tommylane

If anybody is looking to get a Brompton, David Lam of bfold.com has plenty of them. I was there today. I've been very happy with my M6R Plus which I purchased from him 13 months ago. David is a pleasure to deal with and he knows his business.

The Brompton is perfect for my needs but that Bike Friday Tikit is really nice, too.



https://flickr.com/photos/tjlane/967929901/

there__

I couldn't agree with you more. I've purchased a xootr and the older model steel swift from him within the last year or so. David is a great guy and goes out of his way to take care of you before *and* after the sale.

I'm eying the Tikit as well. I haven't asked for a test ride for a reason, once I go for a spin I lose the ability to tell myself I don't need it.

downtube

David is the best. He is amazingly knowledgeable and NICE!!!!

Thanks,
Yan

tommylane

I'm the same way. I ride it, I'll obsess for it until I own it. haha. I'm pretty happy with the Brompton, though. It is a really sturdy bike.

tommylane

Indeed.

14R 

I became a customer from bfold about one year ago and since then I only had really great experiences dealing with David. I strongly recommend his services.

tommylane

I went there a couple of times before I made my purchase. i was waiting to have enough money to get what I wanted. David helped me make the right decision. I was a little confused as to what I really wanted/needed. He does his best to make sure that you don't waste your money. The money you do spend is well spent. Better customer service after the purchase can't be found. Anyway, I trusted him enough to say, "when I'm ready to buy a folding bike, I'll be buying it from you, Dave." I haven't regretted that decision one bit.

pm124

I'm his neighbor, and have only bought parts off of him, but can vouch! Great service.

I almost bought my first serious folder from him, but he had sold his last Birdy before I got a chance to buy it.

cyqlist

David has Mobikys too, and although I got mine locally at a Sharper Image store he was very supportive and helpful to me in obtaining some of the parts I needed for my front wheel and lighting upgrade. Where most bike shop people would have just told me I would be crazy to try this, he saw that I was determined to go through with it, crazy or not, and helped me out with it.
https://www.flickr.com/gp/7289267@N06/06zc17

makeinu

Rumor has it that the only reason David specializes in folding bikes is because skyrocketing New York real estate prices has made stocking regular bicycles financially unmanageable.

smirc

I could not agree more...David is truly the best there is. I've been a client of his for over two years and have a great story about my first purchase from him.

I found his web site via a Google search for Brompton. It was a Friday night around 9PM and on his site saw that a visit to his store was by appointment only--so I rang him up. I was a little surprised when he picked up the phone. I told him I was interested in a B and would like to schedule an appointment sometime. He asked me if I'd like to come over in an hour. "Um, okaaay." So I walked over and for the next two hours he took me through the entire bike with such excitement and passion that I just got hooked. I road home with my black M6R and could not be happier. That bike has changed my life in NY and David's ongoing commitment to service has made owning it (and my recently purchase 2nd B) a total pleasure.

It's great to know and work with someone who is so impassioned about what he does.

tommylane

I told Dave the other day, when I was at his shop, that he'd better outlive me so he can take care of my bikes while I'm alive. haha. "You better not die on me, Dave," I said.

The last line of your post is very true. Dave's heart is definitely in it.

jur

I think I'm going to get him to move to Melbourne. It's much nicer here. He will have to bring all his stock.

Sooo refreshing to get a ringing endorsement for a LBS!

EvilV

Sounds like a great guy that David. What a difference to deal with people like that. My nearest bike shop specialises in top end road race bikes and deals in ATBs to get the cash flow up. They have excellent skills, but walk in there with a small wheeled bike and you'd think you'd brought in a barrow full of pig manure, judging by the thinly veiled look of contempt on their faces. Total disinterest.

I have to go much further to find a Brompton dealer, and while the guy is helpful about my Merc clone, it is obvious that he doesn't like it. I know well that he doesn't, because I came across a furious post on the Brompton Talk list where he told the story of my arrival with the impostor bike and how angry he was to see it in his shop.... LOL. Still, he's a nice guy and has supplied me with spokes and other bits. I think I'll have to buy a Brompton from him some day. If I do, it will certainly be from him.

EvilV

My eldest son and his wife set off today to settle in Melbourne. I'm quite choked about their going. They are travelling overland through Europe, Russia, Mongolia, China, Vietnam and will arrive in Melbourne in December. They aren't going by bike though. They seem to agree with your statement about it being nice there. Maybe I'll see if they really stay as they intend and I go to visit them.

buffaloboro

I bought a swift from him 2 weeks ago - a great guy. I love the vibe of the shop. It reminded me of the old shop I used to go to back in England when I was a kid - staffed full of people with a passion for their job.

ICU Doc

I have to say that David is both an outstanding friend and one of the few truly honest people that I've met in my life. He insists on steering you towards the bike that best fits your needs, rather than trying to sell you the bike with the largest profit margin. It seems that it is only after in-depth discussions that he starts to make his final recommendations regarding what might fit your needs the best, whether it is a specialized folder or an all-arounder. I'd highly, highly recommend visiting his shop if you a considering a folder.

ICU Doc

BTW, he's also a terrific mechanic...had him work on my bike, and he was aware of the subtleties of working on a folder that made my bike ride much more smoothly. Other excellent shops in NYC which work on full-size bikes, and do wonderful jobs with the full size bikes, don't really do an adequate job as they don't work with these idiosyncratic small-wheeled bikes on a regular basis.