Anyone who is a regular visitor to Planet Gary might notice I’ve a habit for posting a blog about some intention or another, usually regarding bicycles, then a few days later I scratch that idea, change my mind and start talking about another idea entirely. And here I am again doing exactly that. No wonder you cannot keep up with me. One bike one day, a different bike the next.
I’ve posted a couple of blogs these past few days on the topic of fat bikes, yet I cannot bring myself to finally make that decision and actually purchase one. I just cannot get myself to that 100% certainty I will use it. And that even when actively encouraged by my significant other half. But what is it that steers me away from fat bikes? You might not be surprised that it’s still another bike. You might well be surprised how different that bike is from a fat bike. Yes, you’ve guessed, it’s the Brompton folding bicycle.
As you can see I already have a Brompton, the 6-speed C Line Explore model. And I’m beginning to fall in love with Mr Orange. It’s weird, it’s quirky, it attracts attention and best of all it’s as much fun to ride as my Swifty kick scooters. Not only that but it’s remarkably nimble and performs far better than it looks or you might expect if you’ve not actually ridden one. Oh, I’ve named it Mr Orange after one of the characters in Reservoir Dogs.
We actually bought two Brompton bikes from Edinburgh Bicycle, the second one for my wife Cathryn. The thinking was that they were perfect for taking with us when away from home. Small enough to stow in the car and also able to be carried inside the hotel or B&B we might be staying at. Much more secure than leaving our normal bikes on the car rack overnight. We bought a couple of Ikea Dimpa bags to store them in at the grand cost of £3.00 each. They are a perfect fit.
The more I ride Mr Orange, the more I want to delve into the world of the Brompton. I actually kind of wished I had an empty bike shed, perhaps with just the single Brompton, then I could “collect” an entire stable of different Brompton bikes, perhaps adding the G- Line for off-road use, P Line electric for longer rides and the lightweight T Line One, a single speed, for simplicity and neatness. The latter, unfortunately, costing some £4250.00. Ouch.
But before I stray further I want to share the modifications I’ve made to Mr Orange. The first was to add some additional puncture protection. This was simply to inject some liquid tyre sealant inside the inner tubes. The theory is that when the tyre, and tube, are punctured, the sealant seals the hole when it reacts with the air. I’ve used this on all my bikes for many years and can attest it works very well. Fingers crossed, touch wood.
The next modification was to purchase the luggage you see above, the Brompton Borough waterproof bag, size small. Capacity is about 9 litres, more than enough for a day out cycling. It simply clips onto and off the mounting block on the handlebar stem and can be removed in seconds with the flick of a small lever. It comes with a detachable shoulder strap allowing it to carried, leaving hands free for carrying the bike onto the bus, train or whatever. The next item changed was the handlebar grips. These were substituted for Ergon GP1 grips, using a spare set left over from previous bikes.
I also use existing lights from my other bikes. For daytime use, as daytime running lights, I have a Knog Blinder Road 600 for the front and a Knog Big Cobber for the rear. Both can also be used at night but for situations where I really want better lighting, my Hope Vision Epic R2 LED lights can also be used. Night becomes day with these beauties, especially when I use two of them! Finally, a better bell and mobile phone mount were added along with a neat Brompton tool kit that fits inside the frame tube. A spare inner tube is carried in the Borough bag, as backup and just in case.
So, what Brompton am I looking at in lieu of a fat bike? Well, what I want is to play around with a single speed Brompton, ideally the titanium T Line One, but the cost is substantial, as I mentioned above. Another option is to convert Mr Orange to single speed. This would cost me about £250.00 in parts, including, new rear wheel, chain tensioner, 44T chainring and a 12T rear sprocket, all required to get the exact gear ratio I want. It could be done for less money but I want the finished job to look as if it came out of the factory that way. Or perhaps purchase another separate bike. Not quite decided yet.
Today, I’m off into Edinburgh with Mr Orange to play a game called Turf, taking some virtual zones, collecting points and hunting a few turfer uniques. And if none of that makes any sense, follow the link for Turf above and be enlightened. Back soon.
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