Bombing around on a Brompton

traco

Hey there, so you may remember a while back when I was all asking about Brompton bikes and commuting? If not, you can catch up on the details here:

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058283124/brompton-in-dublin/p1

Brief lead in: a recent hiccup in my health means I'm grounded from driving for a whole year. Bummer, right? Especially for a car enthusiast like me. But hey, it could be worse, so I'm rolling with it.

Now, my daily grind involves a 2+km journey to catch the Dart into the city, followed by a train from Heuston to Sallins, with another 5km+ to go to reach the office. Sure, there's a Dart and bus option, but that bus to Naas is slower than molasses!

So, the only logical choice was a multi-modal approach – bike and rail, for the win! Irish rail suggests fold-up bikes during peak times, though it's not a rule I’ve ever seen enforced. But being the law-abiding citizen that I am, I went with a fold-up. Plus, with an engineering background, I scoured through all the fold-up options and kept circling back to the Brompton. Yeah, they are pricey, especially the electric ones which are mental, but for my needs I decided it was the best fit. I mean, who wants a bike they can't fit in a bag and take on the bus, right? The bus option was a fall back and had to be used once to date, no problems getting it on and sticking in the luggage rack at the front. Any other bike would not have worked. I’m getting ahead of myself there so back on track.

Now, here's where serendipity waltzed into this fable! As I was deep in Irish Rail timetable optimization, I received an email from one of those car raffle sites. Given my love for cars, I'd entered the odd one of those before. Nothing of interest but lo and behold, there it was – a Rad Power fold-up bike, only 300 tickets available, and 60 already sold at 4 PM with the draw at 8 PM. So, why not take a shot, right? I coughed up a few euros, went back to planning my commute, and thought nothing more of it.

Then, out of the blue, at 9 PM, I received a text message declaring me the winner! Me? Winning something? I thought it must be a mistake. A little later, an email about delivery arrived. Still suspicious, I inquired about taxes due to the UK Brexit situation, and they agreed to cover the bike's value. Sweet deal! To be sure it wasn't a scam, I did some digging, and on the Monday (even on a bank holiday), €1,850 was sitting pretty in my Revolut account. Cha-ching, time to go bike shopping!

Fast forward to Wednesday, and I'm test-riding Bromptons. I started with the basic 2-speed, then the 6-speed, and finally, the electric 6-speed. Long story short, I ended up splurging on the electric one, using my €2k winnings and chipping in a few bob extra and lobbing €1.5k on the Bike to Work scheme a deal was done. So, now my fancy electric Brompton only costs me about €60 a month from my payslip. Happy days!

A few snapshots from collection day, and the next post will be all about my daily commute adventures.

traco

I know you're itching to know what my daily Brompton journey is like! So far, it's been quite a delight, though we might still be in the honeymoon phase. It's a big change from the cultural experience that is the Luas Red Line. Seriously, if you need material for a book, just spend some time on that tram! But hey, that's a story for another day. Speaking of which, I should check if there's a thread titled "Overheard on the Luas."

Now, let's talk about the Brompton. It's surprisingly comfy, and any initial twitchiness disappears after the first 10 km or so. From standing in my hallway to being on the platform in Portmarnock takes just about 7 minutes, and that includes obeying traffic lights. It's a bit over 2 km, and honestly, it's quicker than a car by the time you'd back out, drive down, find parking, and reach the platform. The evening return trip is even better, considering the usual traffic jams and gridlock particularly on sunny days, alas it seems they are now in the past.

Since I'm early, I can leave the bike unfolded on the dart, but I usually fold it and tuck it away in a corner, standing right beside it. In terms of floor space, think of it as a carry-on wheelie case. Carrying it down the stairs at Tara Street Station is OK but I’ve now changed tack here and unfold on the platform so I can wheel it and then throw it on my shoulder using the saddle to take the load where it sits on the strap of my backpack.

The train ride to Naas is also a doddle, when folded Brompton it sits on the floor of an empty seat beside me if there is no luggage area on the carriage. Rolling it in and out of spaces is a breeze thanks to the rack wheels which was an extra. The 5.5 km from Sallins station to the office? Less than 20 minutes, and I can push it in under 15 if I'm in a hurry. Of course, it's all thanks to the magic of electrons, and I'd guess a non-electric version would take about 33% more time.

traco

Now, let's dive into the techie stuff about the electric Brompton. It has three power assist levels, controlled by a torque sensor – the harder you pedal, the more power it provides, up to 25 kph. Depending on my mood, I switch between L1 and L2, never really needing L3. Maybe I'll save that for a day when I'm really dragging.

The battery pack is in a small bag and clips onto the front of the bike. This has no display only a few buttons. On/Off. Power level, lights On/Off/Auto and five dots to indicate the state of charge. It has a handle a single button that you press to unlock and pull off which takes just seconds. When you clip it back on the system powers up and you are ready to go. I have been able to slip the battery pack into my backpack with my laptop. There are other bags available as Brompton accessories that will take the battery and you can put a laptop etc in but I’m not sure plus they make the goofy bike look even more weird and are daft money.

Now weights? The bike as mine is configured with the extra rear rack and additional extended seat post is 15.4kg. The battery pack is 3.5kg so ready to ride its 19kg. Not light but not brutal for an electric bike. Battery range is supposedly 40km or something but who knows as there are so many variables. I reckon my use in L2 would be about 30km.

It's a six-speed, with three gears in the rear hub and two on a derailleur. I'm not entirely sure of the gearing sequence, but let's keep it simple – we'll call the derailleur low and high. Most of the time, I'm in low and switch between second and third on the hub. High and third are beyond the motor's help, mostly for flat or downhill terrain. Even at a mid-30 kph in that setup, it still feels like a breeze, and I'm not even close to spinning out. Shifting gears takes a bit of practice, as you need to do it while freewheeling for the hub, and the opposite for the derailleur. It's a bit of an adjustment, but once you find that sweet spot, it's super efficient and keeps your heart rate up.

Now, is it perfect? Nope, but it's pretty good. I'd love it to be lighter – carrying it for a long distance is a bit of a workout, and I'm no weakling. My farmer's carry is getting some serious exercise! There are a few other niggles, which, considering the €3,500.00 price tag, seem a miserable on Bromptons behalf.

Firstly, the standard electric model doesn't come with a rear rack, so you have to buy and install one. The wheels on the rack for moving it around are a bit meh, but they'll gladly sell you an upgraded set with bearings. Come on, Brompton, why not make that standard, huh?

The frame locking clamps tend to spin around, so you have to align them, which I solved by snagging two 3D printed bits from the UK. They act like a spring and keep things in line – simple fix.

The app is basic but functional and I don’t use it, however they offer no standard phone mount for fixing. I get that there are tons of phone devices out there, but maybe a standard quad lock or something similar would be a nice touch.

The bike seems to pick up a lot of dirt and grit, much more than a regular bike. The could be because the wheels are so small and everything is so low but I reckon you need to be on top of your cleaning as the drivetrain gets a little grumbly if not looked after.

traco

So, there you have it – the delightful, sometimes quirky, journey of my electric Brompton. It's not perfect, but it's a fun ride and I really don’t miss the M50! Though cycling the quays in Dublin city has been an interesting alternative!!

If anyone has any Brompton specific questions please fire away and hopefully I can be of some assistance.

magicbastarder

interesting about the dirt - my wife is thinking of getting one and i think i will be given the job of bike hygiene; not that i would object.

nicksnikita

One less car on the roads and an extra bike. Win win.

Such a scéal 😆

tomasrojo

Yeah, I have what is now a fairly old 3-speed Brompton .Still works great, though think I'll have to get new rims in the next year.

They do get a bit dirty. I'm not sure it's any worse than a normal bike, except that so much of the bike is so low down, and the mudguards are so small (which they do try to compensate for by adding mudflaps to both front and back.) The 3-speed is a quick clean though.

loyatemu

I remember your other thread here so I'll give an update on my alternative cheapskate proposal of buying 2 junk bikes and leaving them at either end.

Previously I was using Bleeper and Moby for the city-centre bit of my commute, but half the time I'd go to where the app said there was a bike and it would already be taken, or behind a locked gate, or I couldn't unlock it because the lock battery was flat. So I picked up a fairly rusty looking but serviceable hybrid off FB for €30, got a couple of new tyres for free off a generous Boardsie; now I have a bike always available when I arrive in town on the Dart.

I leave it locked at Pearse Station which I reckon is probably the most secure location in the city as the rack is on the platform, under cover and beside where the ticket checker is, but the bike is fairly decrepit looking and I have a decent U-lock on it, so it's not exactly an attractive prospect for bike thieves anyway.

Having a permanently available bike in the city is just really handy - I had to go down the country for work last week and was able to pick up my bike in Pearse, cycle it across to Heuston and vice-versa coming home, much quicker than getting the Luas or bus. (side note: the bike shed at Heuston is absolutely full of forgotten rusting bikes, they really need to clear it out).

Total cost of the "two junkers" strategy - €110; the bike I have for the Greystones end of my commute is actually a half decent yoke which I use all the time for going to shops, pub etc, but sufficiently non-fancy that it hasn't been bothered when locked up all day at the station; particularly as there are always fancier bikes there, locked with €5 cable locks...

loyatemu

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121362526#Comment_121362526

AI ?

HazeDoll

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121362661#Comment_121362661

Definitely. A string of them across the site. One with a dodgy link. Report!