mrmotley

2 questions for Brompton riders out there:

1) For those of you who own a Brompton with a rear rack, how often would you say you actually use it? Anyone out there who doesn't have one on his or her Brompton and wish they did?

2) 3 Speed or 6 Speed for around town(hilly) with the occasional long day out?

I am going to buy a Brompton in the near future, and I am undecided as to which model (the M3L or the M6R+ or something in between, like an M6L). I would use it mostly for around town in combination with my car. I don't envision using it to go on extended overnight journeys, just long days out when I travel. I plan on getting a touring pannier for it regardless of my decision about the rear rack. I am a road cyclist, so I don't mind getting out of the saddle in a higher gear to get up an incline.

Any comments/advice would be most appreciated. Thanks.

14R 

My suggestion:

Buy the 6 speed. The amount of weight added as well as the cost is a good cost/benefit investment.

Buy "a la carte" without the rear rack (or the below-average light system as a matter of fact). With the front block you can have all the stuff you need in a more balanced scenario, attached to the front of your bike. If you really want a Brompton rear rack, message me. I have one here that I used once. Will be more than happy to find a way to have it reaching you.

14R

derail3

Buy the 6 speed it is usable for most rides. To bad brompton has not made the drop outs wider and offered a Nexus-8 or Sram-9. It realy could use a wider gear range and would be less complicated then the current 3 speed + rear derailer. Also more gear range with out a front drailer or Mountain drive. I have a rear rack on mine. Have never used it. Seems to be more stable when flolded and parked and may roll easier. But it could just be the inline skate wheels I added.

somnatash

Thats true, I therefore decided to have a one gear B. and then let it been made to 8gears as a aftermarket conversion with less complicated shifting. With the Sturmey Archer no widening of the drop outs necessary, but of course a costly mod.

LittlePixel

The thing about the rack on a Brompton is it's not just for stowing luggage; when the bike is folded with a rack the stability of the package is a lot more seated to the ground than one without which is good on a bus or train. My rackless one has to be propped up next to a vertical or it quite happily falls over without the flatness and extra weight to give it the stability.

derail3

Somnatash,
I would realy like to replace my Brompton 6 speed with a 7-9 speed internal hub. Can you give us information on who did the Sturmey Archer swap and what did it cost?

invisiblehand

check the archives ... kinetics does the mod

folder fanatic

I have a simple C type Brompton (3 speeds, no frills like fenders/rear rack/pump included). I have been very pleased with my little bike. I have put it into any situation that I came across intended for a "regular" bike with absolutely no problems encountered. This bike is my favorite one for sure (I also have 2 other folders). If I would buy another Brompton, I would go the a la carte way and select only the components/accessories I need (including a rear rack, the front luggage system, & duel pivot brakes on both wheels), and buy the 6 speed one (a couple of pounds extra does not mean much to me). The single speed Brompton is attractive to me for conversion since I have done this before to a single speed Dahon some years back. But the conversion can run into much extra $$$$ plus finding a good bike shop with a mechanic both experienced in Cold Pressing plus Brompton mechanics is almost impossible where I live.

For more information see:

https://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-spacing.html

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=228345&highlight=pressing+cold+frame

somnatash

I ordered Brompton + 8GearSturmey Archer from Kinetics and awaiting it. It is ca. 220,- english pound - the hub incl. building wheel etc. (ordering the 1gear AlaCart from brompton saves money). If one already has the bike, its probably not an opportunity: as far as I know, Kinetics only does the mods on a new bike ordered from him. Ben Cooper has been very friendly and helpful and has a good reputation for doing things with bikes. A weakness might be (according to users in the brompton talk): he sometimes needs a long time to deliver and doesn't always answers to emails.

In Berlin Germany you can also get the Sturmey Archer swap for your old/existing brompton. For conversion they charge 333,- Euro. The hub is modified a little and the brompton derailer, but not the frame. I believe, the shop "faltrad-director" also does postal orderings. The owner Christoph Beck is said to be a specialist for folding bicycles. (e.g. seem to be well liked by the birdy-people and has worked on the construction of pacy-bike)

www.faltrad-direktor.de/faltrad%20-%20typen/index.html

If you are willing to broaden the triangle/drop outs and are gifted to do it yourself, you can get a conversion-kit from Juliane Neuss. A rear wheel with the 8-Gear Premium hub with detailed explanation to prepare the triangle. I don't know the price for that. If she mounts it, it will be about 458,-Euro (delivery in Germany, so probably more to your place)
see also
https://bommy.exblog.jp/m2008-01-01/
Hope that helps.
Somnatash