The Man Behind Custom Bromptons | A Conversation with Ben Cooper of Kinetics

[@peterstewart2307]

Ben has revolutionised my Brompty. Now run around on an 11 speed, front, rear disc brakes dream machine. Way beyond the commuting basic - I tour often on it and my classy touring bike now graces my hall cupboard and doesn't see the light of day! So often I get many comments for other cyclists - I love it as it's a chance to punt the skills of Mr Cooper. Thanks Ben.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Thank you for sharing your experience

[@pootlingalong8928]

Enjoyed this video - heard about Ben and Kinetics 6 or 7 years ago, good to put a face to the legend! Thank you for sharing such an interesting conversation.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Thanks for watching. I was amazed to find out how long he's actively been in the Brompton game for and yeah I feel apart from his website his work isn't massively shared out to the public. I only found out about him from a bike shop I visited when I needed a chain breaker tool in Glasgow.

[@alexmorgan3435]

Very interesting. Would have been nice to have shown some pics in your video of the various modifications you were talking about. Thank you for making and sharing.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Never asked for permission to use all his images but might do a video a little down the line shown them all. Thanks for watching Alex

[@andyfairchild2383]

Fascinating stuff, thank you. I’ve been following Kinetics on FB for a while and am toying with getting either an alfine or rohloff conversion. Just need to work out what I want from all the options of wheel size, brakes etc. Great to finally put a face to the guy behind it all though.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Yeah I think it’s great to highlight these great folk

[@KavanOBrien]

Brilliant video, nice to hear about the belt drive and the fact he likes them also , as said before very surprised Brompton is not looking into a belt drive system, everyone I’ve talked with would change for a belt drive but without changing the rear triangle,maybe in your journey on your channel you might come across a system that allows you just to swap from chain to belt keeping the original triangle. Stranger things have happened at sea. Take care, safe riding.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

If I find a way, system or someone with one you'll be the first to know my friend

[@KavanOBrien]

@@TheBromptonGuy Thanks , sounds like single malt challenge.

[@o5126]

Thank you for the great and interesting video! My donor bike arrived at Ben's shop yesterday. 😄Looking forward to collect it in Glasgow.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

You have picked the safest hands possible to complete work on your bike my friend. What you getting done?

[@SimonBrowneNZ]

Also keen to hear what you are getting done and most important WHY? Did you buy donor bike especially for the upgrade?

[@o5126]

I just love bikes, since I started Mountainbiking in 1999. Startig with my second bike, I build them myself. The last was a Steel Hardtail All Mountain (Chromag Rootdown, Formula Selva, a lot of Hope Parts, Newmen Rims, ...). So I love special, individual bikes. 😉 For work I travel a lot around Switzerland, mainly with public transport. Therefore I thought about a brompton for years, but they are expensive and i don't like the brakes and gears. About two years ago, I found the kinetics website. A Brompton to my specs is not exactly cheap, so I hesitadet. We're going on holiday to scotland in spring, which is the perfect opportunity to pick it up ourselves. It will have a integral rack, an Alfinde 11 gear Hub with belt drive (Roloff is just too expensive), SP Front Hub, 18" Rims and disc brakes. I'm not sure about the colour yet (dark, blue or green laquer) and the disc brake (Hope is expensive, Formula in black could be cool). I was thinking about 20" wheels, to be fast. I switched to 18" after Ben explained, that 18" with bigger tires are more versatile and they fold better.

[@sgb-at-nz]

@@o5126 oh dear, that is my sounds like an amazing combination of upgrades. I'm talking to Ben and Hannah at Brilliant Bikes about a more restrained upgrade; 5 speed SA hub that fits the standard width dropouts, with a Gates belt and keeping everything else standard, but we will see. I have hills all around me, so a low, low number 1 gear is priority too. A belt just makes so much sense to me now that Gates are more relaxed about bending the belt backwards. Please keep us informed about your upgrade.

[@andyml1]

Great video of a great cycle engineer and designer. 👍👍

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Glad you enjoyed!! Hopefully more to come down the pipeline

[@simonjohnson2897]

Thanks for asking such interesting questions. I’ve ordered a Brompton from Ben with Rohloff / Belt. I can’t wait to receive the masterpiece!

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Very jealous indeed! You've order an amazing sounding bike, let me know how it goes once you've put it through its paces

[@simonjohnson2897]

The parts are being painted now. I've copied the CHPT3 (v2) colours. @@TheBromptonGuy - I hope to tour with my camping gear and avoid the issues of getting a full-sized bike on trains.

[@KavanOBrien]

Could I or dare I ask how much it was ? Also what wheel size did you get, many have said the 18” is better than 20”

[@mynameisntbobbybob]

Loved this vid, ben is nothing like i imagined but it really likeable and seems like a great guy

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Can’t agree more! Truly an amazing figure within the Brompton community Thanks for watching

[@john3892]

Top notch. An interesting interview with an interesting man. Well done! Let’s get Ben working on a simple front suspension for Bromptons, taking a cue from F-frame and Bridgestone Moultons and from Steve Parry’s conversions.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Glad you enjoyed it friend. Trying to line up some more interesting interviews with people that can talk about all things Brompton. However Ben was starting at a very high point.

[@KavanOBrien]

That would be a good move to have front suspension on Brompton’s .

[@finncarlbomholtsrensen1188]

I knew about Dutch, Bromptonian, which makes special versions of the trifold bike and repair and strengthening parts, but I never heard about Kinetics, in this context. I have heard of Russian producers of High End, Titanium versions of a trifold frame, but hardly any buys from Russia these days. Finn. Denmark

[@chukidee6634]

Really great vid. Many thanks.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Thank you for the feedback! Much appreciated.

[@trigs1441]

Great vid and very interesting.

[@davidhunternyc1]

This conversation was fascinating. I'm new to Brompton and I love the T-Line but is it perfect? I don't know. I'm not educated. Recently, I discovered the Leggero T7C folding ti bike on the JackbikeSG KZbin channel. It looks like an improved Brompton T-Line but is it? I would love to hear what you think of it, from an educated perspective. Also, has Ben Cooper improved the T-Line with his customized options? I've got no answers, only questions. Thank you.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Sorry for the delayed response. I’ll need to have a look at this bike but I doubt in terms of the quality of fold and weight the t line could be touched but will have a look. (I’ve never tested a t line myself yet). Ben doesn’t do any work on the T line at present as he doesn’t build with titanium.

[@roddyb]

Love my Kinetics triangle and Alfine hub.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

For sure a beautiful and affordable combination. 8 or 11 speed?

[@davidrowe8747]

Fascinating video insight into the possibilities. What are the implications for the Brompton warranty if modifications have been made? Adding, for example, an Alfine 11-speed to a C-Line Explore ... would that require a new rear triangle, and would the Brompton warranty on the whole bike become voided? Or just the rear end?

[@TheBromptonGuy]

I would imagine the main frame would continue to be in warranty but obvs the fork and triangle aren’t from Brompton. However suppose it’s safer to just accept you have no warranty cause it’s a custom build to be honest. However I would love to deliver the bike to Brompton modified just to see there response. However Ben does have lifetime warranty on his parts.

[@davidrowe8747]

@@TheBromptonGuy interesting. I only recently purchased my C-Line Explore but after I've had it for a year I may certainly look at the Alfine 11 conversion. I've found Ben's Web site and bookmarked it! I used to live up that way, shame I'm not still there as I'd love to visit his workshop.

[@Jay-hg2ec]

Brompton now make a 4 speed C line electric (seen it myself at covent garden) it has steel version of the P line titanium rear triangle, what I'm not sure about is whether or not the BWR hub will fit in a P line type triangle

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Did you manage to get a photo? Sounds interesting, thanks for sharing

[@joyousland]

Chinese triangle with titanium, carbon and knockoff mod are coming fast and cheap. Hope Kinetic is keeping the leading edge from the fierce competition.

[@o5126]

If I can choose between a cheap Chinese part from an anonymous factory of unknown quality and a European part from an expert with years of experience, the answer is relatively simple. If my life can depend on it (e.g. fork breakage in road traffic), it's no longer a question. I have also ordered bike computer mounts, bells and bottle cages from China, but I would never buy handlebars, forks or rims from such a source. And yes, I know that almost everything comes from China. But then there is a company that takes care of quality assurance. Ali and the others don't have that.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

Tbh Ben as a person and his craft is what people are actively paying for. If people want the cheap experience without know who is even behind the parts that’s fair and each to their own. I’ve seen on Amazon they sell titanium frames and been tempted to buy one for a review. Thanks for supporting

[@machoneboard]

If you use a brompton in the mode for which it was designed, weight matters, unless you are an athlete.

[@TheBromptonGuy]

@@machoneboard I do also agree about the weight. Just said to someone how I think the brompton is at its best when it’s at its lightest