There's a line saying that they'll allow buyers of the elite to customize it with gearings later. I decided to pledge for the elite but am still waiting to hear back on what they're actually doing to get it to 15lbs.
As a current brompton owner, This bike struck me for a few reasons:
- It's a straight handlebar by default, I have the curved 'M' brompton handlebars and the frame flex can be annoying.
- I'm hoping that by not having a rear 'rubber block' suspension and not having a fold on the top tube there's going to be a lot less frame flex. The power-loss in the Brompton really bugs me when trying to ride up hills.
- Custom sizing - I'm 5'10ish and always felt like I had to move the brompton seat far back, possibly causing issues with the weight balance. Hoping the varying frame sizes fixes this.
- Belt drive - I already had been wanting to eventually modify my brompton for this, based on
Belt-drive Bromptons
- The weight: ~15lbs (even for a singlespeed) at the early bird price is really good deal compared to the Bromptons I've seen modified and sold to get near that weight over the years.
Concerns:
- I hope they're not achieving the 15lbs via carbon parts, anyone know what they're doing? Is it titanium parts for some of the Elite frame bits?
- I still want to mount a bag on the front, I hope there's going to be some type of mount at the front.
- Similarly, I also want to mount a bag on the back via a minimal rear rack instead of a clickfix for versatility. Right now with the brompton I can getaway with using a typical backpack on the rear and a messenger bag on the front.
- I didn't notice this until seeing the "new bike update #2" video, but putting the bike in a backpack involves removing the front wheel. Still debating how much that and the larger folded dimensions bug me.