Below please find the link to this.
Monday, 7 May 2018
Tweed Run 2018 Video
On Saturday I took part in the Tweed Run. Always a lovely event I managed to capture a little video.
Sunday, 6 May 2018
London to Felpham Disaster
Friday 27th April was a very busy day for me. I had to be up at stupid o'clock to attend an all day event in central London and then rush home to try and get prepared for a nocturnal adventure to Felpham. As I travelled home on the tube I had no idea of the events that would take place later on!
I decided to leave my new Orange Brompton at home mainly as I had not taken my trusty P-type out yet on any of these adventures. Saying goodbye to Mrs Orange and the Orangettes it was raining as I stepped foot outside my house and as I cycled down the road I wondered if I should have taken some overshoes. As I reached the tube station for the short journey, thoughts of this and the weather were removed from my mind as I looked forward to what the evening had install.
I arrived in good time and made my way to the South Bank. Under the shelter of buildings I could see that the rain was still falling. Dr John was already there when I arrived on his rather fine Whyte carbon road bike. Soon after Geoff arrived on his steel Ribble. I have to confess to missing my Condor road bike but wanting to go back to my roots for these rides was glad I had taken the Brompton. More on that later!
Our names were ticked off the list, interactive safety talk delivered and just after midnight we were off heading towards Felpham in a fairly constant drizzle.
As you may have already guessed, due to the weather conditions there was very little opportunity (or desire) to take many photographs. The rain fell and fell continuously until the half way point. I was cold and wet within an hour of cycling but I always take the attitude that skin is waterproof so what is the worst that can happen.
I cannot say with any accuracy when it happened but I'd guess 7 miles into the ride the shifter that moves the chain from one cog to the other and thus giving thee Brompton 6 very useful gears started to be very hit and miss. not long after this the shifter didn't shift at all. This meant I was down to 3x gears that were not spaced too well for some of the hills on this ride. Sadly Brompton bikes with smaller wheels, lower to the ground sometimes suffer from poor weather conditions where all manner of crud gets into places it should not and thus clogs things up. Of course this has happened to me before so I just carried on.
There were a few tasty hills on this ride - which I enjoy but it was hard going. There was one very, very steep descent that was quite terrifying in these weather conditions. The descent was bad enough but there were also gravel and a pretty bad road surface. The addition of rain made things even more demanding. About half way down it got steeper and I could see a hazy-fog swirling around. My front lights simply bounced off this resulting in me making my descent unable to see a great deal of what was coming next!
Thankfully we made it down and not too long after this the sanctuary of the Scout Hut. With stops for mechanicals and punctures, progress had been slow and having covered only 28 miles by the time we reached the halfway stop at about 04:20.
The food was wonderful and gratefully received by all. Many thanks to the team of volunteers who got up to greet us and prepare all that lovely food.
About an hour later we emerged from the warmth of the Scout Hut into a light drizzle and cold. A few people called it a day at this point. I felt the cold and wanted to get going to try and warm up. My legs, more specifically my left knee started to feel the strain of trying to cycle with just three gears. I was starting to slow down.
Passing Three Bridges Station I remember saying to Dr John that I might bail at this point but we carried on. I was getting ever slower. I could not keep up with Dr John and Geoff and was longing for the joys of my Condor road bike. Gradually the pack got further and further away. I was about 50 metres behind the back of the pack and for a few miles I was actually riding with the Tail End Charlies and struggling doing that.
With Horsham Station in sight I bailed at just 41 miles. Oh, the shame of it!
On this stretch of the line there was a bus replacement service that meant I would have to wait for it to take me back to Three Bridges. With a bus almost to myself I folded my Brompton and after what seemed like an eternity I arrived back at Three Bridges!
I managed to get the 07:35 train which was surprisingly busy for this time of the morning.
At St Pancras I knew that I had to cycle a few miles. Progress was slow and my left knee made it very clear that it was not up to a great deal of exertion! Once home I had a quick bath and got a bag of frozen pees to place on my knee. Thankfully all seemed to be back to normal pretty quickly.
Later on, having a look at my bike there was a huge amount of dirt in the cogs, chain and shifter. In addition to that the cable had come out of its little housing. After a thorough cleaning, all was good in the world and I had a well behaved and loyal Brompton again.
This goes down as one of my most demanding rides for a long time. There were times on this ride where I longed for my Condor road bike. I fact, my desire to complete all of the 2018 night rides to the coast on a Brompton was dented slightly.
Many thanks to our ride leader and his Tail End Charlies. Also thanks to Geoff and Dr John for their company. The next ride is in the middle of May and I look forward to it...whatever the weather!!
I decided to leave my new Orange Brompton at home mainly as I had not taken my trusty P-type out yet on any of these adventures. Saying goodbye to Mrs Orange and the Orangettes it was raining as I stepped foot outside my house and as I cycled down the road I wondered if I should have taken some overshoes. As I reached the tube station for the short journey, thoughts of this and the weather were removed from my mind as I looked forward to what the evening had install.
I arrived in good time and made my way to the South Bank. Under the shelter of buildings I could see that the rain was still falling. Dr John was already there when I arrived on his rather fine Whyte carbon road bike. Soon after Geoff arrived on his steel Ribble. I have to confess to missing my Condor road bike but wanting to go back to my roots for these rides was glad I had taken the Brompton. More on that later!
Our names were ticked off the list, interactive safety talk delivered and just after midnight we were off heading towards Felpham in a fairly constant drizzle.
As you may have already guessed, due to the weather conditions there was very little opportunity (or desire) to take many photographs. The rain fell and fell continuously until the half way point. I was cold and wet within an hour of cycling but I always take the attitude that skin is waterproof so what is the worst that can happen.
I cannot say with any accuracy when it happened but I'd guess 7 miles into the ride the shifter that moves the chain from one cog to the other and thus giving thee Brompton 6 very useful gears started to be very hit and miss. not long after this the shifter didn't shift at all. This meant I was down to 3x gears that were not spaced too well for some of the hills on this ride. Sadly Brompton bikes with smaller wheels, lower to the ground sometimes suffer from poor weather conditions where all manner of crud gets into places it should not and thus clogs things up. Of course this has happened to me before so I just carried on.
There were a few tasty hills on this ride - which I enjoy but it was hard going. There was one very, very steep descent that was quite terrifying in these weather conditions. The descent was bad enough but there were also gravel and a pretty bad road surface. The addition of rain made things even more demanding. About half way down it got steeper and I could see a hazy-fog swirling around. My front lights simply bounced off this resulting in me making my descent unable to see a great deal of what was coming next!
Thankfully we made it down and not too long after this the sanctuary of the Scout Hut. With stops for mechanicals and punctures, progress had been slow and having covered only 28 miles by the time we reached the halfway stop at about 04:20.
The food was wonderful and gratefully received by all. Many thanks to the team of volunteers who got up to greet us and prepare all that lovely food.
About an hour later we emerged from the warmth of the Scout Hut into a light drizzle and cold. A few people called it a day at this point. I felt the cold and wanted to get going to try and warm up. My legs, more specifically my left knee started to feel the strain of trying to cycle with just three gears. I was starting to slow down.
Passing Three Bridges Station I remember saying to Dr John that I might bail at this point but we carried on. I was getting ever slower. I could not keep up with Dr John and Geoff and was longing for the joys of my Condor road bike. Gradually the pack got further and further away. I was about 50 metres behind the back of the pack and for a few miles I was actually riding with the Tail End Charlies and struggling doing that.
With Horsham Station in sight I bailed at just 41 miles. Oh, the shame of it!
On this stretch of the line there was a bus replacement service that meant I would have to wait for it to take me back to Three Bridges. With a bus almost to myself I folded my Brompton and after what seemed like an eternity I arrived back at Three Bridges!
I managed to get the 07:35 train which was surprisingly busy for this time of the morning.
At St Pancras I knew that I had to cycle a few miles. Progress was slow and my left knee made it very clear that it was not up to a great deal of exertion! Once home I had a quick bath and got a bag of frozen pees to place on my knee. Thankfully all seemed to be back to normal pretty quickly.
Later on, having a look at my bike there was a huge amount of dirt in the cogs, chain and shifter. In addition to that the cable had come out of its little housing. After a thorough cleaning, all was good in the world and I had a well behaved and loyal Brompton again.
This goes down as one of my most demanding rides for a long time. There were times on this ride where I longed for my Condor road bike. I fact, my desire to complete all of the 2018 night rides to the coast on a Brompton was dented slightly.
Many thanks to our ride leader and his Tail End Charlies. Also thanks to Geoff and Dr John for their company. The next ride is in the middle of May and I look forward to it...whatever the weather!!
Friday, 20 April 2018
20 questions for Brompton Chief Executive, Will Butler Adams
Just over five years ago Brompton Chief Executive, Will Butler Adams agreed to answer some questions about all things Brompton. Five years is a long time in business and there have been lots of changes at Brompton. Very kindly, Will agreed to do the same all over again.
I put twenty questions to him and said that he could answers as many or as few as he wished. Despite being undoubtedly busy, he answered all twenty questions. My questions and Will's complete answers appear below without any alterations.
I think his answers are brilliant but please see for yourself.
1. A few years ago, I asked you what sort of Brompton you owned. You said it was a black 15-year-old M3L. Do you still have this bicycle? Do you now have another bicycle and what is it?
Sadly the 15-year-old Brommie finally died a death at circa 18 years of very hard labour. I could have fixed her up but actually after that much time everything is about to conk out, so it was time to move on. Since then I haven’t really had my ‘own’ bike. I have a red, white and blue, 2-spd steel that I use often but have been more keen to be trying out more of our r&d bikes, be that Brompton electric or other plans we have afoot.
We needed more space, we moved into Kew Bridge with 20 or so staff and left with nearly 250 it was just not sustainable. We had taken on another unit round the corner which bridged the gap but it was not sustainable and inefficient to be transporting stuff up and down from each site. Also we needed space for more r&d facilites, space to put in an electric line, space to bring paint in house and space to have a bit of fun. It was scary, daunting, expensive and none of us were 100% sure it was the right decision. Two years on we are all sure it was the right decision and are very happy in our new home.
The last day of production was a sad day and the end of an era but our mission is to change how people live in cities and we need to evolve, innovate, grow and take risk if we are going to pull that off so at the same time we were proud to be taking the next step.
It has been a long and hard journey and we in many respects are still just beginning the journey. We want more people to enjoy cycling, many people do not have the confidence to cycle as they don’t feel they are fit enough or don’t want to sweat. The electric takes these barriers away. The problem has been that electric bikes weight a tonne and are bulky things so not much good for something you have to fold and carry. We looked to find a solution, there wasn’t one so we took the rather more challenging path of developing our own. We were lucky to have some help from Patrick Head (Long standing Brompton rider and ex CEO of Williams F1) who said he could help. We have invested much of our savings and it has been a real challenge to become an electronics and software company as well as a metal basher. We are getting there, it has taken longer and cost more than any of us imagined but we now feel we have something we are proud of. I have been using the electric for six months now and love it!
Other buggers efforts is what OBE stands for. It was a complete surprise and an honour to accept the appointment on behalf of all the Brompton staff.
The award was given at Windsor Castle and I was able to bring my wife and two of my daughters. It is a bit for from home on the Brommie but we went in our Pink Austin Vanden Plas Princess 1275 car 😊.
I have though been to Buckingham Palace several time and on all occasions went on my Brompton.
copy make components that are not that dissimilar to those found on a Brompton?
We have copy bikes, copy components etc They will always exist and we cannot stop customers buying them. But it is worth reminding everyone that a Brompton is not a toy, it is a tool and the responsibility that comes with making it is serious. If any part breaks on a bicycle it can be catastrophic, not only the shock and impact but also the consequences of being on a road with other traffic. We test our bikes to standards that we know are needed to look after our customers: we carried out a 144 thousand bike recall last year because we had the smallest concern for the safety of our customers. Those that copy without understanding the design intent or carrying out the right quality control and testing put our customers at risk.
Andrew and I are both engineers but he is an inventor who is obsessed with detail in an extraordinary way and I am a person who is a leader wanting to drive growth and impact society. We have huge respect for each other but we do disagree about some areas of how the company is run. Just as I can often disagree with my management team about things we do in the company. I think this is a positive as I believe that it is through teamwork and positive debate that you get the best answer.
Our problem is capacity, the BWC costs money and a lot of time to organise and whilst we would love to organise other events in the UK so more people can get involved there is a limit to our capacity. We sell 80% of our bikes in 44 countries and have BWC events in circa 12 countries so there are other events several of which we also organise, but we also rely on our customers to organise events, be they weekend rides or grand tours.
I sat next to David at a hobnob lunch, I had no idea who he was as I don’t follow professional cycling. He was so modest he listened to me rabbit on about Brompton and kept quiet about his achievements. He then invited me to an event where he was launching his clothing and then I realised who he was. I met his Mum at the event sold her a Brompton. David used it when in London, loved it. We then made him a special funky one which he took back to Girona and the rest is history.
Loads
Germany, Japan, US, Benelux, S. Korea, Spain…………. get more out of what we have got.
Black M3L, rather boring but sadly safest stock bike for a shop to hold.
Stop investing in shoving people underground and spend 1/10thof that money improving cycling infrastructure. Band combustion engine for all private vehicles by 2020 and for commercial by 2023.
Early days still but it has the potential to act as a catalyst to get people back on a bike.
In our own little world, we think everyone knows about the Brompton but actually real awareness is still very low.
Not bothered as long as they like it.
18. Brompton users can be an eccentric bunch with many…ahem…fixated on one colour for example. What are your thoughts on Brompton users in general and the more exotic varieties?
We are a bit eccentric because the bike is not normal but we don’t care because it make our lives better.
It’s nuts, half the potential customers for any product are women. Women are the decision makers for most of the money spent in any household yet most of the products they buy are designed by men. There is a lack of understanding of what design and engineering are, the innovation, artistic flare and fun but it is changing. We now have four women in our design team of sixteen, bit by bit.
Continuing to change how people live in cities, making life more invigorating and fun.
A very big thank you to Will for agreeing to do this. It really is appreciated. If you are interested, you can read my original interview conducted just over five years ago via the link below.
Sadly the 15-year-old Brommie finally died a death at circa 18 years of very hard labour. I could have fixed her up but actually after that much time everything is about to conk out, so it was time to move on. Since then I haven’t really had my ‘own’ bike. I have a red, white and blue, 2-spd steel that I use often but have been more keen to be trying out more of our r&d bikes, be that Brompton electric or other plans we have afoot.
We needed more space, we moved into Kew Bridge with 20 or so staff and left with nearly 250 it was just not sustainable. We had taken on another unit round the corner which bridged the gap but it was not sustainable and inefficient to be transporting stuff up and down from each site. Also we needed space for more r&d facilites, space to put in an electric line, space to bring paint in house and space to have a bit of fun. It was scary, daunting, expensive and none of us were 100% sure it was the right decision. Two years on we are all sure it was the right decision and are very happy in our new home.
The last day of production was a sad day and the end of an era but our mission is to change how people live in cities and we need to evolve, innovate, grow and take risk if we are going to pull that off so at the same time we were proud to be taking the next step.
It has been a long and hard journey and we in many respects are still just beginning the journey. We want more people to enjoy cycling, many people do not have the confidence to cycle as they don’t feel they are fit enough or don’t want to sweat. The electric takes these barriers away. The problem has been that electric bikes weight a tonne and are bulky things so not much good for something you have to fold and carry. We looked to find a solution, there wasn’t one so we took the rather more challenging path of developing our own. We were lucky to have some help from Patrick Head (Long standing Brompton rider and ex CEO of Williams F1) who said he could help. We have invested much of our savings and it has been a real challenge to become an electronics and software company as well as a metal basher. We are getting there, it has taken longer and cost more than any of us imagined but we now feel we have something we are proud of. I have been using the electric for six months now and love it!
Other buggers efforts is what OBE stands for. It was a complete surprise and an honour to accept the appointment on behalf of all the Brompton staff.
The award was given at Windsor Castle and I was able to bring my wife and two of my daughters. It is a bit for from home on the Brommie but we went in our Pink Austin Vanden Plas Princess 1275 car 😊.
I have though been to Buckingham Palace several time and on all occasions went on my Brompton.
We have copy bikes, copy components etc They will always exist and we cannot stop customers buying them. But it is worth reminding everyone that a Brompton is not a toy, it is a tool and the responsibility that comes with making it is serious. If any part breaks on a bicycle it can be catastrophic, not only the shock and impact but also the consequences of being on a road with other traffic. We test our bikes to standards that we know are needed to look after our customers: we carried out a 144 thousand bike recall last year because we had the smallest concern for the safety of our customers. Those that copy without understanding the design intent or carrying out the right quality control and testing put our customers at risk.
Andrew and I are both engineers but he is an inventor who is obsessed with detail in an extraordinary way and I am a person who is a leader wanting to drive growth and impact society. We have huge respect for each other but we do disagree about some areas of how the company is run. Just as I can often disagree with my management team about things we do in the company. I think this is a positive as I believe that it is through teamwork and positive debate that you get the best answer.
Our problem is capacity, the BWC costs money and a lot of time to organise and whilst we would love to organise other events in the UK so more people can get involved there is a limit to our capacity. We sell 80% of our bikes in 44 countries and have BWC events in circa 12 countries so there are other events several of which we also organise, but we also rely on our customers to organise events, be they weekend rides or grand tours.
I sat next to David at a hobnob lunch, I had no idea who he was as I don’t follow professional cycling. He was so modest he listened to me rabbit on about Brompton and kept quiet about his achievements. He then invited me to an event where he was launching his clothing and then I realised who he was. I met his Mum at the event sold her a Brompton. David used it when in London, loved it. We then made him a special funky one which he took back to Girona and the rest is history.
Loads
Germany, Japan, US, Benelux, S. Korea, Spain…………. get more out of what we have got.
Black M3L, rather boring but sadly safest stock bike for a shop to hold.
Stop investing in shoving people underground and spend 1/10thof that money improving cycling infrastructure. Band combustion engine for all private vehicles by 2020 and for commercial by 2023.
Early days still but it has the potential to act as a catalyst to get people back on a bike.
In our own little world, we think everyone knows about the Brompton but actually real awareness is still very low.
Not bothered as long as they like it.
18. Brompton users can be an eccentric bunch with many…ahem…fixated on one colour for example. What are your thoughts on Brompton users in general and the more exotic varieties?
We are a bit eccentric because the bike is not normal but we don’t care because it make our lives better.
It’s nuts, half the potential customers for any product are women. Women are the decision makers for most of the money spent in any household yet most of the products they buy are designed by men. There is a lack of understanding of what design and engineering are, the innovation, artistic flare and fun but it is changing. We now have four women in our design team of sixteen, bit by bit.
Continuing to change how people live in cities, making life more invigorating and fun.
A very big thank you to Will for agreeing to do this. It really is appreciated. If you are interested, you can read my original interview conducted just over five years ago via the link below.
Link to original interview
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