Who is excited for the Brompton Electric?
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Who is excited for the Brompton Electric?
I've read from a few US vendors like Clevercycles that they will be having the US version soon with a June/July delivery date. Cant wait!
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Or you can do this now, and it's a lot lighter weigh (4.5 lbs) t, can be removed completely in 10 seconds and used on any other bikes you have. Special mounts available for Brompton so you
can still use your luggage. Onemotor.co.
can still use your luggage. Onemotor.co.
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#3
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Would it interfere with the light on the Brompton? I can see that it would block it.
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I'm not sure. The inventor is a brompton owner, can't imagine he didn't think of that, I just sent him an email to ask. The unit also has it's own built in lighting system (good for being seen definitely, but not for illuminating the road).
Edited to add: Yes, it will conflict with the dynamo brompton light system. But as I mentioned, the unit has very bright configurable lights of it's own. And a rechargeable battery operated headlight works really well...and be plugged in to the USB port on the 1M battery!
Edited to add: Yes, it will conflict with the dynamo brompton light system. But as I mentioned, the unit has very bright configurable lights of it's own. And a rechargeable battery operated headlight works really well...and be plugged in to the USB port on the 1M battery!
Last edited by linberl; 06-18-19 at 02:04 PM.
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Well my conservative outlook is that when Brompton puts out something for their bike it will be at least good enough. If you combine something that is supposed to work for everything with something particular it may be OK or not quite so. Anyway everybody strategizes on their own.
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Well my conservative outlook is that when Brompton puts out something for their bike it will be at least good enough. If you combine something that is supposed to work for everything with something particular it may be OK or not quite so. Anyway everybody strategizes on their own.
One big advantage I see is that the system is NOT stuck to the bike, so you can use it on multiple bikes or if you get a new bike. With Brompton's system, you are stuck with Brompton as I don't believe you can move it to any other bike. I suppose if you are sure you are never going to consider a different bike in the future......but things like Helix and other cool bikes will be developed. Who knows what lightweight fast folding speed demon is around the corner? I guess if you have lots of $ you can buy different systems for
each bike. I like the modular concept, myself.
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Obviously every solution is always a compromise and different compromises are best suited for different people and their typical situations. For me with every bike the decision is what gets bolted solid to the bike, that I can leave it behind in the street, and what I need to take off. If I needed to take off a motor and battery for every errand I would make, it would become a sentence. However some people as a rule always take their folder inside. I don't do it and I would hate to have to do it or to take a significant portion thereof. Again all kinds of considerations come in for different people including obviously financial. Certainly a benefit of a movable system is that when it does not work on one system you can take it to another. Yet for Brompton to prosper as a brand they utterly need to test and perfect the system so that it works well so you can take a whole layer of considerations off from there.
#8
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I’m generally not thrilled with the emergence of the electric bike. All things have a purpose and benefit so it must be needed.
but no, not excited about an electric Brompton. I am excited about it before they went electric!
but no, not excited about an electric Brompton. I am excited about it before they went electric!
#9
Schwinnasaur
It is in an interesting option. I could see it for airplane travel.
If I were going to go electric, I would (or will) likely go to a designed ebike with hydraulic disk brakes and a torque sensor based control, lights, etc. 300 W bat is not much, but still flight legal.
I would think it would be loud. Is that so?
If I were going to go electric, I would (or will) likely go to a designed ebike with hydraulic disk brakes and a torque sensor based control, lights, etc. 300 W bat is not much, but still flight legal.
I would think it would be loud. Is that so?
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It is in an interesting option. I could see it for airplane travel.
If I were going to go electric, I would (or will) likely go to a designed ebike with hydraulic disk brakes and a torque sensor based control, lights, etc. 300 W bat is not much, but still flight legal.
I would think it would be loud. Is that so?
If I were going to go electric, I would (or will) likely go to a designed ebike with hydraulic disk brakes and a torque sensor based control, lights, etc. 300 W bat is not much, but still flight legal.
I would think it would be loud. Is that so?
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Obviously every solution is always a compromise and different compromises are best suited for different people and their typical situations. For me with every bike the decision is what gets bolted solid to the bike, that I can leave it behind in the street, and what I need to take off. If I needed to take off a motor and battery for every errand I would make, it would become a sentence. However some people as a rule always take their folder inside. I don't do it and I would hate to have to do it or to take a significant portion thereof. Again all kinds of considerations come in for different people including obviously financial. Certainly a benefit of a movable system is that when it does not work on one system you can take it to another. Yet for Brompton to prosper as a brand they utterly need to test and perfect the system so that it works well so you can take a whole layer of considerations off from there.
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I would probably agree with this if (1) the 1Motor really was generic and (2) I didn't have one now so I know how well it works. Brompton uses a generic hub system and really it's the mounting system that is particular, not the device itself.. Certainly I would want to read reviews by Brompton users if that was the bike I was going to use.....and as 1M ships out more, you'll see them. Hopefully EBR will also get a unit to review in the near future.
One big advantage I see is that the system is NOT stuck to the bike, so you can use it on multiple bikes or if you get a new bike. With Brompton's system, you are stuck with Brompton as I don't believe you can move it to any other bike. I suppose if you are sure you are never going to consider a different bike in the future......but things like Helix and other cool bikes will be developed. Who knows what lightweight fast folding speed demon is around the corner? I guess if you have lots of $ you can buy different systems for
each bike. I like the modular concept, myself.
One big advantage I see is that the system is NOT stuck to the bike, so you can use it on multiple bikes or if you get a new bike. With Brompton's system, you are stuck with Brompton as I don't believe you can move it to any other bike. I suppose if you are sure you are never going to consider a different bike in the future......but things like Helix and other cool bikes will be developed. Who knows what lightweight fast folding speed demon is around the corner? I guess if you have lots of $ you can buy different systems for
each bike. I like the modular concept, myself.
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bag and take it with you (something an earlier poster didn't like about removing the 1M from the bike). It's all a matter of what you want and need. A Brompton with the Brompton electric system is not going to be a light bike. 13.7-14.7 kg PLUS the battery @ 2.9kg. For comparison, that is 36.5-38.5 lbs compared to a Brompton non-electric at around 24 lbs + 4.5 lbs for 1motor. If you have to lift it or carry it, that's a big difference. But I'm sure many folks won't care.
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I am not into electric bikes, but I had to take care of an electric folding bike for a friend who was trying to fly with such a bike and was banned from taking it on the plane due to too high battery capacity. The battery cells were stashed inside the main tube and my solution was to pull them out, separate into cells and give a few to different people who were later traveling down the same route. It worked but in the end these were industry standard cells that you can buy left and right from different suppliers. I have such cells on my regular non-electric bike, used there to balance power production and supply with a dynamo producing the original power. Yes lithium batteries are more expensive than other technologies, but at some point their theft may be compared to stealing AA batteries. When the batteries are additionally in some proprietary packaging, what the heck are you going to do with them after the theft? I know that some people will steal no matter what and think only afterwards.
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People who will steal bikes will also take anything not nailed down. Either they find some way to use it, sell it, or make a few bucks recycling it. Hell, my son had a empty triangle bag taken off his beater once, and the bag had a hole in it! Who would want it? But a bike with a "permanent" mount battery is a great target - they'll just take the whole darned bike!
Comes with motor and battery and all they have to do is grind one or two locks in less than a minute. No one is going to say anything or stop them - tons of you tube videos of people
just walking past all the sparks flying ("Oh, I lost my key"). I'd rather lose a bike and keep the battery and motor then lose it all....YMMV depending on where you live.
Comes with motor and battery and all they have to do is grind one or two locks in less than a minute. No one is going to say anything or stop them - tons of you tube videos of people
just walking past all the sparks flying ("Oh, I lost my key"). I'd rather lose a bike and keep the battery and motor then lose it all....YMMV depending on where you live.
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Of course! I normally go by the nose in any new place, erring on overcautious side first and taking small steps forward, observing what locals do. Paradoxically I would leave bike unattended without much thought in busy places in Africa I frequent, at least during the day. No I would not do it in S Africa that functions like a big city in other regions of the world. However elsewhere a house might be demarked by sticks stuck in the ground and cloth stretched around them. With this the order must be maintained by respect for property of others rather than by physical barriers. Additionally items that somebody might crave for are cows, goats or cash and not really a bike that could be identified. A Brompton of course is completely out of place and primarily attracts curiosity and demands for doing the trick of the folding to a small size and unfolding.
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Of course! I normally go by the nose in any new place, erring on overcautious side first and taking small steps forward, observing what locals do. Paradoxically I would leave bike unattended without much thought in busy places in Africa I frequent, at least during the day. No I would not do it in S Africa that functions like a big city in other regions of the world. However elsewhere a house might be demarked by sticks stuck in the ground and cloth stretched around them. With this the order must be maintained by respect for property of others rather than by physical barriers. Additionally items that somebody might crave for are cows, goats or cash and not really a bike that could be identified. A Brompton of course is completely out of place and primarily attracts curiosity and demands for doing the trick of the folding to a small size and unfolding.
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The most fun I had was with bike taxi riders. They would clap and ask me to ride around. I was even offered to enroll in a taxi co-op. One aspect of this is that taxi riding is an entry level job and bike riding in general is commonly perceived as something that people with little means do. When I ride in, representing the better off world, they feel empowered.
#19
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Originally Posted by linberl
Or you can do this now, and it's a lot lighter weigh (4.5 lbs) t, can be removed completely in 10 seconds and used on any other bikes you have. Special mounts available for Brompton so you can still use your luggage. Onemotor.co.
It's definitely a neat option. I just wish it wasn't so expensive. I can afford it, but I also want to take a trip to Spain... and I'm afraid that there will always be a trip I want to take to... somewhere. But still... neat idea. If your riding around the Bay Area ever takes you into Alameda, let me know. Would be cool to check it out.
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I'm excited in the sense that it is a step forward for Brompton... arguably the leader in upscale commuter folding bikes. They aren't the first to marry electric motors with folding bikes, but if they can deliver a refined experience compared to what's out there, then it might even be worth the high price. What is the final price on these anyways?
It's definitely a neat option. I just wish it wasn't so expensive. I can afford it, but I also want to take a trip to Spain... and I'm afraid that there will always be a trip I want to take to... somewhere. But still... neat idea. If your riding around the Bay Area ever takes you into Alameda, let me know. Would be cool to check it out.
It's definitely a neat option. I just wish it wasn't so expensive. I can afford it, but I also want to take a trip to Spain... and I'm afraid that there will always be a trip I want to take to... somewhere. But still... neat idea. If your riding around the Bay Area ever takes you into Alameda, let me know. Would be cool to check it out.
#21
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I assume 'US version' is the plug on the battery charger is different, and the mains power input...
is not expecting 220v. .. other than that no different..
is not expecting 220v. .. other than that no different..
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Do people often lock Bromptons up outside? I thought a main point of this bike is that it can often be brought indoors, so why would anyone leave it outside?
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Always, no.
Then, what do you do? You get a strong, compact D-lock, park the bike in what looks like a safer area, and hope for the best. That's what you do.
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