fietsbob

Now get the front mounting block so you can fit a front bag..
I think the bike handles better
With a load in the bag than without..

I got the biggest one, their touring bag.

bdi121

RVD72, You 're very lucky to start with all the right and good gear. Good value.

The B-bag is surprisingly strong, well made and have saved me from potential back injury. Before that, I use a Dahon bag with no wheels and is a pain to carry around the airport. No reinforced bottom bag and , consequently, bent my rear rack . I should have bought the B-bag in the first place.

I protect the B-bag sides with cardboard box sheets and it's working well for me so far.

RVD72

I got the S bag and front mounting block on order. Actually I also have the brompton cover, firm suspension, brompton/zefal pump, and ez wheel bung on order.

I didn't get the touring bag because it seems pretty big. I don't usually carry that much stuff and my laptop is really small (macbook air 11").

CSG

Enjoy the Brompton. I bought one last fall and love the thing. I also added a Brooks saddle which makes it even better.

fietsbob

Guess if you got the S bar bike, Short bag is all you can do..
Taller, M bar, I got the big one and need the space,
rain gear and shopping have to go somewhere.

there are a couple Carradice bags made to fit Bromptons,
for the laptop toting set.

NetComrade

That's a very compact looking fold. Could probably fit two in my trunk like that. Right now by Downtube barely fits (I do have a small trunk)

fietsbob

in the Lada or the Trabant?

NetComrade

Lada is not too bad of a car these days. My inlaws own one of those Lada Kalinas, and I've driven it many times, and can't really complain. They also still sell way over 500,000 cars per year. (reference

Also, unlike my Mustang Convertible, they're more practical cars and have much roomier trunks.

PDR

On a related note, my 13" MacBookPro (in a "incase" padded sleeve) fits perfectly into the internal pocket of my 2009 S-Type Bag.

EM42

we have a small wheel folder group here in L.A. and we mainly meet at big rides like CICLAVIA which is coming up let me know if you wanted to be added to the group.

and congratulations on that fine bike

RVD72

Sure, add me to the group for LA. Is there a url where I need to sign up?

I think I prefer the smaller S bag for now. If it gets to be too small I'll look into a C bag or a touring bag.

RVD72

I commuted for the first time yesterday on my Brompton!

It was pretty fun. However, I am not sure if I will continue with this route. It took about 30 minutes longer than if I would have just ridden my bike the whole way. Sure I'm less tired but I'd liket o save some time as well.

Some background. I live 2 blocks away from the beach and there is a nice beach bike trail that goes north. If I was to commute 100% by bike, I would take this trail 10 miles north. It's nice because it is 95% on a private bike trail with no cars, lights, etc. After 10 miles, I need to go 6 miles east to get to my office. These 6 miles happen to be along a river creek bike trail so again, no cars, lights, etc. I get off this trail and ride for about 1/2 mile to my office on surface streets which is a pain but not too bad.

I have ridden the 16 miles (32 miles round trip) on my road bike and it's doable but takes about 1:10 on a good day if I ride at a brisk pace with no stopping, etc. I probably ride at around 18 mph or so with some slowing down or stopping here and there for random stuff so it takes a little over an hour. However, I do get sick of the 32 miles and especially on my way home at night, I do get tired and unmotivated to ride.

I have electric bikes and with my fastest electric bike, I can do the commute in about 50 minutes. However, I don't get much exercise with the electric bike.

I wanted to try a bus/bike combo with the brompton so I tried it yesterday.

I rode the brompton for 1 block to go to the bus stop. Bus came within 5 minutes. Rode the bus for about 25 minutes which took me about 1 mile away from the spot that is around 5 miles north from my house. I rode for 1 mile from the bus stop to the beach and then the other 5 miles to get up north. My plan was to then take another bus from that point east to get about 1 mile from my office. I would then ride the last mile to work. Unfortunately I didn't know exactly where this bus stop was so I ended up missing the bus and I had to ride the 6 miles to work instead of bus. Was a miserable ride because of the massive headwind. I also was a bit stressed fighting the headwind and trying to make time to catch that 2nd bus.

So overall, I took 1 bus, paid $1, spent 25 minutes in a bus instead of pedaling, and ended up pedaling 12 miles to get to work. Saved 4 miles in pedaling. Total time door to door was 1:50. about 20 minutes longer than if I had just ridden the entire way on my brompton. Longer time due to bus route + overhead in riding to/from the actual course to work.

On the way home, I rode 1 mile to the bus stop, took the bus, then rode 6 miles to the other bus stop, took bus #2 home, then rode 1 block home. Total time was around 1:45. Pedaled 7 miles.

The bike performed well. The best part was that it fit on the bus in this small wedge between the seat in the front and this wall. Sorry for the blurry picture.



However, I think tomorrow I will try an alternate route where I ride less and bus a little more. I'd like to keep the biking at under 5 miles each way. How far do most of you commute daily on your brompton?

On the way home, the bike did get a lot of attention from the bus driver and a random guy on the bus. Typical questions like "is that a bike?" and "how much is it?"

To answer the 2nd question, i just said "oh like $700" and he was surprised that it was so expensive. he also asked where i got it and i didn't feel like explaining nycewheels (original place of purchase of the bike) so i just told him the local brompton retailer (which was about a block away from where we were in the bus). he said he might go check it out even though it's too expensive for him. i can already picture this guy going in there saying "but the guy on the bus told me his was $700, not $1500 like you're charging!"

EM42

I get that question all the time riding my brompton and taking it in the bus or metro train and when they ask how much i don't tell them anymore. my standard answer now is "you can get a folding bike starting at $100...."

before i tell them its $1500 and everyone around jumps on me asking why so expensive and I had to explain and tell them its not expensive owning a car is and that an average car owner spends $2000+ on gas alone every year for the life of the car around 5+ years not adding the cost of maintenance, parking, insurance, accessories, etc etc. so a family that owns 3 or 4 vehicles multiply the cost 4 times

everyone agrees with me after that and all's quiet again in the bus.

RVD72

i think that the problem is that most people think of bikes that are sold at toys r us, walmart, target, costco, etc. where the whole bike is around $100 or so.

all of my roadie friends don't seem too surprised at the price...

badmother

Sometimes trying out different routes in the weekend is a good idea, but ofcourse there may be less busses mowing in the weekend?

rex615

When a non cyclists ask about the price of your folding bike, the safe answer is "I got it used on eBay for $199"

This is a scientifically derived number. Any less and they won't believe you, any more and they will question your priorities.