Brompton or similar folding bikes?

PaulC70

PaulC70

Joined
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Bedford, UK
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Bailey Autograph792F
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Since June 2021
So, I have no intention of putting a bike rack on the motorhome, none.
BUT......
I think I want a bicycle... but only for me, not the Mrs. Why? mainly because of her mobility, partially because she crashes every time she gets on one!
On our trip though last weekend we were about a mile and a half from somewhere I could have easily cycled to get some top up beer and snacks but of course... no bike!
Wondering if anyone else uses a folder like a brompton thats easy to pop inside the motorhome rather than paying a small fortune for a carrier THEN the same for a bike?
 
Brompton bikes are expensive but are excellent quality. If we take mine away we put it in a plastic carrier from Ikea, zip it up and put it in the MH. Feel it is rather too expensive to leave mounted on a bicycle rack in anyway. You can also get electric Brompton bikes now.
 
landscaper said:
Brompton bikes are expensive but are excellent quality. If we take mine away we put it in a plastic carrier from Ikea, zip it up and put it in the MH. Feel it is rather too expensive to leave mounted on a bicycle rack in anyway. You can also get electric Brompton bikes now.
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Indeed, I'd not be putting bikes on a rack, just one more thing to worry over and one more thing could attract the thieves. I did notice they do electric but I'd be looking at second hand, likely sub £700
 
I love my Brompton. My wife thinks her electric Brommie is fantastic. They are brilliant bikes. We spent 6 months going around Europe with the pair of Bromptons under the bed in our (previous) 5.4m van.

But they are quite flighty. I'm quite happy to throw myself down a red run at Bike Park Wales on my mountain bike. I cannot ride a Brompton no-handed. It's not that they are hard to ride, just you do need to hold on and they are very manoeuvrable. That can be a little unnerving when you first ride them.
 
I've got a little dahon that folds small enough to fit inside the boot of our IH, alongside the chairs, table, levelling ramps, wash line spinning thing, oh you get the idea 👍
 
+1 for Brompton, we both have one, one 3 speed and one 6 speed, I know they’re expensive but worth the money and made in Britain (y). We also keep them inside the MH using cheap DIMPA bags from IKEA. Not found them to be unstable at all, need to take a bit of care on gravel but that’s it.
 
I have an older version of the Compass ally bike. Cheap, cheerful and it has lasted about 15 years so far!
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i have a Brompton, my wife has the electric version. I have posted a review on here in a normal thread. As has been stated, they feel unstable due to the small thin wheels but are perfectly formed!
one issue my wife has is that it is very difficult for an anxious rider to change power settings as they are on the battery which is low down at the front.
 
We’ve both got brommies. I’ve upgraded to a leccy a cpl Xmas ago, my pressie! I love the electric one, I zot off leaving hubby behind! He used to leave me when I had the non electric. I have just recently sold my non electric through classifieds on here. The fold is ingenious, nice and compact, nothing sticking out. Hubby originally bought a raleigh folder, he wasn’t willing to pay brompton prices, he used to tie it with bungees etc to try and get it into something that resembled a folding bike, bits stuck out all over the place. I think it took him a cpl years to buy himself one. We have changed the razor saddle for a brookes saddle which is much more comfy. Many times we’ve demonstrated the fold to passers by.
 
Another Brompton fan, we have 2 which we bought on eBay as we weren’t sure if we would take to them and knew if we didn’t we could sell them again easily.

Not the least unstable once you’re used to them. Some bike shops like Evans will let you have a Brompton on trial for a day.

Put Swytch ebike kits on them which are fantastic.

Fold up neatly into bags and stored inside.
 
The Brompton is genius. When folded, it keeps all the oily bits in the middle of the bike and away from your trousers or whatever you are transporting it with. It remains free standing and wheelable when folded. I use it as a shopping trolley with a bag on the front mount to get several days of shopping in it. Unlike a lot of folders, the joints are sturdy enough that it doesn't feel like a floppy mess and you get good speed from a little effort. Folding and unfolding is pretty fast too when you practice. They are pretty robust, mine was heavily abused for 2 years that I took it from Birmingham to Liverpool on the train every day and cycled about 10 miles each day, including in the snow and rain, got coated in road salt and only washed every couple of weeks. They are so much better than the sum of their parts.

Downsides are that even through they are small, they aren't particularly light. I wish the brakes were a bit better. And they aren't cheap.
 
Conal said:
i have a Brompton, my wife has the electric version. I have posted a review on here in a normal thread. As has been stated, they feel unstable due to the small thin wheels but are perfectly formed!
one issue my wife has is that it is very difficult for an anxious rider to change power settings as they are on the battery which is low down at the front.
Click to expand...

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PaulC70 said:
Wondering if anyone else uses a folder like a brompton thats easy to pop inside the motorhome rather than paying a small fortune for a carrier THEN the same for a bike?
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I fit two Bromptons into a panel van conversion. One between the front seats, the other behind the passenger seat, both secured with ratchet straps. When parked the one behind the passenger seat is stored in the passenger footwell (the seats don't rotate). Both are kept in Brompton covers to protect the frame from scratches. They're great fun to ride, fast accelerating because of the small wheels, very responsive and the length makes them stable.
I frequently go off road on gravel tracks - they're usually fitted with Schwalbe Marathon tyres and neither bike has had a puncture yet. You can hire before you buy.
 
I don’t find our Bromptons at all unstable. I was doing 25mph down a country Lane a few hours ago. Yes, they have small wheels, but they’re a joy to ride and fold up neatly into the garage. Swytch kit on one and another coming to covert the other.
 
I bought two Bromptons 20 years ago. Paid £300 each for them. Could probably sell them now for over £500. So todays price is quite high but if you look after them there's a good chance they'll hold their price. We also have Mountain bikes but never take these anymore, Bromptons go in the motorhome garage. Love them.
 
The negatives of Bromptons is that they are expensive (but still good value), some parts are also not "low cost" and can be Brompton specific and some maintenance/repair tasks on the bike can be a little fiddlier than other bikes. Having said that they are well made and correctly maintained they'll last a lifetime and you'll probably still get your money back !

Mine always sits in the under bed storage when we're out in the van and i have the small Brompton shopping bag (over shoulder type) for exactly those tasks you mention, it's just great at that. The main bikes are in the trailer behind the van so not easy to get out vs the Brompton that's ready to go in 1 minute.

I would recommend a 3 speed at minimum and preferably 6 speed if you can although it's surprising what you can get up on a Brompton when you try;)
 
We have 20" wheeled electric folders and find them useful. Wouldn't want 16" wheels due to so many potholes in the roads.

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If you are looking for a light weight folding bike I may be able to help. I habe 2 in storage we haven’t added to our travels although we did use them when travelling but we upgraded our scooter and now have no space for them.
 
I often cycle to M&S, fold the bike, leaving the bag on the front, take it into the shop and use it as a trolley. Scan the items using the App, pop them in the bag, walk out, unfold the bike and cycle home. Genius design.
 
Old Bickerton folding bike, bought in 1983. Superseded model but sometimes on the used market. Small wheels (14" F 16"R) and somewhat flexible handlebars but you get used to that. 3 speed hub gears. Folds really tiny. I used to keep it in the boot of the car. Best bit is it weighs only 20 lb (9kg approx). The storage bag acts as a shopping bag too. The design concept is different from Brompton's and it never really caught on.
 
SpeedyDux said:
Old Bickerton folding bike, bought in 1983. Superseded model but sometimes on the used market. Small wheels (14" F 16"R) and somewhat flexible handlebars but you get used to that. 3 speed hub gears. Folds really tiny. I used to keep it in the boot of the car. Best bit is it weighs only 20 lb (9kg approx). The storage bag acts as a shopping bag too. The design concept is different from Brompton's and it never really caught on.
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We had a Bickerton for some years: it was akin to riding a blancmange and the reason we bought the Compass bikes!
 
Robert Clark said:
Folding bikes are really unstable as their wheels are so small
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Not necessarily so, but you can in any case get folders with bigger wheels than the 16" ones the Bromptons have.

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I have a Dahon Impulse P24 which as the name implies has 24 gears! People (allegedly!) do 100mile trials on them. I don't. :happy: It's light, and has 20" wheels with tyres suited to tracks and tow paths etc. (Girly comment warning: It's also red, like my van.)
I also have a Freego Folder, which is electric. It's MUCH heavier than the Dahon. Also has 20" wheels, though the Dahon is better suited tyre-wise for tracks. It's good when the van is pitched up and I've got to go quite a way to whatever event etc I'm visiting.
Both are easily accommodated inside the van (only carry one at a time!). I use a 'bike wrap' when I travel, so they don't mess up the interior, and strap them down while in transit. (Don't fancy either being thrown forward in an accident.)
To be honest, I prefer riding 'full size' bikes, but the folders are absolutely perfect for using with the van.
 
John Barrett said:
We had a Bickerton for some years: it was akin to riding a blancmange and the reason we bought the Compass bikes!
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The Brompton isn't floppy at all. There's a bit of flex in the bars if you're really honking on it, but everything else is solid. It does feel like most of the effort you're putting in is making you go forwards. I'll quite happily keep up with a road bike for a short stint.
 
I wonder if any of those saying that Bromptons are unstable have actually been for a proper bike ride on one.

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