What's the REAL Difference?

[@HenryWilkinson-c5n]

So love my exquisite little Brompton, it’s literally changed my life. ❤

[@Ekdog]

My M6L, built according to the specs given in your video of a decade ago, is still going strong after multi-modal commuting on it daily, touring and riding around town. It's a great match for Spanish trains; I've used it on the cercanías, media distancia and AVEs. Love it!

[@gabrielcontreras3993]

Recently purchased two P lines with titanium seat posts from CLEVER. Great shop, shipped to Los Angeles quickly.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

As an owner of a 2019 SuperlightM6LXBrompton, I have now changed most, nearly all - loose parts to titanium and carbon - mostly bought from China, Taiwan, and Korea. It weighs below 9 kilos with mudguards and is very close to the weight of a T-line, with mudguards by that. Finn. Denmark

[@frankhugh2052]

Rode on in London for over a decade. Excellent if the roads are smooth and not potholed

[@LimeGreenSneakerFaith]

I am so blessed to have been gifted an ML6! I just received it about two week ago. My first ride out I received great attention! I am excited about my bike! So far so good! I'm from NYC. I ride the 59th street a few times a week into Manhattan. I also ride Queens blvd. The bike is holding up well! I wouldn't mind more gear options going on the bridge but hey, I'm thankful to have this beautiful bike. I am looking forward to sharing my new adventures with this bike on my channel!

[@jonathanleach3914]

Excellent. I have a 12 speed Brompton plus an older M6R. Excellent bikes and I use them daily. The wider gears on the 12 speed are better but although heavier, the rack on the older bike is better to carry things. It’s slightly longer and the bungees hold things more firmly. Thanks for your films.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

You are able to buy Racks in many shapes. also as Standard and also from titanium, for a Brompton, so it is just to look at the Internet for those. I buy directly from China of course. The largest supplier of better parts and spares for Bromptons. Finn. Denmark

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

By that, as an owner of a 2019 SuperlightM6LXBrompton I wouldn't know what to use12 gears for, as I hardly knew for what use I had my 3 low gears, till I met an absurd Serpentine road going up, and also down again, with often "Cattle Bars" crossing the road for a full stop and passing them on foot, holding the bike. The small size wheels are not intended just to roll over! But my Brompton brakes never let me down in spite of initial doubts! Finn. Denmark

[@digitaldion]

Stunning! I still have a 24 year old M3L which is my daily driver. In our family we have 2 x 2011 M6’s, a black M6L and a raw lacquer M6R. They are amazing!

[@sean7456]

I'm always surprised that Brompton doesn't offer a belt drive option. Between the cleanliness and the option to get rid of the rear derailleur and use a gearbox or a hub. Seems like it'd be a lot better for a folding commuter bike like this.

[@stephenringlee9739]

Agreed but belt drive means an internal gear hub which in turn means a wider rear triangle, so it's not a trivial change. But aftermarket folks have done so.

[@kenshinjenna]

BikeFriday does, and their's will back into a standard airline suitcase...I think it folds smaller than Brompton, actually. Not sure..

[@kouotsu]

I feel like they get so dirty from road grime being so low to the ground that the supposed maintenance savings from a belt are not worth having 2-4x less gear range.

[@52blackshadow]

Agree. I see that people have added belt drive to their Brompton, but it would be a lot more cost effective getting such a bike from the factory.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

Internal gears are more heavy to use, from internal friction in the system, as a belt drive! And the Brompton chain is in the middle of the bike when folded, so it is no problem! I would by far prefer the 7 speed chain gear system which is to be bought from Eastern Firms, with a new wheel and one changer only. Finn. Denmark 🤔

[@wonderingatom8203]

Still have my M6L from 2015. I actually removed the derailleur, so I only use the internal hub gearing for ease of maintenance. Just gave my bike a huge makeover, new Shimano bottom bracket, brakes, quick release pedals and Ergon grips. It is an absolute joy to ride and hope for many more years use.

[@ty-le5lv]

Great to see these in the US more. Been a fan for years. Had a dahon but was an early version and flimsy. Got into tern and love the quality. But i like Brompton size wise.

[@2Bikes4Adventure]

Not sure about touring with those Schwalbe One however.

[@rk-fc1he]

Even the lovely riding Conti Urban’s have proven to have delicate side walls so in my book neither make a reliable touring tyre.

[@davidrowe8747]

@@rk-fc1he I think the tinier tyres and wheels make it much more important to keep high pressure in the tyres. If the pressure gets too low, it squishes the sidewalls.

[@davidrowe8747]

Relatively new Brompton owner here (C-Line Explore). I've watched loads of Brompton videos but this was one of the more interesting and informative. Here in the UK, we have Brilliant Bikes, who are very similar to Clever Cycles - very helpful people. They made a few mods to the Brompton I purchased from them without charging for labour. They have a fantastic KZbin channel on all things Brompton, also!

[@platypushatstand]

BB are great, I buy a lot of stuff from them, they sell single spokes. Check out SJS (St Johns Street Cycles) they’re the importer for a lot of Brompton-related upgrades: Ti Parts Workshop (TPW), Jack Kuosac (I fitted his 100mm riser bars, trimmed down to 560mm wide - much more sturdy than the flexy M/H bar my H6R came with in 2012), SON Dynamo lights.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

@@platypushatstand Sorry, "Joseph Kuosac" which is a Taiwanese Company making Upgrade and better parts to a Brompton! You are able to buy directly also from China with a lot of Companies making Brompton like parts, H&H, Aceoffix and a lot more! If finding Chinese A.E. You may search directly, also J K parts. I have rebuilt most of my former 2019 SuperlightM6LXBrompton to now below 9 kilo, with mudguards, from AE titanium and carbon parts. Also Dutch based: Bromptonian, with no connection to Brompton but also building an Off Road Brompton type bike, and parts for repairs and strengthening. I have a bracket not to ruin my front mudguards end, when folding. Finn Denmark

[@Josukegaming]

I know some folks from Clever Cycles, so happy that you're working with them!

[@simonscott1000]

I'm still punting around on my six speed which I bought back in 2009. I've done a lot of commuting into London and two world championships on it, brilliant thing.

[@Liketheoutdoors]

Awesome. Lot's of blink, cool bike store, and very informative vid. Would like to hear more about ride quality differences between the front-cargo bikes, Brompton's and a more traditional do-it-all daily ride. I realize the strengths of the Brompton's is their compact size, but not sure how they ride in contrast to others. Thx Russ!

[@samuraiS30v]

9:39 you actually can turn your Brompton into a 12 speed if you buy a two stage main sprocket they are made from titanium and are very high-quality. They’re also available on eBay. I have one as a spare. It is a 54 tooth down to a 32 tooth. I have the old school H6L6B and was able to turn mine into a 12 speed just by doing that.

[@citizenwolf8720]

Thanks for this video. Good information and nicely shows the differences from the previous models.

[@serhiirudenko6183]

Hah, Bromptons recently gaining some popularity online. Not so long ago I found out about them, now want to get one. Tho there's no dealers in Ukraine, will have to found out something. Also rumors say in a month will be released a new G line. There will be some significant changes like aluminum stem, disc brakes and most important- slightly bigger 20" wheels.

[@outtatrex]

Finally 20 inch wheels !!! / Slava Ukraini!

[@polipop1113]

There is a rumor that Brompton G Line with 20” wheels is coming later this year.

[@ARJWright]

It’s coming. Reddit thread happening today of someone seeing it in fact

[@outtatrex]

I would buy a 20' inch Brompton. I think there are lots of people who love Bromptons, exept those 16 inch mini wheels. I have seen Bromptons with the 20 inch conversion kit, and that just looks amazing.

[@ashchbkv6965]

@@outtatrex there are clones with 20" wheels. it's slightly larger frame of course, so it's slightly bigger when folded

[@Paco15151]

@@outtatrex At this point if you're going with 20 inch wheels why not simply go to a Tern or if you're feeling fancy an Helix. It'll be cheaper and you won't have to deal with all the annoying custom stuff ...

[@freemandrew]

20 inch wheels on a Brompton? That's not cricket.

[@tracerxrider]

Love Clever. Great shop.

[@josh33172]

Looking at a brompton purchase. Was going to go this weekend to Brussels to give a C Line Explore a demo. Rode a 2sp in Bruges and it was impressively smooth over cobbles. I've already explored the aftermarket as well....pretty neat mod market. I believe the first upgrade I will do is add a rack and inline skate wheels as I heard they work significantly better than the stock Brompton wheels.

[@tymncycle]

As spiffy as the "new" under bar shifters are, the old "bunny ears" shifters have been more reliable, in my experience as a Brompton dealer.

[@rk-fc1he]

Definitely agree and with less to go wrong plus they’re more accessible when using bar ends.

[@joshuabrown5057]

Very cool, thought you would get the titanium frame

[@ericpmoss]

I'm most fascinated by the new rear suspension block at 10:23.

[@alejandroaranda5254]

It's a Matumura Kohki, you can buy copycat Chinese versions, as the original is pretty expensive. I have one on my 2009 brompton (chinese one), and it's really good

[@SingaporeUntold]

Don’t use those. They tend to break

[@alejandroaranda5254]

@@SingaporeUntold Mine is fine with two years of normal use.

[@slowwerthensnot]

Needs the new Paul brakes in purple of course! 😅

[@goergeerwoll]

Really enjoyed the company you bought to this video. She was great company and very informative.

[@BenandSarahsclutter]

Its definitely a good choice to skip the dynamo option, even if you wanna use a Brompton for touring. I definitely will get rid of ours when our wheels will need to be replaced. We thought it would be useful for longer cycling by night, but over the last decade, we never had long distances left to go after it got dark. And while cycling over the Korean or Taiwanese "Alps" we had to use our "Real" flood spotlights anyway, cause sight was to limited AND Sarahs rear light stopped working as well. So for us, there is no reason to deal with the extra weight and rolling resistance, when we carry spare lights anyway 😁 Regards Ben&Sarah

[@jered2177]

Ride my zizzo forte daily, there are no brompton dealers around here.i'd love to try one though. Now Mobot Royale has a trifold with 20" wheels❤

[@honuadalaranwow5106]

brompton is coming out with a 20" trifold with discs soon ;) Kinda surprised this video came out this close to the launch of the new line tbh

[@electrocit673]

For Laura you can do the trick of mixing / using 9-11 speed cassette cogs and dished cogs to add more gears int he back in the back. You could probably make it a 9 speed maybe even a 12 that way. Of course you might need to swap the chain as well to a 10 or 11 speed chain. It's too late now but did you consider cold setting the rear triangle to fit a wider hub?

[@Raichle9]

Did you hear the announcement of the new Brompton G-Line? Looking forward to your thoughts. (I currently have a M6R. The nearest full service Brompton full service dealer is in South Carolina. So I'll have to wait a couple of months for the G-Line to show up here in the southern United States.)

[@brunopaivamiranda5702]

I've seen some ppl online using a lite pro adapter to install a double crankset, and it seem to work well. Maybe it is a cost effective way to Increase the range of the brompton.

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

Did that ages ago :) kzbin.info/www/bejne/eZqQk4Cvmq-JjLcsi=0dQLd-l2fOf6P9sN

[@rda3000]

I am admittedly all over the G-Line. I'm also considering photochromic lenses in my glasses, so these dad-things at least track.

[@simonguard5087]

Thanks for the Brompton review, really interesting as previously just admired from a far I’m in the UK so usually just see them on their way to the train station, Russ are you back in the US or still based in Spain?

[@rundt7605]

Look forward to seeing lauras upgraded bike,also the cost ,been lusting agter the p line but a bit out of my price bracket 😢

[@gloriousstereo]

Good vid. Russ, heads up, your affiliate multitool link needs an update.

[@HolgerNestmann]

Thanks for this walkthrough. Always love brompton content. They are the perfect train bikes for sure. Angelie danced around the question of upgrading the 6 speed to 12 speed quite cracefully. „Even for a 6 speed P-Line it‘ll be 1100“. So to be more clear. As far as I am aware brompton doesn‘t allow an upgrade of a steel 6 speed bike. They won‘t give you the rear triangle needed for this. You have to buy a new bike. Brompton lost a bit of their spirit

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

You are able to buy near all Brompton-like parts from China, also from titanium and carbon. I have modified my 2019 M6LX to now below 9 kilo, with mudguards, and it still looks very Original by that. And no loose pedals to be lost for me. Finn. Denmark

[@HolgerNestmann]

@@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188 That's fair - I was more commenting on Bromptons own offerings which are a bit disappointing.

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

@@HolgerNestmann I normally say that that China, Taivan and Korea are the main suppliers of better and also less expensive parts for a Brompton. My black Brompton, security shaped Titanium seat post of a solid quality, most likely cost about the same as an Original Standard post. And I have lately changed the "Heavy Metal" brackets on the mudguards on my 2019 SuperlightM6LX, to a set from carbon, as all the discs, bolts and nuts are now from titanium! But I do love to look at the solderings on the frame! They are really made by Craftsmen!

[@HolgerNestmann]

@@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188 I do know and appreciate that Taiwan carries the western bike industry on its shoulders. And I don‘t question that companies in the People‘s Repuplic of China make great parts. It‘s all fantastic quality including the gear hubs and the other asian sourced accessories brompton puts on their bikes. I also equipped my brompton with Far Eastern parts. However this is absolutely not my point - I want brompton to offer the upgrade themselves and stand behind it. They do big talks about suistainability etc and they want me to buy a new P-Line if I want 12 speeds, while my frame, fork etc is perfectly fine. Of course they can source it from Taiwan or Santas Workshop on the northpole, but should offer it themselves

[@kgilliagorilla2761]

I bought a B75. New bike with old parts. Three speed. Fun bikes.

[@davidharris3391]

Great bike, but lazy gearing matching by Brompton with the 12-speed. There are two regressive overlap zones that both reduce the effective useful gear from 12 to around 8 and also make shifting way more complicated. The 12-spd offers very little additional range or increments over the 6-spd, and you have to pay a complexity tax. Overall, it's a bit of a downgrade. Brompton could have done way better with proper engineering. I suspect they were limited by the 3-spd hubs and the number of teeth on the rear cassette. Overall, it's not a good design. *BUT* Great bike otherwise. Really nice decision and upgrades besides the 12-spd.

[@rogerhudson9732]

What about G line??

[@naturegoggle]

Never ridden a Brompton. Is it better/comfortable than a tradition touring/city bike for longer tours?

[@PathLessPedaledTV]

I wouldn't say its more comfortable. It is more convenient for bus/train legs of a trip.

[@kouotsu]

I was happy with the Schwalbe Ones for the most part, but the tanwall seems impossible to clean... I rode on them for a few hundred miles total maybe, and could not get them looking clean anymore. Hoping the tanwall Continentals are better. Compared to my WTB 650b tanwalls that still look new after 1k+ miles, it is confusing.

[@rk-fc1he]

Tan walls are just fashion, the tan wall is actually weaker than a black wall tyre, tyres are black for a reason.

[@kouotsu]

@@rk-fc1he I know, that's why I'm so annoyed they can't get clean lol

[@jamesscholz8338]

Are bromptons frequently stolen in NYC? I like the idea for vacationing, but I'm wondering if it would be wiser to take my 1970s nishiki instead. I use lock picking lawyers kyrpronite chain lock

[@anthonylloyd6094]

Easy conversion to a 12 speed... H&H dual chain ring. 50/33T

[@KarlOnSea]

Nice - I love a bit of Brompton customisation (see: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpqWnXegq9l0gaM). One question: On your new bike, what's the deal with the chain retainer for the chainset (the little doohickey on the seat post tube)? If someone changes out their chainring, is this repositionable?

[@puro52]

sure getting tingly in the wallet for a brompton

[@Donkaestner2634]

They really recommend Schwalbe Ones ? This is the worst option for travel , or you love to fix punctures 😂

[@SingaporeUntold]

Agree. Great performance but no protection

[@subliminalfreedom]

Neat!

[@stevecox4534]

Esoteric...in the best way.

[@jiajunsun3845]

Brompton should partner up with Pinion gearbox

[@52blackshadow]

I wish a lot of manufacturers would do that.

[@platypushatstand]

Someone in Germany has already modified a Brompton to take a pinion.

[@quentinl.9072]

I love your channel so much. BUT. There is a but. You need to test a Bastile or a Convercycle against that Brompton. I Know Brompton is the leader. But they need to experience the concurrence here. I'm very interested in the Convercycle myself, I'm a trailer user and this could replace everything. Anyway cheers 👏

[@LUCKY_LARRY]

I wanna hear about the Brompton first.

[@kennethg9277]

​@@LUCKY_LARRYi wanna hear about the bromptons last; mediocre design and quality that have made gazillions purely out of clever marketing

[@Paco15151]

TBH the Bastille in not at all in the same category. It's way too big to easily do a lot of the multi modal stuff you can do with a brompton, for example in France it would need to be in a bag with the wheels off to be in most intercity trains.

[@leslieyoung5234]

You get a new bike and Laura gets a few new parts. Feel bad, seems like Laura got the shaft?

[@felixhaimson8921]

I'm the mechanic doing the work on Laura's bike. Believe me, it's more than "a few new parts". I'm basically replacing almost everything but the frame.

[@whispering_pines]

Replacing that whole rear wheel and adding the wider range 6 speed / new cogs seems like a thing to consider if / when my 3 speed hub finally goes. Good to know that’s an option.

[@ashchbkv6965]

if only it was affordable for many people living paycheck to paycheck instead of having to pay for something that has now become a luxury/collector's item that a company that's determined to do anything to keep it that way. the trifold is such an essential tool for the progress of active transportation, this could get so many people into bike commuting because of how easily it folds/unfolds, being able/allowed to carry it onto trains and buses without taking too much space, being able to take it to workplaces that don't have bike parking, what we get instead is greedy capitalists holding onto an expired patent through legal loopholes to protect their monopoly. the people who need it the most can't afford it, even if they could somehow afford it, they would have to deal with the much higher likelihood of it being stolen because it's a luxury item, it's just impossible, it's entirely inaccessible for poor people.

[@Nihilimus]

Oh, I think that's just supposed to be part of its authentic Britishness. :)

[@rob-c.]

Brompton are a private company - It’s not up to them to kill their margin for some sort of ‘greater good’. Perhaps governments should improve public transport so that people can take any bike on-board? There are plenty of cheap knock-offs if you want to avoid the quality the current prices buy you.

[@kennethg9277]

@@rob-c. lol, "quality". Bromptons are fragile pieces of luxury wear. Not a serious bike for a serious person, that's for sure.

[@ashchbkv6965]

@@rob-c. why are you ignoring the point that brompton are using their expired patent to stop anyone from selling trifolds wherever they operate? people can't get a trifold that's not from brompton, i own three clones and i only got them when i traveled to singapore. saying that only brompton produces quality trifolds is just plain stupid, you think only they know and do great machining, brazing, welding, and qc? the trifolds that i got are just as good if not better than bromptons and it's less than 1/3 of brompton's price

[@pootlingalong8928]

Rubbish. I bought my M3L in early 2015. Since I bought it I have ridden it most days. It does the commute, it does the shopping, it does touring including Lands End to John O’Groats carrying me, my dog and all our camping gear, it has toured The Way of The Roses, a tour of the Cotswolds and a tour of the Lake District. It has never seen the inside of a service shop and apart from needing new tyres every 18 months, a couple of sets of brake blocks and one set of cables since new it has cost me ZERO money. I wash it occasionally but it works for a living and I don’t fuss over it too much. Don’t spout rubbish about Brompton bikes, they are incredibly tough.