Originally Posted by
avole
To be fair, your comments about lights are also without any foundation given, and I made no comment about lights other than the Shimano, which for me isn't as bright as the aforementioned USB lighting, plus the lights don't flash, as all the usb I've seen do, though I understand this is banned in Germany.
You have to distinguish between the dynamo and the light(s). While the dynamos provide more or less similar power they are different in terms of price, weight, build quality and drag. The Shimano is cheaper but far worse in every other aspect.
Regarding the lights: The LytB that comes stock with the Shimano lightening is a cheapo - a very low end light that costs about 25€ when bought on the free market and offers way beyond average let alone decent light. You can however exchange it i.e. with the Schmidt Edelux 2 (for a price) and will have very decent light, still using the same dynamo.
The light that comes stock with the SON dynamo from brompton is also a BUM, one that was decent around 2009 when it got invented but is less decent today (but still ok). It costs around the 55€ mark when bought solo and not from Brompton. The SON option from Brompton is however hopelessly overpriced, at least in Germany.
Therefor I bought my SON dynamos wheels solo and not from Brompton - I ended up much cheaper and with far better lights in comparison to the stock option. Still saved about 100€ in comparison to buying from Brompton.
The stock rear light comes from Spanninga (both, battery and dynamo version) and is ok - there is not much difference regarding rear lights (in opposite to the front lights).
Thus saying battery lights are better than dynamo lights just because one component (the front light) of the stock option is uselessy cheap does not seem valid to me. There are a gazillion of options regarding battery lights in all flavors of price and quality - a good hub-dynamo option is just there when you need it, will never run out of battery power, offers very decent light w/o drag and effort, doesn't interfere with the fold, does not need readjustment and you cannot forget it at home. Plus with the SON the weight difference is minimal or even a plus on the side of the dynamo (same amount of light assumed). Therefore for me the hub-dynamo option is way more preferable than battery lights but this clearly depends from one's needs.
Regarding flashing lights: indeed they are illegal in Germany, still they get used. The problem with those is that they are annoying for anybody crossing your way or following you (like another cyclist) plus less secure as they make it massively harder to judge on the distance from you than constant light.
Originally Posted by
avole
Getting the six speed from the start does add flexibility, and probably works out cheaper than adding the hub later.
As I wrote above: Typically not, based on Brompton part-prices but it may depend from your location and in this special case from the fact that both are black edition wheels that may cost extra.
Originally Posted by
avole
If you do get the rack, also go for the bigger wheels on it, since it makes wheeling the folded Brompton much easier.
The wheels changed in 2016. The actual standard ones are in my opinion even better than the former Eazy wheels. Thus no need to go away from what's provided as a standard.