Brompton Tyres 2010

Rumor has it that Brompton will be selling just two types of tyres for their folding bicycles in 2010.

The Brompton kevlar (green label) tyre:

Much the same in appearance as the Brompton standard (yellow label) tyre, except that it comes with a kevlar lining to stop the tyre puncturing easily.

The Schwalbe Kojak tyre:

The Kojak (slick as the American TV detectives head) is a racing type tyre from German manufacturer Schwalbe.

This is the replacement for the Stelvio tyre which was discontinued in 2009.

the Kojak comes in two models:

Wired with a wire bead running around the edge of the tyre, coming in at a weight of 230 grammes.

Folding with a kevlar bead (actually supplied in a box), coming in a weight of 175 grammes, costing slightly more.

Brompton Tyres 2009

As of now - these are the tyres recommended by Brompton for your Brompton folding bike.

Brompton Yellow 16" x 1 3/8" tyre

This is the standard Brompton tyre.

It seems to be on it's third generation.

Originally it was a plain black tyre.

Then came the mark 2 with a reflective bead on the sidewall - to help you keep safer and be seen better at night.

And now, Brompton tyres are a two tone black and grey - still with the reflective bead on the side wall.

Brompton Green 16" x 1 3/8"

This is the same as the Yellow (Brompton standard tyre) but with the addition of a kevlar strip to help reduce the risk of punctures.

This increased puncture protection comes at a slightly increased cost. (I guess the stuff they make bullet proof vests from doesn't come cheap - as there must be a large demand at the moment)

Schwalbe Marathon 16" x 1 3/8" tyre

This is a heaver tyre with more tread (so better for canal paths etc) than the Brompton Kevlar tyre.

Again it comes with a Kevlar belt to help reduce punctures - and a thicker sidewall.

Again - it has a reflective strip around the sidewall.

Schwalbe Stelvio 16" x 1 3/8" tyre - oh no - discontinued

This was the Brompton "racing" tyre - less tread, narrower and inflatable to higher pressures. More or less the Brompton equivalent of a racing road tyre.

However - it has been discontinued by Schwalbe in 2009.

Schwalbe Kojak 16" x 1 1/4" tyre

According to Schwalbe - this is the replacement "racing" tyre for your Brompton.

It comes in 2 versions:

With a wire bead - and no reflective sidewall.

With a kevlar bead - meaning that it can be folded and comes delivered in a box, and is lighter. Again no reflective sidewall - so you should put reflectors on your spokes.

Note: Due to the thinner tyres - your dynamo will not function as expected with this option.

Kojak "slick" tyre for your Brompton.

Dahon 2009 20 inch wheel folding bikes

So, you get a puncture on the way home from work, so the next day you get a lift to the office or to the station.

In the office you plan to order your new tyre - it's a bit worn out which could well be part of the reason for the puncture.

But - your brilliant plan to fix your bike hits a metaphorical pothole - what was the tyre you meant to get?

If you are riding a 2009 Dahon 20" folding bike - here's a list of the tyres shipped with the new bikes (please comment if you disagree or know better).

Dahon 2009 Vitesse D7 20" wheel seven speed

Tyres - Schwalbe Marathon 20" x 1.5"

Dahon 2009 Vitesse D7HG 20" wheel seven speed (shown)

Tyres - Schwalbe Marathon 20" x 1.5"

(by the way - HG in the model name = Hub gears)

Dahon 2009 Mu Uno 20" wheel single speed

Tyres - Schwalbe Marathon Racer 20" x 1.5"

Dahon 2009 Mu P8 20" wheel eight speed

Tyres - Schwalbe Big Apple 20" x 2.0"

Dahon 2009 Mu XL sport 20" wheel eight speed

Tyres - Schwalbe Marathon Racer 20" x 1.5"

Dahon 2009 Mu SL 20" wheel nine speed

Tyres - Schwalbe Kojak 20" x 1.5" (slicks)

Dahon 2009 Mu EX 20" wheel twenty speed (shown)

Tyres - Schwalbe Kojak 20" x 1.5" (slicks)

More Brompton stuff on its way to Brilliant Bikes

So - something goes wrong with your Brompton?

What's the most likely with such a reliable bike as your Brompton - could it be a puncture?

At Brilliant Bikes we already have a range of inner tubes and tyres for your Brompton ... In fact the Brompton Kevlar tyre s our top selling item.

It's fantastic to announce that very soon, we will have more Brompton stuff - a full range of Brompton spares / accessories.

Check back soon - we'll add details here - or check out www.BrilliantBikes.co.uk

Together we can create a better place where more people use bikes for transport (as well as recreation of course!)

Re-cycling by bike

Better - but still not good.

Having learned from yesterdays experience I tried the following changes:

1/ Took a normal forked bike (yesterday was a Cannondale with a Lefty fork, which meant that the bags I was using for carrying the bottles kept sticking into the spokes of the front wheel).

2/ Tool 2 bags instead of 3 - to help balance the bike better.

But I still had the following problems:

I managed to get up more speed - but because of the suspension fork the bags somehow managed to get into an out of sync. swing - so as one bag swung forwards, the other swung back - making it look like I was drunk (rather than just stupid) as I weaved down the road.

When needing to turn left I couldn't signal as a/ the bag may have fallen off the bike or b/ I may have lost balance - resulting in not letting 2 ladies who were crossing the road knowing that I was going to swerve around them ....

Which resulted in me being on the wrong side of the road (luckily in a narrow car par entrance) facing an on-coming car!

Anyway - I managed to deposit the bottles at the bank - which means 2 car journeys saved so far.

And no puncture this time (it wasn't glass yesterday - but a thorn from a previous cross country bike ride).

Still room for improvement though.

- Andrew

Cycling to Re-cycle

It wasn't as easy and pain free as I had hoped.

First as I pulled out of the house I almost ran over a pedestrian walking her dog - "It's not as easy as it looks when you see films of India" I said, she just smiled back like I was mad!

The problem was that I had 3 bags of bottles (mostly glass water bottles - not wine - honest).

2 bags on one side and 1 bag on the other - this made the bike steering somewhat unpredictable.

Combined with the fact that the 2 bag side wanted to run on the front wheel.

So I decided it may be safer to use the pavement rather than the road.

I made it unscathed to the bottle bank and jettisoned by baggage - all seemed good.

Until I got home and discovered the puncture - was it the glass at the re-cycling centre?

This means I have to use my Park Tool puncture repair kit and spend some time fixing my own bike!

Lesson learned - take just 2 bags and stay balanced.

Let's hope it goes better next time.

Our Purpose here at Brilliant Bikes

Hopefully the name gives a clue of how we want to do what we want to do ... we want to do it brilliantly, and it has to do with bikes - bicycles that is!

So what do we want to do?

We want to create a better place.

A better place?

A better place for cyclists - people who use their bikes for travel (to work or shopping), for recreation and a better place to work (we love our work - and hope this reflects in the quality of what e do and how we provide our service)

We want to create a place where we help people to get even more pleasure from their cycling lives.

Helping people to have the right equipment so that that daily cycle to work is done with confidence (that it's not just a one way trip due to bike failure / breakdown).

A place where everyone - customers and team members - are treated with dignity and respect.

We want to see more and more cyclists on the road, and with a smile think to ourselves "we helped to do that".

Welcome to Brilliant Bikes - creating a better place

What is / who are Brilliant Bikes?

We are an on-line only (for now) bike shop - selling tools (currently just from Park Tool), spare parts (tyres and inner tubes from Brompton and Schwalbe) and accessories (locks from Master Lock and Kryptonite and cables from Clarkes cables) to make your cycling life even better.

You can visit our place by clicking on www.BrilliantBikes.co.uk

Why are we doing it?

Check back later - and find out!