2 speed with reduced gearing (44T) - have I made a mistake?
 

I've just ordered a S2L with a 44T chainring and 12/16T rear sprockets (-18% reduced gearing), giving me 45.7 and 60.9 gear inches. Have I made a mistake? I don't intend to go fast on my Brompton.
I made the decision after trying out the standard 6 speed and found the 1st and 2nd gears to spin too fast, and felt very comfortable with 3 and 4th gears. 6th gear was just too hard.
Has anyone got the same gearing ratios?

I cannot say if you made a mistake but clearly this is very short. Most people seem to be happy with the stock gearing of the 2-speed while (like you did) a lot of people do think the highest gear of the stock 6-speed gearing is too long.

So your highest gear now is 4,86m/60.9 GI, the one of standard 2-speed would be 5,96m/74.7 GI. The highest gear of the 6-speed is 7,99m/100 GI (so two meters more than the 2-speed) and the fourth is 5,10m/63,9 GI. So yes, I suppose you are a bit on the short side of life. But I cannot judge if that's what you like. I run the standard two-speed and consider it even a bit short. I use the 2-speed as a fast and light bike and run the 2-speed mainly in the flat with a cruising speed of about 27 km/h - if your world is different a different setup may be appropriate.

I test rode a 2 speed recently with standard gearing. My cruising gear on the flats on my personal bike, a bike friday NWT, is similar to the low gear on the 2 speed brompton. I'm not sure I would ever use the high gear where I live (SF Bay Area), but I would definitely want a lower gear for climbing. It really depends on the terrain you will ride and whether you prefer to spin or mash. I'm a spinner. But you can change the chainring pretty easily on the newer bormptons, so don't worry too much.

I ride in flat areas and I would be alright with the 2 speed. I got the 6 speed but the only time I need it is on bridges and there are not that many. If I bought it again I would go 2 speed and walk it over any bridges I couldn't pedal over. I would do the 2 speed for the simplicity more than anything else. I got the 6-speed for travel but most of my travel has been to flat areas.

Got the recent Spider crank? Once you get it you are free to change the parts, you can change the 2 cogs 12 [13,14, 15] 16 t, ** and the 1 chainring,
these days to as small as 39t.. or 46 .. its a standard 130 bolt circle. arm no longer swaged to the chainring..

BB is standard British thread , to change whole crank set & BB..

61" is a good gear, (old fixie riders like them ), and you get a freewheel , in the hub..

More exotic (& heavier), are internal gear cranks, but they are not weightless.. I have a 54:15, 3 speed, reduction gear acts like a 21t..

** there are after market 3 cog sets , from SEA, in Titanium ...




...

My Dahon Speed UNO had a 58-inch gear, which was plenty high for flats. Your 2-speed setup sounds fine to me.

You said it yourself "You don't want to go fast on your Brompton", so the gearing you chose will most likely be perfect. Plus what's the worse thing that can happen? If it doesn't suit your needs you change it. Buy a bigger chainring, unfortunately a longer chain and sell your 44 tooth to help offset the cost.

Congratulations on your new bike when it arrives.

I have the -12% 6spd and think your 46/61" gi would be my ideal ratios for flat city riding if restricted to a 2spd. On my 6spd, I like to start in 3rd (46") from lights/stop signs, and my preferred flat ground crusing pace is between 4th (56" or 13-14mph) and 5th (72" 16-18mph)... and I mean 'between' as 4th is a bit too light and 5th a bit too heavy. 6th is nice for pedaling downhill, but I could easily just coast them. However, the low 1st/2nd gears are a must in my hilly suburbs, and for self-support touring. Everyone is different though.

Thank you all. I'll update you when I get the bike.

Just received my new S2L with reduced gearing. I am so pleased to have gone with the reduced gearing. It's such a relaxed ride, which is what my Brompton is for.

Awesome new bike. I like high gears 90ish and would hate your gearing but it sounds like you nailed it.

Now enjoy riding the tires right off her.

You couldn't have asked for a better outcome. Congratulations on your new Brompton.

Congrats on the new bike. I think the 2 speed Brommie is an awesome bike, pretty light and no hassle. Simplicity is a benefit on a bike. Get your cadence up and give yourself some nice cardio workouts =).

Changing your gears
 

If you like you can easily try the 50t chainring. Perennial Cycles sells the chainring and guard and will cut the chain to the exact size. All you do is pull apart the chain replace the chainring with guard and put on the larger chain. It took me no more than 10 minutes. What I did was change out my 2 speed 50t chainring with my 6 speed 44t chainring. I tried it out but after a month or so went back to the 44t on the 6 speed and the 50t on the 2 speed.
Everyone is different, my wife can climb thousands of feet on a 2 speed without problems. I on the other hand would need a knee replacement. It will cost you about a $100 to experiment and about 10 minutes of time but it might be worth it to you.