Brompton bag material wish list

I have quite a few Brompton bags. The front carrier block is such a clever idea that fixing bags of various size and colours is easy. There is one thing I wish Brompton would do that I suspect will only ever be a wish list of mine. 

Brompton front bags are made out of all types of material but the one I wish they would make a bad out of is some of the old London Underground seat patterns. In many ways these are as iconic as the Brompton is.

My personal favourite is the district line. I think this would look rather special and really do wish that Brompton or a selected partner come up with something. It it were available I would be first in the queue to buy one. 

The District Line pattern

Of course there are several more tube lines to choose from with all sort of different colours. I think that they would sell rather well, if they weren't silly money. What do you think? 

Stay safe out there people!!

Shout out to James H doing the, 'Pan Celtic Race' on a Brompton!!

Today was the start of the Pan Celtic Race. This a self-supported, ultra-endurance cycling adventure, starting in Cornwall, ending in Llandudno in Wales some 1,240 miles away. There are hills and mountains with 27,507m of elevation for the entire route. Fellow Bromptonian James H - and veteran of several of these types of rides - is doing it on his Brompton!

These types of events are almost exclusively completed on big wheels but James is crazy eccentric enough to do it on his trusty modified Raw Lacquer M6R Superlight. 

The link below takes you to his website where you can find out more about him and the race. It is a great read and you can also find out all about his other exploits on the other events he had participated in. You might also consider sponsoring him. He is raising money for London's Air Ambulance charity.

One feature of the race is that all participants are tracked and you can dot watch to see their progress. The screenshot below shows the progress near the start of the race and just look at those hills that feature more or less straight away!

From time to time Brompton run features on the owners of Brompton bicycles. No disrespect to any of the people featured but I know several Brompton riders who would have lots and lots to tell about their Brompton bicycle that would be of great interest to even the causal Brompton user of prospective buyer. James is certainly one of them. Perhaps Brompton will run a feature?

I will be following James to see how he gets on and hopefully he will be able to present his adventures somewhere when he has finished. 

Stay safe out there people!

Link to James H page about the race.

So why the Brompton over big wheels?

This is one question I get asked a great deal and it is territory I have covered many, many times. I will however answer the people who have contacted me asking variations of this question. 

Regular readers will know that when I was at university - which seems likes ages ago now - I was gifted a 1990 Brompton. I loved it and when my studies came to an end I tried to do the right thing and gifted it on to someone else. Before and after that I owned mountain bikes but I never really clicked with them in the same way I did the Brompton. Zoom forward to the start of this blog several years ago and I bought an Orange Brompton and have not looked back. 

I have also have a road bike and while I can appreciate that it is faster and allows you to cover the same or greater distances with less effort, when riding it I always wished I was on one of my Brompton bikes instead. There are lots of reasons but for me, living on London, a Brompton is a very easy choice. 

Personally, I hate public transport and always have. I am not a fan of crowded tube carriages, trains and buses just seem to take so long to get anywhere, I cannot see the point. The Brompton allows me to abandon public transport at will.

I go on all sorts of cycle rides and the Brompton works for all of them - speed, distance, sauntering around, errands, going to and from work, visiting family and friends... You can do all of these things on big wheels but it is just so much more fun on a Brompton.

The luggage system on a Brompton is for me better than those pannier bags sitting on racks on big wheels. The front carrier block works so well with a vast array of bags to choose from. For the most part, carrying a laptop, books, clothes, water bottle and lunch is so easy. 

The fun, factor already mentioned, is a big one. A Brompton just puts a smile on your face in the way big wheels (for me at least can't). I actually find larger wheeled bikes quite dull. There are so many different types of Brompton out there, all personalised to their owners taste, there is never a dull moment. 

I have no intentions of selling my Condor road bike but owning two Brompton bicycles does mean it is gathering dust. When I know there is a ride set in the calendar it is always earmarked for a Brompton.  I just know I will enjoy it that bit more!

Stay safe out there people!