases to serve and protect a Brompton, Tips, tricks & tinkering - Inflatable Cases?, Tips, tricks & tinkering - Floating cases

Suitcases to serve and protect a Brompton

• Channell Wasson:
  The Samsonite case used for the Brompton is known as the Large Pig. It is the largest piggy-bag that Samsonite offers I am told. It measures 22 5/8"x11.5"x24". We sell it presently for $189.
• Channell Wasson:
  The new Samsonite Epsilon suitcase for the Brompton arrived today. It is not as "hard-backed" as the Samsonite Piggy Back, but it provides good protection. It is somewhat larger than the Piggy Back so there is a bit more room inside for other items you might travel with. The new case has four wheels and allows two ways for pulling or rolling it around. A very convcenient arrangement! It is quite attractive and modern Itallian looking. The price for now is $131 versus $189 for the Samsonite Piggy Back.
• Channell Wasson, Jul 1998:
  Both L & T models will fit into our Samsonite Epsilon case. L's and T's will also fit into the Samsonite "Large Pig" case, but it's a very tight fit. We prefer the Epsilon--a bit larger and cheaper and modern looking ($156).Both cases have wheels and pull-along handles. Unfortunately Samsonite has discontinued the favored Eplsilon. Some are still around in stores, but we have an ample supply.
• Steven M. Scharf, Mar 1998:
  There are several hard side suitcases that will fit a folded Brompton.
  For instance see the Samsonite Epsilon series at: http://www.tagintl.com/samepsilon.html
  The model 488111060 is perfect with enough width to add some foam padding and enough extra space for accessories. Model 488111071 would also be fine with a bit less space left over, but that type does roll a bit easier.
  Their more expensive Silhouette line also has some cases that would be fine, see: http://www.tagintl.com/samsiloette.html
  A folded 3 speed with a folding pedal is about 22.2" x 21.5" 10.6"
  The problem you always have is what do you do with the case when you arrive at the airport and want to ride the bike away. The bike friday lets their case convert to a trailer which is one solution.
  Storing a suitcase at the airport at the baggage check gets expensive; on a two week trip to the U.S. it would often be cheaper to throw the case away and buy a new one when you leave unless you have someone to keep it for you!
  Worse is when you don't want to leave from the same place you arrive. Often the best solution is a soft carry bag that you roll up and carry with you for when you want to carry the bike on a train or bus, and when you're ready to leave go to a box store and buy a very strong cardboard box and pad the inside with newspaper, clothes, etc. A high strength box (such as a Tharco TW339 30x24x12) doublewall costs about $US 7 retail from the manufacturer, and box stores probably mark it up about 100% to $14.
  I checked my Brompton in its original box as luggage from Taiwan, heavily padded with newspaper, clothing, etc. No worse for wear. The hardside suitcase plastic sides are flexible as well so you need to pad it well even in the hardside cases.
• Channell Wasson, Mar 1998:
  We have a kit made by BicycleRevolution that converts the hard case to a trailer.
• Doug Faunt, Jul 1998:
  My T model fits in the Samsonite case I got from Channell. It's tight, but it goes. I do have the extended seat post, which makes it more convenient, but not by much.
• Richard Pearson, Oct 1998:
  There is an equivalent Samsomnite Epsilon (PiggyBack) to the one Channel stocks available in the UK but I haven't checked it to seeiff the bike fits. There is also a Carlton Semi Hard Case which should fit, but you need to work out what to do we the suitcase when you get there. I got a Navigator Soft Sided (Hard Framed) 26 inch Case from Makro (only GBP 25) with the idea of packing my clothes around the bikr but I still haven't quitee sorted the practicalities yet. An acquantance of mine built a dismantleable bike which he does this with ( in a standard large suitcase.
• David Cox, Oct 1998:
  Bike Friday travel case is really a standard case with some fitments. It is too small for a Brompton. There is a Samsonite case that takes the Brompton Channell Wasson stocks it in California - I've not seen anything suitable in downtown Birmingham luggage shops
• O'Flynn, David D, Oct 1998:
  Cases of several makes and models were considered, but only one case available (in stock or from catalogue dimensions) fitted the bike fully :

  
  Samsonite Epsilon 450 Series Oyster 2 , Model 45A-079 (Express 79) (the Epsilon Oyster 79cm for short)
  Outer extreme Dims 79 x 62 x 30 cm
  2 wheels (unidirectional, of course)
  Retail price @ 10/98 = GBP109.00
  Weight empty : 5.8kg

  Comments : This polypropelene case is large & expensive, but gives a strong and flexible shell for the bike, without any bike dismantling required to fit inside. Additionally, there is interior space available for bike accessories or other items (anyone for clothes?). The downside is that it only has the 2 wheels, requiring the case front-end to be lifted slightly to move the case. I hate carrying/lifting loads when I can avoid it, so I asked the shop guy if they had any spare wheels of a sort that could be fixed onto the front-end of the case. Its turns out that one of the 360degree-swivelling wheels which Samsonite use in their 500 series cases can be screwed onto the front a little off-centre (hinge bulge prevents centering). There is not enough space to fit 2 of these wheels, but a pair of smaller wheels should be available elsewhere ... The single wheel was trialled with doublesided tape - it worked very well, except for sharp, fast right turns, where the case lost balance and tipped slightly, but did not fall beyond the front lower right corner touching ground. So, this is an effective modification, which cost me nothing extra, other that the time to secure the 3rd wheel to the case. My black pearl fittingly has its oyster! As all these types of cases have rounded corners, the outer extreme sizes above are deceptive, applying to the centre of the case dimensions only. The corners are therefore somewhat smaller. However, the flexibility of the casing means that the material can deform slightly easily, enabling the L3 and L5 to fit. (The T models, with rear carrier rack, may not fit. Not having one or its exact dims, I can not be sure.)
• Tom Bennett, Aug 1999:
  I bought one hard suitcase, but when it arrived, I realized that the damn thing weighs almost as much as the bike. What a monstrosity! I kept it, but decided to try another method with my wife's bike. With that one, I bought a large canvas suitcase, totally collapsable. I put the Brompton in the middle of it, with a pad around it and surrounded by clothes --(this was my one use for a Brompton cover), and sent it with regular airline luggage. Both bikes arrived in Paris in fine shape. The canvas suitcase was stored inside the Samsonite. For the Samsonite, I rented a small warehouse to store it. (Well, perhaps I exaggerate, but I'm glad I was staying in one place, cause that monster wouldn't fit into any Euro car rental I can afford.) Next year, I'll buy another collapsable suitcase
• De Clarke, Aug 1999:
  I improvised: made a large sack out of tough cloth, and an inner sack made of 1/4in neoprene. The resulting bundle (once the bike was inside) was ugly as sin, tough to carry, but quite sturdy. The real fun began at baggage check.
  The bundle was irregular enough that I went to the odd-size counter. Ahead of me in line were two bike racers with high-tech performance machines in cardboard bike boxes. One of them looked at my weird bundle curiously and when I revealed that it was a bike, he kindly handed me a chit from United Airlines for free bike carriage. "If they find out it's a bike," he said, "they'll charge you $50. Our club gets these slips from the airlines so we don't have to pay it." I thanked him dutifully, but felt that I surely wouldn't need the slip since the brommie package was clearly not bike-sized or bike-shaped.
  So, after patiently waiting amid the bedlam, I arrive at the counter. "What is *that*"?" says the weary representative of United, who has had a rough day already even though it is 8am. "Well," I say, "Umm, well it's a sort of bicycle." "No!" she says and I unwrap it enough to show.
  After getting over her surprise, she frowns. "All bikes have to go in a bike box," she says. And she proceeds to haul out one of those huge flat boxes. "But it's folded up," I say, "and if it were unfolded it wouldn't fit in your bike box. And it's much smaller and actually safer in its folded state." "Well," she says, "if you won't put it in a bike box then we won't be liable for anything that happens to it."
  "It's in a quarter-inch of neoprene," I say, "and if you will be nice and plastic-baggy it and put Fragile tags on it, I think it will be just fine." So, to her credit, she double-bags the ugly bundle in plastic, tapes it up with official UA tape, and puts Fragile stickers all over the increasingly disreputable package -- ignoring her co-worker at the next counter, who keeps asking "What is *that*?" as she passes to and from the conveyor belt.
  Returning to the counter, she tells me firmly, "I'm sorry, but now that I know it's a bicycle I have to charge you $50, that's the rule for bicycles." My disbelieving and wounded expression doesn't work a bit, so with belated gratitude I present the slip my recent acquaintance had handed me, and this gets my brommie aboard the aircraft without the extra $50 fee.
  Needless to say, as soon as I get a chance I call CM Wasson and wail that I really need a luggage-looking case so as to escape this persecution on the way home! And we make arrangements; he ships me a case Fed Ex (to Hawaii, ouch, but it will save me $50).
  I will check the case at the normal luggage counter, not breathe a word to ANYONE about what is inside it, and hope that whoever runs the x-ray machine doesn't snitch to the baggage clerk that it looks like some kind of bike. Sheesh.
• Jerry Kaidor, Aug 1999:
  [...] the original packing box [...] is just a sturdy cardboard box that Brompton ships them in. It looks like - a box. I seem to remember it being 25" by 25" by 12"- something like that.
  I bought two Bromptons in England. The bike dealer was kind enough to give me a roll of that super-strong plastic packing tape. I taped the boxes together to form one large box. Went through the system, no trouble at all. Until we got to U.S. Customs, where they jumped at me aggressively "What's THAT?!?" I explained, showed the agent the customs form ( with two declared bicycles ). Moved on in the Customs line. Then, when we got to the head of the line, a second customs agent jumped at me: What's THAT?!? I was glad to know that the flow of illicit Bromptons onto our sacred soil was being properly regulated. :-)
• De Clarke, Aug 1999:
  I do have that box, but it was even harder to carry than the ugly sack -- what I don't have is those handy straps+molded-handle that can be used to turn any cardboard box into something you can carry.
• Steven M. Scharf, Aug 1999:
  What I was thinking of is something like the Brompton zippered carrying bag (comes with the Taiwan Brompton) but two inches bigger in each dimension with pockets on all six sides that you insert inflatable bags from Sealed Air corporation. You need the pockets so the sharp edges of the bike don't puncture the bags.
• Jim McLaughlin, Aug 1999:
  Though I usually use Channell's Samsonite case on the airlines, I have checked it at the regular baggae counter in nothing but the standard fabric cover that the T5 comes with. Nobody seemed to care what it was there. Maybe going over the water makes them fussy?
• Ian Charles, Sep 2002:
  On the Airnimal web site they have a photo of a Brompton folded in the case. It's a very snug fit which would allow only a small amount of space for anything else (but on the other hand a tight fit is good from the point of view of stopping the bike rolling around inside). The only component which needs to be removed is the saddle, and to make that a quicker and simpler operation I fitted the saddle adapter pin which enables the fitting of a q/r clamp. One of the Airnimal designers, who knows the B well, says he thinks the bike can just be squeezed in without doing this, but I can't manage it. I bought the case because it was exactly half the price of the German one which doesn't require the saddle to be removed.
  So far, I've found the case to be better suited to the B than to the Airnimal itself - to get it into the case involves removal of both wheels, handlebar, at least one pedal etc - fine for a trip where the bike is going to be assembled and used for an extended period at the other end but not the most convenient if it was having to be frequently packed and unpacked.

Suitcases that turn into trailers

• Lucas Fletcher, Feb 1999:
  [Channell Wasson's trailerized suit case] is something new: a Bike Friday type of arrangement. I tried something similar several years ago, using a freebie USAF container that was really too big, on parts (wheels, axles, towbar and hitch) purchased from BicycleR Evolution (Ian Scholz). I got as far as a friend's near London, then parked it in his stable, relying on the Brompton-supplied soft cover the rest of the way, including overnight bus to Paris. It might have been easier with a smaller container. This one was 24x24x20 and I guess the ideal size would be 24x24x12. A trailer is quite a lot to haul around. For luggage I ended up using a stiff-bottomed duffel cross-ways on the rack of my T5 -- back far enough to avoid my heels. For the plane ride, I never did find an overhead that would take the bike, even with saddle removed. I managed with checking in the bike, in its soft cover, and the airline people put it in a huge plastic bag plastered with Fragile stickers, and babied it for no extra charge. I could have used the backpack, perhaps, because the T5 is a lot to carry in and out of subways.
• Channell Wasson, Apr 1999:
  Last week I flew to Baja, Mexico. I took my Brompton in the Samsonite Epsilon suitcase. The hard case was equiped with our prototype pending trailer conversion mechanism which we will soon offer for sale. NOTE: This is not a Brompton product and will be sold only to buyers who agree to take it on at their own risk. i.e. Caveat Emptor. The main truck for the trailer is permanently bolted to the outside of the case, but it is fairly inconspicuous. The wheels and other trailer fittings go inside the case with the bike. The 12" wheels with neumatic tires must be deflated to fit into the case. They are reflated quickly with the Brompton pump when needed. The suitcase has smaller wheels for floor transport and a retracting handle which allows easy transport through an airport to the check-in counter. The standard looking suitcase was checked as luggage with no questions or even curiosity from the airline counter personel. On arrival at San Jose del Cabo in Mexico my luggage was retrieved and wheeled to the front of the airline terminal where the trailer was easily assembled and the bike unfolded with much supervision by a happy interested crowd that gathered around. Finally I put my other luggage in the trailer/suitcase and rode off to the cheers of the many people standing nearby as they waited for tour buses. It was a beautiful sunny warm day and my 20 mile ride through the beautiful, quiet but very hilly Mexican country was an inspiring bit of fun. Eventually darkness convinced me to pack up the Brompton and finish my journey by hitchhiking. The suitcase looked small and lonely on the roadside, but what an interesting load it holds! Two good rides with locals took me the rest of the way home. There were some long hills on the ride-- and several good pumps to get up them, but the 25 mph down hill coasts were great! I was very pleased with our trailer design and its performance. It pulled easily and tracked well and on line with the Brompton. The flexible hitch to the bike worked especially well. This was the first time out with the trailer set up. Now I'm looking forward to another longer trip, but maybe not so many hills!!!
• Stuart Quick, May 2000:
  I've just made some fairly heavy runs with Channell's trailer so its probably a good time to describe it. For those that haven't seen it, it consists of the samsonite suitcase and a frame made out of square tube. All the metal is stainless steel except the small clamp onto the seat post, which is galvanized steel. The suitcase has an extendable handle and strap that allows you to hang other luggage on it whilst walking it along with one hand.
  There are two stub axles with wheels, and 3 pieces of tubing which snap together fairly quickly. For collapsibility you can remove the wheels from the stub axles by some heavy duty sprung pins. As a general point, the whole frame is quite heavy duty. I have moved some heavy loads with it in the last couple of days without any problems at all.
  The frame components use expanding 'bullet' joints on each single end of a tube which align and snap in to holes on the other end. The joints are very solid, and can be disconnected fairly easily, though the springs are quite strong. It takes about two minutes (at the most) to pull the whole frame apart. From a packed state, it takes about 15 minutes to unpack everything and cycle away. Its much less if you don't have many accessories strapped to the bike (handlebar ends, U lock, saddle (telescopic seatpost), mirrors, saddle bag, tools, lights, computer, bottle, sony walkman!...). With all these extras I cannot fit the trailer wheels in the case with the bike, so I put them in the front pannier and tie this to the suitcase using the strap. In any case it saves deflating them...
  The trailer attaches to the bike via a tow hitch/clamp (+pin) around the seat post. If you leave this attachment on when you are not using the trailer, you can use its quick release clamp to slide it up the seat post when folding.
  The ride is great. As I said, I have to keep reminding myself that its there. I wouldn't recommend anyone towing loads without the front brakes being updated though :-) With loads, its probably a bit hairy otherwise...

The traveller's dilemma

1. Bike Friday travel case (I don't think the Brompton fits)
2. Bykaboose trailer (How small does it fold? How do I transport that?)
3. Cardboard disposable packing case. (One came wrapped round my bike when it was delivered, but what do I do on the way back?. Do airlines provide on-the spot packing? Are these really robust enough to stand up to passenger airline baggage handling with a very high probability of the bike being instantly rideable on arrival?)
4. Some way of attaching a (now loaded with other stuff) case that held the Brompton to the Brompton.

• Stephen W. Butler, Oct 1998:
  My answer is the Bykaboose trailer. On the airplane Eeyore (bike) is in the Brompton hard suitcase along with front carry bag, tools, soft cover, spare parts and etc. My clothes, toiletries and folded Bykaboose are in a large soft suitcase. At destination airport; Eeyore and Bykaboose are assembled, personal items and folded soft suitcase are put inside the hard suitcase and the hard suitcase fits inside the trailer. Soooo clever. As I peddle away from the airport I feel compelled to let out a resounding Tarzan yell.
• Carl J. Grillmair, Oct 1998:
  I just got myself a Bike Friday and the trailer attachment (extremely minimal compared to bykaboose or any other trailer - just 3 cro-mo bars and two wheels). It works by having 3 predrilled holes in the Samsonite suitcase into which the trailer bars are bolted. I don't see any reason why you couldn't do this with the Brompton suitcase. If memory serves, the trailer kit is $169US, though you could check the web page above. Note, however, that the bike-side trailer hitch screws into a special fitting brazed onto the BF's right-hand-side chainstay. You'd presumably have to come up with some other way of mounting the trailer hitch, using c-clamps or something...
• Bob Gelman, Oct 1998:
  Could one simply check the hard case in to be stored at the airport for use on returning to the airport for departure? Or, perhaps more risky, could one remove the bike from the hard case, close the empty hard case, and leave the case "unclaimed" at baggage arrival. The airline would then, hopefully, store the hard case as "unclaimed baggage" (hopefully leaving it at the airport rather than some "long term off airport premises storage place") allowing you to reclaim it and use it for your return flight when you come back to the airport.
  Things were so much more simple back in the 60s. You could just ride your bike from the terminal out to the plane and hand it up (unboxed !) to a guy in the baggage hold of the plane. They even managed to not damage the bike in transit in this "unguarded" condition!
• Steven M. Scharf, Oct 1998:
  Leaving the suitcase at the baggage check would be uneconomical. It would be cheaper to throw the suitcase away and buy a new one if the trip was longer than ten days or so (depending on how much you pay for the suitcase and how much the daily cost for baggage is).
  It might work to leave it as unclaimed baggage. I remember forgetting a stroller at SFO and going back two days later and it was still out in the baggage claim area for anyone to take. The airline doesn't necessarily take unclaimed baggage into their little office there.
• Bas Klein Bog, Oct 1998:
  After landing, unpack, and send the hard case poste restante to the nearest postoffice. They will keep it for you indefinitely.
  Another benefit of this way of storing your hard case; you can send the case to any airport, poste restante, within cyclable distance. You don't have to come back to the same airport again.
  As for costs, that is entirely another problem.
• See also Tips, tricks & tinkering - Trailer reviews

Inflatable Cases?

• Steven M. Scharf, Apr 1998:
  I recently received computer equipment shipped with inflatable pouches by Sealed Air Corporation for padding. The pouches are re-usable and are inflatable with a soda straw.
  Combining these pouches with a soft bag would be sufficient padding. Compartments sewn into the inside of the bag could hold these air pouches. The bag would have to have dimensions a bit greater on each side to accomodate these.
• Bob Gelman, May 1999:
  The thought occurred to me the other day that something might be made from the inflatable "lounge floaters" that one uses in swimming pools. These are rectangular approximately shoulder width and body length. They are made of vinyl, cheap, and light. The idea would be to fold it (lengthwise) in half, with the folded bike inside. If one of these were enclosed in a protective nylon sheath (to prevent puncture of the inflated floater), it could be wrapped around a bike and secured with straps, perhaps providing full protection. It could be deflated and easily packed. Another piece of "pool equipment" that might be used, if required, around the circumference of the folded floater (on the 3 "open" sides besides the side of the fold) would be a foam jousting stick (perhaps 5-6 ft long, 4-5 inches in diameter) that is sold for kids to bat each other with in the pool.

Floating cases

• Custfold, Oct 1998:
  The York 80 will fit the Brompton frame, and the front panel removes to allow loading - it is bright yellow, watertight (the 80 refers to the 80 lb which it has in bouyancy when dumped into water).
  The handles moulded onto the unit will aid handling - it fits (sans frame) into the maximum carry-on box (just) and can be supplied with rucksack straps to carry it when off the bike - the width/length is just right to take 2 stacks of A4 sheets which will take the load to maximum capacity.
  I'd import these but for small quantity penalties, and high volume for low weight which would whack the freight costs up.

Regional information concerning folder transport

Aboard ground public transport

Custfold, Sep 1998:
The Bikemap.com site run from Philly is pretty good at giving details on bikes with most forms of transport too.

Belgium

• Folder folders are allowed on trains at all times provided they are in a bag or suitcase. Bromptons fit backs of seats in most carriages (but not in the middle carriage of grey triple carriage trains). I have never been questioned about carrying a Brompton, whether bagged or not.
  Someone was once fined 500BEF for displaying a naked Bike Friday.

France

• Pierre Virlogeux, Aug 1997:
  I take my Brompton on different public transports in France always uncovered even at peak hours but I don't know exactly the regulation :
  • in TGV ( French High speed trains )
  • in French normal trains
  • in Paris underground railways and Paris RER ( subburb trains )
  • in Toulouse buses where I leave
  • in Toulouse underground.
  The drivers or the public transport employees said generally "No you are not allowed to take a bicycle" when I roll it on the platform if it is unfolded. But if I fold it behind then they smile and they said " OK you can !" In the TGV ( HST ) there is a good thing to do : put it in the luggage compartiment near the door and lock it at the luggage frame and go to your seat. I don't know if it is allowed or not to lock it, but I do it several times and nobody said anything about it.
• Phil Gough, Aug 1997:
  I was permitted to put the two halves of a disassembled AM Moulton in this vestibule area, whereas prior to splitting it there had been an outbreak of shock horror by the jobsworth official. Even though the two unbagged halves took up the same space as two unsplit bikes would have. The key word seemed to be "demontable".
• Mark Hodson, Aug 97:
  Question for the French contingent - The other day I took a train from The Hague to Haarlem which turned out to be the overnight Paris-Amsterdam "mobile youth hostel". The coach I was in was a SNCF corail type, and had a little fenced-off area just inside the doors. As I was getting out, I noticed there was a pictogram by this area that looked as though it was meant to be a folding bike being put into/removed from a bag. Do French railways really provide a special stowage area just for Bromptons? (I didn't try it out, as there was ample space in the baggage rack inside the seating area, where I could keep an eye on it.)
• Velovot, Nov 1999:
  There's no problem bringing a Brompton aboard. However, it is a bit tricky to get self and bike through the pneumatic turn-styles in one smooth move. They close up pretty fast!

Germany

• Axel Engler, Aug 1997:
  Yes, in the Greater Frankfurt Area! Off-peak all bikes, during peak-hours only folded bikes. No extra-charge!
• Mark Maier, Jul 1998:
  The rules in Germany are: Whatever is recognisable as a bike has to be treated as a bike. This can mean it a) is not allowed in this train or b) needs an extra ticket.
• Roland Elsenberg, Nov 1999:
  Here in Germany there is enough room in Interregios (slow long distance) and ICE ("high" speed, no laughs from France or Japan please...). In the double-deckers (short distance) even the Brompton bag does not fit the overhead bin. Only trouble I had so far was at a counter, where I bought my ticket with the unfolded Brompton. The clerk insisted I had to buy a ticket for a bicyle even if it was a children's bike. Folding and covering the Brompton convinced him.

Netherlands

• Milan van Tuin, Aug 1997:
  In the Netherlands you can take your folding bike on any train. I always fold my Brompton to a minimum but I notice that some people leave their folding bikes unfolded and it doesn't seem to bother anyone. I travel everyday from Amsterdam to Leiden and every day I see more and more Bromptons. At least a few times a week I'll have to demonstrate the Brompton to people who are curious about that little package. I take my Brompton everywhere, into the supermarket, cinema, bars, restaurants, etc. I never had any complaints. friend has been thrown off the train so the move has started. So much for Greening and integration of the rail/bicycle networks. It would lead to people using Bromptons more (or not cycling).
• Custfold, Sep 1997:
  Apparently folding bikes are not allowed on Dutch buses on safety grounds (a campaign on this anyone?).
• mhodson, Nov 1999:
  Someone mentioned carrying a dismantled and wrapped 27" bike on trains - it might be interesting to note that the general carriage conditions of Dutch Railways (NS) make a specific exclusion for disassembled racing bikes, which are treated as bicycles and not as luggage. (Though I doubt if there would be any way to object if it were wrapped so as not to be identifiably a bike.)
  Folding cycles are treated as luggage provided that they satisfy certain requirements which NS may publish separately (ie they can change the rules arbitrarily without consultation).
  Conductors also have the right to refuse a folding bike (or any other luggage) if it inconveniences or endangers other passengers or occupies a seat.
  Since the space provided for luggage in Dutch trains is minimal, even the Brompton normally has to stay in the vestibule, where it is probably obstructing a tip-up seat, so this rule could - if enforced pedantically - make it impossible to carry folders on busy rush-hour trains. Fortunately things don't seem to have got that far yet. If they enforced it, they would also have to object to people travelling to and from Schiphol Airport with large suitcases, which don't fit in the luggage racks either.
• Nico J. de Boer, Nov 1999:
  Don't be too sure of that: the conductors once spotted mine right through its wrappings, and sent me off at the next station (which luckily was my destination anyway).
• Frank Abbing, Nov 1999:
  In most dutch trains most seats are mounted back-to-back. In some of these trains there is a rather narrow luggage slot in between those seats. In this slot you can just fit a Brompton!
  • Mark Hodson, Nov 1999:
    In my experience this only works in the newish double-decker "Inter-Regio" sets (1st class on the lower deck is best). In the older ICR ("Koploper") trains the gap is just that bit too small, and in local trains it's hopeless.
  • Roland Elsenberg, Nov 1999:
    I recently travelled from Venlo to Nijmegen in a new Diesel-powered unit. There my T5 fitted between the seats even without the top part of the extended seat pillar collapsed. I never had trouble with the Nederlandse Spoorwegen.

UK

• Osbert Lancaster, Aug 1997:
  I have had no problem taking my (uncovered) Brompton on Scotrail (Scottish regional train company) trains. [...] Also no problem on Lothian Regional Transport buses in Edinburgh.
• Andrew D. Mackay, Aug 1997:
  Here in London there seems (so far) to be no problem to taking Bromptons on the various privatised railways. I have often been challenged and when I collapse the bike or explain that it is a folding bike the guards let me through. In fact I hardly lift or wheel the bike folded at all because I wheel it fully expanded onto the platforms and into the hospital where I work.
  Recently an ominous sign has appearred at the ticket barrier saying that on the new trains (ones that have automatically closing doors) bicycles will not be allowed on during rush hour at the discretion of the guard.
• Custfold, Sep 1997:
  The folding bike is specifically mentioned in the Blue Pages of the UK rail timetable by North London Railways, who limit the carriage of folding bikes to 1 per vestibule area (when the conductor spots them).
• John R. Bolt, Sep 1998:
  If I take the train home with the Brompton, it rides reasonably inconspicuously in the large entrance "foyer" (well, I don't know what else to call it) of the model of electric commuter train used in this part of Chicago. As long as it is covered, it generally doesn't cause any undue conductorial excitment, because the train crew think of it as luggage. On the few occasions when I have carried it uncovered on the commuter trains, it has usually passed without trouble, but a couple of times the conductor began hyperventilating, got all puffed up, and informed me stiffly that bicycles were not allowed on the train. Once a conductor put me and the little guy off at the next stop. (It was my stop anyway, so I assumed the Bre'r Rabbit posture--please, please don't throw me into the briar patch!). So for me, the cover is a vital accessory.
• Custfold, Sep 1998:
  One essential factor is the knowledge of the company's conditions of carriage which, since most conductors/drivers rarely see folding bikes, is unlikely to have been in their ken on the relevant clauses. For National Express in the UK - all bikes are carried but must be in a bag or case (Clause 8.1 para 2 page 44 of curent fares handbook) - although the crew rarely insist if the space is available. The old SMT company conditions generally have transferred - and most local buses take me & the bike. The Glasgow Subway (Clockwork Orange/Shoogle) requires a few devious moves to avoid detection by ticket window staff. The Animals & Accompanied Articles agreed conditions 1996 I think still applies to all UK train operators, and specifically IIRC (Rob?) Clause 7.5, which usually shuts up any jobsworth, although they can make life miserable (Hi Conductor Pat C... of GNER) by always coming to your door to work the control panel and making jobsworth comments each time they pass along the train.
• john_carss, Oct 1998:
  I've been travelling from Newcastle to London almost once a week for the last 2 years on GNER and have never had my Brompton covered.
  My preferred place of storage is between the 2 sets of seats which back to back. I've also stored it on luggage rack with no problem, both ends and the central area.
  No conductor has ever questioned my bike.
• Peter Amey, Oct 1998:
  I haven't seen anywhere where covering is explicitly required; however, the local bus company seem to have a "driver's discretion" rule about folders. Most don't mind at all, some are positively enthusiastic but I do regularly encounter one driver who is very unpleasant if the Brompton is not covered. His objection, and I quote literally here, is that "the smell of oil on the bike chain makes him feel ill and he can't drive". (This from someone who regularly drives an ancient bus reeking of diesel in Bath traffic!). I routinely cover the bike on buses (unless I am on a route where I know there will be a luggage rack and where I won't meet that driver) but do not cover on trains. My motive is that if someone complains about a bike then a ruling against them might be made (this being how the bureaucratic mind works) and we would all suffer.
• David Edge, Nov 1998:
  It is a formal requirement on Central Trains. Missus has _severe_ abuse from one jobsworth in hundreds of journeys.
• Rob Cope, Nov 1998:
  Err... folks, the 2 are unconnected! Unless the NCC have been expanded since my copy (Jan 96), which I doubt: all train operators (TOCs) signed up for these as part of their franchising agreements. All stations must have the NCC available for inspection, many will give you a copy on request (it is only a 24 page booklet).
  Bicycles of any sort are only mentioned in section 61 which covers parking at stations. There are various sections on accompanied luggage, which can be broadly summarised as "the TOC will carry such luggage as it will carry". Your ticket entitles *you* to travel. There is no absolute *right* to accompanied luggage of any kind in the NCC.
  However, these are simply the minimum all TOCs must provide: they are free to offer more but covered by each TOC's own conditions. Bike carriage falls into this area.
  Each TOC's policy is summarised in the front of the national (Railtrack) timetable. Not surprisingly, these are still broadly similar to those inherited from BR, which is where the cover reference comes from. The Folder/A2B pressed successfully for TOCs to mention folding bikes on their pages, less successfully for the cover stipulation to be dropped. Some (eg Silverlink) have dropped it, Wales & West intriguingly says "...fully folded *or* covered". Most retain the cover reference but very rarely enforce it.
  For non-collapsibles: after much lobbying, the BR cycle-space booking system was retained so that one UKP3 booking fee should cover all (bookable) cycle spaces required on any continuous single journey. This was not guaranteed to continue indefinitely but I have heard no threat to it and would hope that even the TOCs are not stupid enough to start making trouble.
  The above only covers the former BR network, now sometimes referred to as National Railways (NR) and incidentally not including Heathrow Express. London Underground has a separate policy, not mentioning covers. Docklands Light Rail bans all bikes, but seems happy with folders that are kept out of the way. Nexus (Tyne & Wear) has started from a complete bike-ban, now exempting certain brands of folder. See the A2B website for details.
  Notwithstanding the complete absence of folder references, the NCC make useful reading espec re your right to use First if Standard is full (s.36); breaking journeys (s.15); duty of any TOC to assist if you are stranded by another (s.43)...
• Alasdair Baxter, Nov 1998:
  I remember this happening when I was reading law at university. The class were studying "ticket cases" and the tutor (tongue on cheek) suggested that we do this. It caused quite a furore. The drivers didn't have copies and head office had to have an urgent print run. Aberdeen city buses were put into chaos while all these law students stood on the step stating that they could not be held to conditions which they had no possibility of reading before entering into the contract with the bus operator.
  The interesting question is whether you are entitled to hold up the bus to read the conditions (usually a lengthy document) even if they do have them. The simple answer would be to post them on the bus stops but that is too much like common sense for Britain's bus companies.
  BTW, I have checked at the highest level with Nottingham City Transport about taking my Brompton on their buses and was told it was OK so long as I put it in the luggage/pushchair compartment.
• Custfold, Nov 1998:
  Following from MacEwan's (Dumfries) announcing that new Dumfries-Stranraer buses that have large holds to accommodate bikes, Wrights (bus builders) announce (and printed in Bus & Coach Professional) that the new bendybus for First Group has 2 wide doors to assist boarding with wheelchairs, buggies, and... Folding Bikes.
  Is the tide turning? Lets talk it up, Swanbrook Coaches Oxford-Gloucester, Oxford Tube Oxford-London, United Counties Oxford-Cambridge, First Cymru Tenby-Bath etc very soon we should be able to stage our own Rack 'n' Roll tour like the guys in Seattle who covered Seattle - San Francisco (900 miles) in 8 days by riding the bikes (300 miles) and the transit systems (600 miles). Now how about an end to end by cycling to the bus, and between the buses....
• Custfold, Nov 1998:
  
  1. With the advent of automatic opening doors, central aisles in the saloons, and generous vestibule areas using a brompton on a train is no longer as dificult as it used to be. With the IC225 stock it should be possible to ride from Coach A to coach G without having to dismount, unless the conductor asks you to.....
     Then again on the HK MTR the cars have continuous gangway.
     But
     
  2. I don't know about 6-abreast <5 surely in UK, we're never that friendly> suburban coaches but other slam door stock with back-to-back seats can take a Brompton between the seat backs as long as you push the saddle all the way down.
     One reason why any serious commuter should always get the extending seatpost - is to remove the saddle fast - it makes an immense improvement to the ease of pushing the bike between seat backs.
• Dave H, Jul 1998:
  I was once (incorrectly) told by a GW trains conductor I should theoretically pay for carriage of my folded Brompton. After reason failed I insisted that I would pay, and while about it I would have his name and number; this brought about a change of tone whereby I repeated my insistance on paying. Finally he brought along the Senior Conductor who on having the problem explained confirmed that there was in fact no requirement at all to pay for the folded bike! I recently had a similar experience on a New Jersy Transit train but being less clear on the requirements for holding a (free) bicycle permit did not push the issue as the conductor appeared fairly easy going.
• David Hansen, Jun 2000:
  [Bromptons] do fit in the luggage racks of just about all trains. They don't fit in the bottom of Class 170 racks, but do fit in the top - very stupid. They are a bit of a fiddle in a Mark II coach as part of the rack is just too low, but they fit higher up the rack.
  They will fit between the seat backs on most long distance trains, unfortunately seats arranged in this way are becoming rarer.
• Jeff Dauvin, Jun 2000:
  On British trains you SHOULD NOT use the overhead rack which have a warning about large/heavy luggage - they are too small. 158/159s have very good racks for up to 20 Bromptons per carriage if no else has any luggage! Connex slam doors only have the guards van - you can take the bike in the carriage if there are not too many passengers & use the floor space for 2 seats. Wessex Electrics as for Connex but have wheel chair access/space in carriage "D" (1st Class = A) which I use a lot.

Hungary

• Andras Toth, Oct 1999:
  I have been using my folded but uncovered Brompton without any problems on the public transport system in Budapest (Hungary) for one year now, mostly in the subway. However, I was constantly afraid of being spotted by security guards and thrown out. This fear is gone now! A couple of weeks ago a reporter from a popular Hungarian TV channel, RTL Klub came up to me in the subway and asked if he could make an interview for their evening magazine, Fókusz. What interested him was first and foremost how a bicycle can be "smuggled" on the subway, where they are otherwise strictly forbidden. In order to be able to shoot the interview, we had to ask the transport company authorisation to proceed, which they granted only after it was proven that the folded bicycle does not exceed the official size limit for hand luggage. As a result, the previously ambiguous status of my bicycle was cleared, so that thanks to this interview I now have an official permission to take the Brompton on public transport vehicles in Budapest.

Europe

• T.Lawson, Sep 1998:
  Readers may be interested in some recent experience we had riding with uncovered Bromptons on various European trains as part of an InterRail holiday. Over the course of three weeks we carried a pair of uncovered Bromptons plus front and saddle bags on
  Valley Lines - South Wales Great Western Railways - Cardiff to London and back London Underground Eurostar - London to Brussels and back Belgian Railways intercity - to various places in Belgium Belgian Railways international - Brussels to Amsterdam and back Netherlands Railways intercity trains - to various places in Holland Netherlands Railways international - Amsterdam to Cologne Deutsche Bahn intercity - Cologne to Munster and Hamburg, and back Deutsche Bahn international - Hamburg to Copenhagen and back Danish Railways suburban services - in an around Copenhagen
  over 40 train journeys in all. On only two occasions was "Conductorial Excitement" encountered.
  Every train on the Copenhagen suburban system has lots of space for conventional bicycles, but they aren't carried free. On seeing a pair of unfolded Bromptons, a rather stern conductor asked for our bike tickets, but dissolved into giggles when we started folding them up, and went off down the carriage laughing.
  On most of the international trains the Bromptons slotted unnoticed into the floor-level luggage space between back-to-back seats, but the Deutsche Bahn Intercity between Munster and Cologne had compartment carriages and the only place they would fit was the corridor. The conductor on the outward journey had no problem with this, but on the way back a humourless jobs-worth informed us that all uncovered bikes incurred a 12 Mark charge whether they folded or not, and harassed us until we coughed up.
  Minor annoyances aside, we had a terrific time, due in no small part to the accompanying Bromptons. InterRailing with a Brompton opens up all sorts of possibilities, as you might imagine. - Highly recommended.
• T.Lawson, Oct 1998:
  Out of Belgian, British, Danish, Dutch, and German railways, and Eurostar, I've only found it to be enforced on the Germans, and then only on one occasion.

• Doug Faunt, Aug 1997:
  

  BART [San Francisco Bay Area Rail? Transport] staff also surprised us with a heavyhanded restriction on taking folding bikes past the faregate. We are opposing this unfair burden on those should be able to wheel their bike to the platform before folding it to board the train.

  Robert Raburn (510) 433-RIDE East Bay Bicycle Coalition PO Box 1736 Oakland CA 94604

  This is an interesting little bit of folding bike news from the San Francisco Bay area. What are the rules about on the platform vs. actually on the train in various other places?
  I was hassled by a BART agent because I had the handle bars unfolded, and was wheeling it around on the in-line skate wheels I have put on the front of the rack on my T5.
  Spidra Webster, Aug 1997:
  I definitely agree with fighting BART on this. I have made the argument that they were not accomodating my disability (two different forms of RSI) by making me lift that heavy weight before I absolutely had to. I'm only slightly satisfied that they will lay off if I carry a doctor's note...

• Robert Renger, Aug 97:
  In Vancouver the BC Transit staff take pleasure in advising that even a folded Brompton is bicycle enough not to be allowed on the SkyTrain, even off-peak in virtually empty cars. Covered they don't seem to mind.
• Phil Gough, Aug 1997:
  The London Underground rule requires folding bikes to be bagged, but I have only once in scores of journeys been challenged on this. Generally my Bromptonm goes folded but naked. extra-charge!
• Jeff Stone, Aug 1997:
  I take my uncovered Brompton on Santa Clara County buses (in the Silicon Valley). I was only challenged once by a bus driver, but I hypnotically informed him that he was in the wrong. Many bus drivers are amused or curious about the bike. Seems like trains are alot roomier than buses, and I really don't see what legitimate excuse they have to ban folded bikes.
• Custfold, Aug 1997:
  IIRC you can take cumbersome bikes on Santa Clara LRT and buses, as set out in a leaflet - buried somewhere in my gravitational filing system. They also get a mention in TCRP4 Bikes on Transit from the FHwA/TRB/APTA.. SEPTA, and WMATA leaflets IIRC also show folders unbagged going on board - a Peugeot Nouveau Style - excellent ride but a bit heavy came c/w dynamo, and f/r racks.
• Steven M. Scharf, Sep 1998:
  In the San Francisco Bay Area, BART allows folding bikes at all times, uncovered, no extra charge.
  CalTrain requires folding bikes be covered though this may change. 24 regular bikes are allowed on each train, and some trains have expanded to 48 bikes per train (though it is not guaranteed). They eliminated the back to back seats so there is no place to store a folder, but it is rare on CalTrain to not get a double seat to yourself.
• Paul Brady, Nov 1999:
  On NJ transit trains in the printed schedule it states that folding bikes are permited on all trains at all times. I have never been hassled by the conductors.
  -But-
  The PATH train is a different story. The train is so crowded at rush hour that I have stopped taking the Bromie on at these times. It is just to much to fit into the packed trains in the AM/PM. So I take the ferry to get to NJ from the city. Then I ride to Journal Square. This stop has much less people on it from there to Newark were I catch the NJ transit train. So i get a little extra mileage doing it this way, and I think it takes about the same amount of time. It cost 1 dollar more but it is worth it. Also I dont have to carry the bike out of the World Trade Center. This makes life easier on the way in.
• Velovot, Jan 2000:
  I have ridden Amtrack between Oakland and Sacramento California. There was no problem. The bike easily fit in the luggage rack. I think, as in most situations, it's best to have the bike seen in the folded state. Then the observer's brain registers a ho-hum "odd luggage" and not rules-rules-rules image of "bicycle!'
  I know that David and Jane Henshaw (of A to B fame) took Amtrack from the East Coast to Los Angeles with no problems.
• Deborah Eacock, Jan 2000:
  I have taken my Brompton T-5 on Amtrak several times in California. They are very accomodating to bikes - no extra charge. An older Folder magazine mentioned a conductor in San Diego that used a Brompton to scoot along the platform.
  The double-level trains have special hooks to hang a regular bike, but this area is near a door, away from the seats. There are shelves and areas between the seats. I take my folded, covered Brompton upstairs with no problem nor the slightest objection from the conductors. I have a shoulder strap on the front pannier bag.
  The single level trains have baggage areas for regular bikes, and luggage closets near the doors. The folded B easily fit in the closet, but you need to schlepp it up the stairs and down the aisle. It also fits in the overhead rack.
  For some places, Amtrak uses a bus. These are quite comfortable and prompt. Luggage goes underneath. I stand the folded T-5 between soft-sided luggage, or take it inside if the bus is not crowded.
• Custfold, Jan 2000:
  One of the reasons many have the Brompton is that it goes without any special fuss with any type of transport. The Brompton & trailer went all round the US by Amtrak, Southwest Airlines, Greyhound, or was it Peter Pan in 1989, it went in the room in all the hostels (DC included). The only hassle happened one year when taking the whole rig down the escalator in Penn Station NY (as it is easier to keep bike & trailer as one unit when moving around.
  All you need to kinow whatever transport you use is the conditions of carriage which turn the folded bike into a 'suitcase'
  BTW it fits the overhead racks in most Metroliner cars on East Coast and San Diegans.and for the lazy it also fits the bike racks on most buses.
• Paul Brady ATT, Feb 2000:
  I have taken the "B" on the Amtrak trak train in the east several times between Philadelphia and NYC never had a problem. I also ride the New Jersey Transit trains all the time. On NJT, it says on the schedule that folding bikes are allowed on ever train at any time. I am not sure if the same is true for Amtrak. I put the B in the overhead rack and I have never had a problem.
• Larry Chinn, Feb 2000:
  [On Caltrain] I can fit the Brompton between my legs and the seat in front of me but I have rather thin legs and still am somewhat uncomfortable. The Brompton can't fit under the seat but certainly the overhead rack. I find the Brompton too heavy and awkward to lift above my head into the overhead. It's also difficult to negotiate the narrow stairwell carrying the folder and front pannier. When the train is really crowded it's still a challenge to seat yourself and the Brompton but I always hope that some passenger will be inspired seeing the convenience of the folder to go out and get one.
• Steven M. Scharf, Feb 2000:
  When Caltrain used to have two sets of back to back seats per car it was the perfect place for a folder. Now they reconfigured those seats to normal and eliminated that storage space.
• stringer, Jun 2000:
  I've taken my brompton on the Long Island Railroad, which is also part of MTA, and had no problems. I don't think you'll have any trouble on Metro North, especially if you cloak the brompton with a plastic trash bag. I did notice on the MTA website that you can get a life time bike pass for $5.
• Peter O'Reilly, Jun 2000:
  I've ridden Metro North coming and going to NY with a full size bicycle. I have only done so on weekends and have a Metro North bicycle pass. You can by the bike pass for $5 at their ticket window in Grand Central Station. I have gone with groups of other bicyclists using the last available car. Sometimes they have a dedicated bicycle car (old snack bar car). I did not experience any problem. I have heard on occasion stories that they will arbitrarily limit the number of bicyclists on a train depending on the mood of the conductor. Once again these are weekend stories with full size bikes. That's about it.

Covers

• Alasdair Baxter, Oct 1998:
  When travelling with Brompton by train or bus, I usually carry a stout bin liner in my pocket and will put the folded bike inside it if asked. So far I have never been asked but I could see a possible claim arising if a passenger's expensive brand new luggage were soiled by coming in contact with an oily chain.
  It is a bit like sending soft fruit through the post office inadequately packed.
• Rob Cope, Oct 1998:
  MY cover (rarely used) is a large laundry bag found in the market for UKP2.50. I suspect it helps that the resulting package looks like heavy shopping, not a collapsed bike. Marketing opportunity! A run of covers over-printed 'ACME Self-Propelled Sewing Machines' or 'Bike? No bike here: honest!'
• Tom Bennett, Aug 1999:
  The bike cover is a waste of 50 bucks. I (almost) never used it. If you have only one bike, you can take it practically anywhere. In Paris, restaurants, museums (I checked it at the Musee de Cluny) even movies will allow entry of one Brompton. But, two Bromptons is a bit much. Before I left NY, I bought the top of the line Kryptonite lock for bikes. (called the NY Krypto.) It weighed 3 pounds, was total overkill, but it fit around both Bromptons at the same time (at the bottom of the frame above the crank, leaving no room for a jack etc.) and gave me total peace of mind while leaving it outside of just about anywhere. [I know someone is going to tell an urban horror story in response to this, but I just figured that if some organized thief had the balls to show up on the plaza outside the Louvre with the "jaws of life" and a diesel air compressor to get my Bromptons, then he could have them]

When and how to leave your Brompton unattended

Take your Brompton inside or leave it outside?

• Channell Wasson, Jul 1997:
  I never let my Brompton out of my sight. Take it with me. Sometimes I check it in the cloakroom -- covered of course. [related: Tips, tricks & tinkering - Covers]
• Velovot@aol.com, Oct 1998:
  The beauty of Brompton is that you can take it anywhere! The fold is so simple and quick that one need not hesitate taking along even if popping into the corner store for milk and eggs.
  I carry my Brompton with me while shopping. In the grocers, I put the bike in a cart and wheel it about. I find that a touch of arrogance works wonders. If one assumes there is no problem taking one's folding bike into any establishment, there usually isn't a problem.
  However, I've found that it's VERY important to fold the bike completely before entering a store or restaurant. If someone's brain registers "bicycle" as you walk in the door, that's when trouble starts. But, a folded Brompton doesn't fall into any established category, so people unconsciously look to the carryer to pick up on guilt or innocence--good old human nature.
  Okay, I won't pursue any sociological theories on how people form judgements and the innate desire to label things as "safe" or "dangerous." But, I'd sure urge you to stretch the envelope of social acceptance for you and your wonderful Brompton. Act like you and your Brompton partner belong together wherever you go.
• David Hansen, Oct 1998:
  I'm not a dedicated folder. If I'm going in a post office or a bank for a few minutes I lock it up. This is much easier and a bit faster.
  If I'm going to a supermarket (rare by bike as I usually walk) I nearly always get a basket rather than a trolley. Shopping for one or two can easily be done with a basket. Rather than carry the Brompton and a basket it's easier to leave it outside.
• David Henshaw - A to B magazine, Oct 98:
  Bike theft is a big problem. Personally I never carry a lock and assume that I will always be taking the bike with me wherever I go. This is not a problem as a rule. We've encouraged Brompton-friendly bike shops to look after bikes while your shopping, and have achieved some success in major UK cities (see the 'recommended shops' page on our web site: http://www.a2b.care4free.net Some shops charge a small fee, but most see it as a bonus, because you are likely to buy something while passing through. If anyone knows of other shops that are willing to mind bikes, please let us know - the more taking part, the better for everyone.
• Mike Hessey, Oct 1998:
  My Brompton goes everywhere with me normally when I'm on a ride, including the euphemistically named bathroom, but when I have taken the trailer to the supermarket, the Brompton and trailer are locked up in the car park. Visits to the Post Office were interesting, in that I've used it to carry hundreds of mags for posting. With these loaded on it, it was not possible to unload it, let alone fold it, on the way into the PO, so I just pushed the bike in there fully loaded. Having got near the counter I unloaded and folded the bike, and then joined the queue. I feared that someone would object, but in enlightened(?!) Dudley, England, there was no reaction at all.
• Mike Hessey, Oct 1998:
  [...] this is a particular virtue of the Brompton - few IF ANY other folders would allow you to regard folding and taking it with you as the norm. I own several other folders, and good as they may be for particular situations, the Brompton is still the only folder that most people will fold whether they need to or not - it's so easy and natural. Covering it is often not necessary to make it acceptable (I've never needed to cover mine on a train yet), and even if it is, it's very easy - particularly if you carry one of the light weight, compact, A to B covers!! My Birdy has escaped uncovered on one occasion when I had to fold on a train and hadn't got the cover with me, but normally I would not risk it, and would cover it. I certainly wouldn't try to take the Friday with me anywhere without covering it while it was folded.
• Rob Cope, Oct 1998:
  It is not always practical to heave 25-30 lb of bike (even covered) round a shop: would you take an equivalent size suitcase into Debenhams/Woolworths/K-Mart? So pending more folder-friendly stores, I do as I would with a cumbersome: carry the toughest lock I know of & lock to something solid. Parking meters are good as the local parking enforcer has a big incentive to ensure they cannot be uprooted!
  I suspect the Brompton is less prone to nicking *so far*as fewer thieves realise its value plus small-wheelers are still often dismissed as shoppers: my last ATB, worth #300, was stolen from a rack next to #900-worth of Moulton AM. Do not rely on this though; there has been evidence of theft 'to order' & with the high demand for Bromptons...
• DRMLyons@aol.com, Oct 1998:
  While I mostly lurk on this list I feet compelled to respond to the above. I spent a few days this summer cycling in NYC and found that few people had ever seen a Brompton, and very few shops objected to it being parked, half folded near the entrance. As very few people know how to unfold it and ride off, the only serious threat is from people taking it away on/in a vehicle. There are few thieves that would be able to escape on a Brompton unless they had riden on before!
  I usually take my Brompton into shops, either leaving it within sight at the entrance, either parked or fully folded, or trolley it around the shop with me. When in a supermarket with trolleys you can either wheel it about, parking (just fold the rear wheel so that it stands up by itself) it frequently while looking at the produce (store management realise you are a Customer then!) or fold it up and put it in the trolley. This may sound alot of hassle but saves fiddling with locks and worrying about whether your beloved machine is there (and undamaged) when you return!
• Andras Toth, Oct 1998:
  The French are generally more loosely organized than the Anglosaxon, this is perhaps the reason why I have been carrying my Brompton around *everywhere* in Paris for the past one year. Actually, I consider it a challenge to get into the most unlikely places with it. It has seen the same amount of films in cinemas as I have, been to the same concerts (not only in bars and small places but also in big concert halls), and I frequently take it with me to fast food restaurants and university cantines (the plate being in one hand and the bicycle in the other until I sit down at a table), not to mention all the office buildings and appartments it has been to. I very rarely meet negative reactions: if people make a remark, it is usually to offer me to watch out for my bicycle, or to put it in a safe place (especially in the small cinemas of the Quartier Latin). In bigger places such as the National Library of France, the cloakrooms are happy to take in the bike as any other item, to the point that I once overheard the staff saying proudly that in this cloakroom they even store bicycles. For my shopping, after trying out the pushing-around-in-a-caddie method, which I found rather bothersome (not because of the bicycle but because I consider it a waste of time and space to handle a caddie for the few things I buy) I settled for a supermarket in my area where they have a long steel bar inside near the entrance in a place where people leave their shopping trolleys. I always carry a chain lock in my backpack and this is the only time I lock the bicycle, folded, to the steel bar. This is a necessary precaution, although I expect that the bicycle thieves are working in the street and not inside shops, which is the hunting territory of shoplifters. I completely agree with Tom Vogt's remark that it is important to fold the bicycle before we enter the target place. The few times I have been refused to enter with the bike, I had always folded it in front of the security guys or receptionists (because sometimes it pays to show off with it, but more often not).
  I do not have a cover for the Brompton and I have never really felt the need for it. I have frequently taken the train with it (both suburban and long-distance) not only in France but in Scandinavia, Germany, Austria and Hungary and have never encountered the slightest problem. Should I consider myself as particularly lucky?
  There is only one problematic situation to which I have not found a solution yet. In some open public areas (mostly parks, such as the nicest part of the Parc de Versailles or Seurasaari in Helsinki) bicycles are forbidden, even if you don't sit on but push them. There are no caddies in which I could put the Brompton, the ground is too uneven to pull it on the castors, and obviously I don't want to carry it in my hands while enjoying the park. So the only possible thing to do is to lock it as any other bike at the entrance.
• David Cox, Oct 1998:
  I usually fold the back wheel under and use a U lock to fix it to a parking meter or metal post/fence, I think the average thief thinks that it is brocken. However, whereas local kids a yobs used to laugh/sneer at the Brompton one correctly identified it the other day - "look there's a Brompton". So perhaps the value of the bike and the shortage of supply is getting around. Beware.
• Custfold, Feb 1999:
  Sadly I see many Bromptons chained up outside buildings when they can and should be taken inside. I am amazed at the rigid thinking which persists despite the use of the new technology - some Brompton users have yet to realise that they can have a really easy time just jumping on any convenient bus*, or using the deep level tubes in London. Basically if you're riding along and spot a useful bus approaching - race it to the stop, fold up & jump on. I do this regularly in Edinburgh, when travelling to Loanhead in about the same time it would take to drive at less than the cost of the fuel alone (not counting the £9-£12/day fixed costs of car ownership), and spend most of the trip reading, making phone calls and sleeping.
  I do not encumber myself with the redundant weight of a lock and chain - a relief over the necessary evil with a cumbersome - and find that a firm but insistent attitude that "the bike stays with me" usually works - the exceptions being the Mitchell Library, and almost (with grudging acceptance) the cloakroom at the National Library of Scotland. Last Night it went in the cloakroom of the prestigious EICC for the Virgin Scottish Transport Debate as it has on previous occasions - a 'condom' my idiosyncratic description of any close fitting protective cover for loudspeakers, railway vehicle couplings (sic as used in W Highland Line to prevent snow & ice packing into coupling) and any bike cover - is useful for social acceptability of the practice.
  I NEVER leave my Brompton assembled and chained up anywhere - at the worst it has shared a chain with other bikes in its folded state, and those with extending seatposts should also heed the warning that the top part is easily removed - so do this yourself. A simple stop - a jubilee clip or broken off brake lever clamp can set the extent to which the saddle is inserted back into the post to suit the rider.

Forced separation - when folders not welcome

• David Henshaw - A to B Magazine, Jul 1998:
  Yes. Only once. Believe it or not, I was once ejected from a pub with Andrew Ritchie (the man himself) because we had walked in with two folded (but uncovered) Bromptons. In my experience, pubs are usually fine, whether the bike is covered or not, but it is well worth having a cover on hand just in case. If I will be forgiven a quick commercial plug, that's why we produce our 60g lightweight covers. It lives somewhere inconspicuous like a pannier pocket, but as Kenneth Williams might say, you can always whip it out at the appropriate moment.
  As a general rule, never get into a discussion of any kind with any species of official. If in doubt, always cover the bike well in advance.
• Doug Faunt, Jul 1998:
  I was challenged in a yuppie healthy food store, part of a local chain, after putting the folded bike in a cart outside and taking it in, since it was "dirty and unhealthy". I pointed to the child standing in the cart nearby, but was still told that I shouldn't do this. I don't go there much, anyway.
• Willi Mindak, Jul 99:
  I used to fold the bike and wheel it around in a shopping cart until a fellow lady customer objected to that in no uncertain terms on hygienic grounds. After reflection I agree with her. Since then I use reluctantly a lightweight cable lock for all those short stops. Carrying the folded bike around in a crowded bank/ newsagent presents its own problems. It is very difficult not to bump into somebody. Now with a bag or rucksack nobody seems to notice when you brush against them, but carry a folded bike and the tolerance level is much lower.....
  • David Hansen, Jul 1999:
    I wonder if she would object to push chairs on the same grounds. Push chairs are used on the pavements, complete with chewing gum, dog mess and other items. Bikes are used on roads, which have far less of this mess.
  • Richard Lighton, Jul 1999:
    Does anyone ever put a push chair in a shopping cart? Small kids, yes (and kids have feet that have been on the ground).
    But a different thought. If a Brompton is folded, I don't think any part that touches the ground (tyres/tires) is in a position to be in contact with the shopping cart.
• David Henshaw - A to B Magazine, Jul 98:
  On the subject of supermarkets. I'm very nervous about one of us upsetting a store and a total ban resulting (although quite how they could ban covered Bromptons, I don't know). It's so easy to fold the bike into (or under) a trolley, and you've then got the same cumbersome vehicle as everyone else, so the problem evaporates. The only objection we ever had was after a press-item in Dorset showing Jane wheeling her bike in a supermarket trolley with the blessing of the store manager. Someone wrote to the paper saying the tyres might have had dog pooh on them, so the bike was a health hazard. Fair enough, but the same applies to kids who are often karted around in trolleys. And Bromptons are unlikely to start screaming or eating the produce.
• Carl Etnier, Oct 1999:
  I'm wondering about tactics to use to persuade people that a folded Brompton is not subject to the same regulations as a non-folded bicycle. Twice since coming to Wisconsin seven weeks ago I have been either asked to remove my Brompton from a building or barred from bringing it into a building.
  (In the latter occurrence, last night, I was going to a meeting of the Transit and Parking Commission, so I said I was going to show the bike when I commented on the proposal to put bike racks on busses. I did nothing of the kind, but it was a good cover, and one I may lack next time I try to get into that building.)
  One of these buildings is owned by the state of Wisconsin (University of Wisconsin), the other by the local city and county governments. In the Wisconsin code, I find:
  340.01(5) "Bicycle" means every vehicle propelled by the feet acting upon pedals and having wheels any 2 of which are not less than 14 inches in diameter.
  [The 16" wheels on the Brompton keep it from being excluded on these grounds.]
  and
  29.001(87) "Vehicle" means any device for moving persons or property or pulling implements from one place to another on land or rails or in the air.
  Last night, before I got special permission to bring in the folded Brompton, I tried to argue that the Brompton had been a bicycle when I rode up on it, but was no longer, since I couldn't ride on it. But I suppose this argument could be used for a non-folding bike with a lock on, or with a wheel removed and carried alongside.
  Suggestions, success stories appreciated. Specifically, 1) arguments to use to classify the folded Brompton as a non-bicycle, and 2) whom to turn to to get a ruling that could be used rather widely.
• John R. Bolt, Oct 1999:
  The best tactic is to conceal the fact that the object you are wheeling in is a bicycle--in other words, use the cover. I once had a (quite unpleasant) building guard insist that I had improperly left a bicycle (nasty things, they are) in his architecturally pristine plaza, and if I didn't remove it forthwith he was going to have it confiscated. (He had seen me ride up on the Brompton, go behind a large planter, and emerge a minute later with a black canvas wheeled bag). All the while the guard was yelling at me, the offending vehicle was standing in front of him disguised as a largish piece of luggage--in which form it was apparently perfectly acceptable. As I and the Brompton headed for the elevators, the guard was on the radio ostentatiously ordering a building engineer to take a pair of chain cutters into the plaza to remove a bicycle. I hope the engineer brought along the special 'air' cutters needed for dealing with 'air' bicycles.
  When I emerged a couple of hours later, the guard was nowhere in sight. I like to think that he was in a back room somewhere telling his story to a disbelieving psychiatrist.
• David Hansen, Oct 1999:
  The key is I think not to worry about whether one will be allowed to take the bike in, just simply take it in like one would do any other luggage. Be confident and one can do many things. A cover helps no end. Remember a Brompton takes less space than a computer and is a lot easier to handle.
• Paul Brady, Oct 1999:
  I brought my Bromi on the ferry to NYC the other day from and on the way across the water I unfolded the bike. This did not go over well with one of the boats crew, he said i had to pay full fare now that I unfolded it in his face. I said I dont think so and fold the back tire in. He said that is not folded, I said how do you know ??
  He did not have an answer, so I sat with the back wheel of the Bromi tucked under and crew man was really mad at me. He went off to ask the captiain, who told him if the bike folds they cant chagre me the bike fare, and since there is no definition of a "folded" bike, I am able to now just tuck the wheel on the ferry and the crew member hates me for it.... To bad for him....

Some Bromptons are not mistaken for wheelchairs

• alex mumzhiu, Oct 1999:
  I have arthritis in my right ankle and I am wearing a brace on it. I even have handicapped license plate for my car. I am using my folding bike as equivalent of a wheelchair. However people in uniform (policemen, flight attendants, conductors, guards etc) never agree to consider my bike as a wheelchair. They usually do not allow me to do things which allowed to ordinary wheelchair person, like riding on a pedestrian mall. May be my bike looks too funny to be considered as a wheelchair?
• Doug Faunt N6TQS +1-510-655-8604, Oct 1999:
  Yes, I know people who use a wheelchair because they can't stand up very well for long periods, but a bicycle works just as well, or in some cases better, for getting around and doing chores. This usage is not recognized, and should be. Handicapped plates for bicycles?
• Custfold, Oct 1999:
  Richard Hutchins, author of QWACRS, was touring regularly with folded bikes and sorting out the transport operators in the 1980's (it helps to be a retired county council solicitor) his riposte to anyone who challenges is that the bike is a 'Mobility Aid' and given the general desire not to fall foul of ADA (US) or DDA (UK) or whatever other administrations choose to call the legislation most will happily accept this. My experience also dates from c.1980 when I used the Bickerton, and my bike dismantled and wrapped up in under 2 minutes...

Locks

• Doug Faunt, Jul 1997:
  It may be less secure, but I found a good cable lock (10mm dia, 2m long Kryptonite) to be most versatile. A Brompton is peculiar enough in shape to make the conventional U locks usage iffy at time. You do have to be careful to go through the frame on the bike. The coiled cable just hangs on the handlebars, unless the bike is fully folded. If it's fully folded, you have to carry it somewhere else, of course.
  Richard Taylor, Jul 1997:
  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but those Kryptonite cable locks you mention can be cut with bolt cutters in about 10 seconds (really). I um, lost my keys & a friend demonstrated! There are better locks from Specialised & Oxford which combine a conventional steel core with a rotating outer sheath. Jut don't go Kryptonite if you want anything other than to stop someone picking it up.
  I have one of the specialized locks. I saw a test in a UK mag which seemed to indicate that it would take several minutes to cut through with large bolt cutters - a great step up!
  Zach Kaplan, Jul 1997:
  In 1993 I had a bike stolen which was locked outside a store less than ten minutes. The lock was a Kryptonite cable lock.
• Clive Page, Jul 1997:
  I suspect cable locks are not as secure, but I could not work a way of stowing a rigid lock without it getting in the way. For what it is worth, the solution I found was to get a cable lock about 1 metre long (which is enough to wrap around a lamp-post in most cases) a fraction more than twice the length of the rear carrier. I stow it along the left-hand side of the top of the rear carrier, where it can be locked in place looped around the two transverse tubes which carry the front and rear small rolling wheels (hope this is clear, really needs a diagram). In this position the lock does not interfere at all with folding/unfolding.
• Pierre Virlogeux, Jul 1997:
  I have 2 locks because I had 2 stolen bikes in the past I have a U model Kryptonite and a heavy cable ( 25 mm diameter an about 80 cm long ) I put then simply on the handlebar and I have no problems with them I use also the cable to lock the folded Brompton in the luggage compartiemnt of the TGV ( French High Speed Train ) to the luggage frame. I always retrieve my bike.
• Gert de Jong, Jul 1997:
  I also use a U model lock. But because I don't want to hang it on the handlebar, I started looking for a place where I could mount it, fixed to the Brompton without loosing folding capabilities.
  I concluded that only one place was possible: in extension of the frame, mounted on the front carrier block. It required some sawing, screwing, etc. but I use it for quite some time now and it works well.
• Steve D. Hanel, Jul 1997:
  When I was in High School I ran a test of chains and cables (they had no U locks then). The cable lasted 10 times longer than the case hardened chain. Chain - 1 second. Cable - 10 seconds
  I have heard the Kryptonite Evolution 2000 series U locks are the best security without spending $70 or more. I will be testing three different brands of U locks for ease of (unlawful) entry soon. The Kryptonite E2000 will be one of them.
• Jim Norris, Jul 1997:
  A friend gave me a Bravo 999 cycle frame lock that he picked up in India years ago. It attaches to my seat stays. When you push a button, the lock goes through the wheel. I bought a thin cable for locking the bike to trees, etc. The key remains in the lock until you lock it. The Specialized Globe use this (or a similar) lock. You might try contacting them. Good luck.
• Custfold, Jul 1997:
  Those nice 'ring' keys fitted to early Kryptonite locks, and many other types may look super secure, but there is a useful locksmiths tool which fits into them and vibrates, and presto in seconds the tumblers shake into the unlocking state. IIRC this tool is a light battery powered hand held thing. You have been warned.
  Meantime I'm thinking about how to fit a Datatag into the Brompton, since putting it into the seat tube (as normal for a diamond frame) is not possible. Could some kind of smoke generator fit into the front main tube, triggered if the bike was abused whilst it was primed? Imagine riding away with orange smoke pouring from the front joint.
• Ulric Schollaert, Jun 1999:
  Many people want to fix a U lock on the B. 's frame. I've got round the problem by using the pocket for the cover (hanging from the saddle) as a pocket for my U lock (the cover can easily fit elsewhdere if used regularly). The one U lock I found fits easily into the pocket and is useful in most circumtances is a narrow Abus one (rated 10/10 strengh). I rarely find it difficult to spot a reliable thing to lock my B. on. Of course, this is only a standard solution for standard occasions, and I take Zoum-Zoum in whenever necessary. I also use the Abus lock as quick lock (when I park in front of a shop where the bike is not in full sight and is more than a step away): I just lock it on the front wheel, so no one can ride away in 10 seconds.
• Mark Hodson, Jul 1999:
  When using the Brompton I generally carry a lightweight cable lock to attach it (folded) to something solid in case I have to leave it out of sight in a train (probably in contravention of all sorts of railway rules). I've never needed to lock it in any other situation.
• DrDBWood (Daniel Wood), Jul 1999:
  Theft may not be much of a problem in other areas. I am sorry to say that humanity is sorely lacking in my native Eugene Oregon where people seem to follow their worst impulses at the merest sign of temptation.
  Fortunately, I have never lost a bicycle to theft, but that is largely because I now will not leave the bike unattended, and even at home, the bikes are double-locked in a locked garage or i the house. With an alarm. With a security lighting system.
  It really is horrible, because ofttimes I will have grown hungry on long country rides (before my current illness, when I was cracking off 3-4 Centuries a week and 8,000 -12,000 annual miles) and if the proprietor won't allow me to park the bike inside near the cart racks, I really didn't feel comfortable leaving it. This holds true for all my bikes, and especially the Herse replica and the tandem because they are a bit unusual and so attractive. I don't expect it to be different when I have finished brazing up my own Folder from scratch. I made it with the intent of storing in the kneewell of a standard-sized office desk, where it would also be locked.
  A good part of my caution is justified by the experiences of myself and others. I used to work in campus security, and simply could not believe the amount of theft by professional rings who would travel to town in vans and literally cleanse an area of bicycles. I still have some of the broken U-locks that were left behind, unclaimed by the students who had lost their bikes. I had carefully collected the pieces and notified them figuring they might need/want them for insurance reimbursement. Most of the pieces showed evidence of leverage prys, but a few of the U-locks had literally shattered. I responded to one theft-in-progress report only to find an empty bicycle rack and scattered fragments of U-lock. A sweep of the immediate area turned up a can of Freon and a large patch of glass-wool insulation backed with aluminized paper that may well have been used to cool the lock before breaking it. It was literally impossible to respond in time to prevent a theft, especially since the pry-thefts required just seconds to pull off. Having seen the results of so many, I can recommend choosing a U-lock with minimal protrusions and using it with care to ensure the space inside the lock is filled with bicycle. Both these tactics reduce the chance for leverage needed for a pry-break of a lock. A small but extremely resistant lock and a large case-hardened chain can be helpful in some situations.
  No matter how a bicycle is locked, it is wise to recognize it may still be stolen. By chance we recovered some very expensive bicycles with frames that had been cut clean through the stays. Thieves had evidently decided to sacrifice the frame in order to get the parts. They are not generally restricted by sentiment as an owner might be. Surprisingly, very few of the University's mild-steel bicycle parking racks were ever damaged or cut.
  The owner of one of the oldest and largest shops in town has lost any number of bicycles to direct theft where bicycles were simply wheeled off the showroom floor and out the door. When a door-mounted detector and sensor tags had been installed in the new bikes, thieves simply removed customer's bikes from the repair queue at the rear of the showroom. Devilishly difficult to detect, especially since those bikes were obviously used and customers often came and went as they scheduled service for another day or left a bike only to return on foot.
  All prospective customers are required to leave a photo I.D. like a driver's license and they require written pre-authorization to charge the entire amount of the bicycle to the customer's charge card before any test rides are allowed. Upon returning from the test ride, the bicycles are inspected for chargeable damages before the charge authorization is returned to the customer.
  The shop owner himself learned a painful lesson when thieves identified his home and stole his personal bicycles from a tool shed behind the attached garage of his home. The official word from the police department theft prevention specialists is that locking bicycles inside one's home is the best deterrent. They advise itt is unwise to leave a garage door open in well-trafficked areas, since bike thieves will often note the location and return later.
  Friends -- sometimes in my presence -- have lost their bikes to thieves using bold ways I could never have imagined. The neighbors across the street had a backyard barbecue and the guests arrived on bicycles. In the few moments it took for them to carry their potluck contributions through the gate and return, both unlocked bikes were taken. And, I am ashamed to say, I was washing the car in my drive and didn't see or hear a thing.
  In another case, friends rode to a small, amateur-league soccer match and leaned their bikes against a railing imediately behind them. While they were distracted watching the game, someone made off with the bikes. Other friends left their mountain bikes leaning against the windows of a cafe while they ate dinner. Sadly, that meant they had front-row seats as both their unlocked bikes were stolen on the other side of the glass. By the time they got around the tables and out the door, the thieves had turned the corner and were lost from sight along with their bikes. I can think of tens of similar instances involving friends and acquaintances over the years.
  When I was commuting regularly by bicycle, I always parked my bike near others that weren't locked, since they made easier targets. Mine had a U-lock, 1/2" diameter cable, another lock (Abus Discus) and for good measure, a 140 decibel motion-sensing alarm tucked under the saddle's rain cover. I removed the computer, the pump, and the rack elastic. My waterbottles were consistently stolen until I left them half-full in thieir cages, which somehow made a difference.
  In that University setting, others lost any accessory that could be removed, if not the whole bike. Unless one had a private office, there was always the possibility of a colleague leaving a door unlocked while gone on some errand or there was a risk from the constant foot traffic through the office. A friend was on an errand when he lost an old but much-beloved Moulton Stowaway. His office partner was called from the office to take what proved to be a ruse telephone call. Of course, it was officially considered unlawful to park a bike indoors due to reasonable concerns related to fire restrictions. In that setting, I would still park inside and lock my Folder in the kneewell of my desk, to the desk, using a Kryptonite New York lock and chain combination.
  Eugene is home to a number of bicycle industry manufacturers, including the Burley cooperative (tandems, trailers, clothing), Co-Motion Cycles (custom tandems), Green Gear/Bike Friday (Folders, travel systems), BicyelERevolution (bike trailers), the Center for Appropriate Transport/C.A.T. (Swift Folders, various heavy-hauler HPVs and recmbents of all sorts), Jackson and Gibbons (clothing, bike luggage), and more. This probably makes it unusually attractive to thieves.
  Mountain bikes are the most-stolen kind of bicycle locally, and that is not surprising since they are also the most popular. In this area, road bikes and tandems are also at risk, and there is widespread knowledge that Folders can be very expensive. The C.A.T. lost one of their Swift folders right out of the shop earlier this year (Dark green with a Sachs 7-sp. internal hub. If anyone has seen it, please write).
  The driving motivation behind these bike thefts seems to be drugs. There is a lot of crystal methamphetamine being manufactured locally, and now the police have set up a heroin trafficking tip line; the television announcements run at the dinner hour. Stolen bikes are often offered for sale at pennies on the dollar (example: Cannondale Raven offered for $150, or Trek Y-foil road racing bike for $175, both offered to friends in the last month). While talking to the director of C.A.T. one day, a gentleman walked in with a new but badly scratched Bike Friday Air Friday (the one with the titanium flex beam), saying he'd paid a guy $75 for it and asking what kind of bike it was and if it was any good. A friend who runs a scrupulously honest used bicycle business will not purchase any bicycle without a serial number check and sometimes a waiting period as well. Even after that, if he gets his "feeling", he will refuse to buy. He loaned $20 to a prominent repeat customer as a favor so he could buy a bicycle he spotted at the nearby Goodwill thrift store. My friend imagined a beatup Huffy would be the result, since even the least-expensive bikes in his shop were too high for this fellow. Imagine his surprise when the customer returned pedaling a full-Campagnolo equipped bicycle custom-built by San Francisco frame builder Albert Eisentraut. He was still so flustered about it, he telephoned me the next day just to vent.
  My friend's advice on avoiding bike theft? "When you choose to park your bike, ask yourself if you would feel secure leaving a hundred-dollar bill lying unattended in the same place. If the answer is no, then take it with you!"
  I realize this is a long post, and for that I apologize. To many who live in areas where bicycle theft is infrequent, I must sound paranoid. However, bike theft is a daily reality here, and I hope some of the lessons learned can help others avoid losses of their own. Watch those bikes, be they cumbersomes or Folders!
• Simongikuk, Jul 1999:
  I had a Specialized "Rapper" cable lock ( not the thinner, longer and lighter type; but the heavy-duty one with a steel cable plus a Kevlar core, all encased in a flexible steel outer tube and covered in grey woven plastic.) According to a lock survey in a bicycle magazine, they can be cut through by bolt-croppers in less than a minute, despite their appearance. And I can vouch for it -- myT5 was stolen in exactly this fashion, by a professional bike thief, despite the a/m Specialized lock.
  (Amazingly, Mr Plod got my Brompton back for me two weeks later. Wonders will never cease!)

Transporting (more) luggage with a Brompton

The Brompton rear carrier

• Custfold, Nov 1997:
  My original chrome plated steel carrier died after about a year, and the white (7 speed) bike has the cast alloy job [...]
• Ruud van Tol, Sep 1998:
  My 5-year-old Brompton has a much stronger back-carrier than my 1-year-old. I have transported many people of 60 to 80 kg, standing on the back-carrier of the old one. When I tried that on the new one, it broke almost instantaniously. My father-in-law managed to re-weld it.
• Clive Page, May 2000:
  I've just got a new Brompton to replace my old one (~13 years old and with rather a lot of bits needing replacement). It's an L5 plus a rear carrier (which I need to carry my briefcase to/from work) which is essentially a T5 less the dynamo lighting as I prefer to rely on batteries. [...]
  The rear carrier is now made of light alloy: no doubt lighter and it seems strong enough but when negotiating stairs I need to grasp the carrier in my right hand, and the new one is much sharper on the fingers. I've now wrapped some tape around the critical bit.

Stowing luggage on the rear carrier

• Channell Wasson:
  I use a barBQ grill bought at the local Iron Monger's (hardware shop)
• Simon Shearn:
  I've carried a box containing a self-assembly office chair on my T3. The box was an 80cm cube. It fitted quite nicely on the rear carrier and I secured in using bungees around the seat post. I wouldn't have been able to carry it on any of my "conventional" bikes. I've found that the large gap at the back, between the tiny wheel and the long seatpost, allows the Brompton to carry really bulky loads.
• Martin Whitfield:
  We often carry a spare Brompton to the railway station on a Bike-Hod trailer attached to either another Brompton or a large-wheeled bike.
• Dave Lyons:
  A couple of weeks ago I bought an 8' long white melamine shelf from a DIY superstore. I found that the corner of one end slotted into the rear rack on my T5 while the other rested on the handlebars and protruded out front, almost like a sail. I made slow but steady progress on the 2 miles journey home but had to be careful not to let the shelf interfere with the stearing. As you can imagine, I got a lot of looks from passers by!
• john_carss, Feb 1999:
  I've just read in a 'Cycling Plus' March issue, a review of 'Radical Design Brompton Rear Rack Bag' £65. Has anyone seen or used it? How big is it?
  The review reads as follow:

  Along with this firms's newly developed panniers for recumbents comes this bag,designed specifically for use with the award winning Brompton folding bike. The bag is made from tough Cordura proofed material and most of it is padded to add structural stiffness. The bag is secured to the rack by sliding the seatpost through the nylon hoop at the front. A snap closure ensures the rear part of the bag stays put.
  It was good to see a large, easy to use zip here, and there is a mesh upper portion for placing wet outer garments in. Natty finishing details include a hoop for attaching a rear Knightlite and hooks to accommodate a shoulder strap. (Paul Vincent)
  Cycling Plus verdict 4/5
  A big help in boosting the carrying-capacity of your Brompton
  Contact: Comfort Cycles tel 0870 787 8736

• Custfold, Mar 1999:
  The secret is to get a ratchet down webbing unit (chandlers store) as used to tie down boats, and a miniature version of those things you see on curtainsider trucks or holding down loads on flat bed vehicles. Bungees are terrible for most load securing as they have too much stretch - webbing and the right buckle is much safer.
• Simon Risley, May 1999:
  Underneath the two rails that form the sides of the rack, and about two thirds of the way towards the front, are two small downward-pointing squarish lugs - one on each rail. They are of suffucient size and strength to use as "stoppers" to prevent any loads you carry from sliding forward and hitting your heels. Either by ensuring that the bungees' two plastic hooks are hooked in BEHIND the two lugs or, if your load is smaller, by attaching the hooks to the horizantal bar that has the two plastic castors (the way the bike normally looks) and just hooking the two cords on each side - or even just one of them - under the lugs. You can also cross one or both of the bungees on either side over your load and catch them onto the lugs on the opposite side, so producing an "X" pattern which holds your load more securely. It works very well.
  • David Hansen, May 1999:
    Sometimes I cynically think [the lugs] are for a different reason. If for some reason the seat is difficult to get up then they are excellently placed to put a hole in the bottom of one's shoe as one pulls it up:-(
• Custfold, Aug 2000:
  For waterproof luggage that takes A4/foolscap sheets flat you can't go far wrong with a UKP 2.99 Sainsbury box, with UKP0.99 lid, on our large carrier frame - waterproof but not watertight (ie will sink eventually if chucked into river). Or for watertight luggage get the frame with a top box (waterproof at 70+mph on a motorbike).

The rear carrier's bungee straps

• Martin Whitfield, Apr 98:
  No, it sounds as if you have some dodgy bungees. Mine (on two Bromptons over very long distances - one is five-years-old) have showed signs of stress when stretched over very large objects, but have bounced back to life in a couple of days. They are replaceable so I'd ask for some more.

Weight capacity

• Dave Holladay, Aug 2000:
  The rear carrier will carry 1 average size adult - say 70Kg.
• Stein Somers, Aug 2000:
  Hmm... I've seen you abduct Linette Chiang at Folder Forum III, but I bet she's under 50kg. A girl who cannot weigh more than 70kg (I couldn't ask, obviously) once placed her foot on mine, without fully standing on it, and already one of the stays broke. I broke once of the four bars by misplacing my foot while the bike was folded.

Heal hindrance

• Channell Wasson:
  If one is carrying a box or bag on the rack, the load generaly comes sliding forward so that one's heels hit the load on the rack. Quite an anoyance! Therefore it is important to adjust the rack load so that it does not cover the last two inches of the rack nearest the seat post. To accomplish this I have installed two small plastic T fittings (1/4 or 3/8ths id) [T fittings are plumbing or conduit 90 degree tees] secured to the rails of the rack with zip ties. When carrying a load I simply turn the fittings up so that the rack load can not come forward. A simple light weight solution that works like a charm. Another tip is to run the stretch rubber lines (elastic shock cord assembly) under the rack. When using them they can be pulled up from inside the rack. This will also help prevent the load from moving forward.
• Custfold, Nov 1997:
  The rear rack does work if you have small feet, with the Brompton front pannier placed with pockets facing down, either side of the rack, and well to the rear. alternatively the 4 litre panniers I have sit clear of my size 10 feet, hooked right at the back of the rack, and no further forward than the axle. If I could get the right glue I've a watertight floation/stuff bag from a canoe, which will clip onto the seatpost, and hold around 40 litres, and others have used roll stuff sacs up to 9" diameter sitting vertically.

Adding a rear carrier to an L-model

• Andrew Henry:
  Its quite a lot of hassle to add the rack from an T5 to an L5. The rear mudguard and the front mudguard stay have to be changed. A dealer can order all these bits from Brompton, but they certainly wouldn't keep them in stock. If you want the rear rack, its probably cheaper to buy a T5 and remove the dynamo. Its certainly less hassle for your Brompton dealer.
• Channell Wasson:
  Racks are available as an after market item, but the are tricky and time consumming to instal. The fender must also be changed in the process and the brake assembly must be readjusted. It takes over an hour to do the job.
• Custfold, Jan 1998:
  The rack fitted to the Raleigh 20 (available as a spare can be fitted to the Brompton but will require butchery and extra bits made - it will be less rigid (only 1 set of stays) and will not incorporate the means of wheeling/and parking which the standard rack offers. The conversion kit is expensive because you get the proper mudguard (different between T & L) and the elastics, rollers etc on the rack. It's worth the money - but note that the lights and dynamo are not supplied - but the D Toplight Standlicht makes a much neater job of a rear light & reflector set than the 2 pieces used as OEM kit (and it stays on when you stop)
  We make the D Toplight up with a bracket to fit the T type rack as a kit.
• Frank Tompson, Feb 98:
  Having mulled over the options I decided to have a bash at diy. I used one of my favourites, half inch angle aluminium (light, easy to work), joints drilled/bolted/Araldited. Painted with black enamel - should have used Hammerite.
  Maintaining foldability meant a very tricky escapade but in the end success, albeit very time consuming, what with designing, buying in bits, modifying, etc.
• David Henshaw, Feb 98:
  Many years ago, thinking like many others that the Brompton rack was on the pricey side, I set to work with an oxy-acetelene torch, an old toasting rack and two Hillman Imp (that's Sunbeam in the US) battery mounting stays and built a serviceable rack. It's lighter than the kosher job, much cheaper, has little wheels to drag it around on, and it looks horrible. If anyone should want to inspect it closely (why?), it's on Jane's Number One Brompton - still giving good service after five years.

Reparing the carrier

• David Hansen, Jan 2000:
  [...] waiting for some new struts for the rear rack. Two have broken and Brompton want to sell me a new rack rather than just the struts (which they buy in). When I buy a bike for that price from a small manufacturer I expect to be able to get spare parts for it.
• Custfold, Jan 2000:
  I needed longer struts for the Nexus 7 conversion, as the old ones are too short to reach the widened rear end. I took off both the old ones and fitted one new strut made from 1/2" U section aluminium which had the ends drilled to take 4mm bolts in place of the rivets, and slotted out to clear the casting web and the drop out stamping.

Alternative front/rear luggage racks

• Channell Wasson:
  I have worked out two solutions. I have a double deck rack system for rear of Brompton. I use a Moulton Model 20 APB rack raised 2 feet above the Brompton rack.This rack is available from Bromptonite Roger Grigsby of Santa Cruz, California. A clamp I had made grips the seat post and a strut (Moulton strut) goes from rear of Moulton rack to nut on seat post quick release fitting. This is a wide and ample rack which was designed to carry the Moulton suitcase. Now on the Brompton bottom rack I have attached an 18 inch diameter circular barbeque lightweight grill. It is just the right size to support my Moulton canvas suitcase. The rack is quite sturdy enough and as a bonus it is chrome plated and I think looks mysteriously smart. Loaded racks do eliminate the rear wheel fold under feature of the Brompton.
• gert de jong, Aug 1997:
  I'd like to mount Karrimor front/rear panniers on the Brompton rear carrier. I have an old version Brompton with the steel rear carrier instead of the alu carrier fitted nowadays.
  The (only ?) good thing about the steel carrier is that the diameter of the steel bars are is in correspondence with the clamps of the Karrimor panniers. The remaining question is: how do I keep the panniers away from the hub bolts and gear control chain(s)?
  Refraining from doing so causes excessive wear on the panniers where they rest on the bolts and makes changing gears difficult.
• Chris Eacock, Jun 1998:
  [...] use one of the racks that clamp-on to the seat post. This would be placed high enough to install panners and be clear of one's heels. I have the Topeak model (with a quick-release).
• Scoman, Aug 1999:
  I use one of these [Top Peak Luggage Rack offered by Brompton USA] occasionally for my L5. When I attach it to the seat post and slide it down just right, I can attach full size ortlieb panniers. The top hooks clip onto the luggage rack, and the bottom hook slides right into one of the stays that hold on the rear fender. Works great for when you want to carry some extra stuff.

Stowing luggage on the front

• Custfold, Sep 1997:
  Took 100 Primos to the carrier today for a shop delivery, and used the Brompton, with the large carrier rack. Total on front c.25Kg - bit of a pig to handle with load extending so far forward, but otherwise OK. Speed limited by load swinging around rather than total load.
  The groceries I picked up on way home seemed easy in comparison.
• Custfold, Nov 1998:
  We shop with our bikes - and the local Somerfield is especially bike friendly. Normally (must fix the bracket) I go down to the shop with the front carrier rack (large size with 20cm supports) empty. On arriving I place a store basket on the rack - which it could have been made for - the fit is so good. I place shopping in the store basket just like any other customer - except I'm not burdened with the weight. If it is a very large shopping I might put a basket on the T type rack but it needs to be tied on (elastics) or carefully balanced.
  Once we have finished we take a walk past the fresh fruit island, and pick out a grape, tomato, melon, orange, or apples box of the nice stacking cardboard variety, or if it really is a big shopping 2 or 3 of these. The box is tied on to the front rack, and the shopping loaded, if a second box is needed the stacking system helps to locate it. 2 apple boxes is usually a weeks shopping for us, and pushes the limit well over the recommended 16Kg for the front carrier bracket.
  We usually find plenty of uses for the boxes once we get home as stacking filing trays or tool boxes - even Brompton spares (16" tyres fit into apple boxes just nicely). Here is a picture of the system carrying home the filing system (8 tomato boxes stacked on the front).
  Racks are £24 and £26 for 6" and 8" support sizes.
  We've also made a bag which takes the store basket inside, and you then take the basket out and load the bag. The ubiquitous Newspaper sack on the Brompton frame is also a very cheap option for those who whinge about spending money on anything!
  
• Len Rubin, Nov 1998:
  I used to shop at Rainbow all the time (I assume you are referring to the S.F. store by that name), in the old days, before the big move -- how weird to hear about that new rule! Well, I designed and made a couple of huge front bags that hold two grocery bags each and we shop with them all the time (Real Foods, Whole Foods and Mollie Stone's). We usually fold up the Bromptons and stick them in a shopping cart (trolley for you Brits!), wheeling about the store to surprised (and sometimes familiar) smiles.

The Brompton front carrier block

• Channell Wasson:
  The carrier block seem very sturdy and I can only say I have often carried 10 to 15 kg in the pannier or basket.
• Doug Faunt:
  A bit of anecdotal evidence about the strength of the front block. I broke mine, by "tripping up" the front wheel in a cross rut when riding very slowly on a cowpath, and going headover. The block broke, and the carrier frame bent slightly, because I went over the front, and my whole 180 pound weight was pushing the right hand end of the frame.
  I have been unable to straighten out the frame using simple techniques, which means it wasn't easy to bend, and seems to indicate that the block is quite strong.
• Phil Gough:
  I and someone else mentioned the mounting of Samsonite-type briefcases, when filled with the usual clutter the weight upon the mounting block was I should think up to 15 pounds. In over 8 years of daily use the only effect this had on the block was for the mounting screws to loosen, this happened twice only. This could be because the case being rigid and taller than the Brompton bag vibrated and rattled a lot.
• Custfold:
  I have carried considerable unknown loads, on the front block, and equally experienced screw loosening. As an insurance I cut a slot, and threaded a jubilee clip [for Americans: hose clamp] through the block, and around the back of the head tube - result less frequent loosening. The critical issue is not I expect the total load, but the moment forces from a wide load swinging from side to side, the block happily took a 56lb weight in the child seat, for testing, but made the bike heavy to steer.
• Phil Gough, Oct 1998:
  There is a front bag carrier block available which can be fitted to several different kinds of bike, including early Moultons or even the average gas-pipe shopper. It is modelled on the Brompton block and is sold by Cyclecare. [54 Earls Court Rd, tel. (0171) 460 0495] The cost is about ukpounds 30. Cyclecare is a major London Brompton dealer.

The Brompton cloth front pannier

• Bruce Boysen:
  [ contemplating his babe magnet (Treats to ride your imagination wild - Babe magnet) ] Anyway, the basket is great, it pops on the headtube in a second, holds a lot & doesn't impact on the handling much at all. Much easier to use than panniers for shopping runs & also holds large stuff you couldn't put in panniers.
• Stein Somers:
  I bought the pannier and block and was instantly satisfied. Easier, quicker, neater, even safer as it constitutes a kind of bumper.
• Andew Henry:
  Its moderately weather-proof. [...] The metal handle can be a bit cold in the winter, so I wrapped it in tape. The balance of the bag is fine. The only problem with it is that the handle is a little narrow, so it can dig into your hand if you carry a lot of weight in it (ie fill it full of books). Of course if you have your Brompton with you, and you need to carry it for a long way, then you can unfold the bike and clip it onto that. Overall, though I don't find it a problem to carry.
• Dave Lyons:
  It is much easier to carry fully laden with a shoulder strap fitted on the red loops on the top. With the corner pockets facing inwards (towards you) the bag is comfortable and does not slide around.
• Custfold:
  There is a solution to the waterproofing of the front pannier bag available now and potentially free. Just ambush the local paperboy/girl and hijack the excellent plasticised sack in which the papers are carried. Turn this upside down, and it will slip over the Brompton pannier almost perfectly. The top flap can be either tucked up, fitted with velcro tags to connect onto the rear, or the shoulder strap shortened to hold it up under the Brompton Pannier rack. All of these allow the pannier to be detached without removing the rain protection.
  These bags come in excellent bright orange or yellow colours, and if you find reading the name of a local paper upside down, as you ride, a nuisance, then a couple of good hot wash cycles usually cleans the bag spotless of print and all but the worst tar spots.
  Custom Folder does have a source for these bags, but there is a minimum order quantity, so let me know if you want one and don't wish to mug the news delivery kid.
• Martin Whitfield, Apr 98:
  While on the subject of Jane Henshaw's bag products, may I recommend her waterproof front bag cover.
  I was surveying a map for Leicester during the two wettest days of the year (Thursday and Good Friday) of Easter week, when rivers were rising and floods were everywhere. Not a drip penetrated my Brompton bag and its contents. Maps, being paper products, are particularly sensitive to water and they were dry as a bone. Head to foot Gortex helped me keep dry too, but my shoes were soaked and I could pour water out of them.
• Channell Wasson, Oct 1998:
  If you want to be waterproofed in the front pannier area, then get on of Jane Henshaw's pannier covers. They slip over the entire pannier assembly. They are of waterproof fabric and come with sealed seams. They look very good to me. Contact her at A2B Magazine.
• Rob Cope, Oct 1998:
  Yes, the A2B covers are very good: have had one for a while, tucked in the pocket under the handle. Improve the basic bag design & it might not need its own showercap.
• Rob Cope, Oct 1998:
  Since some of its shortcomings have come up for discussion:
  I am rather disappointed with the details of this. It is a fairly expensive bag made principally of high-grade Cordura but to my mind shows definite "spoil a ship for a ha'perth of tar" characteristics.
  It is never going to be totally waterproof, but could be a great deal better if the flap over all 3 zips was extended by about 2 cm & possibly fastened down eg with Velcro. The present short flaps do little to prevent water seepage via the zips (which on mine are pretty poor quality: I trust Carradice now specifies better zips). It would also help if the base was not pop-riveted right where road-splash is likely to hit.
  The 2 loops are useful, but are fixed to the bag, not the frame, so should be used with caution if contents are heavy or precious.
  It really is about time it got some reflectors fitted as standard: you can buy stick-on tape etc but Cordura is hard to stick things to. Carradice used to do the bag to order in non-standard colours: is there such a thing as a retroreflective Cordura?
  The materials are good & Carradice does offer an excellent repairs service. But I do think the design is in dire need of updating.
• Willi Mindak, Oct 98:
  All valid points. While we're re- designing the bag: couldn't it be made bigger? I believe in increase in depth would be problematical because the bike's handling may be affected. But an increase in height (and possibly in width) is possible, even if it were only a couple of inches. In addition to that 2 adjustable loops with quick releases should be added to the flap, so that it's possible to tie an additional item (i.e. waterproof jacket) 'rucksack style' to it.
• Custfold, Oct 1998:
  If you lift out (or when it falls out) the plastic stiffener you will find very basic seams which are not - IIRC the right term - overlocked.
• Tom Bennett, Aug 1999:
  I used the Pannier system regularly. It works great on the bike, but it's a bit heavy to lug around museums etc, and the aluminum frame digs into you and innocent bystanders. But I found it to be an absolute necessity for day trips outside of Paris. We would leave our apartment in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower, bike up to Gare Nord, fold up the bikes, hop on the train to Chantilly, and bike up to the medieval village of Senlis. In our Panniers: Water, sweaters, maps, tire kits, a book, binoculars, camera, sunscreen etc.

Is it waterproof?

• Larry Chinn, Dec 1999:
  I've ridden my Brompton a few times in the rain and haven't noticed the bag to leak. I have to admit, I was only out for maybe fifteen minutes at a time and it's been a pretty dry winter here in San Francisco.
• Robert Payne, Dec 1999:
  I've had the bag leak for me. The leaks really seem to start when enough water starts to pile up on the top of the bag. Once this happens the fabric becomes saturated and water eventually goes through.
• Rob Cope, Dec 1999:
  This is usually the stitching, more than the zip leaking (though better flaps covering the zips would not go amiss). Use the sort of sealer camping shops sell for tents etc (tube better than spray). Helps a lot (not as much as a cover though).

Making it waterproof

• Jane Thomas, Oct 1998:
  Actually you can make it almost waterproof with a tube of Grainger's liquid seam sealant (or similar)- I found most of the leakage was through the top seam, not the zip. A liberal application of aformentioned seam sealant to all exposed seams made a vast improvement.
• Rob Cope, Dec 1999:
  You can buy [a cover for the front bag that is waterproof] by mail from the maker, Jane Henshaw of A to B (The first steps to folding wisdom - A to B}. They are very fluorescent yellow & cost UKP20 plus an extra UKP1 for orders outside the UK. Jolly good they are too.
  Address: 19 West Park, Castle Cary, Somerset, BA7 7DS
  Lightweight bike covers also available for UKP18 (same deal on shipping costs). A to B has a dollar account, so you should be able to use US checks: contact post@a2bmagazine.demon.co.uk to confirm.
• Nico J. de Boer, Dec 1999:
  If you don't mind the grey colour and cheapish looks, you can try a dustbin liner. Works perfectly for me: leightweight, folding small, 100% water resistant.

Brompton touring bag

• mark james, Jun 2000:
  Goods - Big, Handy mesh outside pockets. Looks less smart but very roomy for light and bulky items.
  Not so hot - Closure awkward on the move and no adjustment on main compartment no straps to tighten up if only partially full - major minus! PVC lining, nasty substance.
  No real test in pouring long term rain yet, Although doesn't pretend to be 100% anyway.

Other panniers on a Brompton

• Graham A. Patterson:
  I have used a Karrimor rackpak on the rear carrier with success when touring. I strapped two rucksac pockets on the outside for extra capacity, which meant that I had to secure it well back, level with the rear brake. It was secured by running the two carrier bungee cords over the top. The rackpak has shoulder straps. The capacity is similar to the Brompton pannier, but less flexible in use because of the shape.
• Andrew Mackay, the red flash around London's round-a-bouts:
  You don't need a front carrier system at all on a Brompton.
  I have used a simple small "back-pack" that cost £9.99 and can be found in most luggage shops. They all have a loop at the top to hold them like a suit-case. You'll find, if you loop this over the tip of the saddle and then push it around to the back of the bike, that it is very firmly fixed by the weight of the bag. You have to sit on the loop but this is not too bad. The only addition you need is to sew a velcro band to the Zip side of the bag to stop it moving sideways or forwards away from the seat pillar when you brake or pedal. You need to have the bag orientated so that the side that would normally be on your back points backwards from the bike to lessen the stresses on the zips. This technique utilises the empty space available because the Brompton has small wheels and is so foldable. On arrival you undo the velcro, slip the bag round & forwards and it comes off very conveniently. You could use any size of bag you wanted provided the loop is the correct size for your saddle (a soft saddle cover helps).
• Jane Thomas:
  [ There was a letter in the Folder a few issues ago from someone who made their own bag to fit onto the metal frame from the Brompton pannier. This was quite a bit bigger and had a roll-top like on an Ortlieb pannier, which made it completely waterproof. ]
  That was me - if you want to have a go at making your own, the pattern and instructions can be found on my webpages - http://www.toehead.demon.co.uk It's not really bigger, you can just get more stuff in due to the design. I think it looks smarter than the existing Brompton bag (but then again, I would), and you can make it any colour you like.
• Jane Thomas, Mar 1998:
  I'm sure a lot of you are already aware of my front pannier patterns - I'd just like to let you know that I've finally added (long promised) back pockets. I've reshaped the back slightly to allow for a small 3rd pocket to be added in the middle, and have made patterns for either zip- top or roll-top pockets.
• Dave Lyons:
  On the subject of front carriers, I recently bought a extra frame for use on my partners Brompton and my own. I have attached to it a large 30L capacity white plastic coated freezer basket which I found lying in the street. The basket is secured to the frame by 3 medium sized cable ties and when I tried it out for the first time it worked perfectly. I used to secure this basket to the rear rack, but no more. I feel quite smug waiting at the checkout with the basket full of groceries on the parked Brompton.
• Philip Hall, Oct 1997:
  I have a Neobike (Taiwanese) Brompton. I'm told it does not fit the front carrier block and, anyway, I already have lots of bicycle luggage so I have fitted a small aluminum bar along the lower part of the handlebars. This luggage bar has a notch cut for the handlebar-mounting bolt so that it essential sits on this mounting bolt and is held level by two nylon straps.
  The point of this is that I can mount an ordinary bike pannier across the front of the bike. I can even put a large soft motorcycle pannier and still have room for my headlight mounted above the front wheel.
  It works great! There are two problems to be aware of: I'm not sure of the strength of the tall steering stem so I am leery of overloading the bag. The second problem follows the first: it is easy to put heavy loads in big bags and regret it later. One must still remember to put v.heavy things on the rear rack.
  However, for taking my lunch and raingear to work it is excellent.
  • Custfold, Nov 1997:
    There are 3 problems - most delivery bikes have the load carrying basket attached securely to the main frame, thus keeping the weight evenly distributed. The Brompton design of carrying system is very well designed in this respect, as it has the load secure, over the front wheel, and not swinging about with handlebar movement, which becuase of the bike's design is more pronounced than a conventional bike in effect when a load is carried on the bars.
    One option (IIRC the Neobike uses a small diameter steerer (1" not 1.125" as the current Brompton) so you could get a Brompton front frame section - possibly one which has been damaged in a crash, and cut off the main tube to leave a unit which will slip over the 1" head tube, and with a small slot cut in it can be squeezed up around the existing head tube, or buy one of Tim Whitty's adaptor plates and clamp it on with 'Jubilee' (aka hose) clips - some day we'll educate those US mechanics into the proper nomenclature for parts, or sell them an English-American dictionary. :-))
• Custfold, Dec 1997:
  I think I've cracked the fixing details of the mini panniers for top mounting and perhaps the sides also.
  The 4 litre mini pouches sit on top of the rack, and hang at the back behind the rear axle - thus clearing all but the biggest plates of meat (plates if you were born within the sound of the great bell at Bow).
  I've also used a nice gift from Radio 2 to good effect - guesstimate at 25-35 litre capacity, and perfect fit on top of the rack, with stabilising tie clipped to saddle rails. Something in new year I hope.
• David Henshaw, Feb 98:
  We have a couple of very large home-made bags and brackets that we use on our Bromptons. They weigh much less than the Brompton bag and frame, cost much less, and carry up to 30lbs (13.6kg) quite regularly. They've now survived for four years without mishap, including many off-road miles and one journey (part off-road) of 70 miles. I just wish someone would put something similar into production... I've never heard of a pannier or bracket failure, but I would not recommend exceeding 30lbs, because the bike's handling begins to get a bit sticky at that point.
• Custfold, Apr 1998:
  We now have models of a shoulder carried bag for the Brompton, a large front bag - which is designed to take a supermarket shopping basket sitting inside, but will pack away flat when removed from Brompton carrier rack, plus a waterproof bag - which may have some minor dimensional adjustments to accommodate speed skates for the Dutch market with 50cm blades. All in true Henry Ford colour scheme, with nice matt external finish (it's Jo's fashion background I reckon).
  I've sorted out the 4 litre pannier fixings for sides and top of the rack - it's now just a question of making the brackets look a bit more respectable, and likewise the V brake mounting system for L & T models, it works but could look nicer. V brakes are hot stoppers though. Note that the front bag is pocket less, but we may fit the mountings for the 4 litre panniers in the appropriate places to attach a set in front also.
  For the minimalist we also have a shoulder strap and attachmants to carry naked Bromptons around which is coming along nicely.
  Note that the anti - fold under strap is available at some Brompton dealers (Avon Valley) as well as direct - other popular items will eventually appear on retailers' shelves also.
• Custfold, Apr 1998:
  I've now got 14 (8 small / 6 large - 2 already allocated) of the C=F carrier rack for the front block - finished in black powdercoat crackle finish - from initial production run - hope to have one to DH for review soon - small weighs 420gm, large 620gm approx.
  We may be able to reduce this further still if we can streamline some production details.
• Dave H, Jun 1998:
  If you really want 100% w/tight it is possible to fit a Voyageur canoe flotation & luggage pouch onto the rear rack vertically with the seal bar clipped onto the seat post - but I was having difficulty sticking the U lock clips onto the nylon seal bar (which has to go on at an angle.
  The same bag might also fit the front carrier, but we have a compromise of a bag with proper seams (the Brompton ones are a bit basic, and it leaks here first) and seal this with the Voyageur seal bar making the bag almost airtight - like the sealed seam OEM flotation luggage mentioned at start. A further option is to mount the York 80 box on the front carrier - a box designed by Joel York for Voyageur (?) to float with 80 lbs of payload, and in polymer casting with neoprene seal ISTR around $70 or $80 retail price. It can carry with rucksack strap kit, and I clocked mine with 24Kg on front rack fitting one time.
• David Cox, Aug 1998:
  I find that I can carry a fair volume of light bulky kit - mainly clothes - on an L3 by using two toe clip straps to tie a sports bag by its handles across the top of the Brompton pannier. This works with a folded suit for special occasions at work and also did for the Folder Forum weekend.
• Ian R. Platt, Sep 1998:
  I got the aluminium frame and then a courier bag from Halfords, which seems - tho it's not been tested yet - to be waterproofed, at least on the sides, tho it's a flap top not a zip. It was (IIRC) half the price (or less) than the Brompton bag. It is quite large and fits at least 4 boxes of cereal, 2x six-packs, films from the hols,. and a clock for repair. I sewed some nylon tapes lined with Velcro (strength + easy of attachement) on the back and bottom and the bag and these fit round the frame

  |	    	  tapes      tapes
  |	             |         |
  |	    	     V         V
  |	    	 _____________________
  |	    	|    ||        ||     |
  |	    	|    ||        ||     |
  |	    	|    ||        ||     |
  |	    	|                     |
  |	    	|                     |
  |	    	|_____||_______||_____|
  |
  |	              ^		^
  |	    	      |		|
  |	    	   tapes      tapes
  

  Cost: £15 or so.
  I also got Halford's rear frame bag. Not huge and I haven't used it yet & obviously it won't stay on when the bike's folded (else it would be underneath, right?) Again, a cheaper than Brompton arrangement Cost: £9.99
• Jane Thomas, Oct 1998:
  For those intrepid soles who would like to make their own, my pattern is available on my webpages. And for those intrepid soles who have made their own, can I trouble you for a piccy? I'm constructing a gallery of what is possible - I already have Jane Henshaws cowbag, my clearbag and David Hansen's original rolltop - my blue velvet snakeskin will be added as soon as I've made it ;-).
• Custfold, Oct 1998:
  In designing our bag, with the slide seal on the top Josephine used her 20 years in fashion & clothing design to make a more waterproof seam (and with the right material we could make the bag in a welded seam as the canoe luggage we have brought in uses) to make bags which carry clothing and double up as bouyancy because they are airtight. Our bags are 'airtight enough to make a bouncy balloon, but without a fully sealed seam they do leak slowly down. The material is a coated Nylon which comes in an attractive Ford Black or to special order in other colours. We also make a carrying sack fro the Brompton which goes over the shopulder like a posties bag.
  For a low cost option in 2 guises consider buying a news delivery bag from the local paper publishers - these are a coarse but HD nylon coated in PVC - usually bright orange or yellow. A couple of boil washes in strong detergent should remove any printing from the bag and make it 'very' clean. Prices vary - if you're a good bargain hunter - free or bribe the paper boy/pay around £3-£5 for a new one from the paper distribution centre
  Option 1 - buy a Brompton pannier frame - fit plastic stiffener sheet to back/front and bottom of the bag (glue - pop rivet etc). With webbing straps or other fixings attach bag to frame and voila a bright coloured front pannier - a bit short usually on the front flap, but fitted backwards it presents a 1 piece face to the oncoming water.
  Option 2 - you have a Brompton pannier - invert the bag - rear of bag to front of pannier and slide down over the pannier, bringing the top (now bottom) flap back to cover the underside. With either 2 velcro straps fitted to hitch this flap up to the rear, or using the strap attached to the bag pulled tight, keep the flap up clear of light and wheel.
  This has an added bonus - most news delivery bags are just big enough to fit an L type Brompton inside and use as the carry system - our sack is just a slightly larger version with some luxury extras (long flap, detachable strap that can be used without the bag etc).
• Joerg Scheiner, Oct 1998:
  I have been using the Brompton bag for 3 years. But it is now heavily worn so I decided to by a Velo case. This is an Rimova aluminium case pictured in the first or second encyclopedia. It has about the same capacity like the Brompton bag and has a quick release system that allows to fix the Case to the Brompton frame. Onle problem is that jou have to remove the frame to allow the case to be fully opened. I wish I had another frame without the preshaped handle (to facilitate opening) and without the bottom bracket (to avoid damage to the bottom of the case.
  As it is a hard case it is very robust and it is waterproof. The shape is like a pilot case but not so wide. It holds 3-4 Leitz binders (A4).

Front bag jumping off: front carrier block maintenance

• Rob Cope, Sep 1998:
  There is a little (essential) play in the system: as the block wears slightly this play can increase, sometimes enough for the sprung tongue to escape the matching rebate in the bag frame. The solution is to make the tongue stick out further. Do not try bending it... SNAP! Unscrew it (keep hold of screw & washer) & sand down the back at a slight angle: enough to increase the angle of the tongue (rotary sander with fine paper helps - but careful now, you only need take a little off). Reassemble & problem should be gone: bag will snap into place reassuringly like it used to. Dave Henshaw is the expert on this.
  BTW I find the allen bolts holding the block on slacken fairly quickly: annoying, as the tongue then has to come out (cheesehead selftap screw - would a matching allen bolt cost much more?) before the allens can be tightened. Solution: a smear of locking paste applied at factory or by dealers?

A laptop in the front bag

• davidh@spidacom.co.uk, Oct 1998:
  I only do so occasionally, but when I do I put a coat in the bag for it to rest on. If I did it regularly I would make a box with foam for it to sit in.
• Vince, Oct 1998:
  It is not wise to put a computer in any bike carrier. The vibration is extremely likely to cause problems later, if not sooner. One good jolt and your computer (which most likely costs more than your Brompton) will require repair or replacement.
  I recommend carrying an intelligent keyboard which is solid-state and light- weight.
• mike, Oct 1998:
  I put mine in the carrier... I have made a bubble wrap envelope for it... it's stood 5 months of rattles, jolts and weather.
• Liduine Reuser, Oct 1998:
  Yes, I always put mine in the front carrier. I wrap it in a plastic bag (the Brompton-bag is not water-proof!) and I put the whole on a plastic raincoat (of course not when it's raining, then I wear it). It might be a good idea, like Mike wrote, to wrap it in bubbled plastic. There is a difference of opinion on this list on whether you can take a laptop or not. I think it's a matter of the risk you want to take, considering the following aspects : 1. The quality of your laptop 2. The ownership : is it your own or your employers laptop ? 3. How often you make backups I have a Toshiba, owned by my employer, and I make backups often. Besides, I don't want to commute (I have to change train/tram a lot) with a Brompton and 2 bags. And a backsack is uncomfortable, you're sweating more. So, taking all this in account, I take the risk (is there is a risk). I've been doing this for half a year now, and the only harm is some small spots on the outside of the laptop.
• Andrew Heyting, Oct 1998:
  When I got my Brompton L3 (about a month ago) I also bought the front block and carrier frame.
  I have adapted a Solidex Laptop bag to fit permanently to the carrier frame, which is padded & has velcro fixings for the laptop. I carry it through London every day. The bag is made from synthetic leather (i.e. plastic) and so is waterproof, and the laptop seems fine. When off the bike the bag has a shoulder strap, which also makes life easy.
• Mike Hessey, Oct 1998:
  I have regularly carried laptops in the front bag of the Brompton. I wrap them in bubble plastic, which provides a bit more protection from vibration etc, and also provides some additional protection from any water that might get into the bag.

Saddle bags on a Brompton

• bruce boysen:
  I also have this great saddlebag (yes, it hangs from my saddle) made by Carradice in England, called the Camper Longflap, & it is HUGE, with just two of these you could go on a loaded tour! This saddlebag is one of the coolest, most useful bike items I've owned. The Rivendell Bicycle Works catalog writes about them, "Carradice saddlebags are so unfashionable, people you don't even know will ask you about them. Even other cyclists!" BTW, Carradice also makes the basket for the Brompton & they go well together.
  Carradice makes several wonderful saddlebags out of heavy cotton duck with thick leather straps. They are the traditional saddlebags that have been made for a long time. They are not quick release (quite the opposite), but the seat can be almost fully collapsed just by unfastening one buckle around the seatpost. The straps are not sewn on the bag & may be removed & replaced with quick release straps if thats what you want. I have the Camper Longflap which is HUGE, but my catalog (Rivendell Bicycle Works) lists two smaller models also. I bought mine mostly because I love high quality traditional stuff like this & it has turned out to be very useful

  {Malcolm Lyon} Yes, I also use the Camper model it is big and will last for lifetime .. but you will realise that whilst the fabric is water and bullet proof the design does not exclude water from the flap edges. It is important to put clothes in a plastic bag and use the saddle bag as a sort of compression bag!
  Readers around the world may be interested to know that these Carradice bags are used widely by members of the British Cyclists Touring Club and more or less 'de rigueur' for well dressed CTC bike!
  The leather straps a bit tedious to unbuckle. And there has been a chap selling a very nice quickly detachable saddle fitting - I don't recall his name [...]. The fitting is well made in anodised aluminium and would not restrict the folding of a Brompton. He also makes an uplift version for conventional bikes where the saddle is close to the rear mudguard. I can identify the source for these if requested.
  I have said they are very easy for practical person to make and require only a short length of ally strip a piece of dowel rod and an old QR hub skewer. Difficult to describe in words but I am happy to send a sketch by fax to anyone interested in making one. Or I could perhaps scan a tif file to attach to an email .. but I have not tried this on my computer.

  This months [april 97] issue of the CTC magazine features on page 41 the Kwiklift attachment for the Carradice bags. This is ideal for folders as it enables the bag to be rapidly removed when the bike is folded. It comes in two versions. 17 pounds for the basic bracket plus another 10 pounds for the additional bag support which may add some stability to the bag but is really designed to eliminate pressure on the mudguard of a big wheel bike. Available from

  W.G. Lord 4 Kenilworth Gardens Newton le Willows, WA12 8ES Phone 01925 224125 in evenings

  ... it is nicely made and anodised.

  {Malcolm J New} I have recently completed a short tour of the Isle of Wight on my T5 model traveling a total of 60 reasonably comfortable miles. I used a Carradice "Super C" front box (with Klick fix fittings) and a very large Saddle Bag in the same range. The "Super C" saddle bag is similar in size and shape to the Carradice Camper Long flap but with more modern quick release buckles and quick release straps for removal prior to folding.

• O'Flynn, David D, Apr 1999:
  My L3 Brompton gets daily commute use as well as w/e action. For all these activities I have found the small Brompton bag that hangs from under the seat too small (e.g. A4 papers will not fit in it, nor an assortment of items like camera, wallet, water bottle simultaneously) and the Brompton front carrier bag too large and too ''un-aerodynamic''. I started looking around in March and found an attractive alternative last Monday, which is now used everyday -
  Noir Sport - Washbag
  GBP12.00
  Colours - Red shiny nylon weave with Black vinyl trim or Navy Blue nylon with same trim
  Water resistant
  2 zip pockets, 5 open pockets
  Dims - folds flat empty, but when full is H21cm x W23cm x D12cm
  Source : travel accessories shop Gullivers in Victoria Station, London. Apparently this is a UK-wide chain. tel 0171 828 2190
  I have attached it to the seat back lugs (used by the Brompton seat bag) using black velcro, costing just a few pence. A4 size papers or stiff materials do not quite fit and so have to be bent/folded in half or else rolled up in a postpak type cylinder. Colour co-ordinated (for r&b bikes), trendy and functional all-in-one!
• David Dodson, Apr 1999:
  Use a supermarket-style freebie plastic carrier bag. Fill it so as to avoid the bag bulging too wide, and simply hook both handles over the back of the seat. If the handles don't fit over the back of the seat, the hand-holes can be torn/cut downwards as necessary.
  The handles being thin plastic have no effect on comfort; Once the bag is correctly aligned it tends to remain so. I have my seat pointing down quite a lot at the front anyway but I doubt this is essential.
  Specifications:
  (A) Functionality:
  Safe load: probably about 1kg per nested bag for extended use, rather more for short trips on good roads from the supermarket.
  Typical dimensions: w 160 l 320 h 350 (c. 18 litres) ...depending on how you fill the bag, which adjusts to contents.
  (B) Costs:
  Weight: c. 11g per bag
  Folded size: c. 20cc (various shapes), air excluded fairly well.
  Money: nil.
  Acquisition hassle: negligible.
  (C) Available colours/styles:
  Lots. For those who prefer not to advertise, many small shops use anonymous bags of this type, in various colours/designs.
  ... pretty hard to beat? OK, arguably it can look cheap...
  With apologies people who make or sell seat bags.
• mark james, Nov 1999:
  Have used a Super C saddlebag its fine you can fold the bike and leave the saddlebag on Make sure your saddle bag loops on your saddle are sturdy. Mine got broken by a baggage handler picking the bike up by the saddle bag. The seatpin is designed to take a big load so a saddlebag is fine. I do a have an uplift but I haven't fitted it yet heavy duty bit of kit.

Storage of emergency equipment inside the frame

• DRMLyons, Jul 1999:
  I keep a spare long cable in the top tube permanently. Does anyone else keep anything useful in their top tube?
• Marv Gozum, Jul 1999:
  Sounds like a custom slim case can be made for emergency supplies such as this brake cable, accessible only if the bike is folded .....
• Marv Gozum, Jul 1999:
  On the front half of the frame, the opening is large enough to not worry so much about reaching for objects, on the back half, there's only a tiny opening that dissappears into a void.

Baby-seats on a Brompton

• Immanuel Burton, Aug 1997:
  If the young child to be carried is small enough, then you could do what I once saw on a Brompton - the child was sitting sideways on the rear carrier, and as his legs were short enough, his feet did not drag along on the ground.
• Dave Horne, Aug 1997:
  I've only had my Brompton for about a month or so, but think it would be wiser to have the child (a small child) sit up front. Once I started from a complete stop (how else <g>), and the front end of the bike came up. I would bet that the center of gravity is well in the back of the bike and having a child in the front would make more sense and be a bit safer.
• Peter Amey, Aug 1997:
  [Issue 16] of the Folder from last year had details of a child set installation on a Brompton.
• Channell Wasson, Aug 1997:
  You could attach a third wheel set up to your Brompton to carry your precious one. Clamp it to seat pillar
• Custfold, Aug 1997:
  I have adapted a Dutch baby seat, designed for quick release from a frame mounted plate, to fit the Brompton front carrier.
  The frame mounted block (extra weight) is replaced with an adaptor to fit the Brompton block. The 15Kg proposed limit for front mounted child seats, is well withing the capacity of the Brompton block (IME I have exceeded this many times).
  We have tested the seat with a 56lb weight (25Kg) riding around farm tracks. On these tests the steering was noticably heavier, but not unpredictable. Andrew Holland has a first production model, and the price is currently coming in at #65.00, subject to the pound's fluctuations. The Holland family were trying out the prototype model at Weymouth in May, and apart from some retraining of the hand signalling assistant found the seat worked well.
  Mounting the load on the frame, and with main weight approximately over the front axle is almost identical in principle to the delivery/postal bike. The front block is designed to take extra load, and takes it low down, keeping c.g. and balance in trim.
  Other options with the unmodified version of the seat, are to mount it on the steering tube (facing forwards) - which so9me Dutch users claim is OK, or the seat post, as happens with conventional bikes. This latter is likely to foul the back of your thighs on a B, and put extra bending load onto the seatpost - see my notes on 'How I bent my seatpost' by 6'6" 200lb weakling. Both the last 2 also require a clamp fitting, and may affect folding.
  If demand is sufficient we may be able to get ther seats in kit form, rather than the tedious process of dismantling and converting the bracket, and reassembly. Bulk purchase may also help us to keep the costs down, and perhaps make the seat available directly from a local shop, rather than a special item.
  I'll put a photo in with the price lists which I've finally got finished, only to change again no doubt!
• David Hansen, Aug 1997:
  I have seen a rearward facing child seat attached to the front of a Brompton. I didn't look to see how it was fastened, but assume the post holding the seat was screwed onto the luggage mounting.
• Custfold, Nov 1997:
  The proprietor of Griffon Alternative Cycles noted to me that he'd seen 'competition' for the child seat on a Brompton design
  I saw a Brompton with a child seat a few days ago. It had long rails which ended in a large plastic clamp which fitted onto the seat tube.
  I'm wary of seats on Brompton Seatpost, due to the interference with folding (sliding post down) and extra moment loading on the seatpost which will thus bend more, potentially to deform permanently - loading the front block, designed, and IIRC tested to considerable loadings, with lower center of gravity is IMO (perhaps slightly biased) a better option.
• Custfold, Apr 1998:
  Drop me an sae and I'll send a picture of the seat made for Andrew Holland and others, it fits the front carrier block and is rated by the manufacturer for kids up to 15 Kg, we rode it with a 56lb (24Kg approx) weight in around farm tracks and it held up ok - but Brompton advised max weight for the block is 16Kg.
  The seat is a modified version of a Dutch seat which fits the front stem or rear of seatpost with a pair of prongs into a socket bolted onto the frame tubes - spare mounting brackets can be fitted to different bikes. I have one unmodified unit left at present.
  • Simon Risley, Nov 1998:
    I first came across the seat - an adaptation of a Dutch seat called a Bobike Mini - when I bumped into Andrew Holland and his son at London Zoo. Andrew kindly sent me details of how to get one, and I put in an order to Dave (his e-mail address is "custfold@aol.com").
    I have been very pleased with it and regularly use it to transport my two year old, Olivia, around London. She loves it. I have also - rather tentatively - taken my four year old out on the seat, too, but she is as tall as many six year olds, so I don't do it too often because of the heavy loading that it puts on the Brompton front carrier block.
    The seat is very dinky: it doesn't look at all out of proportion to the bike, but carries Olivia perfectly adequately. and is padded. I think that the rear-facing configuration is good from the point opf view of cutting down on the wind-chill factor and at the same time allowing the rider to interact with his/her child.
    The legs are adjustable to 3 different lengths, and there are neat elasticated foot-retaining straps.
    My only criticism is that the seat would be greatly improved if there was a headrest - particularly useful with smaller children whose necks aren't as strong as an adults. I've corresponded with Dave about this and he suggests a home made rest made with jubilee clips and a strip of neoprene or somesuch, but I'm not terribly enthused at its probable appearance! I would like to fax Bobike to see if they make a headrest, as the top of ythe seat has holes that would seem to indicate this as an option. However, I cannot get their fax number (it is on the seat itself but is unreadable on mine!) Any info on this gratefully received!
    If anyone would like to look at it - or would like any further information - just e-mail me on "simongikuk@aol.com" and I'll try and arrange a time. I live in Shepherd's Bush - which is W12, not W14 as stated on the Website.
  • Custfold, Nov 1998:
    Oh - I thought I'd suggested a sheet of clear Lexan with Bulldog Clips (Translation required here) which if fitted to the curve of the seat back would serve a double purpose as a clear fairing for the adult rider, at the same time. One drawbach though is that the seat does neatly sit over the folded Brompton (seat facing down) and a fairing (unless detachable) would make this too big for the folded package.
• Ruud H.G. van Tol, Apr 1998:
  How I did it in Amsterdam:
  Baby (I think she was about 3 weeks old): in a baby-carrier on my breast, baby's feet under my coat, its head (like yours) in the open air (important because you generate a lot of heat!), baby looking outwards.
  From when she was about 12 months: normally available child seat that fits into a block that I attached to my Brompton. The block looks a bit like (see below). It is 'U'-shaped, and quite strong, and wide enough to go around the big tube. The seat has pins that go into the holes. The block is available separately, so you can attach one to each bike you have.

  _____________
  !           !
  !    ___    !
  ! O !   ! O !
  !___!   !___!
  

  And yes, it draws even more attention.
• Channell Wasson, Jan 2000:
  Before I describe my child seat solution, I want to state that it is not an endorsed Brompton Solution. Use this suggestion at your own risk and peril. CAVEAT Brompton fan!
  I suggest using the Brompton basket mounted on Carrier Block with a couple of holes cut out of front of basket and then properly stiched and reinforced for comfort of the child. Then place padding under and at back of child. The kid rider loves being up front and there you can keep any eye on the little darling! For redundent safety measures place a strap through handle of basket and around handle bars in case carrier block starts to go. Don't try it over a 20 kg (40lb) load. A very unauthorized solution, but it has produced great joy for both riders--especially with our dog Bromie running along side. Shortly I will have photos of this solution in Current Events Photo Gallery on our Brompton web site.
• Custfold, Jan 2000:
  A2B issue14 deals pretty comprehensively with methods of conveying children, our Child seat conversion unit uses a proprietary model of child seat rated for children weighing up to 15Kg - This is modified to clip directly on to the front block, putting the child's weight in by far the most stable and least stressed position (on a seatpost the child seat will put weight outside the wheelbase of the bike (wheelies more likely - as experienced on Bickertons and Micros) and put extra loading on the seatpost to bend it rearwards, my 95KG plus small rucksack did this until I fitted thick wall s/s tube and built the first extending seatpost. The child will also get a very close view of the rider's rear end (the seats are usually set further back on conventional bikes) - The seatpost will also need to have the child seat fittings removed to fully fold the bike.
  Brompton used to suggest a maximum load of 16Kg on the front block but have downrated this to 10 Kg, This conservative figure reflects the problem with panniers which are loaded to provide large swinging moment forces on the 2, 4mm set screws which will loosen and occasionally shear if allowed to remain loose. I fit a secondary system to all my blocks which acts as an insurance, but when carrying children this way you are strongly advised to keep th block well secured.
• Hans Langen, Feb 2000:
  I used the childseat made by Dave Holland for about 1,5 years. It worked great! The child is sitting in front of you, facing you. So there is close contact and you can easily watch your child and talk to it. Because the seat is in a low position there is unrestricted view. The quick attachment to the front carrier block makes it very easy to fold the bike and enter a bus with child, seat and bike. I always felt very safe although it needs a bit of practice to get the child in the seat.
  Now he is too heavy (2,5 years / 17kg) and a trailer will be the next step (have not found the right one yet.....)
• Mark Stringer, Feb 2000:
  Go to http://www.foldsoc.co.uk/gallery.html and click on Images by Malcolm Clarke.
• Steven Pemberton, Nov 2007:
  

  It is a standard Dutch bicycle child's seat, takes children up to 15kg. The seat clips in to a holder, so you can still fold the bike by quickly sliding the seat out of the holder. (larger & other images)

Dave Holladay

I ride 100" fixed wheel on 27", and used to ride up to 128" including up moderate hills with a geared machine - I have sheared 4 TA cranks off at the axle socket in 15 years, and frequently fractured chainstays, seatstays - the only crank axle housing which has survived without 'belling out is the Nervex on the Scot, all others have to use cartridge bearings. [...] I broke an AW axle aged 14, and continue to bend all but the best quality solid rear axles, and break SA hollow, slotted ones. [...] My weight 95Kg - say 210lb, plus occasional 60lb pack, and up to 250lb on the trailer, and the front pannier......

My original 1989 front forks (about the only original bit on the bike) appear to have given up the ghost - I'm wary about riding it with the trailer (although the last trip -walked home with 70 sheets of hardboard (at least 150Kg)), once I get both brakes up to scratch. The problem is that the forks 'knock' from side to side, suggesting that the steerer has fractured and the steerer bolt & wedge are the only things holding the whole lot together. Not bad considering that I've seen out at least 3 sets of frame units (front/rear) and 4 or 5 rear triangles - interesting that the current rear triangles seem to be lasting with no problem, now the pivot spindle must be wearing more (going by the wear on previous exchanges).

I used to build 36 spoke 27" wheels in the 50 minute train trip between Edinburgh & Glasgow, and usually reckoned to fix a puncture in the 8 minutes between Paisley and Glasgow.

The main tube meets the rear wheel assembly (triangle), adorned with Dave's replacement suspension unit, retaining strap, and half of the skatewheel conversion kit. Also a Blackburn MP-4 pump fitted through Dave's adapter instead of the standard mini pump.

Hinge connecting the front wheel assembly (left) with the main tube (right) including Dave's clamp plate retaining kit to secure the plate and bolt (far right).

Nordlicht dynamo fitted on front fork, B&M Lumotec Plus front light, and V-brakes!

T-model rear rack with a B&M Toplight and a 4D-Lite Plus on the mudguard, and the other half of the skatewheel conversion kit (notice the alu extensions).

With Dave's custom carrier fitting to the standard Brompton luggage block, you can move a lot at once...

And since that's not enough, Dave is developing a trailer built around a waterproof box...

... or around a bike carrier. Notice the chopper handlebars on the black Brompton and a smaller custom version on the white Brompton. The black Brompton has two chainrings and a simple freewheel. The white one features an early version of the castor kit.

Shopkeeper to Dave's business partner: "Your husband will call in?" "Yes he's coming through on bus" "Oh but it's heavy, he'll need a car" "He'll decide when he arrives" At the shop: "Oh your wife said you'd be bringing a car" "I don't have a car and I don't have a wife." "How can you take the package?" "Just put it on the carrier" and leaves the bemused shopkeeper.

	One PC & 17" monitor. Note that the bike is now fully HS 33 hydraulic braked - nice daglo casting finishes. The led lumotec conversion is fitted in its wooden plate, as is a freecoaster hub (1-speed) and a SON 80 dynamo. First of 2 Secutec B&M experimentally mounted on rear rack stay. Note how using the Smartbox on rear kept heel clearance for my size 11's. Sorry about the pedals - need to get new set... Estimated GVW based on riding over weighbridge (digital 0kg-50,000kg) at Dover Eastern Docks with a similar load is c. 200kg including 100kg of me. Very smooth ride, no major problems apart from limited handlebar swing.

A Cresswell Micro equipped with, among other stuff, a Brompton luggage block.

Trailers

Trailer reviews

• Mark James, Jul 1997:
  The Folder [issue and page 21] did review some but was biased in favour of folding abvility.
• Peter Amey, Jun 1998:
  The CTC magazine I was given when I joined recently includes a review of various bike trailers. The one that caught my eye was the "Pac Dog"; this is a single-wheel trailer with a seat post fixing. The squashy luggage bag hangs beneath a long spine that joins seat post to back wheel.
  The things that seemed interesting were: 16" back wheel and the statement that the spine folds in half for storage. Potentially this might make a very Brompton-friendly touring set up.
• David Edge, Nov 1998:
  I'd check out the capacity of the Deuxjohn. The one I saw was modest to say the least. I'd have thought a Columbus was more like the thing. There is a review in an old Folder / A2B of various types of folding trailerm, which you could find via A2B website.
  I've got a Bykaboose, which I wouldn't recommend - not very durable. In my humble opinion it is probably the justifiable reason for all those notices saying "Tout 'abus' sera punit." One flaw is that the screws are too short to engage the nylon ring in the nyloc nuts - mine fell to bits on its first five-mile run. We do like it for taking cans and bottles for recycling and it does fit to a Brompton.
  I note the enthusuasm of others though.
• Richard Lighton, Jul 1999:
  There's a useful page with indices to various manufacturers' trailers and a comparison chart at
  http://www.bikeroute.com/WhyTrailer.htm
• Custfold, Jul 1999:
  The measured 250Kg was in a 2 wheel unit towed by a cumbersome and was moving pretty slow. On a trip with the Brompton I know the trunk weighed 80 Kg, the load on top about 50Kg, me 95 Kg and the front block load 25-30Kg - I now travel in Europe by train and as long as I can lift the thing on we don't get stung for excess baggage (except once in Brussels with Eurostar, when I couldn't sneak the lot onto a baggage trolley before entering the check-in).
  One caveat on using 2 wheel trailers with bikes is that for the thing to work you cannot restrict the freedom of the 'hitch' unit against rotation in the transverse axis.
  The upshot of this is that when the trailer wheel hits a bump, if there is ANY side force (eg turning a corner) this immediately acts on the wheel remaining on the ground and will overturn the trailer instantly and almost unstoppably - hence some child trailers have disclaimers for use over 5 mph - the only trailer suitable for high speed running is a 1 wheel unit towed with the axis of in-line articulation passing through a point marginally forward of the point of contact for the rear wheel to minimise side thrust moment which is imposed when braking whilst not 'in line' . Andrew Holland might find attention to this geometry detail will sort out the Brompton trailerbike, or we try a Brompton on my hitch (headset compatible), and it also shows why some cheap adapted clamp systems are potentially lethal when any bike can be clamped in to them for towing.
  I speak from the experience of towing trailers with loads of up to 250Kg (genuine as weighed out at quarry weighbridge), with 1 and 2 wheels. I now almost exclusively use a 1 wheel unit with the Brompton which has a range of swap-bodies.
  • Carl Etnier, Jul 1999:
    Hmm. The only one-wheeled trailer I've used is the BOB Yak, towed behind a BikeE. It works well for loads inside the box and within the rated capacity, which I believe is 36 kg or so. But for loads strapped to the top of the box, or even 25% over capacity, it starts becoming unstable quickly. I tried carrying 45 kg of chicken feed in it one time, two bags that just barely fit inside the box. The trailer is made out of sturdy enough tubes that the weight shouldn't be a problem, but I was getting thrown all over trying to tow that load. Ended up putting one bag directly on the bike, and got much better results. (Apparently the trailer is more stable behind a tandem.)
    I've had problems with tip-overs like you described with the (two-wheeled) Bykaboose, but not since changing to the lower, wider Equinox, which I've outfitted with 16" (305) wheels. But then, I haven't carried 250 kg with it, either.
• Jim McLaughlin, Jul 1999:
  I wonder how many [trailers] will allow the Brompton to fold the rear wheel under while still attached? I rather like the fact the with a slight left turn begun, I can "park" my Brompton with the Bykaboose attached. I imagine that even if you could do this with a unicycle trailer, it would probably fall over. (I'm the type who puts kick stands on racing bikes.)
• David Hansen, Jul 1999:
  [Folding the rear wheel under while still attached] is possible with a Bike Hod. With a T model the carrier touches the Hod slightly so it is a bit of a fiddle.
• Custfold, Feb 2000:
  Trailer caveat & WIGATI warning
  2 wheel trailers of most designs have an inherent problem when they hit any discontinuity when experiencing a side thrust ie cornering. Most US mfr post prominent riders to the effect that you shouldn't go round corners above 5 mph. The mono wheel trailer is the solution for stability and towing at speed, but of course it's a pig to handle unless you fit whellbarrow arms or similar.
  WIGATI I'll get the C=F Trailer kit into production - the towing gear fits into a bag - usually with the bike if big enough, and the trailer body can be almost any large rigid box, or flatbed frame. It has carried over 100Kg (220lb).and breaks various parts of the towing bike in the process!

S'Cargo

• Custfold, Mar 2000:
  IIRC it was linked to Mark Saunders of Strida fame, and appeared in the Vittelli Velobedarf catalogue trailers section, one of the most comprehensive there is with capacities up to 300 lbs to tow behind bikes or mopeds, carrying several crates of beer (as illustrated - beer not supplied with product!).
• Len Rubin, Mar 2000:
  The trailer was actually scheduled as my very next project! I expect to have the first bikes rolling out the door by summer, and then I can return my attention to the trailer project.
  As with the bike, there are several technical issues, and a few aesthetic/ergonomic ones to attend to.
  The S'Cargo was the first attempt to commercialize a really unique and clever design concept. The trailer was the brainchild of an wonderfully imaginative British design student named Gareth Jones. We are licensing that design and giving it the full Rubin makeover!
  I did make a prototype Brompton conversion of that trailer for Folder Forum II, and know pretty much all of the what and how to transform that into a magnificent, magical sub-five lb. trailer with universal appeal, but it will have to wait just a few more months. First the bike...

Bykaboose

• Channell Wasson:
  We also have a trailer now for the Brompton that the suitcase (Tips, tricks & tinkering - Suitcases to serve and protect a Brompton) will fit into. It has 16" wheels, a canvas container with cover. The retail price is $185.00. This trailer colapses completely for easy travel.
• Channell Wasson:
  Last night Jan and I went on shopping expedition for the weeks groceries. We took our Bromptons and I hooked up the new Bykaboose trailer. It pulls like a charm and came home with a heavy load of groceries with ease. Spacing on the trailer hook-up allows ample room for the back wheel of the Brompton to fold easily, and the bike stands up better than ever in its "parked" position. The trailer comes with a nice nylon protective cover. We are going to inventory 10 of these trailers. We will have them available for sale shortly. The price is $185.
• Custfold, Jul 1997:
  The Bykaboose is folding, high volume, and the fixing allows the rear wheel to fold under for parking - the Viteelli Kampinganhanger does this also, and is rated at 60Kg, plus uses real bike wheels (20").
  My development work continues and a Mk 2 version is in development which packs into the space of 1 16" wheel and frame around it, plus whatever you happen to be towing at the time (usually a large plastic box).
• Channell Wasson, Oct 1998:
  Bykaboose trailer colapses to approx 32"x20"by5". It can be checked and toted in its box or a canvas bag. It sets up quickly (3 to 5 minutes at most)and holds the Brompton Samsonite suitcase and more. It tows easily and 20 miles is no problem for someone in reasonable physical condition. I towed trailer and suitcase farther than 20 miles around hills of San Francisco last Saturday and it went well. It's a novel system, but it works. Like the Brompton trailering opens up new possibilities for bike travel if one yields to new possibilities and is willing to give up old ingrained perceptions established in conciousness by dealing with "cumbersomes" for over 135 years (including penny farthings here).
• Dave, Jun 1998:
  Two Plus Two also import the Vitelli Kamoinganhanger which is a better bet - and can be carried with a soft backpack inside like a tortoise's shell - it comes with 20" wheels but...
• David Edge, Dec 1998:
  Don't throw that cumbersome away!!!!! Save the inner tube first. It is the right size to fit around the top of a Bykaboose allowing you to clip an LED with a belt attachment on quickly and easily.
• Jim McLaughlin, Jul 1999:
  Comments on the Bykaboose: It is a bit awkward to walk it fully loaded when detached from the bike, which I have done in Amtrak stations. Once on the train with the wheels removed but still loaded, the axle cotter pins can be touchy to keep in place. It does not have a folding arm, that sounds like a great feature. Otherwise I'm very pleased with it.
• Jim McLaughlin, Feb 2000:
  Mine Bykaboose folds, though I can't imagine why one would want to do so without removing the wheels. I suppose it is possible. Seems like it would defeat the purpose. I don't have the gecko though. There are some springs and washers and I do put the clips back on after removing the wheels so as not to lose the bits. There is room for improvement there.
• De Clarke, Feb 2000:
  I bought, but returned, a Bykaboose Gecko trailer recently. Thought I would tell the list about it in case anyone is thinking of getting one.
  I have no problem with workmanship, materials, etc. It's a very nice trailer indeed. Only problem is, the one I actually saw on someone's bike was an early model, and it collapsed down for storage. This recent model can't be folded down unless you take the wheels off -- NOT q.r. either, but a major operation involving eminently losable parts (springs and washers and stuff).
  So with sadness and regret I asked Chip (the prez) whether he would take it back, and he said Sure. I paid the shipping as the cost of education :-) since there was nothing at all wrong with the trailer except my assumption that current models still folded like the old ones.
  I've asked Chip to let me know if they ever make a folding version again. It's a great trailer, just like a large canvas wheelbarrow, very light, very capacious, with a good rain cover. The mount is an addition to your rear axle assembly -- simple and fits any bike. Wish I had room to store it, sigh... not only does it no longer accordian down into a flat package, but the hitch doesn't fold under like a Burley, rather it's screwed together semi-permanently.

  I have to fold my trailer every single time after using it, because otherwise it takes up 1/4 of the living room. So it's not "now and then" for stuffing into the boot of a car, or some bin on a greyhound bus or train, but on every single trip. Thus the umbrella analogy.
  The Gecko I tried had small wheels, like, er, maybe 10 or 12in I would guess, 14 at most. Plastic. Like wheelbarrow wheels, i.e. molded w/ 5 "spokes". Not wire-spoke bike wheels.
  The cargo basket was easily 24in deep. So I would get 66% collapse, more or less, by just accordian-folding the basket down. But you gotta take the wheels off, and I'm afraid it's no 25 sec on this puppy, or should I say lizard :-)
  The wheels were retained on each end of the axle by a 6mm hex cap head machine screws, medium thread, so with an allen key it takes quite a few turns to remove them. Also washers of course, and then there are 2 fairly lively springs which it would be real easy to lose in the lawn. Then you have to take the x-members off the axle, but the axle can't be removed w/o significant hassle, it's bolted through the floor of the trailer and requires a socket driver. It's a rather awkward disassembly, with the trailer lurching to one side as soon as the first wheel is off. In the end I propped it up on a Foremost crate, like putting a car up on blocks, to work on the wheels. Just can't see doing that every time I go grocery shopping.

• Jim McLaughlin, Mar 2000:
  I'm getting the impression that folding trailers are about as developed as folding bikes were _before_ the Brompton emerged. Useful perhaps, but not yet quite what you would call exquisite.
  It does seem odd some how, towing a trailer with wheels larger than the bike's. But the standard(?) Bykaboose's 20 inch wheels come off with just a spring wire clip. I did replace the not so strong Asian clips with tuff American clips, standard hardware store fare. And it is possible to lose springs and such, I think I lost a spacer once. Easily replaced with several nylon washers from the hardware store. Mostly I worry about the clips catching on someone or something on the train. When the wheels are off, the clips protrude. I did have a squeak at high speeds with heavy loads but a nylon washer on the outside of the wheel fixed that.
  The standard Bykaboose might fit your needs better than the Gecko. Wheels are similar big plastic spoke jobs with very knobby tires. I'll try to remember to time a complete fold down (after this weekend's last cross country ski trip to upper Michigan). I would guess between 1 and 2 minutes. You are right, I mostly store it in the barn.
  I've never experienced the tip over problem that some have mentioned with two wheel trailers. Maybe this is a city issue with sharp turns? I did tip it once going over a large fallen tree...
• De Clarke, Mar 2000:
  I've just been thinking about the meaning of "folding". As in, why I think Bykaboose should not really advertise their current trailers as "folding". I think what they really have is "easy knockdown for storage or transport".
  If something folds, i.e. a futon bed, an umbrella, a Brompton, a chair, a table, etc., then my assumption is that you do not *remove* parts. You might unscrew a clamp, remove a tether pin, or rotate some part of the assembly -- but you don't actually take parts *off*.
  Once you start removing parts, that's knockdown or disassembly.
  I'm feeling a little sour at present because the Bykaboose guy just happened not to tell me that they had just closed the factory in Chula Vista (which is where all the paperwork tells you to return a trailer if dissatisfied). So UPS bumped the thing back to my local shipping office, and now I have to wrangle with Chip to avoid paying the shipping THREE times.
  sigh -- I'm afraid I can't whole-heartedly recommend dealing with Bykaboose right now, unless you know for sure that you want exactly what they are selling. otherwise, look for a bike dealership that carries them and deal with the local store, it is probably much easier.

Bike Hod

• David Hansen, May 1998:
  I use a Bike Hod behind a T5, which has a 12% reduction. The Hod has been used to carry earth, shopping, computer manuals, exhibitions, vegetables, electrical items and will soon transport a picnic for several people. The longest run was 15 miles with a fairly heavy load. Most runs are under 5 miles.
  I have few complaints about the combination. It copes with potholes, bends and hills fine. The adverts are fairly accurate, I hardly know it is there. Now that I have equipped it with lights it is even more versatile in the long winters.
  A minor criticism is the paint, which comes off too easily. If there is a heavy load at the bottom of the Hod a surging motion can occur between the trailer and bike. This is caused by compression of the suspension block on the Brompton and possibly the coupling. This can happen up hill, down hill and on the level. No doubt if I was a smoother rider this would happen less. With a load spread out on the Hod this does not happen. It is a minor rather than major problem.
• Martin Antony Ball, May 1998:
  I have also noticed this surging motion on an unsuspended mountainbike with heavy Bike-Hod. I put it down to the rubber coupling to the trailler.
• Custfold, May 1998:
  The fixing on the Hod is for limited loads only as it is a heavy duty industrial hose with a pin clip in which squeezes onto the core steel pin this does tend to improve the grip as it is loaded but I would not entrust my child to such an arrangement, as some trailerbikes do - and I would check the condition of the hose for UV damage to the rubber and general wear as the unit gets older.
  The surging occurs because the towing position is not ideal - the best towing position as David Hansen should realise from train traction issues is one where the towing force (applied through the rear axle to the ground directly below, can equally act directly onto the trailer through the same point or as close to it as possible. Hence the best trailers are designed to pivot such that the force is applied in the direct plane of the rear axle. ideally I suppose through a point just in front of the point at which the rear tyre contacts the road, in the sae way that the front tyre contacts the road just to the rear of an imaginary line through the steering axis (trail) to ensure the front wheel is gently dragged into line as the bike moves forward.
  This is also an issue with suspension and small wheels as even a small movement can significantly affect handling by changing wheelbase/weight distribution. I have noted this when too much weight on the front causes a shimmy, which can be relieved - especially when you have a 30+Kg load on your back, by leaning back on the saddle to fine tune the weight distribution and thus tyre deflection and ergo the effective geometry of the bike.
• DRMLyons, Jul 1999:
  With regards to which trailer to use for a Brompton I can advise that the Bike Hod works well with the Brompton. I think that before deciding on a purchase you should decide priorities in a similar way to buying a folding bike. A balance has to be made between comfort/speed, price and ease of folding/compactness. I find that the speed of folding/compactness of the Bike hod matches that of the Brompton well and quite managable on trains. I have not tried the deuxjohn but understand it involves a degree of dismantling whereas the Bike Hod just has a fold down towing arm and does not require the load to be removed. However I have managed to turn over the Bike Hod over a number of times, mainly due to lack of care (you have to adopt a different style of riding with a trailer!).
• Dave Lyons, Jul 1999:
  I have used my Bike Hod on my work commute which involves negotiating the escalators at London Liverpool St station. Whilst it is difficult to park the Brompton with Bike Hod attached it will (with practice!) negotiatiate escalators (still coupled), even fully loaded. Do others take their machines
• David Cox, Jul 2000:
  I use the bike hod on a commuting moutain bike and find it very satisfactory for shopping and books/papers (once panniers are full). It doesn't like exceeding 20mph downhill with a load and pulses a bit. However it is great for sweeping through Birmingham's traffic filled ring roads. I've never got around to fitting it to the Brompton although I have the bigger clamp that is required for the seat post. Obviously you need low gears for climbing and I've only got a standard L3. Supplier is 2 +2 twoplustwo@pavillion.co.uk

Folding cargo trailers

• Philip Hall, Feb 2000:
  I have a Chariot Chauffeur (http://www.chariotcarriers.com/). It's their deluxe model. It folds easily: wheels are QR and hitch arm comes off with a QR-kind-of pin. We're very pleased with it. However, I *do not* use it on my Neobike Brom at the moment. I think the hitch fouls the tab on the left-side of swing arm which I think is the vestigial generator mount. UK Broms might be different in this regard so it might be worth looking at one in a shop. FWIW, I tow behind a mountain bike because the hill that we live on requires v.low gearing to get home. I don't know what you mean by "large-capacity", exactly. This trailer carries two kids & some luggage. Rated to 100lb weight limit. It's roughly the same size as the standard two-kid Burley.
• Ka Lun Tam, Feb 2000:
  Well, the Burley Cargo (http://www.burley.com/cargo.html) has 16" wheels that looks kinda neat. Best folding trailer I've seen so far. (I also like the ones by Bikes At Work (http://www.bikesatwork.com/) but those don't fold.)
• PHolden960, Mar 2000:
  Well, I've got a Burley Cargo trailer (it doesn't really fold -- it dis-assembles). Got 16" wheels, outside of frame. And the hitch will work on probably most diamond frame bikes -- but not the B.
  Special hitch -- $60. Heavy piece of steel. Stays on the bike as its attached to the rear axle. Yes, your bike will sit with the trailer still attached. Nice trick. But I resent the extra weight, and the fact that if I want to use trailer with another bike, I would have to switch back to the standard hitch (Which is pretty good as far as it goes).
  It seems to me that that hitch could work on a B if there were a little piece to snug up against the frame. But, OEM, it doesn't. So, its really back to your comment about all the other trailers.
• mark james, Mar 2000:
  Chariot similar to Burley but quicker folding and cheaper in UK and some other trailers work if you have a WEBER hitch trying to be a "standard in Europe" Has a bit that stays on bike with kickstand is an option on big bikes. Excellent design. Loads of movement Can lock onto the housing that lives on the bike. I've got one for my big bike but at present I change the arm to standard hitch that doesn't leave anything on the but is much less convincing
  Contact twoplustwo@pavilion.co.uk

Child trailers

• Joerg Scheiner, Jan 1999:
  I use the Ritschie Trailer. It is manufactured by Weber Fahrzeugbau in Germany and sold by 2+2. It is full suspended and the fitting is mounted in the hole on the left side of the rear triangle of the Brompton. This does not influence folding.
  And for transportation the Brompton fits in the trailer so it is only one peace of luggage.
  In Germany they are sold by "Zwei plus Zwei" I think there is a similar company in the UK 2+2 selling trailers. The latest model is around 1500 DM (500 GBP).
  [They take two children of up to 5 (?) years old]. Maximum load is 50 kg. The space in front of the childrens seet is 60 cm. We own the first model and there was less space but still good for a 5 year old child and his 3 year old brother. My kids are 3 and 1. We got the trailer before our first child was born and used it from the beginning. The latest model is prepared to take a baby car seat.
  The Ritschie can be folded. Minimum size is 87/58/26 cm. The trailer consists of an alumium tub that holds the wheels (suspended) and seats. The top is foldable. Inside of the tub there is enough room for the folded Brompton (at least in my version with soft seats). The new model has plastic seats but I think there is still some luggage room when folded although it must take the wheels that demount for packing.
  As far as I know the Ritschie is the only suspended kids trailer. This is in my opinion very important for small children. I tried a unsuspended recumbent bike and got headache after a few hundred meters. I do not want my kids to take any damage from my love for biking.
• Lucas Fletcher, Feb 1999:
  I came across one web site that's unusual in that they show links to most all of their competitors: http://www.wicycle.com
• Rob Cope, Oct 1999:
  A to B 17 (Aug/Sep 99) tested the Burley Solo & preferred it to the Chariot Cheetah. The Burley towhitch was especially praised: reviewers consider it works even better than with a cumbersome. Make sure you have the relatively new hitch designed for solid axles. I have seen the Burley/Brompton combi in action & it works very well.
  I think you need this review (& a subscription): look on the A to B website http://www.a2b.care4free.net for details.
  Brakes: consider upgrading to dual pivots, espec if you have the Saccons fitted now.
  Gears: fit smallest front ring & largest back cog available. You will not want to go fast with a child trailer.
  I'm far from sure you could fit baby & folded bike in trailer at same time. However, the whole package will go by train: in fact you can often (space permitting) just wheel trailer aboard without removing offspring. If you do need to fold down, allow extra time. Having second adult along is near essential, espec if footbridges, stairs etc are involved.
  From my observations, other traffic treats trailers extremely warily as a relatively unknown (hence assumed to be unpredictable) vehicle. Don't worry about invisibility: these beasts are very eye-catching. You will probably have to explain/demonstrate it to most people you meet, which you may find either charming or wearing. The Burley has (nearly) all-round windows, so kiddo better get used to being centre of attention.
• Paul Brady, Nov 1999:
  I tow my two Childern in a trailor, and you dont really want to do this unless are a strong cyclist. Not really for the part about towing the thing, although that is hard, but if you have to make a sudden move or if you have to do something to prevent a crash with the trailor, that is when you need to be strong and skilled cyclist. When you crash all by yourself it is often because of something that you did, or at the least it is a situation you put yourself into be it bad or good. A passenger is just along for the ride and does not realize the potential danger involved in what they are doing. When I first purchased my trailor I did some ridding with the trailor without anyone in it, and simulated the wight so I could get used to handling the bike with the added weight and momentum. Getting used to stopping with the loaded trailor can be tricky. If it should rain as it did on me and my 4 year old once, the braking thing is just not the same no matter what type of brake system you have.
  The other thing is getting childern used to and enjoying the ride in a trailor. I rode with a family in a club in Colorado, and they went out and bought a new trailor and just threw there child in and expected them to love it. After about 15 mins in the trailor the kid did not want any part of it anymore. From that time forward they just could not get there child to enjoy a trailor ride. My daugthers loved it but I started them slow, I still have to change the way I ride to bring them but it is worth it. We have a blast cruising easy trails. Antoher thing that helps is ridding to a destination like a park with outdoor toys for kids, our a hitting the local Ice Cream shop buy the time you get there you will have earned it...
• Mark James, Jan 2000:
  I use a Chariot Cabrio - for two youngsters although most of the time I use it for my 15 month old can use Weber hitch or a standard hitch a bit flimsy for regular use. Folds in 2 minutes completely and comes with a bag. Burley solo is good too A2B have reviewed that along with Chariot Cheetah There are others check out the twoplustwo web site. I have good reports of the Donkey Dolphin - heavier and larger the former three are for ease of transportation.
• Paul Brady ATT, Jan 2000:
  I have a RoadGear trailer and it works very well, it has room for two and I put my 5 year old and my two year in there and they are happy. The 5 year old is about done with the trailer, but the little one loves it. I never pulled it with the Bromie, it has a frame clap that attaches two the stay on the frame with a clamp. I guess it would work with the Bromie, although I am not to sure about towing stuff with the Bromie, I will have to try it out and see how it goes. I will put it on this weekend and put the results on the list....
• Custfold, Feb 2000:
  I'd suggest a serious look at removing the front forks from a Brompton and fitting the remaining main frame & rear section to an cut-down Islabikes Trailerbike unit which fits directly in place of the rear carrier (and the plastic rollers that some of us already take off. The 'bikette' will stay in place by weight alone, avoiding the fiddly need to tighten up the 2 nuts on the rocking axle if a USE seatpost bush is used to sleeve up the diameter in place of building the headset onto the pin, but can be insured with a retaining pin or nut - a home-made version is used by Andrew Holland. Andrew's version is likely to be rather a pig to handle with the pivot axis passing through the ground line so far in front of the rear wheel contact patch - basic geometry requires only a very small trail to self centre - ie the rocking axle should be vertically over the rear axle for a reasonable result.
  The child will either sit on the bike conventionally with a set of bars clipped onto the main tube (per U+2 etc), or a more substantial child seat can be fitted to the main tube, and seatpost removed - whent they grow up voila a bike almost ready to ride (true sustainable reuse of resources).
  We may (eventually) build these units for our trailers and thus child towing conversions are possible
• Phil & Louise Weber, Feb 2000:
  Have just started to use a Burley D'lite with my Brompton. Actually bought the brommie because it fits in the boot/trunk of the trailer and makes it easier for solo person to use bike + trailer on train. No probs with it but the trailer is pricey and so is the alternative hitch. Quality of the trailer does make it worth the money. I just compare the cost with the money saved by not owning a car!
  The trunk/boot is the space behind the child-seat. The L5/T5 fits just neatly into this space, with folding pedal, but also with Burley alternative hitch attached.
• Phil & Louise Weber, Jun 2000:
  Brompton fits in the back of the Burley D'Lite (2-child trailer) leaving plenty of room for groceries etc., though no hard base to the trailer. It is definitely a child trailer, big and expensive, but we use ours for all sorts.

The trailer's tyres

• Leonard Rubin, Aug 97:
  You're always better off with pneumatic tires; this is why we evolved in the direction we did, rather than the other way 'round! The reason is simple: by using compressed air as a form of suspension, less shock is transmitted, better compliance with the road is achieved (the tire tends to "hug" the road, rather than "hitting" the small bumps and forcing deceleration, frictional losses are GREATLY reduced, and this is why rock hard tires (e.g.solid tires or tires filled to very high air pressures) are not a better idea at all. This is ESPECIALLY true for very small diameter tires!
  These days various technological remedies exixst to greatly reduce or effectively eliminate the likelihood of punctures, which is the main reason these horrid solid tires keep resurfacing! [{David Hansen, Aug 1997} I had a good squeeze of the "solid" tyres in the shop. They felt rather like Brompton tyres inflated to 70-80 psi.]
• Martin Whitfield, Aug 97:
  I have no great experience of the Hod with solid tyres as mine is an earlier version. It has now done many journeys with heavy loads (cement, horse manure and seaweed to name but three materials transported - in bags of course). It works exceptionally well and has the added advantage in that it can be used with other types of bike if you have any.
  However a friend has a Hod with the newer tyres which I have tried once and it was definitely easier to pull than the conventional tyres. [ {David Hansen, Aug 1997} Perhaps this is due to newer/better bearings or a different tread (the "solid" wheels have a straight tread, not sure what the pneumatic tyres have)? ]
  She likes it greatly. The only thing you have to do is allow more time for trips to the supermarket. Like having a Brompton, you need to budget for several detailed explanations to curious fellow customers each time you go.
  Tesco, by the way, has started a scheme in Chichester to allow customers to tow Hods home for a pounds five deposit... [...]
  "Shoppers have 3 days to return the hod - which can, of course, be used to transport empty cans and bottles back to the store for recycling..." - Tesco News Release 19 August 1997.
  The shop in Chichester is right next to the Cenurion Way - a 3.5 mile Sustrans traffic-free route along an old railway track.
• Mike Hessey, Aug 1997:
  The pneumatic tyres on my Hod are relatively low pressure, high rolling resistance, jobs, and one keep blowing off the rim even at low pressure (this may be because the flange is distorted - as it is on the inside it is certainly not due to anything I have done). Given that I only use the Hod for short shopping trips, I wish I had had the solid tyres.
  Although I don't use the Hod often, it is very useful for shopping, particularly as there are few decent shops in comfortable walking distance, and I have disposed of my car.
• Channell Wasson, Oct 1998:
  This weekend our local frame builder, Jeff Richman, is designing and building a kit to convert the Brompton Samsonite Epsilon suitcase to a trailer that will quickly hook to the Brompton rear axle. The kit uses 12" wheels with neumatic tires. When the trailer kit is not in use it is designed to fit into suitcase with the Brompton. We will keep you advised of progress, and a picture of the suitcase trailer will be posted on new Brompton USA website.

davidh@spidacom.co.uk, Sep 1998:
[...] what would happen when I tighten up my Bike Hod fixing to the post. This deforms metal seatposts, will it shatter a carbon fibre one into a thousand expensive pieces?

• David Henshaw - A to B, Sep 98:
  We've had one for well over a year now and we're very pleased, although you will find the surface eventually scuffs - only an aesthetic problem (we hope). As for the trasiler, yes, the 'exhaust pipe' clamp puts a great load on the tube. We've never tried it, but I would be extremely nervous of destroying almost 100 UKP worth of carbon fibre.

Bicycle computers, mirrors...

• Mini pump

Bicycle computers on a Brompton

• Nico J. de Boer, Nov 1998:
  I use a Cat Eye type "velo 2", on which I could enter the 130cm (...inches?) of the tyre circumference. BUT: I had to solder a new piece of cable between the computer and the sensor. I've strapped it to the set of cables that's running from the handlebars to the rear triangle anyway, and mounted the sensor on the horizontal part of the rear triangle, inside when folded. It has been running without problem for 1458.0 kilometers since then. Be careful to mount it "tilting forward" on the handlebars, because if you don't, the button to change functions on the computer (used for zeroing your trip total) will be the most outside point of the folded package, causing the computer to zero at unwanted times (eg. between chairs in trains). I hope you don't consider this "jerrymandering"? Apart from the soldering, mounting was no problem at all.
• Richard Lighton, Nov 1998:
  I fitted an Avocet 15 to Arnold with only the minor problem of having to change the position of the detector attached to the fork because the first attempt interfered with the folding. It was just another of those things that led me to curse, then admire the ingenuity of the folding design. The battery powered light has so far defeated me. That has to come off before folding. (Another 10 seconds)
• Peter Holden, Nov 1998:
  I have an Avocet 15. Works great. No problem. Just took time and care to route the cable off the front tire, giving care where it bends. The 16" wheel: well, I've got mine set for 1285 (for miles); but you can set yours simply bymeasuring the rolling circumference--roll the wheel a few times with a load on it, then divide inches into miles or whatever the calculation is. (its late, can't think) there are instructions in the packet. the Avocet 15 is simple and gives me distance and speed on the same screen (not all do)
• Bob Goldstein, Jan 2000:
  I have mounted the Cateye Enduro 2 such that the folding and neatness of cables is just fine on my Bromptons (mine and my wife's). Can't say that it's the best computer, because it's the only one I've ever had and it has a maddening user interface. But that may be true of all of them. It does time of day, speed, distance, average speed over a trip, whether you're going over or under your average speed, etc etc etc.
  I had to replace one signal sending cable because I bent it too sharply and tightened the plastic tie-down too much.

Bicycle computer technology

• Stein Somers, Jul 1999:
  Yes, there the (linear, not angular) velocity of the magnet is smallest, so the sensor has more time to notice it passing by. The sensor is not a coil measuring a magnetic pulse. At least the sensors I've openened were Reed relays, small vaccum glass containers containing two tiny metal plates that attract eachother while in the magnet's field, thus establishing an electric contact monitored by the main unit.
• John Blackburn, Jul 1999:
  Reed relays can suffer from "contact bounce", which may lead to a double pulse, giving twice the correct reading. But this is rare and could only happen if the magnet is weak, or too far away, or the various fixing screws haven't been tightened up properly.
  A cycle computer is usually a 4-bit microcontroller with built-in LCD (liquid crystal display) driver, running from 3 volts (2 watch cells or 1 lithium) or 1.5 volts (1 cell, with voltage doulber for the LCD).
  One of its input pins is connected to the supply rail (eg +3 volts line) via a high resistor (typically 3.3 megohms). The reed relay is connected from this input pin to ground; when the relay closes the voltage on the pin falls from +3 volts to zero. This change is detected, "debounced" (rejecting multiple contact closures), and used by the built-in software to calculate speed etc.
  A reed relay is used because it removes the need for an on-off switch. The computer is always running (using a tiny current), and thus can always detect if the reed contact closes, but the LCD is switched off after a few minutes of inactivity to conserve the battery.
  If you leave the bike in such a position that the reed-relay is next to the magnet, there is an extra battery drain because a small current flows through the 3.3 megohm resistor.
  Example (measurement made by me, on a real cycle computer using a Lithium battery): Bike parked with reed-relay not near magnet: battery life estimated as 5 years. Bike parked with reed-relay next to magnet: battery life estimated as 3 years.
  In other words, it isn't very important, on this particular computer at least.
• Frank Abbing, Jul 1999:
  I once installed a magnet without my glasses on, that is at a 90 degree angle from what it should be. This gave me a very stable double reading....

Wireless bicycle computer on a Brompton

• Leonard Rubin, Aug 97:
  I have had good luck with the Sigma Sport BC 700. There are others as well, and often, although the literature (table or chart) that comes with a unit may only show figures down to 20", you find that you can, in fact, type in a smaller rollout number yourself.
• Norman Tulloch, Aug 1997:
  The Cateye Cordless 2 works fine, though the transmitter unit isn't altogether an ideal fit onto the Brompton's small front fork and I did have some initial difficulty with getting it properly mounted.
  • Willi Mindak, Oct 97:
    [Cateye Cordless 2] does not work properly on the Brompton. In the instructions that came with the unit a max. distance of 45 cm between sensor and main unit is given. Because of the Brompton's small wheels and long stem the closest you can get is about 55 to 60 cm (with the main unit mounted on the handlebar). For the cateye this distance is too long, and at best it works intermittently.
    If the main unit is held a couple of inches closer to the transmitter, everything works fine, but I feel that the only sensible location for the main unit is on the handlebar in direct view of the rider.
  • Norman Tulloch, Oct 1997:
    Initially, I fitted the sensor unit on the front fork where its shape seemed to fit the curve of the front fork best - that is, below the mudguard stay. The computer didn't work consistently and gave unreliable readings.
    However, I then tried fitting it above the mudguard stay and (somewhat to my surprise) it worked just fine and has continued to do so. The sensor isn't the neatest fit in the world onto the front fork in this position, and I used some black insulating tape (which doesn't look too horrible on my black Brompton) to make it more secure. Though I wasn't too confident about this arrangement, it has given me no problems over 425 miles, including quite a few rough roads.
    I should perhaps also have said that I have the computer itself mounted on the lowest part of the handlebars, beside where they clamp onto the stem
    [...] on the Brompton the distance between front fork and the lowest part of the handlebars is much greater than on conventional bikes. The Cateye instruction manual states, "The distance between the sensor and the main unit must be kept within 45cm." However, on the Brompton the best I can manage is about 55cms.
  • Nov 1997:
    [..] curiously enough it is now giving inconsistent readings or none at all. I tried replacing the batteries but this made no difference.
    I strongly suspect that the problem is caused by the colder weather which has now arrived. Temperatures here in south-west Scotland are now around 45 degrees Fahrenheit during the day and it may be that this sort of temperature is low enough to prevent the lithium batteries from working at full efficiency. Since it is not possible to obtain ideal positions for mounting computer and transmitter units on the Brompton (because of the distance between the front fork and handlebars), I guess that the units need to be working at their best, and it may be that in winter temperatures this does not occur.
    I have tried removing the computer from its mounting bracket on the handlebars and holding it a few inches closer to the transmitter unit on the front fork. This seemed to cure the problem. I think I shall have to adopt Channell Wasson's solution of mounting the computer on the Brompton's frame instead of on the handlebars -- at least until the warmer weather returns!
    • John Blackburn, Nov 1997:
      LITH.LST 11 November 1997

      Lithium cells operate over a wide temperature range. Data sheets from the main manufacturers (Sanyo, Saft, Varta and others) show that even at -20 °C, cells still have more than 60% of their room-temperature capacity. Cell voltage is nominally 3 volts per cell, falling to 2.5 volts below -20 °C. Capacity loss is as low as 1% per year in most cells. At low temperatures, it is even better.

      The very high cell voltage (at least 3 volts, and 3.6 volts in some types) means that only one cell is needed in order to construct a calculator (or bicycle computer) with LCD display. If a cycle computer contains 2 cells, they are more likely to be silver-oxide cells, as used in watches.

      I doubt if any cell or battery has a poor performance at 45 °F as claimed.
    [...] The attraction of the wireless computer, as far as I was concerned, was that I felt the wire of a wired one might get in the way when the bike was being folded, or that it would become snagged or broken. The wireless computer also looks just a bit neater, too. However, it may well be that the wireless computer is more bother than it's worth.
  • Willi Mindak, Oct 97:
    I've tried to mount the sensor unit as close to the main unit as possible, that is above the mudguard stay on the right forkleg, and I also tried the left forkleg (with the unit 'reversed' (in front of the fork. The receiver was mounted as low as possible, next to the habdlebar clamp. I got it working 'in the lab', but when out on the road I noticed that the little blinking indicator was not pulsing at the same frequency when at constant speed, so this arrangement did not work very well.
    If it works for you I'm going to try a new battery on the sensor (even though the unit is brand new the battery may have suffered from long storage.
• Norman Tulloch, Aug 1997:
  [...] The Sigma range (which has an optional wireless transmitter unit) also works on 16" wheels. However, cable ties are used for mounting both the computer (to the handlebars) and the transmitter (to the front fork). I feel this is a fairly crude method of fixing which makes it difficult to get the units securely attached. The Sigma also looks a bit cheap, whereas the Cateye is generally of better quality.
• David Cox, Nov 1997:
  Sigma wireless computers work up to 70cms.
• Frank Abbing, Jun 1998:
  ... the [Sigma 300 cycle computer's] cable IS long enough. I installed the pickup device on the left leg of the front fork, taped the cable to the front lamp cable up to the point where it does a V-turn. From there I taped the computer cable to the rear brake cable. I could pass the cable through the factory installed cable guides by disassembling the slider contacts (undo two extremely small screws). After the installation there is almost no slack cable left, the bike folds and unfolds as it used to do. The Sigma 300 is rather simple, with large figures. Good, because it is farther away than usual, on the lower part of the handlebar. The computer protrudes about a centimeter from the folded bike. Because it is mounted by a simple rubber ring it just moves to a safe position if you hit something when carrying the bike.
• Willi Mindak, May 99:
  I returned three different computers, until I happened to stumble across the Sigma. The range of the Sigma's wireless unit is about 90 cm, so you can fit it almost anywhere on the handlebar. You can use any computer from the Sigma range, because they sell the transmitter/ receiver for wireless operating seperately. You can use the normal 'wired' sensor on your second bike.
• David Cox, May 1999:
  I've used wired computers on my Brompton with no particular problems although I am now on my 3rd. Ist was old when fitted but second one only lasted about 2 years.
  On a Bike Friday I have a wireless Sigma which is fine except when I pass the big BBC Transmitter at Wychbold near Bromsgrove in Worcestershire (Archer country for those who follow that radio soap !) The effect was to momentarily halve the indicated speed and then cut out the reading. I did some fiddling with the connections and magnet to no avail then less than a mile later it reverted back to normal.
• Mike Hessey, May 1999:
  Computers in general are discussed on the Bike Friday User Group UK web page and Birdy page, accessible from the Folding Society web pages at http://www.whooper.demon.co.uk/foldsoc
  I found the Sigma the only wireless one which I tried that was satisfactory with small wheelers. Problem is that I have to take it off when boarding local electric trains, as it starts reading vast distances while the bike is on the train.
• Channell Wasson, Jul 1999:
  I use a cordless Cateye with sender mounted on right side near fork crown and receiving/dispay unit mounted on main frame just behind main frame hinge. Seems to work flawlessly. Receiver mounted on handlebar was giving intermittant readings, especially over 18mph.
• Bob Gelman, Jul 1999:
  I've been using a Wireless Heart Rate Monitor on rides for a while now. I note quite a bit of interference from electric wires strung on poles. I've heard lots of stories of electrical interference of various sorts regarding speedometers too. I think this may be the main consideration.
• Marv Gozum, Jul 1999:
  After playing with [a TREK Wireless cycling Computer] for almost 5 hours, I got the same thing interference issues. Its not highly reliable, the cheapo reed switch versions are better, despite wire routing.

Wireless bicycle computer installation

• Norman Tulloch, Aug 1997:
  Don't ask me about the physics of the matter, but in my experience a loaded front pannier makes no difference to a wireless computer.
• Leonard Rubin, Aug 97:
  If the elements used infared transmission to communicate (they don't) then line-of-sight would be crucial; as I infer that they use RF (radio frequency) communications, the only issue would be signal strength, which must be, admittedly, very weak, given the minute size, batteries and price! Ergo, I can offer an educated guess (as I no longer (very temporarily) have a Brompton to experiment with).
  My guess is that it should still work under most imaginable circumstances, as most of the mass of the bag/cargo is in front of the line-of-sight, where the signal would be most reliable. I believe I recall using both bag & computer on a few trips and having it work fine, but I may be inventing again! ;-)
• Channell Wasson, Oct 1997:
  Yes the handlebars are too far away for the wireless speedometers to bick up a signal from the transmitter on the front fork. I have tried several diferent speedos and found this always to be the case. My solution has been to mount the speedometer on the main frame just behind the folding hinge. The unit I like best is the Cat-Eye. I modified the mounting bracket and made two holes to accept a plastic zip tie to attach the speedo mounting clip to the frame. Problem of transmission thus eliminated.

Bottle cage

• Graham Patterson:
  Try the 4 or 5 o'clock position (looking down from the riding position). That's where I have my Blackburn mini-pump.
• Steven M. Scharf, Apr 1998:
  I found that the Ibis Hot Unit bracket mounts nicely on the handlebar and doesn't get in the way of folding (when you remove the bottle).
  The Hot Unit is a 'silver bullet' stainless steel vacuum bottle with a die cut steel bracket that holds the vacuum bottle (or a standard water bottle) into place with a bungee like cord.
  I attached it with 5 cable ties, but as it has holes for a water bottle mounting holes, I'm wondering about the wisdom of drilling and tapping two holes in the post.
  http://www.ibisbicycles.com (though the link wasn't working this morning).
  • Doug Faunt, Apr 1998:
    Unfortunately, Steve's setup would conflict with the front pannier while steering, if you have one mounted.
• Tom Vogt, Apr 1998:
  A company called Twofish Unlimited in Berkeley California manufactures a strap-on cage (http://www.lickbike.com/i3251050.htm) that works very nicely! A soft rubber block and velco straps keep it securely in place (US$8.95). I attached it to the top of the frame tube and it does not impede folding.
• Velovot, Feb 2000:
  I found a Twofish Technology in Alameda, California (39 Ross Road). You can reach them at 510-865-2330. I'm not sure it's the same company.
• Bob Gelman, Feb 2000:
  Both coloradocyclist.com and bikenashbar.com sell them mailorder ($12), which includes a bottle. I've got mine on the front of my steering post on my Birdy, facing forward, where it doesn't interfere with folding and is easy to reach. I have seen them on the top tube (horizontal) on Bromptons and am told they don't leak in that position. They really go just about anywhere (the velcro fastener is very strong). A cheaper solution (at least for the Birdy) is an automotive "hose clamp" on the steering post to hold a conventional cage.
• Jim McLaughlin, Feb 2000:
  Mine is on the handle bar stem closest to me. Folds without removal. I left it on when I converted to recumbent too. I put the adhesive backed sandpaper that Two Fish supplies on the stem under the rubber cage mount and it does reduce movement. But I placed it so that the stud that clips the stem to the fork when folded also prevents the bottle cage from sliding down.
• David Cox, Apr 1998:
  I usually keep a water bottle in the neat little bag that came with the Brompton soft bag. For longer rides in Italy I fitted a bottle carrier behind the saddle (Selle Turbo saddle and carrier from St Johns Street Cycles in Bridgewater Somerset UK) They do a single and double carrier in high quality plastic which fits the rails with allen key fixing. Chris Boardman uses something similar for time trials for aerodynamic reasons ! Doesnt affect casual folding but sticks out.

Horns

• David Cox, Dec 1997:
  I've seen people use aerosol powered airhorns fitted in bottle cages. They are from chandlers shops and used for fog warning in small boats. Behind the saddle would fit.
  I use a bell for pedestrians and a very loud Oi for anything else. If you've got time to press/squeeze something its not a real emergency
• Custfold, Dec 1997:
  A marine fog horn - operated by compressed gas, is similar in volume & note to that used on large trucks (around lower A or B flat). I believe a version with pump up reservoir is available.
  Alternatively get a Xenon light (Vistalite) with a clear lens and touch fire switch for that critical 2 flash burst - Guaranteed to make a motorist slow right down to at least the legal speed limit.
  Further alternative is to use a sounder unit which produces a distinctive 2-tone sequence - which our legal eagles can let us know whether its use on a BIKE is in same classification as its use on a car (which is illegal). A drivers hearing is improved by this even at low volumes, just as their sight is improved drastically by introduction of a bright daglo stripe on your vehicle - especially if you fit a white fairing :-))
• Bob Gelman, Nov 1999:
  Thirty-five years ago, give or take, I used an aerosol boat horn to take a somewhat aggressive stand in the jolly streets of New York City. This was a thing that looked like a shaving cream aerosol can (same size too) with a horn on top (you replaced the canister when it was empty). Quite effective for dogs, trucks, cabbies, etc. It fit in a bottle cage. It was probably louder than the Zounds.
  I frequently found that getting off the bike and putting it between you and the dog was effective (you kind of move the bike around as if you had a cape and were a Matador).
  My most interesting animal confrontation was in the Canadian Rockies, near Jasper, on the fantastic Banff-Jasper run; it was with a bear. I removed a sandwich from my handlebar bag and threw it some distance opposite to where I intended to head. When the bear "attacked" the sandwich I hauled tail pronto!
• Derek. J Baker, Jun 2000:
  I am using a simple cheap (under £5 u.k. pounds) personal attack alarm as a bike alarm on my brompton. the alarm is black and about the size of a cigarette packet with laynyard and pin. since it is intended for it to be worn on the body it comes complete with belt clip. with the brompton in the parking mode that is with the rear wheel tucked under it is quite simple and quick to attach the lanyard to the wheel and the alarm below the saddle. try moving the bike by lefting the saddle and out comes the pin followed by quite an ear shattering alarm. all this for under a fiver. anyone out there thinking of alarming their bike should try this device.

Air Zound 2

• Zach Kaplan, Dec 1997:
  How about an Air Zound 2 pneumatic horn. These are about as loud as a car horn, have a volume control, are lightweight, and the plastic bottle is easily recharged with a bicycle pump.
• Leonard Rubin, Dec 97:
  I've found just the item: Air Zound 2 by Samui Corp. in Canada (tel: 1-416-425-2583). It is ridiculously loud, absurdly light, and very cleverly designed! It can be installed/removed in a few seconds, uses a "pressure vessel" (common soda bottle) that can be quickly and easily recharged with any bike pump capable of 100psi (frequency of recharge depends, of course, on usage). It even has a volume adjustment knob, for when you merely want to politely signal a pedestrian of your approach, (as oposed to causing them a heart attack!)
• Mark West, Dec 1997:
  I remember when I was a lad, about 30 years ago, we had a craze for collecting bike bells, horns etc. I expect it was something to do with our big brothers all having fancy mirror encrusted motor scooters. Anyway, I recall a friend of mine, wealthier than I, bought and fitted a starters' AIR HORN into a bar mounted bottle cage. It was LETHAL, Even better, it was DIRECTIONAL and just about at car window height. I well remember him sounding off at left turning road hogs and making them swerve across the road. Trouble was they were all self righteous "responsible" motorists entitled by divine right to drive over schoolboys in the nearside lane and would usually stop to tell us off for our reckless behaviour (trying to save our own lives was considered reckless in the extreme) Eventually one of our own teachers confiscated it following a complaint from the old biddy next to the school who would regularly drive out into the flow of children without pausing to look.
  Point is it worked. The trouble we got into was because it worked. They couldn't ignore us so they persecuted us so beware of reprisals if you try it.
• Tom Vogt, Dec 1997:
  Ah, now here's a suggestion for a LOUD horn. AirZound 2 is a rechargable air horn. It has a variable volume and, at its loudest, can be heard within any vehicle. I'm not sure how it will be distributed in the U.K. Drop an e-mail to Andrew at BICYCLENUT@AOL.COM. He should be able to direct you to the right place. I've been using an AirZound 2 for a few months and LOVE it!
• Jfreewheel, Dec 1997:
  Try the airzound 2. Its an airhorn system. You pump compressed air in a water bottle sized plastic canister using your pump. Good for about 50 blasts. Will wake up your soul when you here it. Volume is adjustable too. I use one for commuting and you sound bigger than actually is.
  I think we still have a picture under the Closeouts section of the site.

  J Gaerlan - Gaerlan Custom Cycles "framebuilding supplies for the homebuilder" (415)362-3866: (415)677-8943 fax JFreewheel@aol.com http://members.aol.com/Buildhpv/bike.html

• Stein Somers, Aug 2000:
  The air vessel of my AirZound 2 is fixed on top of the main tube, in front of the saddle when folded, so not in the way. The horn is obviously on the handlebars and doesn't project from the folded package, although the air switch does form a local peak. This results in the slight problem of blasting awake other passengers when the air switch touches its environment in unforeseen ways.
  They are definitely loud and keeap pressure like tires do. I'm not too happy with the air switch, it's not optimized to be blown in an emergency situation, but I managed to fit it so that I can fire away while applying the brakes. More precisely, the plastic gizmo that you fix to the handlebars, where the AirZound clicks into, broke, together with the volume control. So I hooked the AirZound directly around the end of the bracing bar and tied it up with a few loop of metal wire. The volume is hard to adjust, so it's always at its hardest. I've only used in a few times; on one occasion the offending motorists didn't seem to notice. Its main use is to make the rider feel confident and to impress the crowd gathered around the folder.
  
• Velovot, Oct 1998:
  Gotta put my nose in on this one....
  YES! THE AIR ZOUND WORKS LIKE THIS TEXT READS--LOUD!!
  The beauty is that by using the control valve one can dial in an almost pleasant toot. But, if you need to be heard this thing can damage ear drums. People think it's a truck. I think I've induced two or three heart attacks in the S.F. Bay Area.
• a2bmagazine, Oct 98:
  They are very good indeed. We fitted one to a Brompton - just - without impeding folding, but I think we'll transfer the whole outfit to a front pannier.
• Bob Gelman, Oct 1998:
  "Freon" Boat horns are louder than AirZounds. They look like a shaving cream can with a horn on top. Fit right in water bottle cage. I used one in manhattan in the 50s. You don't use it very often. Has the added advantage that you can take it out of holder and stick it right in the window of the offending car that has almost killed you. More effective than kicking doors or hoods (bonnets). Still, any of these activities may, these days of road rage, lead to bicyclecide. I personally like to just smile at offenders; totally disarming.
• Clive Page, Oct 1998:
  Picture and details on this useful bicycle web site: http://www.edinburgh-bicycle.co.uk/catalogue/detail.cfm?ID=1329
  (Disclaimer - I have not (yet) used their services.)
• PHolden960, Nov 1999:
  Mounted one a few months ago, and recently made it permeant. The horn itself is on my left-hand-side of the handlebar; the "bottle" is mounted on the frame, on the left side, behind the joint. I've just let the line run free from here to there. It is not a problem with folding; although I do have to be careful carrying, as its possible to knock into the "bottle" with my leg. ( maybe I should jsut swap out that folding pedal, then everything would be OK).

Dog deterrents

• Jim McLaughlin, Nov 1999:
  I usually carry an ultrasonic "Dazer" which will keep most dogs a good distance away if you aim it well. I've seen some dogs jump and turn 180 degrees and others ignore it. My other device is a can of serious pepper spray, not the weak stuff they sell in most bike shops in the US, although the same handle bar mount works. The spray is OK at close distances if the wind is in your favor, but be careful. I prefer the kind with an Ultra Violet dye which shows up under "black light". Dogs usually leave you alone the second time if you get it in their eyes but they are angrier, so who is to say what is best? The ultrasonic "Dazer" is better in wind and cold but rain will wreck it for weeks. If it is cold, keep the spray in a pocket to warm it or it loses pressure.
  Actually the air horn (meant for cars) works somewhat on dogs and usually alerts their Humans, at least in the country. I haven't figured out how to mount a "Zound" brand air horn on Brompton. They have trouble in the cold too unless you keep the pressure down.
  The best results I have had on regular routes is to call the animal control office, and they give me the phone number of the dogs owners after they issue a citation. Then if I still have trouble, I call the owners before I ride by the next time. Actually my female riding buddy called them on the cell phone last time and I haven't seen the dogs loose since. Hate to see a pretty girl get bitten I guess.

Mirrors

• Frank Tompson, Jan 1998:
  I recommend the Zefal bar end mirror. Just bought and fitted one. Easy to fit and folds in on itself when folding the bike. Can be purchased from (larger?) Halfords in UK.
• Stein Somers, Feb 1998:
  Better late than never: I also bought one, mainly - I admit - because it was so cheap. I soon realised it was cheap because it was a right side model, less usefull on the continent. Turned out left side wouldn't have been usefull either because it would scrape the ground on a folded B.
• Daniel Meyerowitz, Nov 1998:
  Having tried several, I found the best mirror for the Brompton to be the Rhode Gear Multi Mirror (made by the ubiquitous Bell Sports). It has two hinge points, so it can fold completely out of the way when the bike is collapsed (it tucks between the two bicycle wheels when the Brompton is folded). It is much more durable than other folding mirrors, and has a larger, oval-shaped viewing area. It's a natural, flat glass mirror and doesn't distort the objects reflected in it. The mirror is vibration resistent, adjustable to almost any viewing angle, and reasonably lightweight. I've had absolutely no trouble with mine after a year of daily riding, touring, taking the Brompton on planes and trains, etc.
  Cycling in the States, where a mirror is placed on the left side of the handlebars, I made one small adjustment to my mirror. The mirror plugs into the left end of the handlebar, and is tightened in place with a bar-end knob. That knob can scrape against the ground when the bike is folded, so it's best just to remove it altogether and replace it with a 5mm nut. The bolt that the nut threads onto can be replaced with a shorter one, or the original can be sawed off to a shorter length. In either case, this is all accomplished in a few minutes.
  Once the mirror is attached, the tightening knob is unneccessary, since the mirror stays on the handlebars all the time. And if for some reason you need to remove the mirror, you simply unscrew the 5 mm nut.
  I think a mirror (360 vision, anticipating approaching vehicles, seeing a dog bounding towards you) is as essential to safe riding as a helmet. In my experience, the Multi Mirror is an elegant, inexpensive, and practical solution for the Brompton.

Quick repairs on the roadside

Repair toolkit

• Lucas Fletcher:
  15mm socket and a set of tire levers
• Ken Twydell:
  I found a puncture repair kit in my local bike shop (bearing the make PMD) that included a flat spanner with rings that fitted both the Sturmey Archer wheel nuts and the smaller front wheel nuts (on early Moultons). It is very light and cut away. A similar kit from Halfords had a spanner with the same sizes but was not so elegantly cut away.
• Stein Somers, Jul 1999:
  Obviously, tools to take out the front- and rear wheel (check the latter, the first nut on the right is harder to reach on 5 speeds). I've often read to bring a spare chain link and tool to replace it, but I've never broken a chain (did need chain grease after excess rain). Something to unscrew the non folding left pedal to fit the folded in a locker, brake cables if you have the bad type that Brompton ships, light bulbs. Once needed pliers to reorient the finger holding the 5 speed's Gearing Roller Assembly after banging it into an obstacle. Should gear control completely seize, someone here claimed a suitable spoke can replace the gear rod so you can bend it to select a more usable gear than highest. I did use on the road is a wrench to tighten cranks on the axis (after fitting them improperly, probably), If you have front bag, a screwdriver and allen key to retighten the front carrier block (more vibration due to the extra luggage you take on a trip).
• Richard Lighton, Jul 1999:
  You need some wrenches to get the wheels off if you do get a flat. Make sure that (a) they fit, and (b) you get enough leverage to move the nuts. The rear wheel nuts are supposed to be torqued moderately high.
  I usually carry two adjustable wrenches (small), a socket wrench with the three sockets for wheels, brake blocks, and brake adjustment, two small screw drivers (cross and flat), a double ended angled screw driver with rather larger heads, inner tube, patch kit, tire levers, and sometimes rear spokes and spoke tool. I also have a mini-chain tool. It was an interesting exercise getting all these things in small sizes that work. The Leatherman Micra (don't know if it's available in Europe) is a wonderful _very_ small pocket tool with things like good (but small) scissors, screw drivers, knife etc. The only reason I don't rely on mine for many of the small tools is that I carry it with me elsewhere, and would have to remember it rather than just leave it in the saddlebag.
  I also carry a fairly simple first aid kit. The small saddlebag (nothing like as large as even the smallest Carradice thing) has room for some snacks, a small camera, and my loose change and keys and such as well as all that junk, a few bungee chords, and some good cord.
  Look around your bike. Ask "is it mildly likely to need to fool with that in the pouring rain miles from anywhere" and have the ability (tried before you go!!) to do the appropriate fooling.
• Joerg Scheiner, Jul 1999:
  I take with me on business trips:
  • Magura Handy 10 Mini, universal tool with screw drivers, hex wrenches and nuts 8, 9, 10 mm
  • Leatherman Tool
  • Park-Tool patches
  • Set of tyre lifters (sp?)
  • Wrench 15/16 mm for removing the back wheel
  • 13 mm for the front (Both tools are of the flat travel size, not for havy duty use in the bike shop but good on the road. Make shure the nuts are not too much tightend, Fasten them with the tool you use on your travel
  • Minipump
  On bike-only travel I take Brake cables and a spare tyre with me.
• DRMLyons, Jul 1999:
  I keep a spare long cable in the top tube permanently. It has a few bends in it but is still useable. I remove and grease it every now and again to stop it getting corroded. It is easy to remove via the apperture at the hinge face.
• Jane Thomas, Jul 1999:
  Cool tool - it's the only one for me - combined chain-breaker, allen keys, cross head screwdriver, 14 & 15mm thin walled sockets, adjustable spanner that will also do as a cone spanner and tyre lever (at a pinch), and theoretically a spoke wrench, but I don't know if it's usable... The only things it doesn't have are a flat blade screwdriver and a pair of pliers, so I guess you just add a leatherman tool to have everything.
• Todd Bettenhausen, Jul 1999:
  Have a look at a Topeak McGuyver tool. It has it all, with two tire levers to boot. I think it can be seen at http://www.topeak.com
• Richard Lighton, Jul 1999:
  Be careful of these multi-tool thingies. The one I made the mistake of buying (can't remember what it was) is almost completely useless on a Brompton because you can't get its various wrench parts to the places where it might be some use, because of the non-standard geomtry of the
  • Jane Thomas, Jul 1999:
    This is why I like the cool tool - 'cos it uses an adjustable spanner, it can get into all those awkward little places. And that thin walled socket is the perfect tool for getting the chain tensioner off.
• Geoff Law, Jul 1999:
  I don't just carry a multitool. I carry a multitool, a chain breaker, two small shifters, a couple of screwdrivers, a few links of chain AND a superlink, a small blackburn pump, a few allen keys, some tape, a rag, a couple of puncture outfits, and after the other night I'm going to start carrying a spare jockey wheel for a rear derailleur. It all goes in a little bag the same length as the pump. I take it every time I go for a ride. You can't have too many tools to fix something. "I'm sorry, I can't fix your bike, I have too many tools" ..no way.
• Nico J. de Boer, Aug 1999:
  In spite of the suggestions on Brompton-Talk, we did not (yet) buy the "Cool-Tool". Our tool/spares-kit consisted of an inner and outer tyre & repair kit, 5 spokes & wrench, brake and gear inner cable, chain tool and a few spare links, "bahco" adjustable wrench, crank tool, allen key, a pair of pliers, and a small flask of oil. (The screwdriver was on the pocket-knife.) Tools we actually used: tyre repair kit (only once!), crank tool (we had new cranks fitted to reduce gears; they had to be tightened after a few days), bahco (to re-fix a pedal to the new crank), and a drop of oil (to lubricate the frame hinge, which squeaks after severe rain).
• Pierre-Philippe Coupard, Jul 2003:
  For simple removal (to change a flat), 15mm open or box wrench. My advice is to never trust the 15mm wrenches you find in those "swiss-army" bicycle multi-tools : they look like a neat idea, but you'll never be able to push hard enough to undo the screw without busting the tool.
  My emergency kit :
  • small adjustable wrench (does up to 22mm. Choose high quality or you'll round the screws)
  • Sigma Sport PT16 multitool (http://www.bikebuster.com/shop/nf_info.cfm/product/Sigma/varenr/370040)
  • 10mm/12mm small box wrench (to adjust the rear brake, the PT16 doesn't go there without ruining the mudguard)
  • Clockwork screwdriver (for the rear Basta light)
  • Small patch kit.
  These guys all go under the saddle in a small pouch originally designed to carry a cellphone on a bike, so it's definitely not bulky. I also have a spare tube wrapped around the hub with a Tubeweenie (http://www.cycoactive.com/bike/tw2.html).

Mini pump

Pre-2000 Bromptons

• Stein Somers:
  Agreed, one needs to pump for a long time (100 movements) to obtain a pitiful pressure. Actually, 3 hPa or 45 psi. And I stop there not because the air leaks out of the pump, but because it becomes too hard to push.
  A fraction of the air escapes while unscrewing the little tube. Actually, during 3/4 of a revolution. 270 degrees, no more, on mine at least.
• Jim McLaughlin, Jun 1999:
  I have had trouble with the valve in the hose sticking and letting all the air out of a tire. Good to check before a trip and replace if needed. Seems to go bad every two or three years. When I couldn't find a replacement hose, I bought a $3 pump at Wal Mart just for the hose. Good bike shops (old bike shops) still carry the hose.
• Channell Wasson, Jun 1999:
  The 6" hose with Brompton pump has a check valve in the female end. As you look into this end a small black cross is seen. This cross holds a small ball bearing in place which is seats in a saddle below the cross. Thus bearing sits on a seat and the function of the system is to prevent air escaping from the tire. Over time this bearing a seat get dirty and thus a leaky seal results. Solution -- dissassemble and clean it. Reassemble then blow in the end to see if ball seal is working. Ingenious little system as used for well over 100 years. In the days of steam power ball check valves were as common as donuts.-----Original Message-----
• Stein Somers, Aug 1997:
  Last time I tried to use the Brompton mini-pump, it would not keep any air in. I studied the 'Psshht...' item in The Folder, pried out the plastic X in the pump connector to inspect the ball bearing. A round ball, a round hole, and air pushing the ball in the hole. If I were a pump, I'd know what to do. Sure I learnt all about the quantumphysics of diodes, but you don't have to. It's straightforward. Just stop the air escaping.
  I stuffed some grease in it but it still leaks disgracefully. I have one of those modern compact two-way pumps now. Works fine.
• Erwin de Vries, Jul 2000:
  I recently found out that the rear triangle of the B. is not the best of places for a pump. When I had to use it I found that it had got so rusty that I actually needed a screwdriver and a hammer to get it out of the mountings.
  I since bought a very good pump which I keep in my bag. No more pumps on the frame for me!
• Tips, tricks & tinkering - Alternative valves

MK3 Brompton's mini-pump

• Mike Hessey, Jul 2000:
  I fitted the new pump on my old T5, and had the chance to try it in anger when I had the puncture. It works very well - smooth action, and no trouble attaining reasonable pressure.

Alternative mini-pumps

• Leonard Rubin:
  There are so many magnificent mini pumps available these days it's a wonder that no one here has mentioned replacing the standard issue pump with a better one!
  There are probably a dozen (at least in the stores here in California) serious entries vying for supremacy. I have seen impressive tiny designs featuring telescoping elements, double-action, dual-barrels, and other promising ideas--all from the top manufacturers.
• Custfold:
  With minor modification to the fixing bracket the Blackburn range of mini pumps will fit in place of the OEM unit. The OEM bracket fits into the slot in the B'Burn handle. Best is the MP-4 double action unit. Embarassing when Pneu-Force rep was demonstrating their unit getting up to 100psi on pressure gauge with a few pumps. One shot of B'Burn hit 150psi in measuring unit.
• John Blackburn, Oct 1997:
  There is no problem making a bracket for a 12-inch or even a 15-inch pump. The latter seems to be the "standard" pump, price UKP 2.99 at Halfords or any reasonable bike shop.
  The 15-inch pump fits more or less parallel with the luggage grid. One end is positioned very close to the rear reflector, and the other is quite close to the existing circular pump fixing device.
  The Version 1.0 Improved Bracket rattled - at least I thought it did, but it turned out to be those silly plastic wheels.
• David Hansen, Aug 1998:
  Pumps attached to the cycle can be stolen and get covered in mud and other debris. This stops it working eventually. A bag is the best place for a pump.
• Peter Amey, Jun 1999:
  I have just bought an SKS pump which rejoices in the name "Mountain Ranger Professional" (part number 1275). It is a conventional but rather fat mini-pump. The only reason for mentioning it is that it is a perfect fit on the standard Brompton pump mountings. Might be a useful upgrade/replacement if anyone is looking for one. Quite cheap too. I got mine from the Avon Valley Cyclery in Bath.
• Doug & Paula Van Cleve, Jul 2000:
  Matt,
  I bet you could mount one of the new Topeak Morph pumps (Road or Mountain model) in the same position as the stock pump using some velcro straps or something. I have the predecessor to these pumps (the Combo Master Blaster) and it is far superior to any other frame type pump I have ever tried. Here is the URL for the pumps: http://www.todson.com/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/store/pumps.htm?L+todson+ppik7699+964839722.
• David Goldfarb, Jul 2000:
  I've been using the tiny Crank Brothers pump that fits into a seat bag, and once you get the hang of it, it's surprisingly good. It works for both schrader and presta valves and has two settings--two cylinder pumping for higher volume, lower pressure, and when that gets too hard single cylinder for lower volume, higher pressure. The key to getting it to work properly, I've found, is to support the pump at the valve end and applying slight pressure while pumping to be sure that it stays seated properly on the valve.

Avoid car pumps

Fixing punctures

• Ken Twydell:
  
  1. Always have a litle bit of air in the inner tube when refitting. This prevents the tube twisting or getting caught. Be prepared to let some of this air out at the final stage of fitting the bead as too much air has the efect of making the tyre seem tighter.
  2. When patching a tube, always let the glue 'dry' completely before putting on the patch. The wetness is due to a solvent that takes no part in the bonding process. Don't blow on the glue as vapour in your breath could affect the glue. Better to spend the waiting time checking the tyre casing for the cause of the puncture as well as any further hidden thorns or flints - or have a cup of tea. It is unlikely that you will leave the glue too long - I never have, even when distracted and returning to the tube twenty minutes or so later.
• Anthony Cartmell:
  You can tell when the puncture repair patch glue has dried by sniffing it (don't over-do it though ;-)) - when the solvent has stopped evaporating the smell goes away.
• Geoff Law, Jul 1999:
  Pieces of inner tube roughed up on one side make really good patches. You can stick them on with puncture glue, (put it on both the patch and the tube) or contact cement (ditto).I have some in my repair kit.
• Pete Lindsay, Oct 2002:
  Put a dab of detergent on a finger and run it along the last section of tyre/rim. I was amazed at the difference the lubrication makes - why couldn't someone have told me this earlier. Thirty years of unnecessary pain and blisters banished at a stroke.
  Common kitchen detergent for dishes etc is a bit thick so either water it or use pre-diluted: I find the various proprietary bike detergent-sprays work fine and they are usually close at hand when I'm dismantling it.
  In extremis I suspect saliva might do, though whether you spit or lick sort of depends on your relationship with your bike...

Changing tyres

• Lucas Fletcher:
  It's so much harder with tiny tires and I tent to ruin them with my plastic tire "irons". Channell recommended baby powder as a lubricant and I think it really helped.
• Andrew Henry:
  [...] tyres like the Primo ones which you can take off by hand [...]
  When the tyre is pumped up, then it is much more difficult for a tyre to come off the rim. When the tyre is deflated, then you may well be able to prize it off with your hands. Some combinations of tyre and rim might be too tight to be able to get this to work ever. Sometimes you can squeeze off a tight tyre by moving the bead into the centre of the rim. The diameter of some rims is smaller in the centre. This means that you can get one of the beads off on its own.
• Ken Twydell:
  I suspect that you are just putting the levers under the tyre bead and stretching it by leverage. On a large wheel there is so much tyre bead to stretch that you can get away with this method, but on a small wheel this won't work and you should re-examine exactly what you are trying to do.....
  Most cycle rims have a 'well' in the center that is deeper than where the tyre bead usually sits (ie of a smaller diameter). If the tyre bead is squeezed into this, then some slack can be obtained.
  The technique is to firstly completely unseat the tyre bead from the rim by squeezing it all the way round. Then squeeze the tyre sides together at two points, one each side of the valve, and push away. Slowly work each hand around the wheel squeezing and pushing as you go until your hands nearly meet up at the opposite side. If you are good at this, you will be able to generate enough slack to remove tyre and tube together in one go (I can on 17 inch Moulton wheels). As a beginer you should still get enough slack to aid the use of the plastic levers. Fitting is much the same process in reverse. Never use tyre levers to refit a tyre. It is not necessary and will often lead to punctures.
  I only realised the significance of using the 'well' the time that a friend asked me to mend a puncture on a wheelbarrow wheel. I just put a plastic tyre lever under the bead, as we all do, and ....broke the lever. It was then that I worked out the correct way of removing a tyre was to detach it all of the way round and use the well.
• Malcolm Lyon:
  I always finish fitting my tyres adjacent to the valve. It is important with small tyres to use the well of the rim and not strain the tyre bead .. or your hands. Just make sure that the valve base is not fully seated on the rim or you can nip the inner tube near the reinforced section near the valve. I pull the valve down into position after the tyre is seated nicely on the rim. I then inflate the tyre hard a couple of times and check very carefully that it is concentric all round the rim ... some tyre makes and rims dont marry up very well and can be real pain to get seating nicely... soapy water or silicone spray helps.
• Ken Twydell:
  At the risk of seeming pedantic I must stress that It is best to start at the valve and finish opposite. Pehaps I should have added that, when the first 6 inches of bead have been fitted you should push the valve in so as to make sure that the bead is not resting on the valve base.
  The reason for this is that......... Oh heck just believe me!
• Jane Thomas, May 1998:
  Having nearly "lost it" several times with Brompton tyres, I have finally seen the light!
  1. Make sure inner tube fully deflated.
  2. Nip the tyre together all the way round to make sure the beads are in the well of the wheel.
  3. Push the valve stem up inside the tyre, and insert your first tyre lever [1] approx. 2 inches to one side of the valve. Do not insert too far, and do not lever yet.
  4. Insert second lever 2 inches the other side of the valve, again, not too far - just under the bead.
  5. Now lever - one first then the other - you should be able to do this fairly easily, so long as the bead is properly down into the well.
  6. Slide one of the levers round the rim - carefully - to release the bead.
  To replace the tyre, start pushing the bead back on opposite the valve, and aim to finish at the valve. I can now do this without levers at all, so long as I go at it carefully, and a little at a time.
  My problem was that I'd always been taught to start and finish opposite the valve, but the bulk of the valve (especially on weeny Brompton wheels) prevents the beads of the tyre going all the way into the well of the wheel, so you don't get as much slack.
• Chris Eacock, Jun 1998:
  re: the best tool for removing tires: Check out the Quick-stik ($6). It looks like a ball-point pen with a little notch. One tool will easily pull the tire off.
  In a perfect world, bare hands should be used to replace the tire.
• David Edge, May 1998:
  Brompton specifically:
  1) Primo tyres are no easier, so that's not the solution. [aren't they? See Tips, tricks & tinkering - How hard is puncture repair?)
  2) Old Records are, so it will get easier.
  Tyres in general:
  3) Most importantly, the best leverage is with your first set of knuckles - the ones which part of the palm of your hand, not the ones in your fingers.
  4) Make sure that the stem of the Schraeder valve is up inside the tyre before you start.
  5) Push the opposite side of the bead into the well in the rim (from the last bit you are pulling in.
  6) Stay calm.
  7) If all this fails there is a tool available (from Phoenix Cycles and Spa Cycles at least in the UK) which is a combination tyre lever and puller-back-onner. Mine is made by a French Co called 'MM', I think
• Dave H, Jun 1998:
  The fit of tyres & rims is a dark science - the heavy sidewalls of the OEM Raleigh Record make for some of this, and equally the bead seating on the rim can affest the pressure which can be achieved (a poor match and more likely to have blow under punctuires, or clincher ring separation) Reports from the field have suggested that the Primo has an advantage in being easier to fit. I use 1 metal tyre lever sometimes and very strong thumbs, or failing that a cone spanner. Seating the opposite bead in the hollow of the rim (just like car tyres are fitted) gives a bit more play and a couple of puffs in the tube will keep it tucked into the tyre. they are advertised here as 'VAR'.
• Martin Whitfield, Jul 98:
  My experience is that individual tyres can be particularly difficult and all are not as easy as big wheel tyres (some of which can be awkward too of course).
• Nico J. de Boer, Sep 1999:
  I only remove the wheel when I need a new tyre (inner or outer, front or rear). When you try next time, start by taking the outer tyre out of the rim on one side only, full circle. This is hard with the Raleighs, but can be made easier when you push the steel cable from the side into the middle of the rim, opposite to where you want to lift it out. Then wriggle the air valve through its hole and into the open, followed by the rest of the inner tyre. This is easier when you have your brake adjustment nut in the middle of its range, and only hand tight (assuming you're on the road somewhere, without all your tools), because you will have to loosen it a bit. Then find the leak, repair it, wait a bit, and inflate the tyre minimally, until it is just round. Start with the valve, and then push the inner tyre under the outer one symmetrically, ie. working from the valve to both sides around the rim. When all is in place except for the outer tyre steel cable, let out the air, start moving the cable into the rim at the valve, and again working symmetrically all around the rim. For the last bit, you'll have to push the steel cable into the middle again, to have anough room. _Never_ use tyre lifters for this last bit, cause you'll end up in an infinite loop. (Forgot to mention that after gluing, you should remove the cause of the leak it it's still there, obviously). I've never removed a wheel for only a puncture.
• Peter Amey, Sep 1999:
  If mending a front puncture I half fold the bike and then lift the front wheel up until the bike's saddle is on the ground; this supports the front wheel at a nice working height and is much preferable to grovelling about at ground level.

Beautifying a Brompton

Mudguards

• Mark West, Jun 2000:
  No but I can supply a 'carbon fibre style' self adhesive film which can be applied to the existing mudguards. The film is about 50 microns thick so it adds very little weight to the bike. you would need about half a metre at most with lots left for other things or repairs I estimate cost at about £5.00 sterling per metre plus carriage which I would need to find out.

  Mark West

  4D Signs

  The Old Dairy, Wonston,

  Hazelbury Bryan,

  Sturminster Newton,

  Dorset DT10 2EE

  Tel:	+44 (0) 1258 817878
  Fax:	+44 (0) 1258 817879
  e-mail:	markwest@4dsigns.freeserve.co.uk
  	markwest@4dsigns.freeuk.co.uk

Damaged Brompton sticker

• Rob Cope, Aug 1998:
  I've known of Dutch owners get new frame stickers from their dealer, for a small charge.
• Custfold@aol.com, Sep 1998:
  I have an arrangement with Andrew - my bike has no indication that Brompton have made it - just in case it snaps in an embarrassing place - I wonder if, like Rolls Royces, broken down Bromptons are spirited away for repair. Black stickers on red bikes red stickers on black bikes, and white on Dutch ones AFAIK. By leaving the stickers off you should save 0.5gm on the weight of the bike.

Paint job

• Channell Wasson:
  you might stop by a nail salon and get some matching red polish. A hardware store would have a small can of black glossy paint for the rest of the Brompton. Also buy a small artist's brush at the same store and slovent to clean the brush.
• Ian Charles, Oct 1999:
  For the paintwork I use car 'touch up' paint, the type that comes with a brush in the tube and would normally be used (on a car) for stone chips etc. Seems to work fine although admittedly my bike is not as new as yours and if it were, I might take more trouble to get a perfect match.
• Bob Gelman, Oct 1999:
  On the subject of touch-up paint, nail polish comes in lots of shades, is cheap and readily available, and works well.
• David Edge, Oct 1999:
  Nicola at the factory tells me that only Holts CT100 gloss black (a motor-car touch-up paint) really matches the powder coat well. Goodness only knows if that is available on your side of the pond - I haven't found it in the UK yet.

National colours

• Roland Elsenberg, Aug 1998:
  I bought my first one in the Netherlands [...] in 94. Then there were red/black (front red, main black) and all-black Bromptons standard. One yellow/black was availiable at extra cost.
  Standard colours in Germany are currently all-black and all-red. Yellow and white are optional. As Brompton was ADFC-Bicycle of the year in 97, a special edition in green was availiable.
• Most popular in Belgium is blue+black

Frame numbers

Warning! There's no way back after this!

Anything you do to your Brompton is likely to void warranty on the entire bicycle, even if there is no causal relationship between your modification and the failure your Brompton suffers lateron.

Caution: think before you tinker

• Daniel Wood, Jun 1998:
  After seeing the recent posts detailing various Brompton parts failures -- particularly handlebar failures -- I'm wondering if perhaps they're the result of modifications to the original design.
  I know from a number of reports to the list that poor braking is a complaint among enthusiasts. I wonder if enhancements meant to improve braking -- better pads, upgraded calipers, new cables/housing for better efficiency -- result in greater loading of critical parts such as the handlebars, increasing stress loads to those parts through higher forces under improved braking. If those additional stresses are beyond the design limits, that could explain a number of the failures.
  As an interesting exercise, among those of you who have experienced handlebar failures, are you using upgraded brakes? That would mean changes in original equipment pads, cables, housings, and so forth. The result would hardly be statistically significant, but I'd be happy to keep a tally if you e-mail me at this address. Some evidence of a correlation would be interesting.
  As a former professional automobile mechanic, I know the vast majority of small economy cars comprise a reasonably balanced if modest performance package overall. However, if an enthusiast upgrades, say, the engine's performance, the brakes can be found wanting, as can the suspension. The previously well-balanced package needs enhancements across the board to bring the performance to a higher yet still well-balanced level, else the enhancement will shine at the expense of other parts.
  Could this be the case with the Brompton, if we accept the premise that it was designed to provide reasonable performance and longevity at a mass-market level? If so, this might explain the success of a system-wide approach to enhancing performance, as in the case of Mr. Rubin's Super Brompton project, where all the pieces are carefully engineered to work together. Or is it a matter of cumulative stress fatigue come home to roost? Of poor design of subassemblies, perhaps contracted for through various suppliers? Variations in production standards or quality of supplied parts? What? Interesting to speculate from a failure analysis perspective.
• Rob Cope, Sep 1998:
  Brakes: is it really safe to go on putting more and more braking power onto mountings designed for the Sachs (then Saccon) brakes fitted as standard? The suggested dual-pivot brakes seem to fit quite neatly at the front and do provide more response (though not much more than my Sachs/Koolstop set-up). At the back, they rock alarmingly: maybe as that brakebolt has to perform so many functions and is only braced onto a relatively smallbore tube? As for Scott-Matt blocks, I thought the material was effectively identical to the cheaper Koolstop. I find my set-up acceptable: one broken front calliper has been replaced from my dealer's junk box (Sachs were widely used so still seem common) but I suppose I may face problems if the back unit goes. I have found surprising variation from supposedly similar blocks: long ones do seem more effective, though in theory it shouldn't make a difference. Simple things like clean, lubricated cables & effective levers (with nonslip covers!) can help a lot, as can cleaning the blocks sometimes.

Channell's bike

For the moment my frame builder, who made this part for me has dissappeared and I must find a new source for v brake forks. My Brompton has served well in daily vigorous use by a heavy rider (215 lbs). I often pull a loaded trailer, Sometimes including my Lab pup Brommie! She rides in the Bykaboose perfectly contented. Over the years I have worn through one rim, cracked a front frame member, (it's made stronger now) and had a crack failure in chain stay member of rear triangle. This was "mig: welded immediately at my favorite muffler shop which was only a block away when this problem occured in San Francisco. Brompton replaced the part with the new triangle which was made stronger as of three years ago. Mine was made before the upgrade. Yes there are improvements going on behind the scenes. My feeling is that these problems could occur with any bike you might own.

Other changes have also been effected by me, but any changes we have made have not been approved or authorized by Brompton Bicycle Ltd.. Anyone that buys custom made changes from C.M. Wasson Co does so at their own risk and peril. The availability and high cost of liability insurance surely limits inovation and forces adhereance to tried, true and approved systems.

Maintenance at home

• Tyre pressure
• Replacing the brake cable (old models)
• Do the 'toe in'
• Adjusting Sturmey Archer hub gears
• Building a (small) wheel
• Front bag jumping off: front carrier block maintenance
• When to replace the chain?
• Chain lubrificants

Removing a wheel

1. Undo the gear cable at the adjuster - if you do this by slackening the knurled lock nut by the very tiniest amount then you shouldn't lose track of the gear adjustment when you put it back together.
2. Pull off the black plastic bit with the pulley.
3. Undo the first wheelnut you find; this will allow you to remove the piece of bent metal which holds the thing referred to in (2) and also the chain tensioner.
4. Undo the wheelnut now exposed and the one on the other side - the wheel can now be removed. It is not necessary to unscrew or remove the bit of chain dangling from the hub as long as you are careful not to catch it on anything while mending the puncture.

1. That the support washers either side of wheel slide all the way into the fork slots and are flat against them.
2. The bit of bent metal that holds the plastic pulley thingy has its tab aligned with the direction the gear cable must go.

Rear wheel removal

• Willi Mindak, Mar 99:
  Rear wheel removal? In under one minute on my T5. It's a case of *not* reading the manual, because it will only frigthen you. Disconnect the gear selection cable, remove the wheelnuts and you're there. It's dead simple. The re- fitting of the wheel is a bit more involved due to gear selection cable adjustment. Here you should read the fine manual. A lot was made recently out of the necessity to adjust hub gears once in a blue moon. I have a puncture at least once a month, and the adjustment takes care of itself when re-fitting the wheel.
• Richard Lighton, Mar 1999:
  My first (only one so far) puncture was detected 300 yards from home, so I wheeled the Brompton back and went to work by car that day. I'm very glad it wasn't a couple of miles from home, as it took me rather a long time to sort out everything. MAKE SURE THAT LITTLE WASHER DOESN'T GET DISPLACED from the slot that holds the rear wheel.
  When I put Primos on the bike, everything went MUCH faster.
  In short, the practice would be a worth-while investment. There's a piece in the FAQ about how to do it that lives in my wallet, but I don't think I would need it.
• Stein Somers, Mar 1999:
  I too was (made) nervous about removing the wheel but is was easy. I did it on the roadside too. All rings and parts have an obvious function, at least for the mechanically inclined.
  Only problem was fitting a wrench on the first nut on the right side, the one covered by the 5-speed's gear roller assembly (GRA in the manual, IIRC). The "finger" that orients the GRA sits in the way of some ordinary wrenches (English wrenches, we call them over here).

Removing the rear triangle

• Custfold:
  An experiment with the OEM chainring is to drill a 3/16" hole through a spider arm - not opposite the crank (one of the other 4) [otherwise, the left crank would cover the left bolt], so that an allen key can get to the rear pivot bolt to tighten it should this work loose (it does for heavy users)
• Channell Wasson, Apr 1999:
  A procedure to remove rear triangle. (If you are lucky this will work)
  1. Obtain a high quality 4mm allen wrench mounted in a socket.
  2. Use long handled socket wrench or breaker bar with the allen 4mm socket.
  3. Heat the area around the allen head bolt with an electric hair dryer.(As hot as you can get with dryer)
  4. When bolt area is hot, insert the socket and apply pressure with pulsing action. While torque is applied tap the end of socket with a sharp tap from hammer. The idea is to free the bolt from the thread locking compound used in factory assembly.
  5. If you get one bolt out then try the other side. The first bolt must be reinstalled and tightened before starting on the second bolt to prevent the bearing from turning while tourqing the 2nd bolt. Good luck!
  Note: If this procedure fails then the bolt must be drilled out to remove the bolt head.

Bike repair stand for Bromptons

• Channell Wasson, Jan 2000:
  Park Tool makes an excellent unit for consumers. Their products are quality.
• Len Rubin, Dec 1999:
  The best all around stand for home use is made by Ultimate (no relation) and now distributed by Trek under the Wrench Force (a Snap-On Tools division that caters to the bike industry) name. It is versatile, sturdy, adjustable, light, attractive and --best of all-- folds very compactly into a nylon storage bag! It's quite distinctive with its all black, oversize aluminum tube construction.
  Although I used Park's professional shop stands for years in my bike shops, I think the aforementioned stand is much nicer than the consumer stands that Park makes.
• Robert Payne, Jan 2000:
  I bought the Wrench Force stand and am very happy with it. I've already used it many times. It makes maintenance very easy (and comfortable).
  The folding feature is nice too if you have limited space as I do.
  More information can be found at: http://www.wrenchforce.com/
• Velovot, Jan 2000:
  Park sells each level of its clamp (I think there are three basic grades) as a separate unit that can be mounted to a wall or work bench. I use Park's "Race Day" collapsible work stand. It's light weight and easily stored. However, it's not all that rigid and it definately is a compromise from the heavy-as-a-ship stationary workstands for which Park is so well known. I'd give it a qualified thumbs up is space and mobility are important attributes for you.

How to apply the right torque?

• Jane Thomas, Jul 1998:
  Sykes-Pickavant do a beautiful little red tin box with a selection of allen bits and a 1/2 inch drive adapter, which then fit onto a standard torque wrench. Be careful when purchasing the torque wrench to get one with an appropriate range for bicycles. Available from Halfords.
• David Henshaw - A to B Magazine, Jul 98:
  Just to bung a spanner in the works (ho, ho, ho), US-side folk might prefer to use a 31/31" AF socket, which works perfectly well on the pedal. Or have you been metricated now too?

Adjusting the stearing bearing

• Andrew Mackay:
  My problem is that I developed a loose steering bearing with a slight wobble of the steering when I braked. { you can feel the handlebars move a little forward and the wheel backwards a little} So I bought a 36 mm flat spanner that fits the two nuts. I loosened the top one as you look down and then tightened the lower one c. an1/8th of a turn and retightened the upper one which I presume is a locking nut (?). Try as I might I have found that either I have the wobble when I brake or the steering is too stiff to cycle with hands off the handlebars.
• Steven D. Hanel:
  The secret to proper bearing adjustments (missed by MANY bike shop mechanics) is to sneak up on the proper ajustment. Yes it is very possible and easy to overtighten and ruin your headset. Start with the wrench on the lower wrench surface, known as the screw race or upper cup, while holding it tighten the upper lock nut. Squeeze the brakes and try to rock the bike forward and back. If it is loose you will feel the loosness. You want to start with the adjustment with the 'too loose' feeling. If it does not rock you will need to loosen it. Tighten the lock nut as-if you are done, don't try to adjust the lower screw race to what you think is right then tighten the lock nut, I guarantee it will be too tight. I have found that moving the wrench in as little as 1/8 inch increments (not 1/8 of the turn), tightening the lock nut and testing you will be able to get it JUST RIGHT. When you are making adjustments keep the screw race or upper cup from moving much and even thogh you are making lots of adjustments you can use its position as a reference point. This takes a few minutes because you will be making multiple adjustments but it is your headset and you might as well do it right. The LBS mechanics usually just try to get it to spin freely. I have loosened this type of adjustment as much as 1 full turn to get it correct. Headsets get replaced frequently due to there use and design.

Disassembly of the steering column

I've taken out the allen bolt to remove the stem - now what? It's as solid

• David Henshaw - A to B magazine, Oct 98:
  The Brompton is just like a conventional bike. Whack the loosened bolt and the wedge (should) drop down allowing removal of the stem. The only thing to watch is on reassembly. Firstly, the stem should not be pushed right down against the headset - there should be about one millimeter of clearance to allow the headset locknut to be adjusted. It's also more difficult to get the bars straight than on a cumbersome - remember, they have to line up properly when folded as well. Do this by partially tightening the allen bolt and testing the bars in the folded and unfolded positions before fully tightening the bolt to 20NM. Or quite tight plus a bit more, if that means nothing. If in doubt refer to your Brompton manual. If you haven't got one, order it from Brompton. Remember they're now on: +44 (0)181 232 8484.
• Tom Vogt, Oct 1998:
  I JUST did this myself last night. I had the exact same experience. I loosened the stem bolt and tapped it rather heartily with a metal bar--no result. I then called Mr. Bike Guru (a.k.a. Len Rubin) and he informed me that a healthy whack with a proper hammer was indeed required. After apologizing to my Brompton, I swung away and "chunk" the cone let go.
• David Cox, Apr 2000:
  It is the same as any other stem. But you have to wack the bolt quite hard and you need to do it with a straight drift or punch very directly. It is more difficult than on most conventional stems. I know this because when I bought mine the headset was loose because of a missing washer (very unusual they are usually well prepared), Roger Page the shopowner phoned Brompton directly (open on a Saturday afternoon because of a factory move) to check that he was doing the right thing. Using a straight allen key as a punch solved the problem.

{Susan Mathis, Apr 1999} I'm in the process of installing Channell's new front fork with the V-Brake and I'm having a heck of a time tapping out what I assume is the "expansion bolt" that keeps the steering column attached to the bike. I've loosed the 6 mm bolt in the unfolded steering column. It doesn't clear the frame so the bolt can't be hit directly. I cut a block of wood to fit and really gave it a good hit or two (or 10!) and the bolt hasn't budged.

• Len Rubin, Apr 1999:
  Wood is far too soft to transmit enough force to loosen a truly "frozen" stem bolt! The next step is to use lots of penetrating solvent (even WD-40 often works well), then let it sit for a while, and finally use a long, narrow steel punch (or an old, long stem bolt obtained from a bike junk pile), a punch holder (an arcane tool found in professional punch kits) and a heavy steel hammer. It can be a real bear of a job sometimes! Any decent local bike shop should have plenty of experience in this department. Once the wedge has moved a little bit, you can often use a side-to-side twisting motion to work the stem & handlebar assembly loose, or in the worst cases, a soft mallet or wood block to "encourage" the stem upwards, out of the steer tube. If all the above fails, you will need to visit a framebuilder or other craftsman skilled in the delicate application of heat from a small torch.
  Make sure to employ all safety measures, regardless of your level of experience. Solvents should only be used in a very well-ventilated area, and safety goggles must always be worn when using punches. Most important-- failure to use a punch holder when generating enough force (via hammer blows) to move a seized metal item often results in serious injury!
  Also, while the bike should be supported/secured during the operation, it is possible to inadvertently disfigure or bend/crush a frame tube through the direct or indirect transmission of force, if you aren't careful and vigilant about how and where you clamp or support the frame while delivering these punishing hammer blows to that wedge.
• Alasdair Baxter, Apr 1999:
  While I agree that wood may be too soft unless it is a very hard wood, I'd use a 6 inch length of copper rod of, say, 3/4 inch diameter as a punch.
• Susan Mathis, Apr 1999:
  Update on my problem removing expander bolt to remove front fork. I took the bike to a little hole in the wall bike shop and the very nice man there substituted the Bromton long bolt with and even longer bolt from and old bike (the treads are the same!). Two wacks with the hammer and the wedge popped right out. I had applied a generous dose of WD-40 overnight which I would guess helped this process. So Len, your advice to use and long stem bolt was excellent.

Headset lubrification (or not)

• Tom Vogt, Oct 1998:
  After cracking the headset, I was amazed to find it well-greased and little worn. I've abused by Brompton over many a mile in the last three years including driving Irish rain storms, blowing California dessert sands, and French cobblestone streets (with a fully loaded front pannier). Also, the head tube seems perfect (there's been a few posts to this group in the past that suggest the Bromptons head tube is weak). I got out my blindingly-bright halogen work lamp and shown its light on the head tube--absolutely no sign of fatigue.
• David Edge, Oct 1998:
  The headset is built like the proverbial brick-built latrine block and was therefore in perfect condition - unlike some rather fancier ones I have used. Somebody was unkind here the other day about the quality of Brompton components. I'd be happy if the bike weighed 35lb if they were all as robust and economical as this. Despite three years of portly abuse it was in perfect nick. It won't be coming apart again.

Spare parts you may need one day

• Graham A. Patterson:
  It's worth obtaining a couple of spares of [ support washers either side of rear wheel ] - they can break from time to time.

The Brompton spare packs

Spotlight on tyres

Preventing punctures

Is it worse on a Brompton?

• Chris Newport, Jul 1998:
  I'm still deeply in love with my L5 after 2 months of living together, but my view of the Raleigh Records with which it is shod [before March 2000] grows dimmer by the day.
  These wretched artefacts are averaging only 100 miles between punctures - I've had 3 so far. Is this typical or have I been particularly unfortunate? With my road bike, on which I do around 120 miles per week, I only expect one puncture every 3 months or so.
  It would be more bearable if it weren't so physically difficult to work with these tyres. The strength needed in your thumbs to get them back on the rims is more than most people possess.
  It might be entertaining for future folding bike rallies to supplement the standard 'fastest folding time' competition with a 'fastest time to fix a punctured Raleigh Record on the back wheel' competition.
  Is it reasonable to expect punctures at the same frequency as on a larger tyre?

Cause analysis

• Andrew Henry, Jul 2000:
  Rear tyres get a lot more punctures than front ones. To explain why, it helps to outline the different ways that you can get a puncture:
  1. The inner tube gets pinched. This happens if there is a heavy load on the wheel (rear wheels typically carry 60-65% of the weight on a bicycle) and if the tyre isn't pumped up hard enough.
     I found that I got punctures a lot less often once I bought a decent track pump, that has an accurate guage and can pump a tyre easily up to 100psi (7 atmospheres). When you have a nice pump, its quick and easy to pump up your tyres, so you do it more often, and with a good quality guage, you can tell when you have a slow puncture. This means that you can fix problems in the warm and dry and not by the roadside.
     The other time when inner tubes get pinched is if you snag them under the bead of the tyre when you repair a flat. The symptom for this is if you get a puncture a few miles after fixing another. For me, the solution to this problem was to watch whilst a mechanic fixed a puncture. Reading any number of descriptions in magazines and books didn't work for me.
  2. The tyre gets punctured by a thorn, nail, piece of glass etc. These happen more often in the wet as the rubber of the tyre cuts more easily. They also happen more often on the rear tyre. If you ride over a nail or thorn in the road, then it will probably be lying on its side. This isn't a problem for the front tyre, but every so often, the thorn gets plinged up as the front tyre passes over it, so that when the rear tyre comes along, the thorn is pointing straight up. Its worth scanning the road ahead carefully to try and avoid riding over debris.
     Tyres with a thick outer layer help for some punctures, if they stop a thorn from penetrating the casing. However a thinner and more supple tyre might have been able to survive the same thorn by flexing out of the way. The thinner tyre will also be lighter and roll much more smoothly.
  3. A patch comes loose on the inner tube. Its best to carry a spare inner tube with you and repair the punctured one when you get home. This gives the rubber solution longer to cure. It also means that you have a spare in case the inner tube is beyond repair (eg a puncture near the valve), and it means you don't have to mess about with instant patches.
  4. The tyre overheats when you brake heavily going down a hill. Sometimes its safer to ride down a hill quickly, so you lose more energy to air resistance than riding down slowly using the brakes. If you do this, the rim and tyre get hot and this can increase the chance of a puncture.
  I used to get a lot more punctures than I do now. Keeping tyres properly inflated, repairing them correctly, avoiding road debris and buying decent quality tyres is what I have done to help this.

Airless tyres (Greentyre): a scientific analysis

• Andrew Henry, Jul 2000:
  I found to my cost that , solid tyres are a good way of exchanging problems with punctures, with problems with buckled wheels. They also have a lot of rolling resistance, poor grip and poor ride. They are _extremely_ difficult to fit. Its easier and cheaper to learn how to use pneumatic tyres without getting punctures.
• John Blackburn, Nov 1998:
  The topic of puncture-resistant tyres has arisen again. Punctures can ruin the pleasure of cycling. Punctures jeopardise punctuality. Here is some new information.
  1. "Greentyre" is a well-known brand of polyurethane-foam tyre, but another company that makes similar tyres was the subject of an article in a recent issue of "Eureka", a UK magazine that specialises in engineering innovations and inventions. The company is Urathon Limited and is based in Wiltshire, UK. It recently became a subsidiary of American Tire Corporation of Akron, Ohio, USA. Urathon make tyres for wheelchairs, lawnmowers, golf buggies etc. They also make bicycle tyres but are aware of the drawbacks, which lead to higher rolling resistance.

     The article explains that, in a "freewheeling" test, cycles with polyurethane tyres come to a halt at about 60% of the distance reached with normal inflatable tyres. The reason is that hysteresis losses absorb energy. As a tyre rolls, the rubber (or plastic) in contact with the road is compressed. Energy is used when the rubber is compressed, and this energy comes from the cyclist's pedal-power. As the wheel rolls on, the rubber uncompresses, but only a part of the energy is recovered; most of the energy is lost as heat. A polyurethane foam tyre is worse than an air-filles rubber tyre in this respect. At the moment, the grade of polyurethane is a compromise; a grade is used which is satisfactory both for the surface of the tyre and the foam interior.

     To improve matters, Urathon are developing a two-shot moulding system. The surface is moulded from a thin hard-wearing grade of plastic, then filled with a foam than can contain more air than the grade previously used. Urathon claim that "freewheel" tests show that the improved tyre gives a figure of more than 90% (compared with the previous 60%), and further improvements may be possible.

     So, what is the ideal material to fill bicycle tyres with? We need something that is light (polyurethane tyres are currently slightly heavier than normal tyres), and easily balanced (current moulding techniques have difficulty in getting an even density of foam at all parts of the tyre, giving wheel-balancing problems). And it should be cheap.

     A very good substance is AIR. It is light, cheap, and naturally distributes itself evenly throughout the tyre. Best of all, it has very small hysteresis losses; when energy is used to deform an air-filled tyre, almost all of this energy is returned when the deformation is removed. Pumping the tyres to a very high pressure gives a limited improvement - the rubber is still there, it will still be compressed, and the losses will still occur.

     For best performance, you need a tyre that is mainly air and very little rubber, which is why very thin tyres are so effective in minimising the power required to propel a bicycle. When you hit a bump, the energy lost in the rubber is small if there isn't much rubber; the thickness and weight of rubber is more important than the tread pattern.

     This also applies to suspension systems. Imagine you are riding a bicycle at speed "v", and the total weight of cycle plus rider is "m". The kinetic energy stored in the moving bicycle is 0.5*m*v²

     Suppose you hit a bump so large that the bicycle bounces into the air, and moves upwards with speed "u". The upward energy is therefore 05*m*u². Where did the energy to throw the cycle in the air come from? >From the "forward" energy, which is now less than before; it is (0.5*m*v²)-(0.5*m*u²). The forward speed of the cycle had been reduced. Gravity dictates that the cycle will come down again, and hit the ground. Is the energy returned? Unfortunately it is not - much of it was lost on heating the tyre and (in the case of a sprung frame) compressing the high-hysteresis suspension medium. The cycle is now travelling more slowly than before the bump.

     So energy is lost on the way up and on the way down. It is necessary to have "damping" in a suspension system, with unavoidable energy loss, or the machine would bounce violently on contact with the ground.

     An ideal arrangement would be to use lossless air suspension, and absorb the energy in a storage device such as a large spring, whose energy could later be released to help you to climb hills or get away more quickly at traffic lights. But the weight of such a device would probably negate the improvements. In suspension systems, as with tyres, energy loss is minimised by improving the "air-to-rubber ratio". If a tennis ball were used as the suspension medium, it would lose less energy (because it is mainly air) than a solid block of polyurethane.

  2. There may be other approaches to the puncture-proof tyre. It occurred to me that a long steel coil spring could be used instead of an inner tube. The steel would have the highly elastic properties that go with low energy loss, it would be filled with air and the outer rubber tyre would give good road adhesion and silent running. The problem would be fitting and removal, and assuring that the tyre could not come off in use.
     Something like this has probably been tried. And abandoned. In 100 years of cycling, everything has been tried. But that's no reason to give up - this is 1998, new materials exist, better design methods, computers - it's time to try again.
     Such a "throw-away" puncture-proof wheel would suit the military. If it worked, everyone would want it, and after a few years the world would be piled high with useless worn-out tyres.
  3. The amount of energy needed to propel a bicycle seems to be about 100 watts. This is made up of:
     • Rolling resistance
     • Air resistance
     • Transmission losses
     A useful example: The Raleigh Electric Bicycle has a battery-pack containing 20 4 Ampere-Hour NiCad rechargeable cells (approx. D-size cells). Since one cell is 1.2 volts, the total voltage is 24 volts. The energy capacity (volts*ampere-hours) is therefore 24*4 = 96 Watt-hours. So it is about 100 watt-hours, which means that it will deliver a power of 100 watts for one hour. Raleigh claim that the cycle can be ridden for 15 miles at 15 miles per hour, so you can ride it for an hour. So the power needed is 100 watts. This is of course an approximate figure.

     As a comparison, the "Gossamer Condor" man-powered aeroplane that was pedalled 22 miles across the English Channel weighed a total of 104 kg and required 200 watts to maintain level flight. The pilot - a Californian racing cyclist - maintained this power for several hours.

     The problem for cyclists is hills, which require extra energy. It is very easy to calculate how much more: If a bicycle and rider of mass "m" is lifted upwards at a vertical speed "u", the power needed is m*g*u watts (where g=9.81 as always).

     Suppose you and your bike weigh 100 kg, and are riding along at 5 metres/sec (about 11 mph) and you come to a gradient of 1:20 (upwards). If you maintain your forward speed, then your upward speed "u" will be 5/20 = 0.25 metres/sec. The power is therefore 100*9.81*0.25 = 245 watts. This is in addition to the power needed to overcome rolling resistance etc.

     This is a lot of power. You can see that it is a pity, when descending a hill, to waste this power in the heating of brake-blocks. How much better to charge up a battery, or wind a spring.

     Recent postings have shown that transmission losses are very small compared with othe