Monday Bike Style: Bromptons Dwell here

I remember this pic in Dwell years ago when this couple were speaking about how Bromptons find a place in the homes of those where space however small costs 1000’s. And a brompton or two can fit in the cupboard. So in hour of my nifty (not used enough folder)

With most architect-designed homes, the program originates from the kitchen and main living area, but for Londoners Brad Smith and Brian Brennan it was very much what was not to be on show—specifically, their Brompton brand fold-up bicycles—that dictated the renovation of their 648-square-foot former coach house. The couple, who both work on the tech side of finance, bike to work each day, and they didn’t want to suffer the cycle-cluttering-the-hallway scenario that many city dwellers endure. Nor did they want to chance leaving the bikes outdoors; no matter how hefty the lock, a bike left on the London streets overnight will not likely be there in the morning.

Brompton Special Edition: Nickel

i would still prefer the raw lacquer version – or a ti version that they don’t make yet ….

 

FROM BROMPTON:

We are proud to announce the launch of the new Brompton Nickel Edition, our most premium bike to date. The Nickel Edition has a production run of 1,500 for 2016 and is available in all Brompton Junction stores and selected dealers worldwide. You can find your nearest Brompton dealer here.

The Nickel Edition is available worldwide, with each of this limited run of bikes sequentially numbered for added exclusivity. It is made from polished 50 micron high-phosphorus electroless nickel plating and is Brompton’s most advanced finish to date with exceptional anti-corrosion resistance, normally reserved for mining and deep-sea drilling equipment creating a beautiful and striking finish.

Want to see more Special Edition Bromptons? – Click here. 

The bike will also incorporate Black components which include black wheel rims, spokes and seat post. The bike will be available with an S, M or H Type handlebar, 2 or 6 speed. In the UK the bike will be available for RRP starting at £1,310. The Nickel Edition is available in all steel with Black components or as a superlight option with titanium fork and rear frame.

The Nocturne on a Brompton

A friend out in Erbil was just speaking about the desire to buy a Brompton – I showed him this video and now he is …. he is back to Brooklyn tonight so will have to shop for one there. This is the video he loved … if it was me the Raw lacquer version would be my choice.

Morning constitutional

it comes after coffee of course.

  
Post school run with the kids – living only an 8 min walk from the girls school (it will be 4min to high school and also around 8 to glasgow university if they go there) means I rarely use a bike in the mornings. Today is different as I needed to drop off some expensive plugs to get some expensive speaker cables made up for my expensive stereo so I can enjoy priceless music. But the shop only opens at 10am so cycle around then back to a local for coffee

  
Sitting here delaying work and chores is quite lovely. I hope you got a ride (or time outside) today.

Monday bike style: Brompton belle

nice pic harvested from Instagram  

 

In defence of Brompton Man, the cyclist who puts function over style – Telegraph Newspaper

from the Telegraph

It’s easy to poke fun at Brompton Man, with his practical attire and holier-than-thou attitude – but his bike remains one of the most impressive on the road, writes Andrew Critchlow

Left: Andrew Critchlow tests a Brompton folding bike. Right: Hugh Bonneville as Ian Fletcher

Our roads are increasingly home to various tribes of bike rider. You’ve heard all about the Mamils (Middle Aged Men In Lycra) who thunder along the A23 on their way to work on £12,000 racing bikes; and you’ve probably noticed the Single Gear Hipsters, a younger strain of rider whose rolled-up right jean leg revolves furiously around a fixed crank somewhere near Hoxton.

But there’s one tribe that has hitherto snuck under the radar.

Brompton Man has been travelling with his foldaway bike on Britain’s roads and rails for decades. Every morning, he can be seen outside train stations, furiously unpacking his bike after a morning commute before disappearing into the distance, his feet whirling away like a hamster stuck on a circus wheel. And yet, unlike the Mamil and Single Gear Hipster, this figure of comedy has largely avoided ridicule.

Until now. Brompton Man was first deliciously parodied in the BBC’s excellent Olympic send-up 2012, where Hugh Bonneville’s well-intentioned executive Ian Fletcher was all fingers and cut thumbs with his prized Brompton, forever unable to make the bloody thing actually work.

And now we have a real-life embodiment of Fletcher – according to the Daily Mail at least, who this morning have cast BBC creative director Alan Yentob as the essence of Brompton Man. (I would be willing to bet that the corporation’s ‘swingometer’ man Jeremy Vine also has one tucked away somewhere in Broadcasting House.)

So just what makes Yentob and his ilk a true Brompton Man?

First off, there’s the bizarre uniform, which mixes one part office wear with one part luminous Gore Tex. Trouser clips come as standard.

Then there’s the look on his face. Because he rides a Brompton, Brompton Man is imbued with the self-righteous knowledge that although the folding bicycle looks absurd, he owns a true British design classic that puts function ahead of form. Can your flashy Pinarello be stored away in the cupboard under the stairs at home, his expression seems to ask.

He is, in other words, the James May of cycling. (And yes, May does ride a Brompton, in case you’re wondering.)

^{A Brompton S2L-X in its full glory}

Brompton Man probably earns over £200,000 per year as a senior manager in a media company like the BBC, or by overseeing some politically correct department of a government-funded quango.

In meetings he often leaves colleagues baffled with mindless jargon such as getting “buy-in” or “core competency”. Possibly even more annoying is his capacity to drop into almost any conversation the fact that he can carry his Brompton on the packed train to Waterloo from Guildford at rush hour.

Brompton Man will leave his office door open to give the impression that he is willing to listen to anyone – but everyone knows that he really just wants you to see his folding bike stashed next to his desk instead of being chained alongside all the ‘normal’ bikes in the car park outside.

^{The Brompton does its contortionist’s act}

Yes, Brompton Man really is a figure of mockery. And yet … I would happily own one of these made-in-England feats of engineering.

The truth is that I was lucky enough to test a Brompton last year. With all my preformed prejudices hanging from my shoulders like the weight of a 12kg folding bike, I decked myself out in full Lycra and tried to clock a fast time around my local Box Hill circuit on one of the machines.

Guess what? It was superb – fast and yet reliable; nimble yet stable. I rode it at 17mph for an hour, climbing and descending hills en route – and never once felt that I was cycling something that could, in the space of a few quick snaps, fold into something that would fit into the bottom draw of my filing cabinet at work.

The classic Brompton sells for around £1,000 – although in recent years, the company, which is based in West London, has introduced jazzier, flashier models. Instead of showing the bike being pedalled by some media executive in a ill-fitting florescent cycling jacket, the marketing clip for the speedster models features an anonymous racer in tights, who spins away furiously.

You have been warned.

^{A glimpse of the future: Andrew Critchlow test rides a Brompton}

Friday bike poster: the fold

Got to love the brompton fold

Hour Records 2: How fast can a brompton go

from Telegraph Active

An hour is a mythical measure of time in cycling circles.

Legends of the sport from Eddy Merckx through to Francesco Moser and Miguel Indurain have all cemented their legacies by setting new recordsfor distance travelled after an hour’s ride in the velodrome. It’s a notoriously grisly pursuit: Merckx, who was known in the peloton as the ‘Cannibal’, described his record of 49.431km set at altitude in 1972 as “the hardest ride I have ever done”.

British riders Chris Boardman and Graeme Obree also played an important role in establishing the myth of the hour test in cycling. Obree, whose exploits were immortalised in the film the ‘Flying Scotsman‘, famously used a bike welded together from washing machine parts and a radical tucked body position to set his hour records, while Boardman set three different history-making times during his career.

The current record, held by Czech cyclist Ondřej Sosenka, stands at 49.700km (just over 30 miles). For most serious club cyclists, however, riding 25 miles in under an hour is deemed to be a rite of passage.

^{Folded glory: the Brompton can be taken on public transport}

Which brings me to the Brompton, the folding bicycle that has taken over London’s streets. With a design by Andrew Ritchie, the company derives its name from the Brompton Oratory in South Kensington; early versions of the bike were hammered together in Ritchie’s flat. The company has now sold more than 100,000 of the hand-brazed folders, which are all made in its West London factory, and is now looking to expand with an eye on new export markets and building a rental network throughout the UK under the banner of Brompton Dock.

I have been fortunate to race almost every type of bicycle, from dual-suspension mountain bikes to specialist aerodynamic track bikes and time trial low-pros, but, before last week, I had never swung a leg over a Brompton. So what better test than Telegraph Men’s 17-mile circuit around Box Hill. Could I complete this circuit in Surrey Hills in under an hour?

To make the challenge a little easier I replaced the standard Bromtpon pedals with my normal clipless pair, but that did little to lighten the bike’s hefty 12.5kg load.

However, I was immediately surprised by the speed and stability of the Brompton, helped by the design’s low centre of gravity and small 16-inch wheels. Unexpectedly, the bike also felt aerodynamic. The upright handlebars allowed me to adopt an Obree-style tuck position and fly along on Surrey’s undulating roads.

The real test for the Brompton came on the ascent of Box Hill. Despite its weight and limited selection of gears, I was impressed by the frame’s overall responsiveness. The trick to riding a Brompton on longer rides is to maintain a smooth and high cadence pedalling stroke. Slow down and you will waste energy getting the bike back up to top speed.

Although the ride had me chewing the Brompton’s handlebars, I managed to complete the Box Hill circuit in a time of 59.58, proving that you don’t need the latest carbon fibre gadgetry to ride at a reasonably fast pace.

Retailing at over £1,200, the version of the S6L Brompton I tested isn’t cheap, but it is bags of fun and without question the most distinctive bike on the road. Just ask the cyclists who saw me racing up Box Hill.

An old to my favourite folding thing.

Oh brommie you are ignored sometimes. My faithful Brompton S2L-x.

Had a few errands to do today and grabbed what is my go to bike for any city chores. The Brompton is a wee darling through the traffic and parks of Glasgow and then when i got to my lunch meeting it was a quick fold then into Jamies Kitchen for a glass of wine and a good salad whilst chinwagging with a work colleague client I am hoping to poach for the business.

 

Then unfold move fold to the MASTA travel cline for malaria pills and HEP booster for my filming trip to Rwanda next week … then unfold cycle to my colleagues house who I am doing the film with to speak about kit and plans then cycle home to have dinner with the girls and the au pair made a lovely Spag Bol so no cooking for me …. Huzzah

Brompton World Champs 2014

Toot Toot – you know you want to

 

The main event – a mad dash of jackets and ties to unfold bikes, followed by a 15km race around the Goodwood track, spurred on by the crowd’s roar on the grandstand. The Brompton World Championship is now in it’s 9th year and 2nd year at Goodwood Motor Circuit. Competition to participate remains fierce and the 2014 event is expected to be bigger than ever, with 800 participants invited to compete.

Race overview

• Date: Sunday 27th July
• Format: one race; start organised in waves
• Distance: 15.2km/9.6miles (4 laps)
• Participants: 800
• Open to all as a single event or as part of the Brompton Treble

How it works…

Always a show-stopper, the race gets underway with a massed Le Mans style start, the pack racing to their folded bikes, unfolding them and speeding off. Jacket and tie are compulsory and there is strictly no Lycra allowed; those looking particularly dapper will be in with a chance for the Best Dressed prize.

Four laps of the course mean that just over 15km must be completed on the fast-paced circuit; no mean feat. Part of the Brompton Treble, the hardiest of souls may wish to also tackle the Brompton Sprint and Brompton Marathon.

The size of a folder but what – Cannondale Hooligan – a toy for someone no doubt

road.cc

On the face of it Cannondale’s Hooligan 2 is first in a field of one: imagine a Moulton crossed with a BMX. It’s a non-folding small wheeled bike for space conscious urban types looking for, as the Cannondale blurb puts it, “a fun, funky, functional way to get around the city”. 

There must be enough people about wanting a “a fun, funky, functional way to get around the city” because the Hooligan has established itself as a stalwart of Cannondale’s urban bike range. Its closest competitor was probably the Giant Mini Zero – a cracking little drop bar urban small wheeler – but the Hooligan saw that off in the UK years ago.

It has to be said that the Mini Zero was more of a small wheeled road bike like a (much) cheaper Moulton. The Hooligan, on the other hand, is for people who want their small wheeled urban bike to be more, well, urban. It’s a bike for those that aspire to a certain amount of bad behaviour involving street furniture on their ride to and from work every day. It’s built to be tough, with disc brakes and a rigid single-leggec fork.

Hopefully there’s a rad enough dude (do people still say that?) to test it on the road.cc team. We’ll find someone cos this is a bike we’ve been dying to test since it was the Hooligan 1.

“What’s the difference between Hooligans 1 and 2?” I hear you ask. Not much, really. The Lefty Solo rigid mono blade fork, forged from a single piece of aluminium which Cannondale claim enhances its stiffness, has been beefed up slightly and now has a 1.5in steerer while the head tube has been similarly enhanced to take it, which should make for a stiffer, stronger front end. Cannondale also say they’ve improved the amount of standover height on offer “for agile street moves”.

The chunky aluminium frame – Cannondale call it the Delta V – features a reinforcing brace from the top of the head tube to the mid section of the low slung top tube, making the frame more of a triple triangle affair except that, unlike the GTs of yore, that third triangle is at the front… and is more of a trapezoid. It certainly looks tough enough to take anything the mean streets can throw at it.

Like most small wheeled bikes, the Hooligan 2 is a one size fits all affair with an extra long seat post for taller riders, although we can imagine that while the front end is by no means slammed, the difference in height for those who put that extended post to full use is going to result in a much racier position for tall types.

The Hooligan 2’s other unique selling point is that its size and those 20in wheels lend themselves more to urban apartment living than a full size bike. I’m not going to pre-judge things but I’d have to say that while it does take up less floorspace in the road.cc office than a conventionally sized bike, it doesn’t take up that much less. In fact, at 105.6cm, the Hooligan 2’s wheelbase is slightly longer than that of most road bikes.

The upside of that should be increase stability. And, of course, while the wheelbase might be longer the wheels themselves are considerably smaller so it doesn’t extend out as far. End to end, it measures about 155cm, about 20m shorter than a small urban hybrid, and 8cm less than my road bike. The more compact nature of the frame, though, could make storage easier.

In terms of kit, the Hooligan looks a well thought out package for the money. Cannondale were well ahead of the road disc curve with this bike – it’s always had disc brakes. The current incarnation comes with Shimano’s M375 mechanical discs with 160 rotors front and back.

Nine gears take care of forward propulsion with a Shimano Acera thumb shifter pushing a Sora rear mech over a Sunrace 9-speed block. The front end of the drivetrain is a 48t FSA Tempo chainring, which should give a gear range suited to most urban environments.

Wheels are 32 hole Cannondale branded rims on a Cannondale Lefty hub up front and a Formula DC22 hub at the rear. They certainly look plenty strong enough, and the Kenda Quest 38mm tyres should add in a decent measure of cushioning to the ride. We’ll find out soon enough.

While the Hooligan 2 might not have any direct competition, it does have a number of indirect competitors. If space saving is higher on your list of priorities than ruggedness then a folding bike might be the way to go.

For pure folding prowess Brompton’s are the bikes to beat – base models start at £765. I’ll risk the wrath of Bromptonists everywhere by saying now that the Hooligan will be a better ride – you just won’t be able to fold it up and carry it on the tube/train/bus. You should be able to get it in the boot of your car though.

The Tern Verge, or Birdy World Sport might give the Hooligan a run for its money in terms of ride performance and they fold too, but they are also significantly more expensive, and while well built they aren’t designed to incorporate erm, urban hi-jinx into their everyday activities. Neither is the Airnimal Joey… though it looks a lot of fun.  That leaves either a Moulton or a BMX, which brings us back to where we started.

Look our for our upcoming test of the Hooligan 2 and in the meantime to find out more visit www.cannondale.com

What is Bicycle Travel? – PathLessPedaled.com (GREAT VIDEO)

How great is this film – never thought about the Brompton as a tourer ….. wow

Our ode to bicycle travel. Some people think that it is all about the bike, but we all know that it isn’t. When we go on tour, the most indelible memories we bring back are about the people we’ve met.

pathlesspedaled.com
facebook.com/pathlesspedaled

Bike WHY?? Here is just one reason

If you travel by bike you can’t help but smile – and people can’t help but smile back

Our ode to bicycle travel. Some people think that it is all about the bike, but we all know that it isn’t. When we go on tour, the most indelible memories we bring back are about the people we’ve met.

pathlesspedaled.com
facebook.com/pathlesspedaled

The brompton got some love today

The thing about your regular commuting and utility bike is that they get neglected and abused … Looked at my brompton the other day after cycling to the lawyers and then the mortgage person and it was filthy with bits of rust on the chain. I had been admiring the fact that it was the best bike for riding in the rain – I never get splashed riding the bike.

Anyway today took it downstairs and used the portable washer (that plugs into the car 12V lighter port) to wash it clean using Muk Off to get rid of all the grease.

Then inside and some more oil and ready for more abuse…..

brompton love in from viris2012

 

got to love the folding bike love

Merry christmas one and all

Merry xmas one and all

 

Friday bike poster: cycology

Have 3 of these – been on 2 others ….

Monday bike Style: ( a day later) Brompton Port and Starboard

Brompton Junction Store in London – cycling goodness

Folding bike brand Brompton Bicycle has opened its first UK concept store under the name Brompton Junction. The store, which received its official opening last week, is in London’s Covent Garden.

It is the fifth Brompton Junction to be opened, the others being in Amsterdam, Hamburg, Kobe and Shanghai.

The store, located at 76 Long Acre, WC2E 9JS, is open seven days a week, and includes eye-catching displays of Brompton bikes and accessories and an interactive table on which customers can plan and order a bike to their own specifications.

It also has a canteen and workshop, as well as demo bikes that potential purchasers can take out for a spin.

Brompton Bicycle’s managing director, Will Butler-Adams, outlined how the store had come about : “Our first Brompton Junction opened in Kobe, Japan, two years ago, driven by the boldness of one of our keen dealers.

“Since then we have been desperate to open one in our home city.

“In London we want to put the Brompton, a humble bicycle, somewhere where people wouldn’t expect it, in famous Covent Garden.

“We want more people to realise that riding a bike in a city is for everyone, six inch Louboutin heels, funky Paul Smith jackets – they all work.

“Through the Junction we want to not only get Londoners on bikes but also show visitors from around the world how the Brompton can transform the way we get around cities.”

Store manager, Greg Sanderson added:  “We hope visitors will be excited and intrigued by the space; the team at Brompton HQ have come up with some typically quirky additions – from a custom made main frame chandelier to a graffitied London scene, there are loads of little details which add to the experience.”

The store will also act as a meeting point for group rides, as well as hosting events including talks from what the company describes as “influential Bromptoneers.”

bromptonjunction.com

 

Monday Bike Style: smiling folder