• Over time I've fallen in and out of love with the Brompton, love the elegance of the design, but hated (in comparison with a full sized bike) the weight and general feel of the older (heavier) five speed version I had, much prefer the Airnimal I replaced it, though it obviously doesn't fold as well.

    I seriously contemplated buying a new Brompton with the S-bars and as many of the titanium bits as I could afford as I thought it might give me a highly transportable bike but without the extra weight and uncomfortable riding position of the older bike, so I get the idea of a light weight Brompton and of the flat handle bars, but just can't for the life of me see where this is coming from.

    Why go to the expense of fabricating a custom titanium seat post when Brompton already make a light weight titanium post. Why fit V-brakes, when they mess with the fold and more than likely all they'll do is lock-up wheels that small, much better to go with improved calliper brakes, if you're determined to add some bling, do it properly and get Simkins to cnc you some callipers with a custom drop to perfectly match the Brompton. Seems like whoever conceived this had no appreciation of the Brompton design and little understanding of the different demands/requirements of a small wheeled bike.

    Much better either to keep the original brake callipers, or replace them with better callipers, not V brakes and use Brompton's own titanium bits to shave weight. If you want something different with some bling, but with worthwhile improvements (not bling for the sake of bling), start with the two speed bike, not the three speed and instead of fitting a bling-bling chainset, fit a Schlumpf Mountain Drive, this way you get 2x2 gears (i.e. 4) but with a much wider range. The extra weight of the Schlumpf is offset by the far lighter dérailleur gear rear hub. Fit a pair of MKS EZY clipless pedals in place of the folding pedals, far more elegant solution that allows you to use spds.

    Lastly, if you're determined to do some brazing/welding, see if you can come up with a titanium h-bar that doesn't mess with the fold (or infringe Jeff Jones design rights) Now that would be a package that was worth £1800 :)

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