bhkyte

I have had replies on these forums that people would still buy a brompton if someone copied it at half the price. As they want the prestige of ownership and kudos that Brompton ownership brings.
Seriously.
Most people that see my Birdie or mezzo that try to guess the model ask me if its a Brompton.

ckarr

Probably cause the brompton (when it comes to looks and design) is the only aesthetically pleasing folding bike out there.

because for other brands, no matter how much engineering they put into them, dahon and tern put out some pretty ugly bikes. their managers or engineers must be blind. the only thing going for them is the lower price point.

Abu Mahendra

Right.

ckarr

That is not even the worst of it, when comparing folding bikes to regular bikes, all folding bikes are still ugly and a joke, a grown man of average height or higher riding one looks like a fool riding a clown bike.

So the bar is set pretty low when it comes to folding bikes, dahon and tern just are dragging it lower by making their designs so ugly. At least when you get a brompton is it reasonably good looking bike. Or do people with folding bikes also prefer ugly cars and ugly women?

Abu Mahendra

Great ambassador for Brompton.

Still Pedaling

I do agree that the Brompton is an aesthetically pleasing folding bike, but I won't go as far as saying everything else out there is ugly. Maybe to you they are, and I'm sorry you feel that way. Gee, that's like saying a Corvette is by far the most wonderful looking car on the road, and the rest of them look like @+&%#. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. I feel I have a very pretty wife, but that doesn't mean all other women are ugly. Anyway, I'm not going to say anymore about that. But I will say, that my wife's Dahon d3 curve is a very aesthetically pleasing bike to look at.

When it comes to folding, I will say this. I haven't come across any folding bike that compares to the Brompton. As much as I think my wife's d3 is a wonderful bike, but when it comes to folding, it's horrible. Every time I fold it, I have to keep unfolding it because the handlebars are either too high or too low. That's why we keep it unfolded at all times, even when we go out, I just put it in the back of the station wagon unfolded. She loves the d3 for riding, but hopefully one day I can afford to get her a Brompton. I've had mine for about 2 1/2 years now and love it. I've put quite a few miles on it during my on and off riding pattern, and in all that time, I have not needed to adjust anything. Awesome bike for sure.

invisiblehand

Without going through my old rants, I hear you bud. But the improvements that come to my mind are pretty minor for most folks. That is, the bike works fine for a strong majority of people and their production process is probably refined around the present design.

Surely you recognize that other folks have different tastes.

bhkyte

Yes there are more of these fools around than I thought!

Diode100

This wreck of a Brompton sold for £330, unbelievable considering its condition and what little can be salvaged.

foldingdroid

Winning bid:£331.00
[ 23 bids ]

ckarr

It wouldn't have sold so much if dahon/tern were not such ugly bikes. Competition is good.

tds101 

I think Dahon and Tern bikes look fantastic. Saying they're ugly is just YOUR opinion, so stop saying that this is the reason this hunk of junk sold for so much. Not everyone agrees with you.

A Brompton is a niche bike, and collectors will pay top $$$ for it. Looks have nothing to do with it,... I'd go own a Brompton IF I could get a STOCK 8 or 11 speed igh, NOT the proprietary crap that comes standard.

foldingdroid

Brompton is cute but I personally do not like the fold in the frame.

zebede

Shill.

Auclan

Much of this thread seems stuck on whether Brompton (after 40 years) should still own the design and prevent other manufacturers from copying it. I don’t want to enter that fray but instead comment on the actual MIT bike. I ordered one from Taiwan. It was designated the PRO-BP01 which is the model that uses a 7 speed Shimano Nexus gear hub instead of an 8 speed derailleur. These days (meaning the year 2020), the bike frame for both models is the same. In fact, “MIT V8” is printed on the frame. There is also a hanger for a front derailleur.

MIT Cycles manufactures many kinds of bikes—including cargo bikes and tricycles. The folding bike segment is only a small portion of their output.

The BIG difference between this and a Brompton is that the front fold exposes the chain and chainring on the outside. Earlier MIT models folded the same as Brompton with the chain on the inside. I’m assuming the change was because the “V8” derailleur model wouldn’t fold correctly around the exposed gears. Problem with this design is that grease from the chain is easy to transfer to pants legs, walls and other things.

The folded dimensions are roughly 3” larger the than a Brompton. The use of non-proprietary components accounts for much of this difference. There is also a cable bulge that widens the folded size a bit but can be pressed down if against a wall.

Though the MIT has a welded bar in front for a luggage block, the Brompton blocks won’t fit over the bar and must be filed down in order to mount. Since I don’t believe MIT sells any of its own bags that fit here, one wonders why MIT went through the effort of welding on a mounting bar that wouldn’t fit Brompton blocks.

The front wheel fold isn’t as loose and easy as a Brompton. The brake and shifter cables are hidden inside the main tube which looks great but makes pulling back the front wheel more resistant to bending.

On mine, the rear mud guard rubbed against the tire and the space between fender and tire was very tiny. I ended up removing the rear fender as I couldn’t find a successful adjustment.

The frame is impressively designed and welded. Aesthetically, I think it surpasses the Brompton’s stock tube look. The front frame is aluminum while the rear triangle is chromoly steel. The twiddly clamps for the hinge locks are the same as on a Brompton. The weight feels the same as a 6 speed Brompton—despite the aluminum frame.

Because it has a 7 speed IGH, there is one twist shift control rather than the dual system for a 6 speed Brompton. Only one handlebar style is offered—equivalent to the Brompton “M” bar.

The front V brakes are mounted behind the fork, unlike a Brompton which have calipers in front of the fork.

The rear wheel latch is a significantly different design from the Brompton. There is a plastic ball, which when pulled up, unlatches the back portion of the bike. The ball’s dimensions keeps the seat post from scraping the ground when the seat is pushed down. Because the latch is small and hidden within a steel enclosure, if the latch gets stuck (yes, that happened) you must loosen the rubber suspension slightly to free the rear wheel for folding. Brompton’s lever, which is out in the open, is much better. Unlike a Brompton, the seat post on the MIT does not flare out at the bottom—permitting the seat and post to be completely pulled out from the top.

The wheels on the back rack are large and roll very nicely. The rack is solidly built and is not an option as it is on a Brompton. The stock tires do not have a brand name.

The bike I received needed work with how the IGH was mounted. As I received it, there were no Shimano locking washers for the IGH which permitted it to slightly move, causing gear slippage when pedaling hard up a hill — a major oversight by the factory.

All in all, it’s a decent bike for $790 but since it costs $320 to ship to the USA, the savings over a Brompton isn’t that great and because of the issues mentioned, I’d say buy a Brompton instead.

tcs

$1110 delivered to USA? Okay. A US-market Dahon Curl i8 is $1279 delivered.

Understood, we're in a special time. The only new retail Brompton I can find that's advertised in stock in the USA at this time is a $1949 six-speed (no rack) @ REI.

Auclan

Well yes, but the Dahon Curl reportedly has its own issues (cracking chain tensioner, chain coming off when folded, inadequate brakes). I figured that since MIT has been making their Brompton clone for over 10 years that the bugs would've been worked out by now. Guess the Brompton-style fold is very tricky to build. My other folding bike is a very low cost Citizen Gotham which has never given me any problems—and I've had it over 5 years. But that bike has a simpler fold which is like the majority of folding bikes by Dahon, Tern and others—only one main hinge in the middle which doesn't disturb the chain and derailleur. Flipping the rear wheel under the bike is apparently challenging to manufacture well.

tcs

I've owned and ridden one for over three years. News to me.