Talk:Brompton Bicycle

Pictures

What's going on with the seat post in that last picture, where the bike is completely folded? Where did all the length go? It looks like it's about 1/3 the original length. 76.22.99.75 06:49, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

You release a clamp near the bottom of the seat post and push it down until it protrudes from the bottom. It's the seat post that holds the folded package together. See the folding guide for a clearer explanation. PhilipPaeps 18:53, 12 June 2007 (UTC)

Models

I know the frames and other fundamentals are all the same, but shouldn't there still be a summary list of which peripheral parts are used in M3, T5, whatever? Jim.henderson 07:53, 8 August 2007 (UTC)

Raleigh

Why is there a link to Raleigh on this page?? It has nothing to do with Brompton, as far as I know.Jimjamjak (talk) 10:28, 9 December 2008 (UTC)

Thank you for pointing this out. I have removed the link. Murray Langton (talk) 12:19, 9 December 2008 (UTC)

Well... yes/no/maybe:

1. Until about 5 years ago, the Raleigh Record tyre was the only suitable 16" tyre available and thus Brompton supplied these on all of their bicycles.
2. Raleigh were the largest bicycle manufacturer in the United Kingdom, something Brompton Bicycle Ltd now is/
3. Sturmey Archer and Raleigh were quite inter-linked, and Brompton were originally dependent upon SA for hubs. After the collapse of SA, Brompton hired SA's former chief designer.

Based on the above, Raleigh should probably be noted. —Sladen (talk) 22:48, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

An interesting set of points, but the mention of the Raleigh tyres seems now to be sufficient. The link with SA and Raleigh, and therefore Brompton, seems a little tenuous to me, but all very interesting!Jimjamjak (talk) 22:38, 10 September 2009 (UTC)

This is wrong, "Until 2007, all Brompton bicycles had "M"-style handle bars". I bought my second of three Bromptons, an S6L, in July 2006. I'm pretty sure the S bars had been out since early 2005 when the wheelbase was increased but I'd need to check the Brompton bike book and I don't get that till father's day.

an extended talk by Andrew Ritchey

Here podcast containing is an extended talk by Andrew Ritchey about the designing and especially all the hard work getting the bromptons on the market. It would seem to be a valuable source of references, and potential information for the article. I was thinking of adding to the article based on it myself, but this article isn't high enough on my priorities, nor do I have much time for wikipedia at the moment. I hope someone else can do something with it.--Keithonearth (talk) 21:35, 18 March 2009 (UTC)

Notable owners

Category:Brompton bicycle owners is being considered for deletion. Should it get deleted, the present contents of it are/were:

• Woody Harrelson
• Adam Hart-Davis
• James May
• Katie Melua
• Dawn Porter
• Andrew Ritchie (Brompton)
• Julian Vereker
• Sir George Young, 6th Baronet

—Sladen (talk) 23:37, 26 March 2009 (UTC)

• Will Self

—Sladen (talk) 18:02, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

349 mm wheels

Eh? 349 mm is 16 inches? To me it seems to be off by about 50 mm, but maybe it's something I don't know. Jim.henderson (talk) 04:48, 5 July 2009 (UTC)

349mm is the diameter of the rim where the tyre sits. This is the crucial dimension in terms of fitting tyres. So with the width of the tyre added on (at both sides) you get a total diameter of around 16", depending how fat the tyre is. See http://sheldonbrown.com/tyre-sizing.html for all the detail you could possibly want, including the fact that there are four other tyre sizes also called 16" (and all smaller than the 349mm size). —Preceding unsigned comment added by 212.69.56.48 (talk) 19:59, 13 August 2009 (UTC)

Oh! Thanks; I applied my steel ruler to my new Kevlar (replacing one whose sidewall I tore by riding when flat) and yes, it seems about 16 inches from tread to tread. I'm trying to think where this information belongs. Certainly not in the intro to this article; maybe further down. And Bicycle wheel#Sizes says too much about law, regulation and elite hardware; not enough about customary and plebeian commercial practice. The topic perhaps needs its own article handling both elementary/commonplace questions and esoteric ones. Anyway thank you for clearing up this little point. Jim.henderson (talk) 16:47, 15 August 2009 (UTC)

It would be great to have consensus on a consistent and accurate way of refering to tire sizes on wikipedia. It would be quite an accomplishment as there is none in the real world. --Keithonearth (talk) 00:02, 11 September 2009 (UTC)

Oh, my aspirations are not as high as the creation of nomenclatorial peace and concord among all pedalpushing Wikipedians, manufacturers, and national standardization authorities. Herding cats is easier. However, most articles that mention a particular wheel or tire (right way to spell it) size should say whether it's a rim or tread measurement, and the majority ought to mention both numbers as well as some sort of width measurement. This isn't a buff book; it's an encyclopedia for readers who should be assumed ignorant of the elements. Jim.henderson (talk) 02:55, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

More sources

• Wood, Zoe (2009-11-08). "Brompton Bicycle: crafted for cult appeal". The Guardian.
• Price, Richard (2009-10-28). "It's the latest must-have...the incredible bendy bike". Daily Mail.
• "Royal award for fold-up bike man". BBC News Online. 2009-10-16.
• Farquharson, Vanessa (2009-11-07). "Policy should be re-examined". National Post.
• "Designer wins Royal award for Brompton folding bicycle". Environmental Transport Association. 2009-10-22.
• Walker, Peter (2009-10-21). "Brompton wins Prince Philip Designers prize". Guardian News and Media Limited.
• Mason, Ian (2009-10-23). "Brompton Bikes inventor wins Prince Philip Designers' prize". Hounslow & Brentford Times.
• "Here's Lord Mandelbar". The Sun. 2009-10-27.
• Boden, Nicola (2009-10-28). "Pedal power: Business Secretary Lord Mandelson hits the road on his bendy bike". Daily Mail.

The "cart" picture

Being wheeled in a partially-folded configuration

This is something I have never observed. Ever. I started this article, I ride a Brompton in London, home of the Brompton, and I know many Bromptonauts. I've heard of (and seen) the pannier clipped to the block when the bike's folded and used as a kind of wheelie bag, but I've never seen a Brom pushed like this. I tried it, it was rather unstable (the pannier block is close to the left side of the wheelbase in this configuration, and if the bolts holding the speed wheels are not completely straight, i.e. if the bike has ever been used, the bike will also not go in anything like a straight line) and of no obvious utility (and yes I do have speed wheels and a rack). This seems to be user:Jim.henderson pushing his bike in his own esoteric way, and I don't think it should be in the article. My own pictures of the folding stages were removed, I didn't dispute that, I think this is of much less utility in the article absent credible evidence that this is a fold used by a significant number of Bromptonauts. Either that or I take a picture of my bike folded in an even odder style, but that would be WP:POINTy. Guy (Help!) 23:13, 15 January 2010 (UTC)

The user in the photo was not Jim Henderson; it was me. I have 4 Eazy wheels on my back frame. When the Brompton is half-folded, it can rest on the Eazy wheels and it is very easy to push like a shopping cart with the handle bars. The big bag in the front is large enough to hold 12 bottles of wine. I have been using my Brompton as a shopping cart for 18 years now. With the front bag full of groceries, it is still ridiculously easy to fold and unfold. I ride the bicycle to a store, fold it into shopping cart mode in a matter of seconds. Shop, checkout, unfold in seconds and ride to my next stop. I have a bad neck and do not carry the bike very much at all, but pushing the Brompton on the Eazy wheels is easy as pie. I have never met another Brompton owner who does this. Why not?????!!!! — Preceding unsigned comment added by Bossphotography (talk • contribs) 18:02, 18 October 2024 (UTC)

There's more than one way to unfold, carry, tow, or push a Brompton bicycle ...some people prefer some ways, some others. In the illustrated "cart" configuration, think of it more like a wheelbarrow. One must use both hands to control the rotational balance, but when not moving it is self-supporting.

Just like one learns to balance whilst riding a bicycle, one develops mechanisms to balance the Brompton whilst folded. For instance, I tend to tow the folded bicycle behind me, it ensure it doesn't fall over, I rotate the saddle ~35 degrees off-centre first. If I'm carrying a huge pile of floppy soft fabric, I'd use it as a cart with the handle bars left out. If I'm transporting a sofa, I'd drop the saddle. One perhaps just needs a little more imagination and flexibility that other Brompton riders may have discovered, or perfected techniques that you haven't thought of. My former Dutch housemate nearly always adopted the cart configuration, but would tow rather than push (with a single hand on the Brompton-provided handlebar bracing bar). It's not really rocket-science, you just have to ensure that there's a straight line between you, the bicycle's centre of gravity, and the ground. —Sladen (talk) 00:33, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

I too usually pull with one hand, except when jockeying the Brompton a few yards along a subway car floor as I did aboard the F Train this Thursday evening in the Jamaica – 179th Street (IND Queens Boulevard Line) station after a 25 mile photo expedition across Queens, New York City. To correct a minor mistaken assumption, no, as in many Wikipictures of folders in New York, I'm behind the camera, not in front, snapping this pic of the bike being moved across a small plaza near the East River and 32nd Street. I am older, taller, paler, and handsomer. Yes, a pull picture would illustrate a more typical use. I hope to catch a good one, three months from now when the annual Fold-Up Festival is held again in the same place, and maybe I can get a better background as well. As for whether the push pic is a good illustration for the article in the absence of a good pull pic, being the photographer I'll leave that judgment to other editors.

As for how best to illustrate the folding procedure, I prefer the present diagram, but if the photo sequence were reshot with better lighting and especially with a bland, pale background instead of a bold brick wall, my preference might reverse. And the new picture of frames stacked upon arrival is pleasant and informative, even if small and slightly blurred. Jim.henderson (talk) 15:50, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Neobike

Seems to me, this article says more about that company and its product than the Neobike article does. May I suggest that, under WP:SUMMARY, the coverage here should be cut to a quarter or perhaps even a tenth its present size? Jim.henderson (talk) 03:22, 21 July 2010 (UTC)

History

The current history section is a jumble of technical bike parts with very little in the way of dates, and no narrative whatsoever. At the very least, the history section be ordered by date. It would be more interesting and useful that way. Could be especially useful for owners of old Bromptons looking to service or upgrade their bikes. I've found a couple of sources, maybe with some additional research, we could re-write the history section by date. I'll continue to research this as time permits. Of course, the older history will be the most difficult. I believe there is a book about Brompton history, but I don't have a copy.

Another issue: there is the history of the bike modifications, and the history of the company itself, such as the new Greenford, West London factory opened in 2015. Should those be together, or separate?

It would be helpful if someone could point to a good model to follow.

Changes introduced June 2005:

• new 2-speed rear freehub; previously only 3-speed and 6-speed models available
• introduction of S-type and P-type models; the old model was designated "M"
• Titanium frame option
• Lighting options including Hub dynamo, tire dynamo, or battery
• Vitesse fi’zi:k saddle with Brompton Pentaclip
• Eazy wheels for rear rack

Changes introduced with 2013 bicycles:

• Reshaped brake lever
• Stronger wheels with double-wall rim and angled spoke drillings
• Magnetic water bottle "a retrofittable clamp allows them to be easily fitted to the handlebar"
• Toolkit option (extra cost) fits inside the frame (compatible with older Bromptons)
• New "spider" design cranks which "use a regular 130 BCD five-bolt design"

2017 Bicycle changes leaked; not official yet

References

- Kzirkel (talk) 12:57, 10 August 2016 (UTC)

Agreed - I added the 2003/2004 frame change. Brompton seem to make it difficult to cite their site, too - so it's going to be a bit of hard work to get a good history! I have a copy of the book and will aim to extract useful notes to bring here. Qfissler (talk) 08:54, 16 July 2020 (UTC):07, 26 July 2017 (UTC)

Fold mnemonic?

Not really on-topic for a talk page, but briefly: for unfolding the Brompton the steps can be summarised as Seat Handlebars Tube Rear (reverse for folding). Maybe somebody can come up with a mnemonic? Rathouse (ignoring vowels)? Rathskeller is not great. Pol098 (talk) 22:33, 7 January 2021 (UTC)

Shifter. Seat, Handlebar, Frame Tube, Rear. Jim.henderson (talk) 16:48, 12 January 2021 (UTC)