Originally Posted by
Ozonation
I'll disagree on this one. It's pretty simple. I have the extended seat post on my Brompton, as well as the B&W case. I've flown a number of times. Yes, I remove the seat so that it fits better, and yes I also remove the seat post.
After I remove the seat, I just drop the seat post out of the bottom, wrap it up, and put it in the case. I fold down the bike as usual and use velcro straps so that it holds its folded configuration. When I arrive, I just lay the bike on its side and reinsert the post from the bottom, and re-attach the seat. This only adds a few minutes on packing up or setting up, and requires no special tools... so I'm not sure how much simpler it can get. I think it takes longer for me to unpack my clothes and figure out where I'm actually going to ride to.
I've packed my wife's Brompton too and she has the regular length seat post. It seems to fit fine.
You are correct on the procedure for removing the seat post. I realize it may be simple for you. It may not be simple for others. Unlike many other small folding bikes, removing the Brompton seat post does require some tools. With the telescoping seat post, no tools are needed to remove the saddle and top portion of the seat post. Our experience with several different standard-seat-post-and-saddle Bromptons is that they are usually a tight fit in the B&W case.
Following up - The clearance with the standard seat post may have to do with whether the pentaclip is set at the upper or lower position. If I have time in the next couple of days, I will test this theory.
-HANK RYAN-
Norman, Oklahoma USA