For Sale: Brompton bike, custom one-of

Is it just my imagination or is £1800 is hugely inflated asking price?

Sorry if I missed something.

yep, £1800 is a lots, it doesn't even have titanium fork.

i ve bought a brompton through cyclescheme, so i could take my bike in the train to work, i hate the thing, its heavy and takes a lot of effort to get some speed and to maintain that speed, and they are way too expensive (bought it before i started riding fixed)

+all that shit^

AWESOME!

Funny, I really like them.
I was forced to ride one for work and I thought I would hate it, but it was actually a decent ride. And in the current climate of bike theft being everywhere, it's nice to have a bike that you just take in with you.

obviously they don't fold as well but the higher end Dahons are so much nicer (imo)

obviously they don't fold as well but the higher end Dahons are so much nicer (imo)

I had the MU XL which is (I think) the 2nd one down in the range after the Speed Pro. 12 miles a day for 2 months and the thing started creaking and falling to bits. Then traded it in for an Airnimal Joey. £1800 I think buys you the rohloff equipped model. I've done 4000+ miles in the last year on mine, still going strong with only a new headset needed...

Or £1250 buys you their single-speed, carbon-forked 'Rhino' :0

Funny, I really like them.
I was forced to ride one for work and I thought I would hate it, but it was actually a decent ride. And in the current climate of bike theft being everywhere, it's nice to have a bike that you just take in with you.

Having ridden old shopper bike, like that Raleigh 20 for instance, the Brompton managed to be very stiff, which is a bit of a surprise when you look at it, it should flex a lots but it didn't.

I like them too, it just take a bit of a while to get used to the handling, and the awful sponge between the main frame and the rear triangle is the first thing I would replace.

I had the MU XL which is (I think) the 2nd one down in the range after the Speed Pro. 12 miles a day for 2 months and the thing started creaking and falling to bits. Then traded it in for an Airnimal Joey. £1800 I think buys you the rohloff equipped model. I've done 4000+ miles in the last year on mine, still going strong with only a new headset needed...

Or £1250 buys you their single-speed, carbon-forked 'Rhino' :0

I must admit I've not owned either a Brompton or a Dahon. Just ridden the new ones we have in the shop. I'd love an Arnimal or a Birdy but I can't warrant spending more than £300 ish quid on a folder considering I don't even ride my current one (cheapish Dahon style). I just don't need to carry my bike at any time so I ride full sized bikes everywhere.

Ed, that little suspention block comes in two different firmnessess, one is good for London, the other for more rural areas (or for your off road brompton).

You can also remove some of the bounce factor by sliding a jubilee clip over the block then screw it up tight.

Anyway, that Brommy is stupidly overpriced and immensely undergeared, regardless of which chain ring you use.

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 :)

Those pedals are cool. Can't seem to find spare mountings though (surely the idea is you have one set of pedals which you can switch between your bikes in seconds). Any idea how much and where I could get the spare mounts?

Ed, that little suspention block comes in two different firmnessess, one is good for London, the other for more rural areas (or for your off road brompton).

yes I forget to mention that, there's also a block that kept the brompton nice and stiff like a rigid bike, as well as a 'clip' to lock the rear triangle to the main frame.

In fact, I think it's time for me to tweak the missus' Brompton into a singlespeed coaster-brake-only pocket rocket, I've forgotten how much potential it have;

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn137/GA2G/DirectorsBrompton.jpg

Actually if you want a custom Brompton, you'd be better off getting Merc to make you a clone frame made out of aluminium instead of the original steel of the Brompton.

now that's custom.

Ed, that Brompton is lovely.

Oh it's not mine actually, GA2G met a Brompton rider who modified that red Brompton with coaster brake and suspension hubs.

yeah it's pretty fun looking..

that is one serious piece of bling, the ultimate for bike-rail integrators (as we like to be known), as someone said though waaaay too spinny- this one I did from a more reasonable birdy c2w works out at 72 GI, and thats with 20" wheels!

hope you can sell it to someone with plenty dorra.
curious about foldingshit? try these:-
http://www.londonfgss.com/thread21113.html
http://www.londonfgss.com/thread5712.html
http://www.londonfgss.com/thread14595.html

meh

18" wheels on the Birdy

that is one serious piece of bling, the ultimate for bike-rail integrators (as we like to be known), as someone said though waaaay too spinny- this one I did from a more reasonable birdy c2w works out at 72 GI, and thats with 18" wheels!

hope you can sell it to someone with plenty dorra.
curious about foldingshit? try these:-
http://www.londonfgss.com/thread21113.html
http://www.londonfgss.com/thread5712.html
http://www.londonfgss.com/thread14595.html

sweet. I love Birdys.

i just got my first brompton (S2 model) through the CTW scheme at work (thanks furious tiles).

i've only had it about 4 days and it's already saved me a slow replacement bus ride when the jubilee line was closed on saturday.

it rides better than i thought.

yes I forget to mention that, there's also a block that kept the brompton nice and stiff like a rigid bike, as well as a 'clip' to lock the rear triangle to the main frame.

In fact, I think it's time for me to tweak the missus' Brompton into a singlespeed coaster-brake-only pocket rocket, I've forgotten how much potential it have;

http://i303.photobucket.com/albums/nn137/GA2G/DirectorsBrompton.jpg

the mudguards look badass in black!