Another word - expensive.

Hasn't stopped me before, however...

Does anyone know what the titaniums will cost? Brompton is supposed to be sending me a price increase in May.

May distribution to Europe; June distribution to the U.S.

From the Brompton Newsgroup =-

The three character code is broken up as follows:

first letter = the handlebars:
S=straight
M=the u-shaped one we all know & love
P=the new multi-position bar, sort of like an upright butterfly bar

middle number = number of gears - 1, 2 (using new hub designed by
Brompton) 3 or 6

last letter = mudguards & carrier:

E="economy" ie no guards
L="lightweight" ie mudguards only as on the old "L" model
R="rack" rack, not lights NB. I believe the dynamo can be fitted to
the non-rack machine now, nut DON'T HOLD ME TO THAT. In any case, the
son dynamo hub is now an option.

"plus"= you get some extra stuff, this varies from bike to bike. The
S6L includes the new lower "S-bag" (made by radical, & a real treat)
in the price.

"X"=machines fitted with the new titanium parts.

"C" is still the same - the budget model.

Everything was very impressive - the new 2sp/single sp custom rear
hub, the new optional rear rollers, the titanium bits were beautiful,
the lightweight machines w/straight bars, no hub gear, matt finish
paint and titanium parts look rowr, Brompton have pulled ahead of the
competition here, I think (disclaimer I'm a dealer, I would say that
etc)

Wildest thing = a new paint option - clear laquered frame, so you can
see the brazing!

best etc

Norman Fay
Norman Fay Cycles
Brompton/Radical/Dahon/Trice/Challenge dealer, N.E.England

Apols for redundancy if this info is on the foldsoc site, I can't seem
to link to it @ the moment.

> >
> > Brompton C3E 16" SRAM 3-spd £380
> > Brompton M3L 16" SRAM 3-spd £480
> > Brompton P3L 16" SRAM 3-spd £515
> > Brompton S2L 16" Brompton 2-spd £560
> > Brompton M6R-PLUS 16" Brompton/SRAM 2x3-spd £635
> > Brompton S6L-PLUS 16" Brompton/SRAM 2x3-spd £735
> > yBrompton P6R-PLUS 16" Brompton/SRAM 2x3-spd £807
> > Brompton M2L-X 16" Brompton 2-spd £873
> > Brompton S2L-X 16" Brompton 2-spd £965
> > Brompton P6R-XDL 16" Brompton/SRAM 2x3-spd £1225

Thanks for writing back--

BikeF for me really can't be a consideration. Bikes for travel can't be that expensive. At times we need to lock them up or leave them in compromised places. Otherwise you loose the flexibility of the bike. Having worries of a $2k bike on my mind isn't what I want to have while travelling.

So Dahon's presto lite looks great to me. But I ask again: why did they not design the dropouts wider? It seems the reasons that make the 16" a hassle are predominantly related to the gearing and the comfort. Comfort issues seem to be mitigated with frame design/body-reach (ie. Brompton's shock absorber) and/or tires that aren't as rock hard as a road bike's 700c. As someone that rides a 700c bike a lot, getting on a 20" folder is really a step towards much more comfortability, albeit a bit of quirkiness initially in steering. I doubt I'd feel much more difference on a 16", except on nasty holes. We don't have anyone nearby that sells a 16" folder, and I'm waiting still before purchasing.

But your point about the designers not having them intended to be used for long distances makes no sense, because they very well could have, given some of the other benefits of the smaller wheel size.

I may need to go to the Bike Friday forum and learn how they're solving some of these problems. Where is it? Loosing that extra 4" of wheel really is a huge help when you're already pushing the limit on suitcase size. Having to do fairly major disassembly is a hassle that'll make using the bike more regularly much more challenging. This will also bring out some of the weaknesses in other components that I've seen through dis/reassembly of the S&S design. Bolts break, threads go away. Certain things aren't designed to be repeatedly stressed. Finding replacement parts in a pinch is a serious rash. I broke stem bolts last time and even asking at three bike shops in France couldn't find good replacements.

I feel that being able to get the bike super small, like with a doubly collapsible seat post (Dahon) and being able to remove the wheels to get it into a locker (and wheels that can fit in a locker!) are really the things that will take away any of the potential problems while travelling in areas that present problems to having larger luggage. So if portability is the main desire, what I referred to as function earlier, then why limit it with other problems that shouldn't be an issue? The rear/front dropouts could easily accomodate options for derailleur or normal hubs. Plus, getting back to standardized parts makes it a lot easier for repairs in a pinch. If I can't even demo a folder in a city of 1+ million, imagine trying to find a few parts for these things in strange places?

I think only interesting discussion can come out of this observations so I appreciate your input.

A little while ago, BF was making a 16" wheeled version of their bikes specifically for bus/train travel to compete with the Brompton, it seemed like. Only 50 were going to be made as a trial run (and to test the market) and they were going for about $875. I think they were using a capreo hub as well: don't know if the hub was specially modified or if BF just widened the dropouts. In any case, you'll probably have to call them to ask about this specific bike. I remember it was named something like PTA for Planes, Trains & Automobiles, but I have not heard mention of it since. They had a picture of it in one of their flyers, but that particular flyer does not seem to be posted on their web site.

Wow what a change. Thanks for sending.

I am very much impressed with the scarcity of inquiries we get on Bromptons. I estimate it runs 20:1 in favor of Dahon.