World's Finest Folding Bikes Are Here!

We finally received our first batch of Brompton's and last week in between snow storms I took our demo bike out for an hour and a half test ride to see what all the "fuss" was about.

What do I mean by "fuss"? Well, Brompton owners absolutely love their bikes and have such passion for their little bikes that it's hard not to be drawn in by it.  These owners use these bikes for everything under the sun - daily commuting, grocery shopping, travelling, touring, and even racing.  Brompton's are well suited to all of these endeavours for a number of reasons - super small dimensions when folded (easy to carry on a train or bus), light weight, available luggage, travel cases, and rack options, and models available with super fast tires and gearing.

Below are some photos of my test ride...

The bike is so small I was able to bring it inside the market while I picked up lunch.

Guarded.  Our demo S6L with S-Bag in parking mode - simply flip the rear wheel under and presto! Parked.

The Elbow River meeting The Glenmore Reservoir.  Amazed at how fast and stable the bike is.  It has a much longer wheelbase than most other folding bikes giving it a remarkably stable ride.

Overpassed.  During my test ride I had to fiddle with the fit quite a bit but had it sorted by the end.  Only one complaint, the grips were a bit uncomfortable.

At rest.  I loved the 6-speed system and found it easy to find the perfect gear.  Brompton's gear system is all their own with specially designed Sturmey Archer hub and Brompton's own "derailleur".

The S-Bag attaches to a block on the headtube keeping the handlebars free to turn and placing the weight nice and low.  Incredibly stable and very well balanced.

***May 2014 Update***

Meanwhile, here in Calgary, we are fortunate to have a transit service that has been willing to embrace the multimodal capabilities that folding bikes offer.  So long as your bike is folded up and inside a bag you can bring it onto buses and trains during rush hour, offering a solution to the "first and last mile". 

Instead of waiting for the bus to take you to the train then waiting for another bus (or walking) to take you to your final destination, employing a folding bike allows you to take control of your time needed for commuting and frees up a seat on the bus for someone who may need it more than you! 

Here is a little video Stewart Midwinter and I created to show how easy (and fun!) it can be -




We have a fleet of bikes currently in stock and demostrator models are available for test rides.  Give us a call or pop in sometime to test out these remarkable little machines.