Excellent video series, thank you for posting it. I am planning a 633km ride in So. Korea ("Seoul to Busan" / "cross-country" ride) in fall 2025 over seven days, and plan to take my Brompton M6R. I learned that So. Korea can very picky about the types of bikes they allow on public transport, however if you place a cover over your folded Brompton, nobody raises any objections to it on trains, buses, and in hotels because there is little chance of the bike coming into contact with others and soiling their clothing. I will be 67 when I attempt this adventure, and freshly retired. Lastly, there are a few significant ascents on this ride, so I plan to install a 39-tooth chain ring on my Brompton. Cheers!
Just stumbled upon your channel and binge watched the Brompton episodes. Great content. After a lifetime of cycling, competitively to national level when younger and since then purely for fun, I can honestly say that the Brompton is my all time favourite bike. Whenever anyone mentions the cost of the Brompton I always inform them that my full carbon MTB cost 4x the Brompton but gets a fraction of the use and functionality. I really dont understand how any cyclist cant have one in their stable. Great videos by the way.
I've had my M6R for 4 years now. It's the most fun, versatile bike I've ever owned - I'm 55 this year and til my early 40's I used 'full sized bikes'. Its taken me to work and back for a few years and off on a few adventures the since I bought it. Reduced the gearing down last Summer and its made a big difference carrying me and my camping gear around the roads and quite few big hills in Northumberland and Durham. I use the tried and tested method of attaching a small rod/wooden bar tied to the saddlebag loops under the seat, looping the shoulder straps of the rucksack over, then looping the straps you'd use for attaching a tent or sleeping bag on the bottom over the rear wheels and pulling everything tight - means it won't slip forward or backwards, then finally strap the hip belt around the bottom of the seat post which stops it wobbling side to side - absolutely rock solid and detaches in seconds - its a similar size rucksack to the one you've got. On the front, I just bought the bag frame on its own and strap my tent and sleep system to it and cover it with a rucksack rain cover. One comparison you missed between fully loaded tourer and the Brompton is the more space you have, the more 'stuff' you take with you... Oh and you can't just pop into the shops with the tourer, but I just unclip the rucksack and semi-fold the Brompton and push it into the shop with me, no more asking an elderly lady to keep an eye on my gear for me as I rush around the shop only to find there's a huge cue at the till... panic buying the wrong stuff. I love my Brompton, it got me back on a bike after ten years of getting fat and lazy... Enjoy your adventures.
Great video and I appreciated your assessment. I just got a Brompton and plan to bring it to Portugal this May (where the roads are generally good). What surprises me about the Brompton is how much quicker it is than I anticipated it would be. And the upright riding position is lovely. Thanks again!
It's easy to find diagrams here which shows that the small wheels have a higher rolling resistance than more ordinary wheels, even and also with the high pressure, which Brompton uses. A Brompton is a tool for fun and special circumstances! Of course it is useable for longer distances, but you need to just be more fit to do it (Dutch "Bromptonian" makes stronger, Brompton like, off road versions and frame-repair parts, if unlucky)! And you are easily able to find double chainrings for the front, which will give 12 gears! I like my 6 gear (Extra light Version from a lot of new titanium and carbon parts), Superlight (9,0 kilo (Now 8,75 kilo and falling, with a little more work! I expect to reach 8,5 kilo, still with mudguards!) and I have gone up hills so steep that even my low gear wasn't enough, so I had to walk (Actually I would consider a lower gear, double chainring in front to be just a waste of extra useless weight on my bike! I wouldn't know where to use lower gears than mine?) and I was in doubt going down again, as I had to stop at intervals, before passing some "Cattle prevention tubes", crossing the road at intervals. But my Brompton never let me down and stopped each time, with insanely fast spinning wheels before that!!! You are able to find a titanium disc fork (and similar frames) for the front wheel on the internet. Finn. Denmark
The Brompton is ridiculously over geared. I like you have an M6L. I started with a 50T chain ring. Then was planning to go to Gran Canaria so opted for a 44T chain ring. On a test ride at home before leaving, I realised this was still not low enough gearing so the night before my flight I fortunately found a spare 39T shimano mid chain ring in my garage which I took with me. First day riding in GC (very steep hills/mountain roads) I swapped the 44T front chain ring for the 39T ring. What a relief having the extra lower gears. I got a rear rack like your one for my Brompton and also some good Joseph Kousac wheels from SJS Cycles. Both have been brilliant. I fitted a new mudguard but the one for the rack not the one for the M6L with the seat stays, and then attached the mudguard to the rack mounting at the back. I mount Ortlieb small front panniers on the rear rack which works really well. Looks neat and tidy as well. No ground clearance issues.
Spa cycles sell stronglight taper square chainsets that fit older Brompton bottom brackets. 1/3 the price of Brompton stuff. So I have a 44T and a 38T choose the appropriate one for the topography.
I've got the -12% gearing and I love it. I'm 56 and not nearly in the shape you are so the standard gearing is out of the question. Clevercycles in Seattle has a 40 tooth for sale and I'd likely opt for that if I was carrying as a load over hills. Nice video.
My Father in law put a second ring and manually swapped to a smaller one when he came to a steep hill. I took it to San Francisco and found I could even do most hills there OK.
Thank you for your 3 excellent videos in this series - I learnt a lot from them, and the campsite was awesome. I might try to do the same trip some time, the Lea Valley looks lovely and suitable for my senior status! Comments on your gear are invaluable. My Brompton arrives next week, and I'll be after a phone mount - which one have you got please?
I can confirm 44T for touring is very necessary at least for me. Speed is not my primary objective, over here in Sussex, plenty of hills, so I needed the 44T.
@@ODOB The 39 T is from a third party. It's a "Stronglight 5083". No, if you shorten the chain you won't experience chain slap and it won't fall off either when folding the bike. (You can basically fit any five armed 130 mm BCD diameter nine speed front chainring onto the Brompton)
Very interesting series, thank you. I would also be interested in how you planned and executed the actual route. Paper maps, Garmin, phone or whatever as I am starting to look at a bit more rough stuff/off road. Done some pretty rough cycle tracks on my Brompton and it just soaks them up, great machine.
I did see somewhere that a person had put a front block and attached it to the stem and put a rucksack on that back stem thought very clever saw it on a TH-cam blog , they also put the attachment on the rucksack so could just clip in.
I am riding a M6R and find the stock gearing too high. I have changed the 50 teeth chainring with a 39 teeth shimano CBD 130MM chairing, and gained a new lower first gear. At the same time I lost my old 6th gear wich I hardly used. My old 5th gear is now my new 6th gear. I went from 33-100 gear inch to 26-80 gear inch.
That's not ideal with the rack and both rear mudguard stays all going to the same threaded hole. It would be far stronger with rack on the inside closest to the frame (not inside the dropouts, just the first in the stack) and the stays on the outside. That way the load from the rack has the bolts in shear, not bending. The loads from the mudguard are minimal.
FYI...There are a number of You Tube videos that show how to attach your backpack to the rack quite easily. All you'll need are two toe straps (or heavy duty zip ties), an 8-10" wooden dowel and a few straps (necessary for your rack but not always necessary for the Brompton rack) and you're ready to go. Here is one of the videos that shows how to attach the backpack. As I said , you'll need some straps for your rack. th-cam.com/video/4c76T3g5wwY/w-d-xo.html Enjoyed your three videos...good work.
I have a new Brompton M6R, with a -12% gearing, went on a 38 mile bike ride with some hills and the Brompton handled the hills pretty good, just a little slow going up the hills, not real steep but ride able, you might like it
6 gears is plenty mate. Get out riding more, or if you get a massive hill...PUSH IT UP. No shame in that, and I'd bet you (I certainly do) have to do that on a full speed bike sometimes anyway.
Brompton could vastly improve the straightline speed of their bike by implementing a much larger diameter front chainring, and much larger diameter rear gears. If done properly, that little folding bike could be almost, though not quite, as fast as a standard size bike. The only thing that would hold the Brompton back would the bike's smaller 20" wheel size. But a larger diameter chainring, as well as larger rear gears, would partially offset that. If done properly, the Brompton could very well turn out to be the perfect long distance bike to travel with.
Excellent video series, thank you for posting it. I am planning a 633km ride in So. Korea ("Seoul to Busan" / "cross-country" ride) in fall 2025 over seven days, and plan to take my Brompton M6R. I learned that So. Korea can very picky about the types of bikes they allow on public transport, however if you place a cover over your folded Brompton, nobody raises any objections to it on trains, buses, and in hotels because there is little chance of the bike coming into contact with others and soiling their clothing. I will be 67 when I attempt this adventure, and freshly retired. Lastly, there are a few significant ascents on this ride, so I plan to install a 39-tooth chain ring on my Brompton. Cheers!
Just stumbled upon your channel and binge watched the Brompton episodes. Great content. After a lifetime of cycling, competitively to national level when younger and since then purely for fun, I can honestly say that the Brompton is my all time favourite bike. Whenever anyone mentions the cost of the Brompton I always inform them that my full carbon MTB cost 4x the Brompton but gets a fraction of the use and functionality. I really dont understand how any cyclist cant have one in their stable. Great videos by the way.
I've had my M6R for 4 years now. It's the most fun, versatile bike I've ever owned - I'm 55 this year and til my early 40's I used 'full sized bikes'. Its taken me to work and back for a few years and off on a few adventures the since I bought it. Reduced the gearing down last Summer and its made a big difference carrying me and my camping gear around the roads and quite few big hills in Northumberland and Durham. I use the tried and tested method of attaching a small rod/wooden bar tied to the saddlebag loops under the seat, looping the shoulder straps of the rucksack over, then looping the straps you'd use for attaching a tent or sleeping bag on the bottom over the rear wheels and pulling everything tight - means it won't slip forward or backwards, then finally strap the hip belt around the bottom of the seat post which stops it wobbling side to side - absolutely rock solid and detaches in seconds - its a similar size rucksack to the one you've got. On the front, I just bought the bag frame on its own and strap my tent and sleep system to it and cover it with a rucksack rain cover. One comparison you missed between fully loaded tourer and the Brompton is the more space you have, the more 'stuff' you take with you... Oh and you can't just pop into the shops with the tourer, but I just unclip the rucksack and semi-fold the Brompton and push it into the shop with me, no more asking an elderly lady to keep an eye on my gear for me as I rush around the shop only to find there's a huge cue at the till... panic buying the wrong stuff. I love my Brompton, it got me back on a bike after ten years of getting fat and lazy... Enjoy your adventures.
Echo everything you said, couldn't live without mine now 👍
Echo everything you said, also.
But, taking my "cue" from you, I would say "queue" instead. 🤩
What the devil is an M6R????
M=medium handlebar height
6=six gears
R=rear rack (implies fenders too)
It's the specifications of the Brompton.
Caliper not canterleaver.
Thanks for sharing.
I shall look out the video concerning the rear rack shortcomings, re. Hub Fixings.
Great video and I appreciated your assessment. I just got a Brompton and plan to bring it to Portugal this May (where the roads are generally good). What surprises me about the Brompton is how much quicker it is than I anticipated it would be. And the upright riding position is lovely. Thanks again!
It's easy to find diagrams here which shows that the small wheels have a higher rolling resistance than more ordinary wheels, even and also with the high pressure, which Brompton uses. A Brompton is a tool for fun and special circumstances!
Of course it is useable for longer distances, but you need to just be more fit to do it (Dutch "Bromptonian" makes stronger, Brompton like, off road versions and frame-repair parts, if unlucky)! And you are easily able to find double chainrings for the front, which will give 12 gears!
I like my 6 gear (Extra light Version from a lot of new titanium and carbon parts), Superlight (9,0 kilo (Now 8,75 kilo and falling, with a little more work! I expect to reach 8,5 kilo, still with mudguards!) and I have gone up hills so steep that even my low gear wasn't enough, so I had to walk (Actually I would consider a lower gear, double chainring in front to be just a waste of extra useless weight on my bike! I wouldn't know where to use lower gears than mine?) and I was in doubt going down again, as I had to stop at intervals, before passing some "Cattle prevention tubes", crossing the road at intervals. But my Brompton never let me down and stopped each time, with insanely fast spinning wheels before that!!!
You are able to find a titanium disc fork (and similar frames) for the front wheel on the internet. Finn. Denmark
I ride a 20 inch pedelec, and it makes more fun than a 28 inch pedelec, it' s true ! ❤ I love it ! Greetings from Germany. 😊
Thank you. I loved this review, especially the analogy summing up.
The Brompton is ridiculously over geared. I like you have an M6L. I started with a 50T chain ring. Then was planning to go to Gran Canaria so opted for a 44T chain ring. On a test ride at home before leaving, I realised this was still not low enough gearing so the night before my flight I fortunately found a spare 39T shimano mid chain ring in my garage which I took with me. First day riding in GC (very steep hills/mountain roads) I swapped the 44T front chain ring for the 39T ring. What a relief having the extra lower gears.
I got a rear rack like your one for my Brompton and also some good Joseph Kousac wheels from SJS Cycles. Both have been brilliant.
I fitted a new mudguard but the one for the rack not the one for the M6L with the seat stays, and then attached the mudguard to the rack mounting at the back.
I mount Ortlieb small front panniers on the rear rack which works really well. Looks neat and tidy as well. No ground clearance issues.
Great response, would be interested to see your setup. A video maybe?.
Great response. Would be interesting to see your setup. A video perhaps?
Loving your videos 👌I cannot wait for some more of your Brompton tours 👍
Spa cycles sell stronglight taper square chainsets that fit older Brompton bottom brackets. 1/3 the price of Brompton stuff. So I have a 44T and a 38T choose the appropriate one for the topography.
Great video. I have 44 tooth on a 3 speed and do find it better on hills but a bit slower but I like to take my time and enjoy the view.
Great overview thanks!
I've got the -12% gearing and I love it. I'm 56 and not nearly in the shape you are so the standard gearing is out of the question. Clevercycles in Seattle has a 40 tooth for sale and I'd likely opt for that if I was carrying as a load over hills. Nice video.
Thanks for this, very useful. definately considering changing the gearing
My Father in law put a second ring and manually swapped to a smaller one when he came to a steep hill. I took it to San Francisco and found I could even do most hills there OK.
That's a brilliant idea.
Thank you for your 3 excellent videos in this series - I learnt a lot from them, and the campsite was awesome. I might try to do the same trip some time, the Lea Valley looks lovely and suitable for my senior status! Comments on your gear are invaluable. My Brompton arrives next week, and I'll be after a phone mount - which one have you got please?
Thanks, much appreciated. Really hope to get a chance to tour, great fun. Enjoy the new bike 🙂
I can confirm 44T for touring is very necessary at least for me. Speed is not my primary objective, over here in Sussex, plenty of hills, so I needed the 44T.
You can go lower if you want. I have a 39T front ring. Definitely makes climbing a lot easier.
@@user-jk2zm7uq5s Is the 39T from Brompton or third party?
Does it not lead to "chain slap" on the frame?
@@ODOB The 39 T is from a third party. It's a "Stronglight 5083".
No, if you shorten the chain you won't experience chain slap and it won't fall off either when folding the bike.
(You can basically fit any five armed 130 mm BCD diameter nine speed front chainring onto the Brompton)
@@user-jk2zm7uq5s a good option to consider, thanks.
Very interesting series, thank you. I would also be interested in how you planned and executed the actual route. Paper maps, Garmin, phone or whatever as I am starting to look at a bit more rough stuff/off road. Done some pretty rough cycle tracks on my Brompton and it just soaks them up, great machine.
Thanks for this. Think may do a separate video for this thanks for watching.
I did see somewhere that a person had put a front block and attached it to the stem and put a rucksack on that back stem thought very clever saw it on a TH-cam blog , they also put the attachment on the rucksack so could just clip in.
Thanks, yes there are a few systems out there am trying which works best for my particular rugsack. Will post the video in a couple of weeks 👍
@@bikenomic1363 Look forward to seeing it, take care.
I would swap that saddle out, I found it poor, and fit Ergon GP2's or 3's on the bar, being able to change hand positions will make trips far better.
I am riding a M6R and find the stock gearing too high. I have changed the 50 teeth chainring with a 39 teeth shimano CBD 130MM chairing, and gained a new lower first gear. At the same time I lost my old 6th gear wich I hardly used. My old 5th gear is now my new 6th gear.
I went from 33-100 gear inch to 26-80 gear inch.
Thanks, very helpful almost certain to change my gearing
Hi what saddle do you use
That's not ideal with the rack and both rear mudguard stays all going to the same threaded hole. It would be far stronger with rack on the inside closest to the frame (not inside the dropouts, just the first in the stack) and the stays on the outside. That way the load from the rack has the bolts in shear, not bending. The loads from the mudguard are minimal.
FYI...There are a number of You Tube videos that show how to attach your backpack to the rack quite easily. All you'll need are two toe straps (or heavy duty zip ties), an 8-10" wooden dowel and a few straps (necessary for your rack but not always necessary for the Brompton rack) and you're ready to go. Here is one of the videos that shows how to attach the backpack. As I said , you'll need some straps for your rack. th-cam.com/video/4c76T3g5wwY/w-d-xo.html Enjoyed your three videos...good work.
I have a new Brompton M6R, with a -12% gearing, went on a 38 mile bike ride with some hills and the Brompton handled the hills pretty good, just a little slow going up the hills, not real steep but ride able, you might like it
6 gears is plenty mate. Get out riding more, or if you get a massive hill...PUSH IT UP. No shame in that, and I'd bet you (I certainly do) have to do that on a full speed bike sometimes anyway.
I think you're right. No shame at all in pushing up and the -12 gearing would be awfully slow.
Brompton could vastly improve the straightline speed of their bike by implementing a much larger diameter front chainring, and much larger diameter rear gears. If done properly, that little folding bike could be almost, though not quite, as fast as a standard size bike. The only thing that would hold the Brompton back would the bike's smaller 20" wheel size. But a larger diameter chainring, as well as larger rear gears, would partially offset that. If done properly, the Brompton could very well turn out to be the perfect long distance bike to travel with.
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