Originally Posted by
Ozonation
So what do we have in totality? A TWENTY FOUR inch wheeled bike - not a 16", not a 20" - that offers likely greater structural advantages AND can (so it is claimed) fold down to a form factor - and fold easily (again claimed) - that has yet to be achieved by any other folder of comparable wheel size.
I would add you also get disk brakes in both wheels.
And 10 gears, a wide range in a compact folder!
And nice engineering build (for those of us that appreciate that kind of things).
And modern components (brake levers, gear triggers, etc).
Overall a pretty modern design, if you like modern stuff.
For me, Bromptons are somehow cute from the distance, but I feel rejection when I see the details. I think about London taxis when I see them: the design was great in 1950 but feels totally outdated - details such as opening the windows by turning a primitive lever and then manually pulling down/up the glass... sorry engineering has evolved so much without loosing robustness/simplicity. I get the same kind of feelings with Bromptons when I see the triggers, brake levers, how the metal is bent in the real triangle or fork, and so on.
The latest Bromptons (from 2017) are improving a bit (new gear trigger finally looks ergonomic), but at this rate it will take 20 years till they catch up with modern engineering and design.