Any Brompton Owners Out There?

[Dwain Weary]

What do you use it for? Commuting? Touring?

[Toshi Takeuchi]

My wife used one for commuting, since it folds up small and is easy to store at the office and take on public transportation. I'm not convinced it would be good for touring because of the limited gearing--maybe there are other options with more gears (or go somewhere where it's not too hilly). I know many people have used Bike Friday folders for touring.

Toshi

On Thu, May 29, 2025 at 8:03 AM Dwain Weary <dwain...@gmail.com> wrote:

What do you use it for? Commuting? Touring?

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[Jason Fuller]

I had one from summer 2022 until earlier this year. I sold it for a Bike Friday, though I waffle on that decision. 

They are very capable and useful bikes. Idiosyncratic as well; the shifting on the 6spd is strange, lots of synchronized double shifts required. I loved that you can order it with dynamo and factory-installed fenders and racks, as well as a bell and frame pump standard. Great for city riding. Totally capable of touring, though certainly not as comfortable as a full size bike. 

Downsides to me are that they are poor hill climbers, really slow down on softer surfaces like gravel as well. The narrow bars with minimal backsweep was not very comfortable for my hands; adding more backsweep will increase the folded size considerably. 

I would certainly consider getting one again, but it wasn't ideal for my longer and hilly commute.  Great to have around for throwing in the trunk to get back from the garage or for a road trip, or getting groceries in town, etc. The front carry block is brilliant. 

[rlti...@gmail.com]

I had two but now only own one. I love Bromptons!They are quirky but you get used to them quickly. I used mine primarily for commuting and errands. The luggage block is incredibly useful. I used a laptop bag up there for commuting to work and do grocery shopping using the folding bag.

I use it in “shopping cart mode” when shopping so that eliminated needing to lock up a bike. I have also brought it into numerous restaurants without any issues.

I can see touring one although haven’t done that. My tours lean towards off-road routes and that eliminates my Brompton. The new 20” wheeled Brompton may be up to it though. There are reports of people who tour on them and strap their backpacks to the rear rack and a dowel on the rear of the saddle. Other reports are from bike/pack raft tourers.

Robert Tilley

San Diego, CA

Sent from my iPhone

On May 29, 2025, at 8:03 AM, Dwain Weary <dwain...@gmail.com> wrote:

What do you use it for? Commuting? Touring?

[Matthew Danning]

I have test ridden a Brompton many times, but never managed to pull the trigger.  I'm not thrilled with the compromises needed for the fold, most notably the lack of sweep in the handlebars, which is tough on my wrists. I owned a Bike Friday for several years until I found a somewhat rare Dahon Smooth Hound that uses the Ritchey break-away system.  I also have a Birdy, currently on SF Craigslist.  The Birdy has some of the attributes of the Birdy and some of the Bike Friday.  It folds pretty small and pretty quickly.  It has full suspension, which works quite well.  And you can easily fit standard parts--bars, shifters, a second chainring and shifter, etc.  And you can pack it in an an airline suitcase.  There are of course a few compromises too.  So bottom line for me is the Brompton is all about the fold, the Bike Friday is all about the ride, and the Birdy is a bit of both.

[Joe Bernard]

I've owned a few Bromptons, currently have a Birdy. The Birdy is huge fun to ride and easy to modify for gearing and bars, but hoo boy do I find the fold fiddly. Nothing touches Brompton if you need a compact fold QUICK. 

Joe Bernard 

Clearlake CA 

[Shawn Granton]

I've owned my Brompton for 3 1/2 years and I like it a lot. My partner and I mostly got them due to how easy and small they fold, as we'd been flying a bit and got tired of the bikeshare/sort out rentals/use the janky hotel loaners dance. And yes, that fold is the key selling point for Brompton and compromises had to be made (wheel size, luggage capacity, proprietary parts, etc.) But in the end the positives outweigh the negatives for me, and I ride the Brompton a bunch for commuting and travel, plus general just getting around and fun rides.

I've done a little bit of touring/bike overnights with the Brompton and hope to do more. Below is a photo from an overnight to the Columbia River Gorge last year. You can't load the bike up as you would a Long Haul Trucker, but if you pack smart you can make it work. I found the six gears just fine for climbing the Historic Columbia River Highway. And for those of you who think that six is too little, Brompton now makes a twelve-speed version.

The biggest drawback of the 16" wheel version of the Brompton for me is that it's not that great at gravel. Light gravel and crushed limestone on rail-trails is doable, but it's not fun riding on chunky stuff. But now Brompton made the G-Line with 20" wheels and wide tires. It's a cool bike and I wouldn't mind getting one if I had the cash, but it's not as compact as the standard version. If you're going to mostly use a Brompton for commuting, go for the 16" version.

Shawn in PDX.

[Nicholas A]

I've had one for five years now, fantastic practical machine. I use it all the time, mostly commuting to work, sometimes to the gym and then meeting the family in the park after.. any excuse really.

[Marc Irwin]

I bought a B75 (the cheap 3 speed) in 2020 and loved it so much I upgraded to a 6 speed C line this year.  I love it for commuting, just riding around town, train trips to Chicago on a regular basis and have taken it on a flight to the Five Boro Tour last month.  They are great bikes.  I wouldn't use it for touring, although I have seen a guy riding the C&O trail fully loaded.  Whenever I feel the need to go electric,, that will probably be the one I convert since it is so easy to ride.

Marc

[rlti...@gmail.com]

In addition to the Brompton I own we have an E-Brompton that my wife uses. It works really well but I am not a huge fan of front hub motors. Brompton did a good job adding assist and retaining the quick and small fold of their bikes though.

If I were to use it I’d need to look for a front carrier block bag that would work for how I use the Brompton. The battery pack takes up room there. I know Brompton offers an expanded bag but I am sure the aftermarket has made some decent bags that accommodate the battery by now.

Robert Tilley

San Diego, CA

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 1, 2025, at 1:09 AM, Marc Irwin <irwi...@gmail.com> wrote:

I bought a B75 (the cheap 3 speed) in 2020 and loved it so much I upgraded to a 6 speed C line this year.  I love it for commuting, just riding around town, train trips to Chicago on a regular basis and have taken it on a flight to the Five Boro Tour last month.  They are great bikes.  I wouldn't use it for touring, although I have seen a guy riding the C&O trail fully loaded.  Whenever I feel the need to go electric,, that will probably be the one I convert since it is so easy to ride.

Marc

<Brommie NY.jpg>

On Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 11:03:40 AM UTC-4 dwain...@gmail.com wrote:

What do you use it for? Commuting? Touring?

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<Brommie NY.jpg>

[Brian McDermott]

I don’t have a Brompton, but recently acquired a Bike Friday All Packa frame cobbled together from prototype parts from a buddy who is one of their fabricators. I’m working on my pilot’s license and want to have something I can throw in the back of the plane, and to also use for general travel so I can have an easily-transported bike that reasonably performs like a “regular” one. This one has the Brompton block mount on the head tube so I can use their accessories. 

On Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 11:03:40 AM UTC-4 dwain...@gmail.com wrote:

[Elizabeth Zeeuw]

Love love love my Brompton! I have the 6-speed C-line and it is the absolute best way to explore new places. I do a fair bit of traveling for work and Brommie travels with me in a hard case (which can be checked just like a suitcase) if I'm flying, or folded up in an IKEA DIMPA bag on the bus or Amtrak. I bought mine with a dynamo and later installed fenders and a back rack. Highly recommend shopping around for bags since the ones Brompton makes are bland-looking and overpriced. (Blue Lug and Vincita have fun ones!) 

Like many here have already said -- it's great for zipping around cities, but isn't the best for touring or hill climbing. The longest ride I've done on it is roughly 20 miles which was comfortable but felt like plenty. : ) I've ridden it on hard-packed trails and it handled great but might not be the best on loose gravel. 

Really cannot recommend it enough. 

-Elizabeth in Maine

[Stephen Merelman]

One of life's great gizmos. I used one for several years to commute from Jersey to NYC and it made the schlep more fun. It was a weird bike, to be honest. Lots of proprietary stuff, shifting took some minor getting used to, and the handling is squirrely. (Keep your hands on the bars!)  But once you got used it to it, it was zippy and able and occasionally indispensable. 

I was way too big for it -- there were certain circus bear comparisons from certain daughters in my home -- and when the Citi Bikes arrived I found they were a better option. But I would endorse them wholeheartedly for a more reasonably sized human. 

smm

[thomasl...@comcast.net]

Yes. Good product. My wife has one purchased new in 2014. M-type. My son shared it when he was shorter. I think "smm" above got it right.

Historically, I've seen a lot of nonsense hype about the Brompton (16"-wheel Brompton in particular). No matter what the ads suggested:

* They aren't light to lift or carry.
* Many (Most?) tall people (>5'10") would find them uncomfortable to ride because of their height alone. (The notion of being 6'4" and riding a Brompton by choice is just jarring.)
* They don't handle like >=26"-wheel bikes (or even like my 2014 Bike Friday 20"-wheel folder).
* Shifting has been "okay" but has never been "care-free" on the Brompton we have (2 cogs and a 3-speed internal hub in the rear). The current shifting systems, even if a 2x3 like ours, may be better now.

However, those shortcomings are not close to fatal, just characteristics somewhere between "decent" and "very good", as opposed to "excellent". If possible, ride a Brompton for yourself before investing in the idea of owning one.

The ads and marketing I've seen have not exaggerated the convenience of the bike in general. The fold in particular. And, given that they weigh what they weigh, they are very convenient to carry (way more so than, say, my not-so-much-foldable-as-mangle-able Bike Friday). Bromptons are as close to George Jetson's car/briefcase as real life offers. And the Front Carrier Block luggage system is wonderful. (I'm definitely, perhaps pathologically, a bike bag person.) You can even get a sorta-normal rack in back without much compromise to the whole package. And don't forget "shopping cart mode"! Seriously, though, for many people, in many situations, a Brompton's convenience will cross the threshold from "I won't have a bike when I'm there" to "I will have a reasonable bike when I'm there". That's clearly the case for getting a Brompton.

I'm interested in anyone's take on the 20"-wheel Bromptons that are now available.

Yours,
Thomas Lynn Skean

[Thomas Blak]

My wife and I have owned our Bromptons for 13 years. On average, they get used maybe two or 3 times a year for short trips. The main reason they don't get used is when choosing a bike to ride, we have a choice between the Bromptons and our Rivendells. The Riv's ride better, are more comfortable and have increased stability so it becomes an easy choice.  

The Bromptons fold beautifully, they are great for back up bikes, they take up little space and there is a certain charm about owning one. I installed mini racks for an easier way to roll them and we both have bags up front for shopping etc. 

I have never regretted my purchase of these bikes. 

[Benz Ouyang, Sunnyvale, CA]

Resurrection of an older thread! :)

I bought a Brompton in 2009 to use in a bimodal commute to work. The Brompton took care of "the last mile" of the commute, bookending a 30-minute train ride. While Caltrain did (still does) allow bicycles onboard, in those days, there was only one train car that was set up to accept bikes. Those bike cars were often oversubscribed, leading to cyclists getting "bumped" (i.e., unable to board). A Brompton (or any folding bike) allowed one to bypass that restriction because they were not considered bikes but luggage (like backpacks) when folded.

My Brompton remained in service when Caltrain added a second bike car to every train to alleviate "bumping", because it was fine for my "last mile" that was really 2 miles; much longer, and I'd had preferred a "proper" bike because I find my Brompton a bit flexy, takes a tad more effort to keep speed, and the gears on the 3-speed IGH are spread too far apart (33% jumps if I remember correctly, corresponding to almost 3-gear shifts on a more conventional "road" cassette). Nowadays, with the post-pandemic train ridership being dismal, and my employer offering a generous office-remote ratio, my Brompton sits mostly dormant.

Note: if you're considering a Brompton, always test ride with a front load. Bromptons have low trail front geometry intended to carry front loads, and can get a bit squirrelly if there's no front load. You can get used to this squirrelliness, but it often catches riders who are used to more conventional mid or high trail geometry (of most other bikes) off guard. I often question why Brompton dealers send test riders out without a front load, because I'm sure they lost some potential business from this quirk.

[Matthew D]

Interesting thread about Bromptons, and I'm genuinely surprised there is so much enthusiasm for them here in the Riv group.  Regarding the low trail issue, I've always wondered why Brompton doesn't offer a higher trail fork since many riders use their Bromptons for commuting without much need to carry anything heavy. 

Kind Regards 

Matt D

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From: rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Benz Ouyang, Sunnyvale, CA <benzo...@gmail.com>
Sent: Friday, June 20, 2025 8:38:48 AM
To: RBW Owners Bunch <rbw-owne...@googlegroups.com>
Subject: [RBW] Re: Any Brompton Owners Out There?

 

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[Stephen Merelman]

I have taken both a Brompton and a Clem on crowded New Jersey Transit trains. One experience is objectively better than the other!

smm

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[Gary L]

Thomas asked about any experiences with the new 20" Brompton G Line. I've had a Brompton for 10 yrs and they are great at what they are designed for but you just have to know their limitations.

I was recently in a Brompton store and had a chance to try the Titanium version (VERY light and also VERY expensive) and the G Line 20" model. The G line rode like a "regular" bike. Not twitchy, very comfortable position (they have three sizes), and the big tires let you ride anywhere. But - their folded size is pretty big, and they are very heavy (like 33lbs). If you want 20" wheels I think I'd opt for a Bike Friday (I've had them as well) - they ride like a good steel bike, are lighter, some models take big tires and can be used for gravel or touring and they're custom made in Oregon. They just are not as great in the folding fast department.

[Tom Wyland]

I rode my Brompton to work today. I have a Brompton electric, which makes up for most of the shortcomings around hill climbing, efficiency, etc. I've taking it to Europe (sans battery, you can't fly with them). Without the battery, it's just a Brompton with a heavier fork (and the dead weight of the hub motor). Anytime I need to carry a bike in a car or on a train, it's my go-to bike. When the weather is hot, the ebike factor means I don't sweat as much.

The narrow tires are not great off pavement. The small tires aren't good with bumpy pavement, either. I'm about at the weight limit, so carrying a bunch of gear really isn't it's forte. The front bag is great, but limited in capacity vs. a "regular" bike with a basket or racks.

Bromptons are definitely more complicated than non-folding bikes. In general they are durable bikes with a design that has evolved/improved over years.

Tom

[Dwain Weary]

Looks amazing with the Sackville!