Old Haunts on a new Brompton

For the past couple of days I have been allowed out early in the morning for good behaviour to take my new Brompton for a spin. I could have chosen several route but I wanted to to return to an old favourite that takes me along the river Thames towards the O2 and beyond.

On day one I decided to take my new Mini-O bag with me. I like this bag a great deal and it is a little like a TARDIS inside in that it seems to hold more than you might expect.

Staring at my base off the Marylebone Road I headed along The Mall and through Hyde Park. From there I took one of the Superhighways as far as the Tower of London before joining the Thames Path.

When I got to Tower Bridge (which in my photos looks empty) I could not believe how many people were milling around outside the nearby hotel. Selfie sticks, GoPros, cameras were out in force taking photographs of just about everything, included yours truly!

For this ride I was for the first time in several years, wearing ordinary clothes while cycling. My usual attire was replaced by jeans and a shirt. It actually felt quite strange at first and it was as if I had forgotten something. After a while I got used to it and actually rather liked the change. 

Getting as far as the O2 I started to get chilly so I simply cycled the short distance to North Greenwich tube station and got the train back. Part of the joy of owing a Brompton is that you can do this whenever you feel you've had enough.

Ride on 05/05/19

This morning after getting up at stupid o'clock to watch the next episode of Game of Thrones I headed out again. Today I was a little more central and started at Aldgate. Again I wore civvies - jeans and a shirt - but I felt cold for much of the ride.

As I cycled along - apart from enjoying my new Brompton - memories of previous rides came flooding back and of course the many people that I joined on such adventures.

The Flood Barrier cafe is not open on Mondays which is a shame but I decided to head that way anyway. I saw that there has been a little bit of refurbishment going on since I was there last. I will have to check that out again when it is open.

It was my intention to cycle back but for the second day running I felt frozen by the time I go back to the O2 so it was again to North Greenwich tube and home.

In case you are wondering whether I planned to buy a second Brompton this year, the answer is no. The moon and stars seemed to align and I just went with the flow. At the start of 2019 I decided (for reasons unknown) that I would try to get out more on my Brompton than my other larger wheeled bicycles. So far, this has happened. Now that I have two Brompton bikes this is set to continue.

I am not going to try to explain this in any depth but when I think back on the many cycling adventures I have been on, it is the Brompton ones I recall as being the most epic, memorable, challenging. When I am out on my Brompton - like many of you - a feature of the ride is to take photos of my Brompton, using whatever wonderful views there are to be had, simply as a background for the Brompton! Even though I have dipped my toes into the Dark Side that is larger wheeled bicycles, I prefer my Brompton.

Ride on 06/05/19

Review of my new Flame Lacquer Brompton

If you have been following me on Instagram you will perhaps already know that I have purchased a brand spanking new Brompton. This one is in a fairly new colour - Flame Lacquer. Spoiler alert, I love it!

As you know I have a fondness for all things orange, maybe obsessed but the Flame Lacquer to me is still within the colour spectrum of orange. Okay it is a bit coppery-orange. Whatever colour you might call it, the Flame Lacquer is stunning.

The brazing can be seen and the colour almost changes in certain lights. Sometimes it looks darker, while in slightly different lighting it appears lighter.

My new bicycle had there following specifications:

• M Type handlebar 
• Gear - 6 speed
• Gear ratio reduced to -12% (44T chainring) 
• Mudguards
• Extended seat post
• Schwalbe Marathon tyres
• SP SV8 hub dynamo with Busch & Muller front light and Spanniga Solo LED rear light
• Front carrier block

The front SP SV8 hub dynamo is small and lightweight and the only option currently available from Brompton. This is not actually a bad thing. I like it. It rolls well and I have no plans to replace with with something more expensive from the likes of SON.

The front light by Busch & Muller doesn't have the power of my Edelux II that I have fitted to my other Orange Brompton however having used the light at night a couple of time and adjusting the height of the beam hitting the road to my tastes, I have to report that it is actually very good indeed. I particularly like the side illumination and the fact the this light has a built in reflector. The light has a on and off switch and stand light function. For night rides I always pair my dynamo powered light with a meaty front light so this light is staying and I have no plans to replace it.

It is a similar story with the Spanniga Solo LED rear light. This is bright with good visibility and has the added bonus of a good build in reflector. Again, no plans to change it as it works well for me.

The Brompton saddle the bike came with was never put on the bike and a Brooks B17 Titanium was. This saddle works rather well with the bike and the copper rivets complement the frame colour well.

The original Brompton grips (which are actually quite good compared with the older foam ones that were on their bikes a few years ago) were taken off and replaced with a pair of Brooks leather GP1 grips with copper ends. Again they complement the overall colour scheme of the bike itself.

The only other thing I changed were the inner tubes which now serve as spared on trips and adventures. I replaced them with some Schwalbe AV4 tubes which I prefer.

With the bikes I also bought myself a Mini O bag in a black-reflective finish. I am a fan of these bags and it's my intention to use the front bag most of the time rather than have a saddlebag fitted. Incidentally, the reflective elements on the front of the bag are good in low light when light shines on it.

I took my new bike for its first outing yesterday on the Tweed Run which I enjoyed a great deal. This morning, up early I look it for a spin from SW7 to the O2. I enjoyed every minute. This year has so far been a Brompton dominated one. My two road bikes have gathered a little layer of dust. This is probably set to continue.

The road bikes have more gears, better brakes, travel faster and cover miles a great deal easier but they are missing something I can only get from my Brompton bikes. My head is telling me that for lots of the nocturnal rides to the coast or the Audax events I have entered, I should be taking one of my road bikes. My heart however is telling me that I would be missing a sense of fun. For me at least that feeling can be found in one of my two Brompton bicycles.

Brompton Tweed Run 2019 Video

Today was the Tweed Run in London. I will write a blog post about this in the next few days but thought I would allow some video footage I took to do the talking for the time being.

It's a great event and I hope the video captures the fun vibe to be had by participants and onlookers.

It has been shot in 4K so watch at the highest quality you can.

LINK TO VIDEO