Brompton Luggage - piece by piece

Brompton make a nice range of luggage to make lugging your stuff about town easier (if you are riding a Brompton)

The starting point is what is nicely known as a front carrier block assembly (Brompton part number QFCBA). This is needed in order to be able to attach your Brompton front bag to your beautiful Brompton folding bike.

The front carrier block attaches to the front of the main frame and because of this allows you to carry the bag with little effect on steering.

The following YouTube video shows how the front carrier block is fitted (click here).

Once the front carrier block is installed, you get to choose which piece of Brompton luggage you would like to use for carrying your stuff (unless you have a S-type Brompton - the one with the straight across handlebars - in which case you are limited to the S-Bag). We'll discuss the different bag and basket options very soon - see you then........

Brompton US championships

For those who ride Bromptons and like to race and happen to live or are able to travel to the US (that narrows down the field a bit), there is to be the first Brompton US championships.

When: Saturday 20th March 2010
Where: Memorial Hall, West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

More info: Brompton US championship

Virginia Water Bike Day

Not quite what it suggests maybe, but Surrey police are holding a bike crime prevention day in Virginia Water, Surrey on Saturday 6th February.

The poster says "Bring all your bikes along for advice on crime prevention, security, bike marking and identification"

It is being held from 11am to 3pm at Memorial Gardens, Station Parade, Virginia Water - next to the railway station.


Looking for a great lock with the police theme in mind?

Look no further than the Master Lock Street Cuff - it looks like a pair of handcuffs, and fold up pretty small for carrying at www.BrilliantBikes.co.uk

Creating a better place .......

Who loves ya baby?

The 16" Schwalbe kojak now comes in three guises. As said before, this is the replacement for the Stelvio which was discontinued in 2009.

All share the same ETRO size: 329-349 (or 16 x 1.25 or 16 x 1 1/4 inches)

The standard Schwalbe Kojak - weighing in at 230g with a RRP of: £15.99

The lightweight Schwalbe Kojak - weighing in at 175g with a RRP of: £29.99

and new for 2010 the Brompton lightweight Schwalbe Kojak (shown in the picture) - with reflective side wall - weighing in at 185g (according to our scales) with a RRP of: £27.50

Brompton say "replacing the Stelvio for 2010, the Kojak is the fastest tyre we've ever fitted on the Brompton; lighter and more puncture resistant (thanks to a RaceGuard strip) than its predecessor; a Kevlar bead also allows it to be folded, making it easy to pack as a spare. Finished with reflective sidewalls."

Brompton 2010 Tyres

So ... it's now 2010, a whole new decade.

It's January - so time to start getting fitter, and what better way than a daily commute by Brompton bike.

There are in fact 3 tyres being offered as standard on the Brompton folding bike range from the beginning of this year - as follows:

Brompton kevlar (the one with the green label) with a RRP of £19 (a reduction from last year presumably due to the fact the old yellow standard tyre is no longer available)

Schwalbe Marathon - a heavier duty (and heavier - a pair will add just over 370 grammes to your ride weight) tyre with a RRP of £24.50

Schwalbe Kojak - a lighter (saving 232 grammes if you have a pair), racing slick tyre with a kevlar bead meaning it can be folded (so takes less storage space - so you could keep a spare in the desk at work .... just in case) with a RRP of £27.25

So get on, push yourself and have an healthy and happy 2010.

New Brompton Shimano Hub Dynamo for 2010

New for 2010 from Brompton is a hub dynamo using a Shimano hub. This is available in 3 ways:

1/ A hub alone (£50.40 RRP)
2/ A wheel containing the hub (£68.05 RRP)
3/ A retrofit kit containing wheel with Shimano hub, lights, looms, fitting kit etc (£133.75 RRP)

This should be available from mid-end January 2010.

This is a cheaper option than the current Son hub dynamo (£336.75 for full retro fit kit)

*Note - prices correct at time of publishing

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.