Brompton Specs for Touring
- At March 27, 2011
- By Russ
- In Uncategorized
22
We’ve been getting lots of questions about our Bromptons, so I thought I’d give a quick breakdown of the bikes and some of the specs. We’re still customizing them, so things may change a little by the time we actually take off.
Our favorite bike shop in town, Clever Cycles, is a Brompton dealer and they have a snazzy web app that lets you build a Brompton to spec. To see our current configuration, click here. We have two new 2011 colors – sage green and claret. Both are real classy and subdued looking and not typical garish loud bike colors.
Brompton M-Type
You can get Bromptons in three handlebar styles which are not easily interchangeable. So once you pick one type, you’re pretty much committed to it. Ours are the M-type, which is gull shaped and gives a fairly upright position. There is some fore/aft adjustment so you can shorten or lengthen the cockpit a little. I test rode the S-type bars which are fast and agile but were a bit lower and more aggressively positioned for the type of riding we were planning to do. The P-type bars meant for touring offer does offer more hand positions (high/low position), but none that I wanted. With an M or S-type you could use bar ends, which give you the ability to have a neutral hand position (like riding on the hoods of drop bars).
6spd with -12% reduced gearing
We chose the 6psd Bromptons with BWR hubs – special three speed hubs made for Brompton that give a large range of gearing. We also opted for the -12% reduced gearing option since we are going to be doing self-supported touring and will do a fair amount of riding in hilly territory. The standard gearing has a 50t chainring, which we found was geared too high for us. The high gear was too high and the low gear was not low enough. With the 44t chainring, the gearing is almost perfect. It covers about 90% of the riding we’ll encounter perfectly. With the reduced gearing your range is 29-87 gear inches, as oppose to 33-99 gear inches with the standard gearing.
Mudguards and Rack
Our Bromptons have both fenders and rack. Many people opt not to have a rack because of the added weight, but we wanted one so it would give us some flexibility with packing (we could bungee excess to the rack). Not to mention, the rack also has two additional rolling wheels which act as casters for the Brompton when folded. This creates a super stable base for a folded Brompton. We opted for the EasyWheels upgrade as well, which is a vast improvement over the small plastic wheels. With this combination, your Brompton is easily pushed and pulled over smooth even surfaces.
Seat Pillar – Telescopic
The telescopic seat pillar is usually an option people choose for their Brompton if they are too tall for the standard pillar. However, an unexpected advantage of having the telescopic pillar (even if you’re not 6’5”) is that it allows quick removal of the saddle for travel. You simply open up the pillar’s quick release and pull out your saddle still attached to the shorter length of seatpost and stick the whole mess in your bag. When we fly, we always remove the saddle so it looks less like a bike and it shrinks the overall dimensions of the folded bike a fair amount (enough to fit through TSA scanners!). To remove the saddle without the telescopic pillar you would need allen wrenches and a lot of patience since you would have to readjust the saddle every time you took it off. No thanks!
Incidentally, another unexpected advantage of a telescoping pillar is the ability to use a Carradice SQR block for their saddle bags. The bands on the block won’t fit on the larger diameter post, but WILL fit on the telescopic extension!
Tires – Schwalbe Marathon
Having ridden Schwalbe Marathon tires on our Surlys, we were pretty set on getting them for the Bromptons. Though not as fast feeling or light as the other options, we knew they would offer the best flat protection and long term durability.
Rear Suspension – Firm
If you get a Brompton and do any self-supported touring, get the FIRM suspension block. We rode with the standard block for the first few weeks and swapped ours to firm not too long ago. It made a HUGE difference in the overall feeling of responsiveness, especially with a load. The standard block simply squished way too much. It felt as if we were losing about 10% of efficiency bobbing up and down. The firm suspension also made it feel more stable to do standing climbs on the Brompton.
Dynohub
We opted for dynamo lighting since we were going to use the bikes as commuters as well as tourers. We got the Shimano hub and halogen front light. We’re hoping to upgrade the lights to LEDs eventually, but for now they are fine. It’s nice to not to have to worry about batteries while on tour. Another added benefit is that you can run the lights during grey drizzly days for added visibility without being concerned if you’ll have enough juice for later in the evening.
Front Luggage
We got the front touring bag for the Brompton. This requires getting a carrier block installed to the frame. The front luggage system on the Brompton is brilliant. Since the luggage is supported by the frame, the bags don’t move as you steer. This keeps the load perfectly centered and doesn’t introduce any more moving mass when you turn the handlebars. The bike also handles exponentially better when you have a front load on it. It dampens the over-responsive steering and makes it more comfortable to ride.
Further Modifications
As great as the bike is, there are some things we changed as soon as we could. Namely, the saddle and the grips. We transferred our old Brooks saddles, thought truth be told, the stock saddle isn’t so bad. We both changed out the foam grips to something more ergonomic. I currently have some Ergon R2M grips with bar ends and Laura has Ergon BioKork grips. Fortunately, none of these grip additions interfere with the fold.
In addition, we also transferred our old Grip King pedals from our Surlys to the Bromptons. The right-side pedal slips on as usual. For our left-side pedals, we had CleverCycles install the MKS quick release pedal system. Email them for details.
The Bromptons are amazing bicycles. Even after a few weeks of ownership, its still a marvel to behold the fold. They are so versatile and really open up traveling possibilities. We’ll write more about any other further changes and our final configuration. Feel free to email us if you have any questions.
Charmaine
Interesting set-up for touring that you have put together.
I’ve found that I can’t really put much weight on the Brompton’s rear rack (bag-wise) since there’s not much clearance between the fender and tire. But the front touring bag is good for holding a lot of stuff! 
Charmaine
Carol
It is fun the read what you are doing with your Bromptons. My husband and I bought ours in 2007 for a 6 month trip in 2008, which we took through Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, Singapore, India, Turkey, Greek Islands and The Netherlands. We added boats, buses, minivans and airplanes to your list that equals freedom. More recently we have pedaled through The Czech Republic, Austria, and Hungary. We have never tried to camp as part of our bicycle travel, but we’ve stayed in some really cheap lodging! With only the front bag, we can take enough clothes, a silk bed liner, and extras as needed. I will continue to watch your progress. Have fun!
Bike Hermit
Very interesting. I’ll be following your story!
Susan
Hi! Can you tell me what size wheels you’re using?
Russ
The Bromptons have 16 inch wheels.
Best,
R
bubba
Sounds like an adventure. I support your efforts to make train/bike travel better and more popular.
one note on the “minibikes” is that the little rims get hot on downhills w/a load. I don’t supose they offer discs?
good luck!
Chandra Eswaran
Russ&Laura,
I found this article, especially the part about the non-compatibility of the standard Brompton seat post with the SQR fitting, very useful.
Thanks for the enlightenment.
Peace
Chandra
PS. I enjoyed meeting both of you at the Brompton booth during the NAHBS!
taiwoon
Hello Russ and Laura, inspired by ur articles.. I think I am going to use my brommie to tour!
Russ
tawiwoon – Awesome! Hope to get to tour in your part of the world one day!
taiwoon
Russ, if u do, pls make sure u let me know.. And u can bunk in my place!
Milton
Hi. Fascinating blog – thanks…
I’m on the point of ordering a custom Brompton, and am just making the final decisions a few things, so I just had a couple of questions:
1) Would you say that the Ergon grips give the M-type handlebars the functionality that’s intended to be provided by the P-type? It would be good to hear a little more about why you went for the M and not the P. Do the Ergon grips effectively give you two different riding positions – one for speed, one for looking at the scenery, like the P bars? (It’s a little hard to tell from the design of the grips themselves, and from the images here.)
2) I’m having trouble deciding between the standard and reduced gearing. Did you ever feel that the top gear, on a long flat or downhill stretch with no traffic, was any lower than you would have wished? I know it’s basically just a question of trade-offs between different preferences, but, again, I’d be fascinated if you could expand on your experience in this area.
Thanks again! MH
One Month of Loaded Touring on the Bromptons, or ‘No, it’s not a Bike Friday’ | The Path Less Pedaled
[...] you’re interested in the particular specs of our Bromptons, read this previous post. If you have any questions we haven’t answered, feel free to comment here or shoot us an [...]
Scott
Milton:
The Ergon grips are vastly superior to the P-type bars. The lower position is too far from the brakes for safety, and your hands are in the same orientation, only lower. With the Ergon grips, you can rotate your wrists 90 degrees, to a more natural position (great for climbing out of the saddle), and still be within a split second of the brakes.
The P-type bars are also narrower by a smidge by measure and narrower still in effect because you can’t hold onto the top, outside curve of the handlebars as well as you can hold onto Ergon grips.
I got P-type bars for my first Brompton and M-type bars for the second (after I sold my car and needed a bike even more). I liked the M-type bars that I had the P-type bars converted to M-type (at no small expense), and I wouldn’t go back for anything.
Scott
Albert
After seeing your website several months ago, I ordered a Brompton with a very similar options like yours…M-type, 6 gear, rear rack, EZwheels, Brooks saddle (titanium), and the titanium option…Thank you.
I wanted to ask you about your pedals and grips…
I use my bike primarily for commuting to work and running errands in the city (San Francisco). I was debating between the removable MKS King pedals versus MKS AR-2 EZY Quick Release Road Pedals (http://sheldonbrown.com/harris/pedals.html). The Brompton guy at NYC wheels put the quick release AR-2 pedals on his Brompton. MKS also makes a folding pedal…http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/product_details.php?id=24473. I ride my bike with regular shoes and wanted your opinion on a set of pedals that’s compact, light, and fitting with the Brompton folding bike.
I’ve been debating between the GP-1 and GC-2 ERgon grips (I was thinking of getting the Biokork version for the lightweight factor). What is the point of the long thing attached to the end of GC-2 (and GR-2)?
Thanks for introducing to me such a great bike…it’s a blast riding it everyday!
Brian
How are the shimano dynamo hubs performing? Read that the bracket that supports the front light breaks easily especially when the road gets bumpy — potholes.
I’d like to put a shimano hub in my brompton but feel it’s too much of a hassle if it just breaks down easily.
Anyone with shimano dynamo care to share their experiences with it?
Russ
We’re using the Shimano hubs….about 2000 miles of loaded touring and it’s working well. Laura has the stock light that comes with the Shimano hub and I switched mine with the Lumotec Cyo. We’ve had to replace her bulb already. Not very long life on the those bulbs.
R
Nigel Healy
You still on BWR gear-reduced, I’m sure I’ve seen photos showing you went for a double-chainring manual-move? I think when your BB was working loose I saw a double-chainring. Is there details on that?
I have two touring Bromptons, one long / loaded / hilly multi-day type tours, and one for shorter / lighter / less-hill. My longer touring one is S6R with the older narrow 6-speed and a Schlumpf Mountain Drive, for 12 gears 18″-97″ and my shorter is a S6L-X/BWR gear-reduced 29″-88″.
I also have Ergon grips on both, the Biokork on my S6L-X and the GR2 on the S6R.
James B
I have a S6R on order, and I loved the S bars on my test ride, but I’m worrying now that I won’t have the luggage options if I go touring. I’ll mainly use it for commuting around London and giving some road bikes a run for their money, but in the holidays I’d like to go camping with it. How do you manage? Thanks
Jennifer
Thanks for the post! What kind of rear bags and carrier block type thing do you have on the sage bike in the second photo? It looks like a very nice set up. Happy riding!
Petites Roues Libres » Blog Archive » Le vélo Brompton
[...] J’ai conseillé Céline d’acheter un vélo Brompton après avoir parcouru le net sur les différents vélos pliants. Il existe différentes marques de vélos pliants mais celle-ci sortait du lot de part la compacité du vélo au pliage et leur aptitude à la randonnée. Si on est sceptique quant à la capacité de randonner avec ce vélo, Russ ROCCA et Laura CRAWFORD ont parcouru 16 OOO Kilometres pendant 15 mois à travers les Etats Unis le long de la côte pacifique avec leur Brompton, faites un tour sur leur site : http://pathlesspedaled.com/2011/03/touring-bromptons/ [...]
pamela
hi carol! i saw your 2011 note re; folding bikes and your extensive travels. we are looking at a trip through india in spring and wonder what your route was? we are considering new dehli to khatmandu and into bhutan….
Brompton | Azzy Makes
[...] I think it's such a classy colour – a mix of red, purple and fuchsia. You can check out The Path Less Pedaled and Primo Cyclorina (who has called her bike Clarice!) for more claret bike goodness. If you join [...]