I am now the proud owner of a Brompton folding bicycle.

Very Popular in London
I have been aware of these bikes for some time. They are very popular in the UK, in particular London where they are made. Most people use them as commuter bikes. They very handy for a short ride from home to a train station where they can be folded and carried onto the train. There are no restrictions as when and where they can be carried on trains. At the other end they are simply unfolded and are ridden to the place of work. In their folded state, they easily stored, for example, under a desk.

Using them for Touring
On my travels around the UK and Europe on my Badboy which has been modified for touring, I have been coming across more and more people touring on folding bikes. The majority of these are Bromptons. I have chatted to the owners of these bikes about their experiences.

The reason the owners give for using their Bromptons for touring is ‘convenience’. Travelling on a bicycle in the UK and Europe is becoming more and more problematic where it involves the use of public transport.

Carrying bikes in the UK
In the UK, there are restrictions on when you can take bicycles on commuter trains. They cannot be carried on trains during peak hours. It is also difficult to carry them on ‘long distance’ trains. You have to book a ‘slot’ at least a day in advance. Also, as the older trains with freight compartments are replaced, the available ‘slots’ are fewer in number. The new trains only have a couple of places for bicycles.

Travelling with bicycle on a bus in the UK has never been a option. City buses and ‘Greenline’ buses that operation in country areas have never allowed bicycles to be carried onboard. Unlike many areas in the USA and buses in the ACT, these buses do not have bike racks on the front.

The ‘coach’ operators required that bicycles are ‘boxed’, if they will permit them to be carried. Often, they don’t even permit bicycles at all.

Carrying bikes in Europe
Arrangements for carrying bikes on public transport in Europe are generally better than in the UK. In France, there are usually plenty on places for bikes on ‘regional’ trains. This is also the case in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Holland. It not so good in Italy.

However, it is becoming more difficult to travel with a bicycle in Europe on ‘long distance’ trains. Most of the ‘long distance’ routes are serviced by ‘high speed’ trains. In Germany for example, there are no places to carry bikes on the ICE trains. In France, the new TGV trains only have two slots. These have to be booked at least a day in advance.

Folding Bikes an Option
The people I have chatted to have found folding bike to be a viable option to normal touring bikes for travelling in the UK and Europe.

They told me that that “they obviously have their limitations”. Obviously, they cannot carry as much luggage as a touring bike. Also, they are not as comfortable to ride and are clearly not designed to be ridden for 100 kilometres or more in single day.

However, most said things along the line, that: “they carry enough if you are prepared to travel light”, ”, “they are great for getting from the train station to your accommodation in your destination city”, “they are perfect for sightseeing”. And of course, “there are rarely, if any problems, taking them on public transport”.

The Situation in Australia
I have ridden my ‘touring bike’ a lot in Australia. Over the years, I have ridden virtually everywhere I want to ride in Australia. This includes: the coastal route from Sydney to Brisbane, the same ride with some ‘inland’ diversions. The Victorian coast, including the Great Ocean Road, The Mawson Trail in South Australia, the Alps and the Murray River, South East Western Australia.

I have enjoyed these rides, but parts of them have not been so good. The biggest problem about riding in Australia is that there are a lot of ‘bad bits’ between ‘good bits’. For example, there are a lot parts of the Sydney to Brisbane where you are forced to ride on a dual carriage motorway. In other areas, for example, along the Murray River, the roads are very narrow with no shoulder.

Checking out the Bromptons
When I was in London in late September, I visited the Brompton shop in Long Acre near Covent Garden. This is their ‘flagship’ shop with all of the models they sell.

I checked them all out including the configuration that is the best for touring. They are all pretty much the same. The ‘touring’ model has six gears (a three-gear hub and high and low derailer), a rack, dynamo lights and higher handlebar.
I took the demo bike for a ride. It is rather strange at first. The small wheels make steering very quick. Also, the bike is very light. However, after less than five minutes you get used to it.

Some more Research
After leaving London, I flew to Helsinki and travelled through the Baltic States. I occasionally looked up the Bromptons on the internet. In particular, I was interested in see how people had used them as touring bikes.

I was amazed how much stuff there is on the net about using Bromptons as touring bikes. Some people go ‘the whole hog’ including carrying camping equipment.
By this stage I had pretty much decided to buy one.
I made contact with the Australian agent for the bikes to discuss availability and pricing.

The Deal is Done
There was a bit of ‘to and throwing’ with the Australian Agent while I was travelling is Sri Lanka.

This ended in a phone call. He was very persuasive. At the end of the call I had committed to buying a blue Brompton with the ‘touring’ specifications. The price was based on the agent’s belief that the Australian Dollar would continue to depreciate against the British Pound. Even though I thought he was wrong, I agree on the price.

Taking Delivery
I finally arrived back in Sydney at the beginning of December.
I fronted up to the bike shop in Redfern and took deliver of the Brompton and the other bits and pieces I needed. These were: a front bag, tool kit, lightweight lock and a helmet.

First Ride
My first ‘real ride’ on the bike was from the CBD to Balmain for a lunch. It went well.

Setting up the Luggage
The only other thing I had to do was to set up the arrangement for carrying my luggage.
The heavy stuff, i.e. computer and other electronic stuff goes in the front bag. The ‘bulky’ stuff goes on the rack at the back. My research on the internet had suggested that the biggest bag you should use is 50 litres. I had bought a NorthFace duffel bag which seem to be ideal.

All I had to do was fix it to the bike. I had seen a video on YouTube showing how this can be done. It involved tying an aluminium tube about 20 centimetres long to the back of the Brooks Saddle. The shoulder straps of the bag are placed over the tube. The bottom of the bag is held to the rack by the straps attached to the rack. The shoulder straps are tightened to hold the bag steady.

The arrangement seemed to work. I was all set to go.

Train to Grafton
The first leg of my ‘touring’ on the Blue Boy Brompton was a train trip to Grafton.

I will post about my experiences.

Flickr
https://flic.kr/s/aHskNRyk61
Garmin
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3213237309