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| | | Note: This info is mostly accurate, but I haven’t yet added the info about the new 2005 bikes and options... | | | |
| Tyre Options: As standard, Bromptons come with high pressure tyres custom made for Brompton. The standard tyre is excellent, suited use on roads or good tracks, and can easily take 100psi. Brompton offer two options - you can have a Kevlar-belted version of their tyre, which is excellent at preventing almost all punctures, or a Schwalbe Marathon tyre which has a slightly knobblier tread for off-tarmac use. The Schwalbe has a centre ridge, but is a bit slower on tarmac, and it has a Kevlar belt to prevent most punctures. C3 Bromptons come equipped with Raleigh Record tryes, which have a tread more like that of a roadster and are only happy up to about 60psi. A final option is the Primo high-pressure tyre - it is very thin and light, and is ideal for those who prefer speed over everything else. Brompton Kevlar tyres are £16.25 each, or only £12.75 for the pair if you order your Brompton with them already fitted. Schwalbe Marathons are £15.00 each, or £10 for the pair if ordered already fitted to a bike. Primos are only available as a retrofit, and are £15.50 each. |
| | | S eatpost and saddle options: The Brompton seatpost has a stop on it, so you cannot pull it right out of the frame - a very useful feature! Drop the seatpost down, and it locks the bike together when it is folded. The standard seatpost allows the seat to go up to a maximum of 965mm from the ground (730mm from the bottom bracket). I find this is suitable for people up to about 5’10” in height. There are several other options to change the position of the saddle: - Extended seatpost - this is 60mm longer than standard, adds 150g to the weight, but makes the saddle 60mm higher when the bike is folded. It costs £16.50, or free if bought fitted to a Brompton.
- Telescopic seatpost - this allows the saddle to go up to 175mm higher than normal, but when lowered only adds 30mm to the folded size of the bike. It adds 295g to the weight, and costs £40 or £29 if bought with a bike. This is shown in the picture above.
- Saddle adaptor pin - this can be fitted pointing forward and down for the smallest folding size, back and up for more reach and more height, or any combination. It weighs 125g and costs £9.00 (£8.00 when bought with a bike).
The standard Brompton saddle is very comfortable, but for extra luxury a specially made Brooks leather saddle can be fitted. This adds 420g to the weight and costs £44 (£40.50 when bought with a bike). Or for the ultimate, how about a titanium-railed Brooks? 235g lighter than the standard Brooks saddle, and costs £110 (£98 if bought with a bike). |
| Lighting options: Only T-type Bromptons come with lighting as standard - a dynamo powering a halogen front light and an LED at the back. The standard lighting is very good, but sometimes you might feel the need for more. As an option, a Standlight can be fitted to the back - this charges up automatically as you ride and then when you stop keeps the LED on for a while. It is invaluable for junctions and traffic lights, where a standard dynamo system would go out when you stop. This costs £11.00 when bought with any T-type. If you have an older Mk. 2 Brompton, you can get an upgrade kit to add either the LED or Standlight/LED to your bike - this costs £20.75 for the LED or £30.75 for the Standlight/LED. |
| | | | If you have (or are buying) an L-type, you don’t need to feel left out - Brompton have developed a battery light set to suit based around excellent Cateye lights. As with the dynamos, the front is halogen, the rear LED. The complete set costs £37.50 (£30 if bought with a bike), and can of course be fitted to a C3 as well. The front light can be fitted to a T-type for extra illumination, but the rear battery LED cannot - you can obtain the front light only if you want to do this. |
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| Brakes: Brompton brakes are now excellent - dual-pivot calipers at the front and high-leverage ones at the rear. These, and the brake levers, are specially made for Brompton and work beautifully. Older Mk. 2 Bromptons can benefit - an upgrade kit is available for £30.50, including all brakes, levers and cables. |
| Gearing: The standard Bromptons come with 3-speed SRAM hub gears. Hub gears have the advantage that they are very low maintenance - they are completely sealed from the elements. You do have to oil the chain occasionally, but there are no exposed cogs or mechanisms which need regular attention. Hub gears are also easier to use - one gear change lever, and no overlapping ratios. Folding is also simpler, as the chain is always in the same place when you fold, and on the Brompton a spring-loaded pulley keeps it tensioned and on the sprockets. The standard Brompton gear ratios are shown below, but if these aren’t quite right for you there are a couple of special gearing options available. |
| On the made-to-order bikes, the special gearing options are: - L3, T3 - 12% lower or 18% lower
- L6, T6 - 12% lower only
The additional cost for this is £9. New: 8-speed Brompton: We’re now offering the Brompton with an 8-speed Sturmey-Archer hub gear: |
|  | | Other specifications: - Weight: 10.7 - 12.8kgs (23.5 - 28.2lbs)
- Wheelbase: 1015mm (40”)
- Bottom Bracket Height: 270mm (10.6”)
- Saddle Height: Minimum - 760mm (29.9”)
Maximum standard - 965mm (38”)
Maximum with extended seatpost - 1022mm (40.3”)
Maximum with telescopic seatpost - 1140mm (44.9”) - Handlebar Height: 1015mm (40”)
- Minimum Folded Size: 565 x 545 x 250mm (22.2” x 21.5” x 9.8”)
- Wheel Size: 37/349 ETRTO (16” x 1 3/8”)
- Steering: Angle 72.4 deg. Bearings 1 1/8” oversize
- Frame: Low-carbon and Cr/Mo alloy-steel tubes with cast-iron/forged steel hinges. Brazed joints. Phosphate and polyester powder coat finish.
Warranty: Ten year warranty on frame. All other parts have a one year warranty against manufacturing faults. |
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The Important Small Print: All of this website is ©1995-2008 by Kinetics. Don't even think of pinching bits without asking. All prices, specifications and other information are subject to change without notice. I do my best to keep this site correct, but sometimes I get things wrong, and sometimes things change very quickly so I cannot keep up. |
| | | Last updated on:
22 July 2008 |
| | | | Kinetics, 54 Switchback Road, Bearsden, Glasgow G61 1AE, UK
tel/fax: 0141 942 2552, email: mail@kinetics-online.co.uk
Opening hours: 9am to 5pm, Tuesday to Saturday. |
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