Brompton Review

I drove over to Pasadena Cyclery today to test ride a Brompton folding bicycle. I was fortunate to be greeted by Therese, as I walked in the door, who happens to be extremely knowledgeable about Bromptons, being an owner herself.

For those of you who don't know about them already, Brompton is arguably the best known folding bicycle manufacturer. They have an excellent online build tool which allowed you to select the color(s), gearing, handlebars, and accessories for a Brompton bicycle and tells you the price and weight as well as giving you a good idea what your finished bike would look like.

Online build tool

Then you have to find a dealer, give them your build, and wait eight weeks or so for it to be made, shipped and assembled. That's where Pasadena Cyclery comes in.

Therese offered three test bikes for me to try because the handlebars affect the ride significantly. I started with the M type which is the one shown above and has a slight rise to it. I was very surprised to find the ride felt stable within five minutes. I thought those clown bike wheels would be squirrely so I tried a few tests.

Test ride with M type handlebars. Note the front-hub dynamo and lights

Try coming to a complete stop without putting a foot down and then pulling away. Try looking over your shoulder while riding with one hand. Try selecting a small mark on the road ahead and then riding over it. The Brompton passed all these test with only a few minutes of practice. It really does ride like a full sized bike.

I then rode the straight S type handlebar which has is lower and gives a more aggressive riding position. Twenty years ago that would have been my choice, but the extra weight on the wrists would not have been pleasant on a 200k brevet.

Lastly I rode the more upright H type handlebars. In twenty years this might be my choice, but right now the M felt best for me. Therese was bang on though, the handlebars are critical.

I want to splash out and buy the six speed. It seems pretty retro going to a six speed - my Serotta has 30 speeds. The Brompton has a three-speed internal Sturmey-Archer hub plus a low profile 2 speed rear derailleur. The range of gears is very usable - I rode down and back up a 2% street mainly in the bigger gears. I'm pretty sure I don't want to tackle any 10% hills on this.

My build looks like this (online). I haven't added mudguards, lights, or bags yet. I don't plan on riding one far enough to need a dynamo - batteries will be plenty. I can add the rest later as I find a need for it.

Accessorizing will be a challenge. There's nowhere to put a water bottle but there is a water bottle cage made specially for folding bikes called the Monkii cage S that simply bolts on.

Monkii Cage S

I'm used to using aerobars on brevets to spread out the wrist pressure and go aero into the wind but that's not an option with a Brompton. Therese recommended these Ergon bar-ends which look like they would help enormously.

Ergon bar ends

Therese did a good job selling me on the Brompton. Now I need to sell it to the wife.

Upper SART conditions

I rode the entire length of the upper SART on Tuesday after work to see the effects the recent storms have had.

The good news is that the trail closure alongside the sewage farm is open again - a year late, but it's finally open. Look at the pointy tops of the fence - who do they think is going to break in to a sewage farm?

The detour we've been using on Jurupa is no longer necessary. I have updated the map and cue sheet for the third loop of the Triple Loop and they are live on our website. If you downloaded either before March 16th you will want to download them again.

Newly paved trail alongside the sewage works.

The rain has made the upper SART green and luscious, especially the first few miles. It reminds me of English hedgerows or Normandy bocage.

Pretty. Wonder if it will bloom?

There are still several places where there is sand or mud on the trail including a few that need careful attention. Most riders will be riding through here in daylight. I don't know how much this will improve in the next two weeks.

The only serious hazard I saw is a large puddle of standing water about 3-4" deep. Hopefully it will have drained away before you get there. Parks and Recreation have "Flooded" signs on the trail so it won't catch you by surprise.

Wet feet

Four Rivers - Two Flats!

Greg and Stacy Kline, Marty, Amber, and I all rode my Four Rivers 200k permanent last Saturday. It was cool and breezy with some threatening clouds to the South (where the wind was coming from). This is the first 200k of my 600 Triple Loop event coming up on April 6th.

We headed out around 8am and within ten miles I got a flat in the rear wheel. It turns out when I put the tire in from the prior flat I had twisted it somehow and caught it between the bead and the rim. When I inflated it to full pressure it quickly pinch-flatted. Bummer.

Passing through Huntington Beach we went past a kite display that was very cool so we stopped and took pictures. Check out the huge gecko kite.

We got to The Crema and got a baguette and a quiche to go which we ate on the bench outside. You don't get the same selection as when you wait for a table, but it's a lot faster. We had a tailwind as we headed to Duarte which was normal and we got there in good time.

That means we had a headwind back to Long Beach but as we approached Long Beach it died down which was inexplicable. I got a second flat in my rear tire which turned out to be a sliver of glass - thank goodness Marty was there to find it. There's a lot of glass as you return over the dam on the Rio Hondo trail.

We ate at Chronic Tacos and I replaced my normal quesadilla with a couple of tacos. This was a mistake. Twenty five miles later I ran out of energy and we had to stop while I ate some GoCubes. There isn't a lot of calories in them, but it's sugar and it's enough to get me to the end of the ride.

We finished in 11:30 which is pretty normal for our group. We really couldn't have asked for better weather - it was cool and dry and we actually had more tailwind than headwind.

Here's a photo diary from Greg and Stacy.

One Big River 300k Brevet

In past years I've been able to boast that my brevets have had very good luck with the weather. Little did I know the weather gods are jealous gods and they know how to hold a grudge. This year the rain has been biblical. If there's one thing harder than a 200k brevet in the rain, it's a 300k brevet in the rain (please don't think about the obvious corollary to that maxim). Yesterday, I hosted the Five rivers 300k brevet. The day before was nice. The day after was nice. The day of the event was not nice.

Twenty seven brave souls started in light to moderate rain at 6am in Corona. I was concerned that, because the route uses so many riverside bike trails, we might see closures and lost and frustrated riders. I was made aware of one trail closure due to a damaged storm drain in Newport Beach so had to make last minute arrangements to accommodate this. Other than that, I was aware of no issues with the route. Of course, with such heavy rain, on top of all the other rain we've had lately, the situation was fluid (pun intended). All I could do was cross my fingers and trust my riders.

After the riders had left I drove over to the trail closure and saw it was only partially closed so I hadn't needed to alter the route after all. I decided not to confuse the riders by telling them to ignore the detour.

Backbay from the trail closure

Judging from the receipt times, riders made good progress to the first control in Seal Beach despite the rain. Times were also good at the second control in Duarte but I was saddened to hear the pizza place has moved. Still -most riders rode so fast they got to Duarte before pizza was open and were forced to scavenge at the 7-11.

Two weeks ago the Rio Hondo trail was closed but last week I rode through without a problem. I knew if the Rio Hondo rose much there would be problems through this section but I think the riders got through here quickly enough to avoid any flooding. The usual headwind back to Long Beach was as strong as I've ever known. The unusual SW wind combined with the normal onshore flow created a double whammy - I hope every one was able to ride this stretch with some friends.

The last 100 km saw riders slow down significantly. I think the extra effort of riding in the rain started to show. Riders started getting lost more often although I don't think the route gets any more complex through this section. Instead of relaxing by an illuminated fountain at the last control, they were looking for hot food and shelter.

There's a section of bike trail in Peter's Canyon going under the 5 freeway that floods easily. By the time most of the riders reached it (in the dark) there was significant water on the trail and it was getting worse by the hour. Some riders who knew the area rode around but most rode through it. I had a detour worked out and available to anyone that called, but no-one seemed to need it. I'm glad you were all experienced enough to handle it well.

Greg and Stacy Kline were standing by in case anyone DNFed and needed a ride back, but fortunately their services were not needed. The last riders got back with nine minutes to spare. Round of applause, please!

I tried something new on this event that I will definitely do again. In addition to the ever popular pizza, I ordered coffee, hot chocolate, cookies, brownies, juice, and bagels from Panera. They delivered it at the specified time, just before I expected the first riders back. They threw in some chocolate chip marshmallows and mini bagels for free. I had more than enough food for everyone as they returned. You deserved it.

I tried to take photographs of everyone when they got back. If I missed you I apologize. Note how reflective you all are when I was using the flash. That's great.

I have already submitted the event results to RUSA. For those of you heading to France later this year, that's one more ride in the bag.