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Brompton + Barbour lifestyle collection

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Brompton + Barbour lifestyle collection

Old 09-26-22, 12:18 PM
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tcs
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Brompton + Barbour lifestyle collection

If you're really into it:

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/bromp...le-collection/

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Old 10-01-22, 12:07 PM
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I'd love a Brompton. I really would. I've been riding a folding bike everywhere, nearly every day, for years now. But it's not in the budget.

And this Brompton/Barbour collection, or whatever it is, tells me why.

Bromptons are expensive bikes. Some of that price premium over, say, a Dahon may be justified by quality (and place of manufacture). But it seems like it's at least partially due to the bike brand being promoted as a fashion accessory (certainly looks that way where I live, anyway), much like, for example, a Hermes Birkin bag, the price of which is wildly inflated over its actual utility.
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Old 10-02-22, 12:05 AM
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It's made in England and you're going to pay for that. The Barbour Edition is just a paint color and a bag, it's not notably more expensive than standard Broms. Yes you can buy a Dahon much cheaper and be happy with it, just know the fold is huge and clunky compared to a Brompton and they tend to sound like a can of nails rattling. Which again, for cheaper maybe that's fine.
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Old 10-02-22, 12:17 AM
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Originally Posted by Joe Remi
Yes you can buy a Dahon much cheaper and be happy with it, just know the fold is huge and clunky compared to a Brompton.

As for sounding like a can of nails, if you meant freewheel/hub noise, that’s exactly how my 6 speed Brompton sounds like compared to my Birdy.
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Old 10-02-22, 01:41 AM
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On Bromptons, rattles and the like are features that you, as the privileged member of an elite group, get to enjoy courtesy of the manufacturer. On cheap Asiatic bikes like a Dahon, they are inexcusable flaws that poor plebs bring upon themselves. You know, kinda like Litepro. On an inexpensive bike, they are components of questionable quality that cast serious doubts about the judgement of the buyer. On a bike made in Oregon, on the other hand, they are the savvy choice of a discerning consumer. 😉

Last edited by Ron Damon; 10-02-22 at 03:39 AM.
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Old 10-02-22, 01:55 AM
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In general, I can’t understand people saying that you have to pay the price for bike built in England. I bought my Brompton because of it’s features. I would never consider paying extra for anything because it’s made in England by overpaid workforce.

I paid more for my Birdy with frame (afaik) and most components made in Asia and probably only assembled in Germany and absolutely love it.
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Old 10-02-22, 03:49 AM
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Originally Posted by CEBEP
In general, I can’t understand people saying that you have to pay the price for bike built in England. I bought my Brompton because of it’s features. I would never consider paying extra for anything because it’s made in England by overpaid workforce.

I paid more for my Birdy with frame (afaik) and most components made in Asia and probably only assembled in Germany and absolutely love it.
I didn't say "you have to pay the price for a bike built in England" and don't appreciate the insulting misquote. I quite clearly said a bike built in England will cost more, you don't have to pay it.
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Old 10-02-22, 04:14 AM
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Originally Posted by Joe Remi
I didn't say "you have to pay the price for a bike built in England" and don't appreciate the insulting misquote. I quite clearly said a bike built in England will cost more, you don't have to pay it.
If what you said:

It's made in England and you're going to pay for that.

had different meaning then I probably missed something.
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Old 10-02-22, 05:30 AM
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Originally Posted by CEBEP
Is the Dahon Curl actually for sale? After all these years, I've yet to see one on the road.
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Old 10-02-22, 09:28 AM
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Originally Posted by Joe Remi
It's made in England and you're going to pay for that. The Barbour Edition is just a paint color and a bag, it's not notably more expensive than standard Broms. Yes you can buy a Dahon much cheaper and be happy with it, just know the fold is huge and clunky compared to a Brompton and they tend to sound like a can of nails rattling. Which again, for cheaper maybe that's fine.
I don't know about Dahons. I've never had one. My bike is a Giant Halfway. The fold isn't terrible, and it doesn't rattle. But the Brompton is amazing. As I said, it just isn't in the budget right now.
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Old 10-02-22, 09:34 AM
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Originally Posted by CEBEP
In general, I can’t understand people saying that you have to pay the price for bike built in England. I bought my Brompton because of it’s features. I would never consider paying extra for anything because it’s made in England by overpaid workforce.
I realize that labor costs in Great Britain are higher than labor costs in China, where the vast majority of folding bikes are made. I don't know that that makes the British labor force "overpaid."

Dahon, for example, is an American company that chooses to make its bikes in China because labor costs (and regulatory barriers and worker protection legislation are nearly non-existent) are very low. Should that be the ceiling for labor costs? Does that make workers in Europe, or the United States, or Great Britain, "overpaid"?

That's fine. Speaking for myself, I would consider paying extra for something rather than benefit by exploiting impoverished workers.
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Old 10-02-22, 10:08 AM
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Originally Posted by CEBEP
If what you said:

It's made in England and you're going to pay for that.

had different meaning then I probably missed something.
​​​​​​You missed something. I don't think Bromptons are over-priced for what you get and from where it's made, but I certainly understand why someone would choose something cheaper. For my money as concerns Dahons - after having owned many of them - I don't think they function well as folders and the riding experience feels rattly to me.
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Old 10-02-22, 10:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Winfried
Is the Dahon Curl actually for sale? After all these years, I've yet to see one on the road.
I see one on Ebay occasionally but I'm not sure they're even in production anymore.
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Old 10-02-22, 03:34 PM
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Originally Posted by Ron Damon
On Bromptons, rattles and the like are features that you, as the privileged member of an elite group, get to enjoy courtesy of the manufacturer. On cheap Asiatic bikes like a Dahon, they are inexcusable flaws that poor plebs bring upon themselves. You know, kinda like Litepro. On an inexpensive bike, they are components of questionable quality that cast serious doubts about the judgement of the buyer. On a bike made in Oregon, on the other hand, they are the savvy choice of a discerning consumer. 😉
My Brompton (M6R) doesn't rattle at all. I also don't consider myself a "privileged member of an elite group". I consider myself a savvy purchaser who did my research (I test rode Bromptons, Dahons and Terns) and was willing to pay a little more for the quality, fold, ease of packing when traveling and resale value that I found in a Brompton.
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Old 10-02-22, 03:53 PM
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Originally Posted by MAK
My Brompton (M6R) doesn't rattle at all. I also don't consider myself a "privileged member of an elite group". I consider myself a savvy purchaser who did my research (I test rode Bromptons, Dahons and Terns) and was willing to pay a little more for the quality, fold, ease of packing when traveling and resale value that I found in a Brompton.
I've had 6 Bromptons and they were all solidly built. I'm out of that market now because my arthritic wrists can't handle the bar shape anymore and swapping to what I need would compromise the fold, but they're great bikes.
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Old 10-02-22, 10:31 PM
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As I’m not a farmer or a wannabe farmer, Barbour as a brand doesn’t interest me. If I want a waxed canvas bike bag that are made in England, I buy Carradice gear (second-hand admittedly on eBay) which is pretty much indestructible and easy to repair.
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