Folders

Roger Merriman wrote:

heh sa wouldn't be happy with a Birdy, she likes more sit up and beg
postions as do i to be honest for city bikes.

Birdy has a choice of 2 stems, one raked forward and the other back.
Select the raked back one ("comfort stem" IIRC) and it's sit up and beg.

The ride on a Birdy is better as the frame is a lot stiffer and you've
got full suspension instead of just rear. I'd say it's the better "one
bike for all jobs" tool, but what the Brom does best it does better than
anything else (smallest, easiest fold while maintaining useful amounts
of rideability). But a Birdy costs more and doesn't fold as neatly. You
choose, you lose.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

Peter Clinch wrote:

Roger Merriman wrote:

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.

It belongs to the employer who is leasing it to the rider. Convention
is that at the end of the payment period the employer sells it on to
you, usually at 5% or so of initial cost, at which point it's yours.

Since the employer has little use for your bike, if it gets nicked what
will happen in practice is you continue to pay for it under the salary
sacrifice, but you don't have a bike any more.

ah ok, will have to see about that, it's a small firm and Sa is employee
no3 or something.

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.

It's just as easy to lock as any other bike (there's a handy space in
the frame that makes it very easy to lock frame and rear wheel together
when the back wheel is "parked"). The main point is if you're inside at
all then it needs very little space to sto in a cupboard, under a
desk etc. Not knowing exactly what your work is I don't know how
relevant that will be, but parking securely is typically easier as aside
from anything else you can lock it part-folded or folded where you need
a lot less space for it.

as of the moment very unlikely that i'd have access to any where i could
lock it inside. just have to make sure it has a half decent lock. and
check that it will be covered by someones insurace.

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.

I think so, though John B. moaned at some length about them, finding
them rather stodgy compared to Brompton's own. OTOH I've never heard
Marathons described as "a bit skittery in the wet", so you choose, you
lose...

well quite, i took my old racer out on work duties and really did notice
how much more skittery it was in the rain, where as my normal work horse
with it's 37mm marthon+'s one can be quite cavlier about wet man hole
covers etc. mind you i got home in record time on the old racer... but i
did have to take more care.

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.

Rocketing away from the lights is easy as long as you start in a low
gear (which you always can, with a hub gear) and spin from the saddle.
The small wheels accelerate very well and it's easy to steal a march on
other cyclists who stopped somewhere in the middle of their derailleur
options and have to plod away in something much higher.

thats normaly what i do, roll up lights in 1st and as lights change hoof
it, and click up though the gears. even with the fully laden green lump
it's quite easy to leave the rest of the cyclists cliping in and cars
and what not getting into gear. by the time they have well i've cleared
the junction.

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

If you see it as beibng a main bike for either or both of you then
there's the usual urc "the hub dynamos are the business!" suggestion,
but if it's a bit of an experiment it's a lot extra to pay, even at the
reduced rate. But they are *very* good... But some clip on LEDs should
be fine (seatpost takes one for the rear light).

i'd love dynamo but i think it would be better on big green as she is my
main workhorse and the bike i'm most likely to be riding home in the
dark etc.

Pete.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Peter Clinch wrote:

Roger Merriman wrote:

heh sa wouldn't be happy with a Birdy, she likes more sit up and beg
postions as do i to be honest for city bikes.

Birdy has a choice of 2 stems, one raked forward and the other back.
Select the raked back one ("comfort stem" IIRC) and it's sit up and beg.

The ride on a Birdy is better as the frame is a lot stiffer and you've
got full suspension instead of just rear. I'd say it's the better "one
bike for all jobs" tool, but what the Brom does best it does better than
anything else (smallest, easiest fold while maintaining useful amounts
of rideability). But a Birdy costs more and doesn't fold as neatly. You
choose, you lose.

Pete.

i have a fair fleet of bikes it has to be said, i have one that i need
to do something with as it's looking rather sad and negleted.

which is roundabout way of saying i think the folding into a wee lump is
my main intrest.

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Clive George wrote:

"Roger Merriman" wrote in message
k...

heh sa wouldn't be happy with a Birdy, she likes more sit up and beg
postions as do i to be honest for city bikes.

Eh? Birdy is pretty adjustable, and comes out fairly upright whatever. Have
you tried riding one?

no i've only ridden one folder which was some old lump my dad found,
certinaly the birdy looks on their web site a lot faster, and more
forward postion.

(IMO and my wife's, it's a far better ride than the brompton. Not cheap
though :-( )

it looks it, but thats not really the need for this bike, and yes is a
bit too pricey, for our entended use.

cheers,
clive

roger
--
www.rogermerriman.com

Roger Merriman wrote:
Peter Clinch wrote:

Roger Merriman wrote:

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.

It belongs to the employer who is leasing it to the rider.
Convention is that at the end of the payment period the employer
sells it on to you, usually at 5% or so of initial cost, at which
point it's yours.

Since the employer has little use for your bike, if it gets nicked
what will happen in practice is you continue to pay for it under the
salary sacrifice, but you don't have a bike any more.

ah ok, will have to see about that, it's a small firm and Sa is
employee no3 or something.

With really small firms, its down to what you can discuss with the owners.

The company could carry the risk (or insure it), or could decide not to
bother with insurance.



There is no requirement to use salary sacrifice, an external management
company, or to be limited to £1000 value. For some firms, its simple to
out-source the bike scheme to management companies, but for others doing it
"in house" saves all the costs of the external company.
The £1000 limit comes from using credit agreements (salary sacrifice deals)
where the consumer credit act has a £1000 rule; go above that and there are
loads more hoops for the employer to jump through. But, if its not done with
a credit deal, then there is no limit.


In the extreme, you can legally have the company buy a £10K bike and loan it
to the employee; no salary deductions, no tax to pay, company claims back
VAT on bike purchase. In a few years time the company can sell it as s/hand,
when it could be bought by the employee who has been using it. I'm
considering doing something similar in the near future, though 1K's worth of
bike, not 10! I'm a director and co-owner of a small firm.




- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Den 2008-06-03 15:51:53 skrev Peter Clinch :

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.


Me too! I love riding my Brompton. It made me really get into cycling as a
hobby, and not just as transportation.

I still use my hack bike a little more though. I find it very convenient
to leave it locked up outside. I wouldn't do that with the B, it's too
expensive.

Erik Sandblom

--
Oil is for sissies