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Old June 4th 08, 01:07 PM posted to uk.rec.cycling
Roger Merriman
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Peter Clinch wrote:

Roger Merriman wrote:

It's not likely to be used often. but now and then it would be handy.

it's likely to live in the car (1) boot so smaller is better, though
Sa's route takes her along park gravel paths etc so needs to be able to
cope and not be too twichy about it.

any thoughts? i'm heading towards a brompton if only due to the fold
into a tiny wee lump. though the dawes is cheaper and with bigger wheels
should offer a more solid ride.


You can't go that wrong with a Brom: if you never use it you'll be able
to sell it on at an excellent price, and if you've bought it through the
tax break you're unlikely to lose any money at all and you won't have
any trouble finding a buyer.

true. though hopefully it will get some use. though we'll have to check
what the stance is if i use it, and it gets nicked damadged etc, ie
insurance.

On the "not likely to be used often", I bought my first one on exactly
that premise and now use a Brom as my primary hack bike that does more
trips by number than my other bikes put together. You may be pleasantly
surprised at how useful and versatile a steed it is.

people do seem to love them, the only issue i can see for me, though not
sa (which is handy as it will be her bike) is i don't have any where to
store bikes at work as the area i'm in changes and is outside work, so i
tend to ride/drive to area and then park up. now big green bike is fine
as it's really not attractive to steal, worse i've had is a half empty
bottle of coke and some empty crisp packets left in the front basket...

but the brompton might well not ne there when i get back so that will
require more thought, on where and when i use it.

I've taken mine along MTB trails around Loch Morlich and around the
local woods, and we live by an unsurfaced lane: it's not ideal for any
of these, but it does cope okay, especially if you get the optional
Marathons for it which have a little more tread than Brompton's own tyres.

i was thinking of the marthons having a poke at the web site on the
weekend. as they do seem to be pritty much perfect city tires.

Twitchiness of the steering is something I personally find a non-issue.
Folks I've lent it to have suggested they find it a bit nervous at
first but after a wee while they're dialled in and it ceases to be a
problem. While other folders may give a more "normal" ride, I wouldn't
say the Brom is in any way un-solid (I think you want a Bickerton for
that bendy feeling...) unless you like heaving on the handlebars out of
the saddle in big gears. if you do like that sort of riding then a Brom
isn't ideal, but if you're happy staying sat down and spinning to your
destination it offers a very good ride IMHO.

well Sa doesn't tend to do such sillyness and i well i'll just have curb
my rocketing away from the lights a bit if it springs around too much.

but it will be sa's bike not mine though i may use it just now and then.

Until recently we had a 10 year old Fiesta... unless you routinely have
the back seats down there's not much room in the boot (a lot of why we
changed to a Skoda Fabia estate, in fact) and the smaller the better.
The Brom fits in with no trouble at all.

the car was free and only had sub 15,000 mile about a year ago. i've put
about 20 on it thus far but even so it's a low milage car. and quite
frankly my intrest in cars is fairly low. and luckly the use is dropping
down which is good.

Since you can get accessories on the scheme as well as bikes, I'd
strongly recommend the carrier block and one of the bags (I have the
standard pannier which is a nice mix of decent carrying capacity and
utility). I'd also suggest the reduced gearing, even for flattish
places (but then I like spinning at higher cadences, though if it's a
hilly spot I think you might regret the standard gearing).

na it's SW london area, hampton to kingston though Bushy park should be
it's most common route. so near as flat with some gravel tracks etc.

plus sa likes higher gears.

Finally, my personal opinion is the 'C' budget model is a false economy:
yes, it's cheaper, but no mudguards and downgraded components is just
something you'll pay for later, and when the tax-man isn't taking part
of the strain for you.

looks like one of the M's with paniers and mudguards. possibly lights or
might just drop some twinkies on it.

Pete.

p.s., I have heard ruumours that Guy has one of these. perhaps he'll
break with tradition and tell you about it...


heh

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com
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