Why did I get a Brompton Electric? What do I think of it 2 months in?

[@mollyfilms]

I’m unsure if you know how inspiring your video has been to so many including myself. At almost the same age as you I haven’t been on a push bike in years, but ache to be back on one for the freedom and health benefits it brings. While researching the “Brompton E bike” I came across your channel, it’s great to see an honest no nonsense view of the bike. Happy cycling!

[@oldmanwith]

Wow thank you Lee, what a great comment. Here’s a question for you: Is an E Brompton exactly what you want? The reason I ask is that honestly right now I probably have more fun and do more mileage on my Trek Rail 7 EMTB. I still use the Brompton regularly but I use the Trek more. I am sadly way behind in doing videos and I need to explain the whys and wherefores of it. You’ve now inspired me to go and record something new on the Trek. Thanks!

[@kentwydell9322]

Thankyou for an excellent video. Re tyre pressure: I tried 100psi and the ride was awful. I now run at 65/75 psi and the ride is quite good. The rolling resistance will be higher but, with electric assist, it doesn't really matter. I haven't had a pinch flat as yet and I have hit a few potholes. Re the sticking hub gear change: I must be lucky as I find mine both smooth and predictable. I ensure that the cable adjustment is spot on and I instinctively ease off or cease on the pedals when I change the (hub) gear. The gear change lever being a ratchet arrangement, that only changes one gear at a time and then has to fully return, took a bit of getting used to. On the traditional SA levers, the change is continuous. Re the motor: Same here. Fingers crossed for the future. Re shopping cart mode: On mine the front wheel touches the ground when folded. I was under the impression that this was to stabilise the folded bike; which it does. I was also under the impression that is why there was not a version of the Electric with a fitted rack. I might well be wrong. If the folded bike is towed, the wheel is rotating in the 'correct' direction and it freewheels. If pushed, the wheel has to rotate in reverse which engages the motor and has resistance.

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks for the comprehensive comment and points raised Ken. Yes I think in part my 100 psi obsession is just a hangover from skinny road tyres so I should really experiment a bit. On the rack and shopping cart, yes ours without racks were exactly the same with the addition that the wheel, if you do turn it, catches on something on the spokes. You can hear it pinging but I never figured out what it was. With the rack it’s academic because the wheel is off the ground. I heard a couple of different stories as to why no electric racked version currently exists in the portfolio. That’s a very valid point you make about the directional rotation of the wheel and I’ll admit I forgot about it. I’d say without the bags and batteries on there’s not much to choose in stability (folded) between rack and no rack (or mine and my wife’s), all I can confirm is that I’m perfectly happy with mine with the rack and my wife is perfectly happy with hers without!!

[@devjon123]

@@oldmanwith Thanks for a great video. I'm considering an Electric Brompton. I see from a recent Brilliant Bikes Video that Brompton have modified the battery latching mechanism so hopefully that should solve the disconnect ptoblem. My wife had a sticky gear lever on her 6 speed, I undid the gear lever cover screw and used a bit of very fine wet and dry on the plastic part that moves, and put a bit of PTFE lubricating oil on the faces whih has fixed the problem. I also had the pinging of the spokes when pushing the folded bikes, I undid the receptacle that catches the locks the handlebar to the stem when foded and spun it " upside down " this holds the wheel slightly further away when folded and prevents the pinging. Thanks again for a really useful video 👍

[@oldmanwith]

Thank you 😊, yes the latch is modded, I’ve had my bag modified by Brilliant Bikes and it is definitely a lot better. I’ve had a couple of recurrences (and there’s a video on my channel about it) but I do push the bike pretty hard. There’s folk who never had the issue in the first place and also folk for whom the latch replacement has solved the problem. For me I have no regrets in my purchase of the Brompton E. Good tips on the gearshift and spokes! 👍👍

[@johnbunyon399]

Excellent revue. Thanks for posting. As my city expands I am more inclined to get a brompton in the back of the car to get out of the mess I have around me.

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks John, yes for me that's exactly it. To be fair I don't need it for a commute (I either work at home or around 60 miles away) but it and my other bikes are definitely my escape

[@Ontheroadtourism]

I have a regular Brompton S6L and I changed the seat post to a titanium one and it really made it much more comfortable.

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks Trevor, interesting idea and makes perfect sense

[@robhemsley9181]

Another common sense to the point review - excellent ---- I have a 6 sp C line Electric . 1. the harsh ride is very much improved with 85psi on rear and 75 psi on front - not had puncture issue . you can swap out the harsh suspension bung too - have bought one but not felt it necessary to fit. im using the original saddle - bought ive bought a unsprung Brooks - yet to arrive - . 2. i absolutely love the 6 gear format and love the SA hub gears - no sticking issues experienced . To me this makes the bike great to ride. yes you've got to learn how to use them but i think the format beats DR system as you can shift gearing fast at stop without pedaling . I dont think in my neck of the woods id get on well without 6 speed loads of steep hills . I upgraded the bike to a bike rack (not Brompton) with heavy duty easy wheels plus extender and i find that rolling works like a dream if you leave the handle bars up right , seat down , put the electric bag over your shoulder and tilt the folded bike back on two wheels - great for shopping with large valerias bag on the stem - or just moving with the bike folded....you really don't have to lift the bike much - maybe onto a train or up stairs - rare for me ....which i dont find too heavy. Ive had a motor issue and brompton are sorting that out (48hr turnaround ) . the bike is not good on very bumpy surfaces and i use a Tern s10 for very long touring rides which has better disk braking (but i prefer my brompton as its much lighter and transportable ) No doubt in my mind i prefer this to any bike i have . i think a 6 speed P line would be my next bike but for now im settling with this for the next few years. Electric is definitely the way to go - you do get 38 miles if you use mostly level 1 and zip to 2/ 3 for hills and i totally agree that you end up doing more exercise with an electric because you end up on the bike more - great review !!!!

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks Rob! I’ve got the bigger wheels and extender ready to fit on my OEM rack, I really need to get round to doing it. I tried train commuting, it’s kinda heavy to lug up the stairs but if I’d wheeled it and used the lift it would have been a different experience. It’s yet another video that I’m trying to get round to editing 🙄 I think I need to retire just to keep up with KZbin… My sticky shifter is definitely to do with weather changes, some days it’s fine, others not. Somebody has a video online where Will Butler Adams has actually said something about it and it’s far worse in super humid climates I think. And yes, definitely 6 speed all the way. Although I kinda like the Alfine (or Rohloff) full hub gear conversions but that’s another arm and leg.

[@chrisshelton3504]

Great review for the Brompton e-bike. Really great way you narrated the review with a ride-along. The first two or three ride-alongs I’ve seen in the past rapidly devolved into a bicycle traveling city streets with limited viewing of the surrounding area. Your trip was fascinating!

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks Chris, appreciate the feedback. It actually started out as the whole circuit at just under an hour but I was convinced it was waaaaay too long. I ended up torn between the need to get the info across and the desire to almost make it a vlog. I’ve got some more thoughts on a couple more to do in a similar style so I’m grateful that it’s been received well.

[@videomillsy]

Test riding one tomorrow! Great to watch this before I go.

[@oldmanwith]

Hope you enjoy Sue! Be aware though, Brompton addiction is definitely a thing! :-)

[@coaldust01]

"if it gets you out on the bike, it's a good thing" You hit the nail on the head there mate, I don't have a Brompton, but I have a fiido d4s, before that I had a normal 20in folder, I found that knowing the slog I would encounter everytime I used it just put me off of riding, Now I'm out and about everywhere, sometimes I Pedal faster than the assist or even switch it off as it's a geared hub and I can get as much work out as I desire, at the same time I can breeze along on electric and enjoy the outdoors and scenery without feeling like I've just smoked a pack of camel cigarettes, just fitted some marothon plus tires as well to take some puncture anxiety away, great vid pal, enjoy your bike.

[@oldmanwith]

Thank you yes exactly!

[@sarabaldeschwieler7763]

Great info. My bike is expected at the dealer in 5 days or so. I'm expecting to change the seat and maybe larger wheels to make 'shopping cart mode' work. I did test ride one, and I smiled the whole time I was riding it!!

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks for the comment, enjoy your Brompton!!

[@NoZenith]

I was told by the shop when I put a deposit on my bike that the seat is going to be a Brooks cambium because Brompton was having trouble sourcing the standard seat. I'm in the US and my bike was due in last month and it's about a month behind but the store did get the invoice which means it was being built or has already been built. It's just the shipping delays due to covid I'm assuming.

[@NoZenith]

What chainring did you pick?

[@oldmanwith]

Brooks Cambium seems to be quite well regarded especially for wet weather, I was debating whether to get one when I changed the saddle on mine. Did you get a choice of chainring when you were at the dealer? For us it was “this is the bike that’s available in stock, you can buy it now or we don’t know when the next delivery will be”

[@NoZenith]

@@oldmanwith I was told if I didn't want a bike they had already ordered I could order a bike, the approx approximate month when it would ship... which was next year... so no I did not get a choice. I believe it's the 12% reduced gearing from standard chainring. I got to test ride two bikes back-to-back, M6R reduced gearing and H6R standard and was sold on the H6R but all of them had been pre-ordered by the shop with the reduced chain ring. I picked black raw laquer H6R and I think my first modification is probably going to put back on the standard chainring.

[@trevorthorn5011]

Hi this my second viewing of this vid looking forward to a another up date down to earth and honest review of a owner the the bike👍

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks Trevor, glad it all made sense :-)

[@RedGoneRiding]

As someone who had been a MTB cyclist for the last 2 decades, I tried the Brompton electric from a local dealer a while back as I was thinking of buying one for a while but they didn’t have a normal one for demo. Despite my concerns of how heavy the bike was, I was so surprised by how easy to ride it was for a wee foldable bike, going uphill was splendid for commuting. I loved it so much I actually went and bought a normal 6 speed Brompton. Since I too live at the bottom of a hill, i suppose I may consider the electric one for commuting as I really don’t fancy getting sweaty first thing in the morning when I get to the office. Thanks for your video, it was very informative. But yeah I would be interested to know what problems the electric would have on their front block connectors.

[@oldmanwith]

Sorry, thought I’d replied but looks like I didn’t. In terms of getting sweaty (or not) the biggest issue I find is the urge to crank it up regardless of which Ebike I’m on. It’s very easy to run off the top of the assist range at 15mph and end up doing a workout instead of a relaxing ride. I guess I just don’t like going slow 🤣. I’ve got most of the footage for a video on the issues I’ve had on it, just got to find the time to edit it up!!

[@ed0078]

I, and many others, have never had an issue with the gear changer. The battery charging feature is a wonderful feature. Batteries should only have capability to be be charged between 20% to 80%. This saves the battery life.

[@oldmanwith]

Glad to hear it Ed, that’s been my point with all the issues I’ve had - just because I’ve had it doesn’t mean everyone else will. The unfortunate fact is that folk generally don’t shout as much about the fact that a product has performed well as they do when it hasn’t so it’s good to get some representation on the positive side. On the matter of the battery though, it does charge to 100%, it just only does so when it’s dropped below about 80%. If I end a ride at above 80% that’s when it doesn’t charge. In the industry I work in we use Li-Ion batteries in a lot of motive power applications and they all charge to 100%. However, the last 20% tends to be on a float charge rather than a bulk charge so my guess is the Brompton charger lacks some of the technology that exists in the industrial chargers that we use. Don’t know, not an expert.

[@thesoloviolinist7792]

Great video. I agree with you heartily about the bags! Surprise surprise, they are now upgrading the mount, you were right!

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks! Yes I’m part way through doing a video on the catch upgrade 👍

[@alex8426]

thanks for the review. I have the 2020 Brompton and today I decided to order they swytch kit and hopefully I'll enjoy having the electric assist. Thanks for sharing the video.

[@oldmanwith]

Thank you Alex, I wish you the best with it.

[@MartinSchabbauer]

Thank you for a very personal and nice review. It was very informative and nice to join you on your morning ride. (Good job with the camera angles and nice stabilization as well.)

[@oldmanwith]

Thank you Martin, your comment is appreciated.

[@evans66ph]

Great video. I was new to Brompton when I bought one a couple of years ago and took me a little while to get used to the Sturmey Archer hub gears. I've found when you change gear - DO NOT PEDAL and the change is seamless. This goes against the normal procedure for derailleur gears

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks Phil, ah yes the gear change “dance” can be a bit of a learning curve. I grew up on Sturmey’s and only got my first derailleur when I was mid teens so I guess I had a head start in learning. I use what I’d describe as unweighted pedalling where I’m still rotating the crank but not applying pressure and I use that for both types of shifting on mine.

[@alanselwyn5274]

A great ride and commentary - as real and genuine as it gets. I agree with everything you say (BTW mine now rolls nicely with eazy-wheels and an extender axle - shame these aren’t standard as they improve the folded bike tremendously, not just rolling but stability however you don’t lock the rolling so hold on in a train!)

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks Alan, I have the eazywheels and extender kit ready to fit, just trying to get the time to video and upload!

[@taber247]

Thanks for sharing, very interesting. I keep putting off electrification as I still manage the few rides I do, but have noticed I am getting slower (at 76) , a concern on main roads. Perhaps I should just avoid them. Never understood Brompton excluding the rear rack. The extra weight is helped by the rear racks better rolling facility. And, having filled up or partially filled the front bag the greatly reduced carrying capacity called out for a rear bag. Bromptons are so versatile; what cyclist of a practical turn of mind wouldn't want one. Off road is its biggest incapability, but most small wheeled bikes are inappropriate for that; pity. Thanks again Take care

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks for your comment, that kinda puts me to shame at 63 😂😂 Fully agree on your other points

[@TeresaGriffith]

@@oldmanwith 😄

[@Venomator.]

Thank you, one of the better ride-on Brompton reviews/like/dislike vlogs. Interesting view points and one I did watch all the way through, which is unusual for me as I tend to think around 13mins is my max attention span on these things… 😉 My wife & I have Bromptons, both 6 speed ‘manual’ originally (I fitted the rack to mine, but not Mrs V’s), which I have just added Swytch electric conversions to, although we have not properly tested them yet. I am slightly more advanced in years and we cannot really afford 2 Electric Bromptons and, quite possibly, would not get the use out of them anyway, SWMBO definitely wouldn’t… 🤷🏼‍♂️ Thanks again, sub’d and look forward to watching more of your stuff, Rog… 🐍

[@oldmanwith]

Thank you 😊 The original version ran to over an hour and I couldn’t even watch it fully myself 😂😂. I’ll be doing a Swytch conversion for a friend soon so it will be interesting to compare.

[@antonybryan9356]

Great explanations on various matters mate, I asked a question about your review on the silverline mitre angle finder. I would be glad if you answered the question I posed. Thanks

[@markperrins3152]

I had to buy after-market wheels to get my non-rack Brompton rolling. Various online retailers sell skate wheels with bearings that work. Brompton know their wheels are rubbish, which is why even they sell “easy wheels” - don’t sell replacement wheels that work - fit them in the first place! The gear issue is a mark of shame for Brompton, they’ve known about the problem for several years, but continue to ship sub-standard gear selector equipped bikes. Mine failed and the replacement selectors are not cheap, and may also fail! Bad Brompton try harder! Best folding bike design available, but unimpressed with how little they’ve advanced the thing in the 40 years since the original was created.

[@oldmanwith]

Does yours roll ok on the 3 wheels Mark? On my wife’s the front wheel is a “support” but it doesn’t turn. If you can get it to turn you can hear the spokes fouling on something. It’s not something I’ve spent much time looking at but when I have the time I’ll look at that and the gearshift.

[@markperrins3152]

@@oldmanwith yes it does with the replacement wheels Ive fitted. Because they are still small they need fairly smooth ground, if there are any bumps I just tip the bike onto the two larger easy wheels. I drag the bike behind me using the Brompton C bag's handle.

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks Mark, good to know

[@frankhooper7871]

It looks like you've added the same saddle I have - though I opted for black - I think my only real niggle is the lack of handlebar-mounted controls to change assist level. It would be nice, when using level 1 assist, to be able to switch to level 2 easily when hitting a nasty hill. Personally, I find the e-Brompton quite comfortable to ride - running at 80psi. Mind you, I mainly stick to paved roads with the occasional dirt track or bridletrail.

[@oldmanwith]

I’m going to swallow my roadie obsessions and reduce the tyre pressure. I use the phone app and a handlebar mount for the assist level control BUT it’s not great when it’s raining because the phone gets drowned. I’d agree a simple bar mount button would be good.

[@alanselwyn5274]

Agree on this - you can use mobile phone and Brompton app but I don’t want my phone out on display in town - any little Bluetooth mode-shift devices out there?

[@oldmanwith]

@@alanselwyn5274 Hi Alan, a quick internet search didn’t find anything but I ended up down a rabbit hole of “reverse engineering Bluetooth signalling” which leaves me with a few thoughts: 1 - it would definitely be possible to build one. 2 - Brompton, like any other manufacturer would issue stern warnings against such an idea (danger of loss of control, warranty void etc). 3 - I find the idea hugely interesting but it won’t be me building one because I have insufficient hours in my day already 😂😂

[@chorltonhaggis]

A frank review. I have fitted a Brooks sprung saddle (B57) and coupled it with a Cane Creek Thudbuster LT. Makes the ride a lot more comfortable.

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks David, do I take it you swapped out the entire seatpost? How do you feel it affects the fold? My wife has back problems and I’d wondered about fitting one on hers.

[@kevinwillis6707]

its a fantastic design, but considering the price, the gearshift shouldnt be an issue, apparently the top of the line has a new 4 speed gear system, they should adapt it for the whole range, little things like the "upgraded" roller wheels should be standard as well, trouble with brands like brompton is they end up going out of fashion because they take the mickey with optional pricey extras. cheers for the review

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks for the comment Kevin. Having worked in industry (although not bicycles) I could do a whole video on my thoughts about manufacturers and moral obligation. There’s an acronym OTIFEF which is “On Time, In Full, Error Free” That’s what manufacturers say they strive for. That realises itself as: Has it made lots of money? Are the shareholders happy? Can we make it cheaper and make more money? And the only time things change are: Have so many people complained that sales figures have dropped? Have our competitors built a better version causing our sales figures to drop? Has anyone been hurt so that we might get sued which could cost us money and sales figures might drop? As a general rule the only cause for change ever is maintaining or improving the bottom line of the financial balance sheet. I’m not of course suggesting that ANY of the above might be the case with Brompton…. Just my cynical comment on industry in general. I still think my Brompton is great but as I’ve said before, that don’t mean it’s perfect 😁

[@kevinwillis6707]

@@oldmanwith I agree, as long as their sales rise they will ignore faults, until a tipping point is reached, it was the same with doc marten boots, the new ones don't hold a candle to older ones, but they are high fashion now and sell bucketloads.

[@dylanclements2485]

Great content really enjoyed 👍

[@oldmanwith]

Thank you Dylan

[@tuesdsy]

You are very brave to ride on the highway.

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks Bobby, the highway in UK is generally not so bad, there’s places that are great and places that are not so good. There’s also some cycle lanes and paths but because we lack space on our island it’s sometimes a bit of a compromise. Ride safe wherever you are

[@fatoumata7624]

With the fast charger = your can charge to 100%. For the suspension = try on Jenny. For tires = continental contact urban are supposed to be better.

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks for your comment, to confirm, the battery WILL charge to 100% on the normal charger but ONLY if it is discharged by more than about 20%. If I've only used a small amount of charge it will not bring the charge to 100%. Are you saying the fast charger is different in this respect? For the suspension I can see there are many suppliers offering an alternative, the Jenny version from Kamoya which I can see on Spinwarriors dot com is described as "Hard" so I assume it is more solid than the standard and will give a more firm ride, do you have this experience?

[@fatoumata7624]

@@oldmanwith I know, mine charges under 95 only. Brompton tells it is normal. The fast charger charges at any charge. I have 2 standard chargers and both do this. Only the fast charger always charges.

[@oldmanwith]

Ah, thanks for clearing that up 👍🏻

[@fatoumata7624]

@@oldmanwith Jenny = there are 2 different springs = soft or hard. And there are 3 different elastomers. I put the hard spring on 2 bikes = red elastomer (hardest) on titanium and black (medium) on electric. And I put the same saddle as you on eletric. With low tire pressure it is OK. At maximum pressure it is unbearable.

[@fatoumata7624]

@@oldmanwith Hard spring with black elastomer is softer than the Brompton suspension. With red it may be close.

[@DJFAmenHeavy]

Have you tried riding it without the battery? Does it feel like a standard Brompton, or do you feel resistance from the motor?

[@oldmanwith]

Hi, not sure if you realise you asked me the same question in my Brompton Train commute video, I can’t get my response to copy paste on my phone so here’s a link to the video, thanks for watching 👍🏻 kzbin.info/www/bejne/h3rRXmeGi7useMUsi=LcaHG-t-FcjLtIBj

[@antonybryan9356]

Thanks for answer to an earlier question I asked, I have square skirting boards with no detail on them, can you still cope them the same as a molded skirting board on an internal corner , or should I just mitre as best as I can on unlevel 90 degree corners ? Thanks.

[@oldmanwith]

Hi Antony, I’m going to defer to a couple of guys who do it for a living: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qnammGOJash6ha8 Spencer makes the point that as a contractor it doesn’t add value to his client if he copes the internals, Funny carpenter kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZiod5SpetJoosU says just butt it up. Thing is, if you’re doing it yourself, I’d say worry less about trying to copy a professional method (unless it’s easy) and worry more about getting the best finish you can in your own opinion. Good luck!

[@antonybryan9356]

Thanks for your prompt and as usual good advice.

[@niccat7051]

Great video, how do you filming?

[@oldmanwith]

Thanks Niccat, explanation here: Cycle Vlogging on a Brompton? Here's how I do it - Contains advertising content..... kzbin.info/www/bejne/eXiXmYVof7Kcf9E

[@lech2050]

My e-Brompton has a range of only 20 km after three years of use. Anyone have an idea how to increase this range?

[@davidhunternyc1]

But does the motor turn off once you reach 15.5 mph? This means you can't go fast?

[@oldmanwith]

Hi, yes it does turn off at 15mph ish, you can go as fast as you like but you won’t have any assistance from the motor. So the highest recorded I’ve had on the Brompton was about 38mph downhill. That applies for UK and Europe, it’s different (higher) in the USA I think. Also there are classes of electric bike right the way up to unlimited but essentially you have to get a licence etc once you move up the classes. Very similar to the way they classify mopeds and motorbikes in UK

[@davidhunternyc1]

@@oldmanwith Thanks. I'm thinking about getting an electric Brompton or Hummingbird in NYC but I would hate to spend $6K on a bike and the motor cut off at 15 mph based on UK laws. US e-bikes don't have this limitation but we don't have great folding bikes.

[@oldmanwith]

@davidhunternyc1 I’ve just tried to check and although I can’t find an official Brompton answer it looks like you’re right, it seems the Brompton is set to 15.5 max assist wherever you buy it. Unlike many other e-bikes I’ve also never seen anyone talking about a US upgrade or any form of chip or mod to adjust the limit. All the comments I’ve just read about it seem split between people who feel 15mph is plenty enough because it gets a bit twitchy above that (I don’t entirely agree) and people who say “if it’s limited to 15 I’m not buying one”. The only other thing you could do is add an aftermarket kit onto a standard Brompton. I’m pretty sure when I converted a Swytch kit for someone, the Swytch website said the US version is set at higher speed and can also have a hand throttle where local law allows. Don’t take my word for it but it might be something worth looking at

[@ds7221]

Interesting to hear that you got 10 miles with only 1 x LED used. I have the same bike and after 5.4miles I'm down from 5 to 3 LEDs. I'm wondering if there's a fault with the battery. I'm 80kg, run the tyres at 100 psi and my daily journey of 2.7 miles only has a height elevation of 25 meters. You're getting way more mileage than me! Think I'll be back to the shop.

[@oldmanwith]

Hi Dean, I'd be the first to say that the mileages are always speculative but that does seem low. I can't remember now whether mileage is something that has improved over time but I can say that I've never actually fully run mine out and the longest single ride I've done on it is 35 miles. A rough (and possibly inaccurate) calculation would then say that's about 7 miles per LED. So how did I get 10 on one LED? I honestly don't know but for certain my fitness has improved massively through cycling regularly and I spend most of my time at the top end of the assist range so it is possible that it's only actually actively assisting for a percentage of the "whole ride" time. But you have sparked my curiosity and I'm now wondering if there's a way I can test it and do a video on it.

[@ds7221]

@@oldmanwith thanks for the quick response. I’m pretty fit and put some effort into the pedalling. The journey is pretty flat and the charge goes quickly. I have contacted Brompton and am waiting for a call back. I video showing mileage would be great. There’s very little real world information out there. Like you say ‘it depends’ on several variables but getting a high level idea on what to expect from the battery would be very much appreciated by me and I’m sure many others. Cheers, Dean

[@frankhooper7871]

That does seem on the low side. I'm about 5kg heavier [at the moment] and I usually get 4-5½ miles before the first bar disappears (level 2 assist) and that's partly because from where I live it's always uphill as I start my ride. 20-25 miles is my normal ride - if I'm planning a slightly longer ride, I'll do the first half on level 1 assist :-}

[@ds7221]

@@frankhooper7871 I took it to a Brompton shop yesterday and their diagnostic tool showed a wall of red. Apparently everything bar the actual battery is faulty. It really aggravates as Brompton totally fobbed me off and did not take my issue seriously. Very disappointing. KZbin community is great as I saw other people were getting way more mileage. Thanks everyone for your help and support. Social media at its best :)

[@oldmanwith]

@@ds7221 wow that’s not good! Glad you have a good dealer to back up the product. I’ve not dealt with Brompton themselves but the backup I’ve had from the dealer (Brilliant Bikes) has been top notch. Hope they get it sorted for you.

[@rajajesson]

it should charge.get software update. i had the same issue and was reaching 96%.

[@mainmort]

Can you only change assist level when stationary?

[@oldmanwith]

Hi Neil, there used to be an instruction from Brompton that yes you could only change while stationary. However, if you have their app on a phone and you put the phone on a phone mount then it will change on the move. In honesty I’ve also changed it on the move direct from the buttons on top of the battery and that also works but it’s a stretch to get to. So my best guess is that there’s possibly no technical reason not to change on the fly but it might be a litigation avoidance from Brompton to guard against anyone that tries to change on the fly and loses control of the bike while leaning down over the bars. Like I say, it’s only a guess and I’m not an expert. It all comes down to: Is it possible? Apparently yes. Is it a sensible thing to do? Responsibility of the rider 😊

[@robertorobi5118]

Non esiste l'oggetto perfetto: in ogni campo, ambiente o settore. La Bromton è, fondamentalmente, una bici pieghevole: il suo punto forza è la portabilità ed il minimo ingombro. Impossibile che la migliore bici pieghevole sulla faccia della terra possa anche essere la migliore nel comfort e/o nelle prestazioni prettamente ciclistiche su strada o fuoristrada o nell'ergonomia posturale di guida. Quel che la Bromton riesce a fare, sul piano strettamente ciclistico, rimane comunque pregevole, pur con i suoi evidenti limiti a livello di comfort, di prestazione e di versatilità ambientale. Per ammorbidire la durezza di guida, anziché tenere le gomme di serie gonfiate a 100 PSI, puoi provare con le gomme antiforatura Shalbe Marathon Plus e gonfiarle a 80 PSI: la differenza potrebbe essere rilevante, a livello di comfort.

[@oldmanwith]

Roberto, thank you for your comment and the very valid points you make. Sorry, I had to wait until I could get on my pc and use google translate. For those who, like me, wondered what Roberto was saying, here is the google translation: "There is no such thing as the perfect object: in every field, environment or sector. The Bromton is, fundamentally, a folding bike: its strong point is portability and minimum bulk. It is impossible that the best folding bike on the face of the earth can also be the best in comfort and/or purely cycling performance on or off-road or in postural riding ergonomics. What the Bromton manages to do, on a strictly cycling level, is still valuable, despite its obvious limits in terms of comfort, performance and environmental versatility. To soften the harshness of riding, instead of keeping the stock tires inflated to 100 PSI, you can try the Shalbe Marathon Plus puncture-proof tires and inflate them to 80 PSI: the difference could be significant, in terms of comfort."

[@rayfordham9230]

We have two

[@oldmanwith]

Good to hear Ray, do you get on ok with them?

[@fishing-gardening-travelling]

Im the most anti cyclist person in London slowly starting to like bicycles 🚲 after 25 years of driving.

[@oldmanwith]

I’ll put up my 50 years of driving all kinds of vehicles and motorcycles and add to it probably about 60 years of cycling on all kinds of bikes. I’ve had times when I’ve despised all of ‘em. Now I only have a problem with caravans and scooters (the Italian petrol driven kind) 😂😂 If cycling works for you now but it didn’t before I wish you the best. Not gonna preach to you, I’m not that guy, just bear in mind there’s a few probably far worse than both of us out there, watch out for ‘em 😁 Oh and if my video has helped your thinking in any way it’s served its purpose 👍

[@fishing-gardening-travelling]

@oldmanwith I have a job interview next Monday. If I get the job il buy a electric bicycle. Too difficult finding parking spaces in Central London plus too much expenses.

[@oldmanwith]

@fishinggardeningtravelling I get you on that. Good luck with the job.