Thursday 30 May 2019

Frost + Sekers Brompton Quicklock Mount

I heard of Frost + Sekers some time ago and really liked their 'Otis' saddlebag when I spied it on another bicycle. Seeing some photos of a Brompton using their special mount to carry this saddlebag I posted a comment on their Instagram feed saying to consider me if they were ever interested in me doing a review. They kindly said that this would be fine and sent me one of their 'Quicklock' mounts specific to a Brompton. It is worth pointing out they were keen for me to carry out an honest review and provide feedback on whether the instructions were easy to follow, what fitting of the mount was like and what I thought of it overall.









The mount is packed in a fairly small box that has a few details of what the mount looks like and how it works.







Inside you get:

  • The mount handle 
  • Rail to go on the Brompton Pentaclip - also where the handle goes into with saddlebag attached
  • New Pentaclip bolt and plates to fix the rail in place







Also included is an A4 sheet of instructions that are very easy to follow. If you get truly stuck there is even a QR code which takes you to a YouTube video telling you how to fit it. Most probably wouldn't need this but it is worthwhile having a look.





Pentaclip with the Frost +Sekers plates and screw


The Quicklock rails can be moved forwards and backwards horizontally and allow you to position saddlebags of different size or have the bag positioned to your taste.






Once in place the the handle simply clicks in and out. It is very easy to do and takes no effort at all. It is something that you can do very easily with one hand and there are no latches to push in or lift up. Very clever.

Another use I found for it is that the handle makes wheeling the Brompton along on its eazy wheels quite easy. I found this when an over zealous member of TLF staff insisted I fold my Brompton at London Bridge!






I must confess that the ease in which you can click in and out made me wonder if it would do the same on its own when riding. I cycled with a fully packed Carradice Super C Audax saddlebag over the many cobbled sections of east London as well as an off-road section when cycling to and from Box Hill and all was secure. It's a brilliant deign. I also think that the materials chosen - especially the wooden handle complement my Brooks saddle, your saddlebag and the Brompton itself.






Any of my Carradice sadldlebags work with the handle. It is just a case of threading though the leather straps onto the Frost + Sekers handle rather than the mounts/rail on your saddle.






If anything as far as the Brompton is concerned it allows the saddlebag to sit in a much better position. I didn't need to use the strap fastening the saddlebag to the seat post but this is easy to attached if desired.






So why buy it? For me there are times when I use my Brompton for all sorts of adventures. This can involve leaving my bike chained up on a luggage rack on a train with me sitting some way off. With this mount I can very quickly and easily detach the bag and take it with me. At the other end there is is no fiddling around with straps etc.., I can just clip in an go. This alone makes it worthwhile having.

Good Points

  • Lightweight - you really won't notice it is there
  • Easy to fit with good instructions
  • Quality - this is a buy once product and build to last
  • The clip in, clip out is done with almost no effort whatsoever
  • Once clipped in it is very secure
  • It is fully adjustable 
  • Very convenient and quick to use


Not so good


Not a great deal that I can see apart from the price.

The mount will set you back £80 on its own. For me I would't buy the mount on its own (unless I wanted to use it on more than one bicycle). The way I would go would be to buy the 15 litre capacity Otis saddlebag and Quicklock mount together for £176. (I haven't used the Otis bag and only seen it on a bike however I am going to check them out in the black version)!







Many thanks to Frost + Sekers for making this happen. Thinking about the Dunwich Dynamo in July and the coach trip back to London, I think that having this system on my Brompton will work really well. I will be able to put everything in the saddlebag and be in a position to quickly take it with me.






https://frostandsekers.com

2 comments:

  1. Neat attachment and removal, but easily removed by someone who isn’t its owner. A black edition would be a nice match.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Not really as you'd almost certainly attached the seat post strap. The Carradice bags all have this and I believe the Frost + Sekers bag has this too.

    ReplyDelete

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