New Brooks Ergonomic Rubber Grips

I had a voucher expiring from a well know bike shop and didn't really see anything I wanted but did see that they stocked the new Brooks Ergonomic Rubber Grips. As you cannot get these directly from Brooks as they are still temporarily suspending all new orders from the UK, I took the plunge. 

These grips are nothing that new and reminded me of the many grips I have had over the years by Ergon. However, they do seem to be a great deal lighter, a little more compact and the rubber is both forgiving and grippy. They remind me of the material on my Brooks C19 - which isn't a bad thing.

Fitting them is easy enough and the aluminium clamp is very secure. The Brooks end plugs are better than the others I have had and also made from aluminium. The overall vibe is fairly understated. 

In use I have found them to be very good and having large hands I have had little issue in finding a very comfortable sweet spot to rest my hands. The rubber does help to dampen vibrations, more-so than the leather versions I have. The best bit is the price. They retail for £40 but shop around and you can get them for a little less. I have them currently on my Titanium Orange Brompton and they look pretty much at home. I am sure that they will make things that bit more comfortable. 

Stay safe out there people. 

Hiplok Z Lok Combo for my Brompton

When I was at the excellent 'Look Mum No Hands' this morning in addition to tucking in to their Eggs Benedict I saw that they sold the Hiplok Z Lok Combo. I had been after one of these for ages but hadn't got round to it so before I left I bought one.

I like ultra lightweight locks and Hiplok seem to be the ones I like the best. CLICK HERE for my review of the other lock I have from Hiplok.

The great thing about a Brompton is that you fold and take it with you. For me personally I would never lock it up somewhere and leave it. As such I have not felt the need to invest in one of those gold standard type locks - that tend to weigh a huge amount!

The sort of thing I use a lock for is to secure my Brompton to a luggage rack on a train - still with me sitting less than a metre away and watching it all the time - if I am enjoying a cup to tea or coffee at somewhere or for attaching things to bike in some way. This lock is a little like a cable tie and I can see lots of practical uses for it in this capacity.

The Hiplok Z Combo is not a lock that is going to win any awards for being able to stop someone walking away with your bike, but it isn't meant to be. It does have a steel core, 3 digit combination (so you don't have to carry a key), has a locking length of 430mm and weighs next to nothing at 80g.

I can see this lock coming in very handy and for its intended purpose it is very good. If you leave your Brompton locked up somewhere (I wonder why you would though) don't buy this! If like me you want to use it as a cafe lock or strong cable tie, it is quite excellent. Shop around and you can get these for anything between £15 - £20.

Hiplok FLX bike lock for my Brompton

One of the many reasons people buy a Brompton is the fact you can fold it and take it with you. As such you often do not need the heavy and expensive locks that makes claims about how resistant they are to withstanding the the most determined thief. So, why am I writing a review of a bike lock I hear you say?!

My feet are firmly in the camp that say that if I am out on my Brompton and refused entry in a shop or establishment with my folded Brompton, I turn around and look elsewhere. This in itself is quite interesting. Recently (on rainy Sunday morning with no one about) I tried to enter a small supermarket outlet on Oxford Street to buy a bottle of water and was refused entry. Moments later I walked into a high-end pen shop on Bond Street to collect a fountain pen that was being serviced and they could not have been more accommodating.

What I am saying is that I don't really use or need a huge lock. My Brompton always comes with me and when I do leave it a few metres away from me, I keep a close eye on it, being ready to strike with the ferocity and speed of a coiled cobra should anyone get too close!!

Occasionally I do take a lock and for a few years I have been using a HIPLOK FLX. This is a very compact lock with a light and all integrated into a clip that can fasten to bags, coats, belts and jersey pockets. At 100 grams you almost forget it is there.

The lock has a light that pumps out 10 lumens and has a constant and flashing mode. The flashing mode lasts for hour and hours.

It is a combination lock, so no keys are needed. The retractable steel cable extends up to 1 metre and affords basic protection for low-risk areas. The cable is also coasted in a plastic cover so it won't scratch the paintwork.

I have used this lock on trains where my Brompton is sitting on a luggage rack and at times where I just want some peace of mind. It definitely isn't a lock that you could use to leave your beloved Brompton unattended but as a cafe lock it is very good.

The retail price of the HIPLOK FLX is £49.99 which I think is too much. Shopping around I paid £19.99 which for me was a price that works. This lock normally stays inside my saddle bag or is clipped to a pocket and complements the smaller is better vibe of the Brompton.

Shimano PD-T400L SPD Pedals

I have been using SPD clipless pedals on all of my bicycles for several years now to the extent that I am so used to them I doubt if I could ever use anything else. For me there are few downsides with SPD pedals but their only Achilles heel might be the fact that they few have reflectors - a legal requirement here in the UK.

The Shimano PD-T400L is an a clipless pedal like many of the others I have on my bikes - in that it has a double sided entry, tension adjustor for how tight you want to be clipped in - but is also has a plastic cage on which reflectors are integrated.

Along with the pedals you get a pair fo 5M-SH56 cleats and the pedals weigh in at about 500g for the pair. There isn't really a huge difference in weigh between these and other Shimano SPD pedals I use.

One benefit from these pedals - apart from the built in reflectors - is that you can use the pedals with normal shoes or trainers if needed. I don't think that this is something advertised on the tin as it were however you can. I have used them quite happily with trainers and smart work shoes.

These pedals aren't for everyone and most cyclists using clipped in pedals riding at night do not have reflectors on their pedals. I do wonder whether the law needs tweaking for this reason - there are so many other reflective bits on cycle gear. At the moment I have a pair of these on both my Brompton bicycles and I plan to definitely get a their set to go on my Surly Disc Trucker. I do lots of night rides and just like the idea of the extra bit of reflection

They retail at £39.00 but shop around and you can probably pick them up for the £25 mark.

Brooks B17 Standard vs Special...difference in comfort?

When I bought my Orange Special Edition Brompton last year, one of the first things I did was to replace the standard Brompton saddle with a Brooks B17 Standard. It is a great saddle but after an over night ride to Whitstable, I was left wondering walking like John Wayne after he had been on a different saddle for too long! This got be wondering about the differences between the Standard and the Special Edition versions.

B17 Standard in black

Many people report that their new Brooks saddle is a labour of love, requiring some time to break it in. In fact occasionally you can see them on eBay with people selling them as they cannot get on with them. All of the standard B17 saddles I have owned have required some time to break them in with lashings of proofide being applied.

My first Brooks saddle was on my Original Orange Brompton, a B17 Special in brown, This was comfortable straight away, requiring no breaking in at all.

B17 Special Edition in brown

The same could be said of the B17 Special - again in brown - that I bought as an option when buying my Orange P-Type. One of my first rides on this was a 50 miler and again totally comfortable.

B17 Special Edition in brown with copper rails

Zoom forward to a few weeks ago and on my new Flame Lacquer I changed the standard saddle for a B17 Titanium Special in black. It is a really good saddle and had required no breaking in and like the other special edition saddles very comfortable from the word go.

B17 Titanium Special Edition in black

I have had a few other B17 standard saddles and none have had the same levels of instant comfort. If I were to describe them, rock hard might be an apt description.

So, is there a difference between  the standard and the special edition B17s? From my experience I would have to conclude that there is? I don't know what this is thought? Could it be the leather used is different? Are the larger copper rivets factor?

What had been your experience of this? I would love to know, so please leave a comment.

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

See.Sense Ace Rear Light on a Brompton

A few months ago I saw an advert for the 'See.Sense Ace' rear light which you could get for £24.99 rather than the usual £44.99 official retail price. At that price I thought that I would give it a go.

The Ace was a bike light originally started as a Kickstarter. It arrived very quickly and opening the packet my first thought about the Ace rear light was how small and lightweight it was. Looking at the specifications it is a mere 35 grams.

As part of the pack you get:

• The Ace rear light of course
• 1 x Ace mount and insert
• 1 x aero mount (nit really of any use to me)
• 1 x bag mount (very useful indeed)
• 4 x straps of varying size
• 1 x micro USB cable

Plugging the light into charge didn't take long and in about two hours or so I have a full charge. The light can be operated by the button on the front but where it comes into its own is the additional functions to be had via the app.

The app has worked really well with my iPhone and there have been no issues connecting it to the light. With the app you can power the light on and off and control the different modes. You can choose between having the light on constant, flash, twin flash, burst, pulse and Eco mode. They are all pretty useful but for me the best feature is the ability too dial down the brightness for the obvious but also to increase burn times.

 Another option that can be turned on / off is the brake mode. With this on, when you get to a point where you come to a stop - traffic lights, junctions, roundabouts - the Ace increases its brightness automatically. Again this works very well.

Other options include the ability to send crash alerts to a designated contact or you receiving an alert shock you bike be moved.

The light pumps out 125 lumens at it maximum setting and provides 200 degrees of side visibility and is IP67 rated for its waterproofing.

The mounts are small and discrete and work well. I like the bag mount in particular. The lightweight clip is strong and there is little chance of it coming loose from a saddlebag, jacket or jersey. The seat post mount, attached via two rubber straps works well, holding the light very securely.

I have used the light on a couple of all night rides and had plenty of juice left on the light when I am back in London in daylight. Dialled down it is still an excellent rear light after 7 - 8 hours of constant use but can then be put to the maximum brightness setting for daytime use so that it can still be seen.

For £24.99 it was a bargain but you can get one for about £33 from a few shops. It is a great little light and I am really glad that I bought it.

Brompton Toolkit Still Brilliant

When the Brompton Toolkit originally came out, many of us Brompton types looked upon it with glee and bought one. I had one of the original ones with the tyres levers that many reported snapping when they attempted to take a tyre off. Brompton replaced them for the all steel ones we have today and not thinking I needed it anymore, I sold it. Zoom forward to this morning and I found myself in a cycle shop on Great Portland Street with an unused £25 gift voucher and within two minutes I was all but reunited with an old friend.

The Brompton toolkit is in many ways pure indulgence. It is sold for anything between £50 - £55 (and if you are silly enough even more) so it isn't cheap by any means.

The plus point is that its clever design means that it can be stowed away neatly in the top tube of the frame and thus always there whenever you need it. This cuts down on the need to scrabble around in your saddlebag for a spanner and tyre levers.

The tyre levers have a magnet so that they stick together neatly when in its little tube case. The levers are not just pretty to look at, they work. I have used them to take off a Marathon Plus tyre.

The levers also have the function of 8mm and 10mm spanners.

The toolkit contains the following:

• Tyre levers with integral 8mm and 10mm spanners
• 15mm spanner (for wheel removal) with integral ratchet driver
• Pozi drive and flat head screwdriver bit
• 2.5mm and 5mm Allen key / hex wrench bit
• 2mm and 6mm Allen key / hex wrench bit
• Puncture repair patches (glueless) 
• Sandpaper
• All held in a strong metal tube

I have a dynamo front wheel and the toolkit contains the necessary Allen key for me to use to take it on and off. This means that I could quite easily get away with not taking a dedicated tool that contains lots of different Allen keys.

Space in my saddle bag (usually a Carradice Zipped Roll bag) is sometimes at a premium. This is usually when I am carrying some wet weather gear and a few snacks. I have been trying to carry the bare minimum and the return of the Brompton Toolkit will certainly help that minimalist drive. Of course, if you have ready my blog you will know that when cycling through the night in the middle of nowhere, having good tools readily available is important. This for me is the killer feature of the Brompton Toolkit.

Perfect fit

Always ready

The end magnetised so it stays in place

So, do I think it is worth it? For me at least, yes. I like the idea of having many of the tools ready and waiting in the top tube without me having to give a great deal of thought as to where they are or whether I have taken them with me. The quality shines through - this is something you will probably buy once. It is quite expensive and you will have to weigh up whether you want what I suppose is a luxury item. I am very pleased to have the Brompton Toolkit back in my possession.

Moon Meteor Storm Front light for Brompton

I have been using my Cateye Volt 300 for a number of years as a commuter flashing light but have found that the battery has all but given up the ghost. I have therefore been on the search for something to replace it. My search brought me to the 'Moon Meteor Storm.'

I actually bought a Moon rear light last year and was very impressed with it, so I was already aware of the company based on the quality of that light, felt that their front lights deserved a look. With a £30 'Evans Cycles' voucher not used I saw that the Meteor Storm was on offer for £54.99 and had been reduced from £99.99 at some point in the past. This meant that the light would only cost me £24.99.

The light is not the most powerful of the ones that Moon do but it does have some pretty good statistics. I won't use it but it does have a boost function that can pump out 1700 lumens for two hours. The other runtimes were more appealing:

Mode 1  1300 lumens for 3 x hours

Mode 2   850 lumens for 4 x hours

Mode 3   600 lumens for  5 x hours, 30 minutes

Mode 4   300 lumens for 11 x hours

The flash modes are even more impressive in terms of run time / lumens and these are probably what I will be using the light for the most:

Flash 1       100 lumens for 120 hours

Flash 2       400 lumens for   45 hours

Flash 3       800/20 lumens for 28 hours

Day Flash 1700 lumens for 50 hours  

The Meteor Strom

The light is substantial in terms of built quality with a CNC aluminium alloy body. It weighs about 200 grams and is 115 x 48 x 34mm (W x D x H) in size. It is a solid, well made light that looks as if it could stand up to the rigours of a daily commute light. It is water resistant and the rubber USB flap is magnetic so quickly snaps into place.

The light has a very good mounting system and I don't think that there is much chance of the light coming loose or the handlebar bracket for that matter. It was actually quite difficult at to get the light off the mount but I suspect that was as it was new. After a few days of use it was much easier doing this, more so that I was more used to the way it went on and off.

Robust mounting system

Excellent handlebar mount for lots of different bar widths

Magnetic USB flap

The top of the light has a matrix LED display to show what mode you are in and the status of the battery. This took a little getting used to. For example mode 1 has 5 x LEDs displayed, mode 2 has 4 x LEDs and so on. Just a case of getting used to it. Charge times from empty to full was about 6 hours (I think) as it has a cutoff when it has reached full charge.

Incidentally, I found out when reading the very simple one she of A3 instruction guide that you can get replaceable batteries for this light. I am not sure it is worth it as two batteries needed to power the light cost about £40. It remains an option though.

Matrix LEDs

The light has 2 x CREE XM-L2 LEDs (whatever that means) but I can tell you the light output and the runtimes are impressive to say the least. My Exposure Toro Mk 7 is an incredible light but the flash modes on the Meteor Storm are much better and the lumen verses runtime is not too far behind. I had bought this light primarily for is flash modes to replace the Cateye Volt 300 however I could happily use this light for night rides to the coast as a light in itself.

Bright, with excellent run times 

One really goo thing about the light is it comes with a few extras. The first is a USB remote switch. This is small rubber coated and would allow you to cycle through the different modes quite easily.

The USB remote

The next is a helmet mount. I am not overly sure I'd use this but you never know and it is great that it is included.

Helmet mount

Okay the all important question. Do I think the light is worth £54.99? I would have to say absolutely. It's a solid performer and having used it on a 10 mile night ride yesterday I came back liking it a great deal. The fact that I was able to get it for £24.99 as I had a voucher left over from Christmas was a bonus.

The light is available from a few retailers and if you shop around you might be able to get it for slightly less than the 1p under £55 asking price. There are lights out there costing a great deal more that are nowhere nearly as good. Highly recommended.