Having now upped my bike insurance to cover the Brompton, and bought a sold-secure Gold D-lock for it, today was my fist time of using it. A trip into town, mainly (somewhat appropriately) to “Pack it in” for refills of the washing-up-liquid and laundry liquid.
Impressions? There’s a lot to like, of course! It’s much easier to lock to a normal Sheffield stand than the blue beast was, and the new lock fits through holes in the helmet so that can be locked as well. The handlebar mirror on the Brompton works well and is amazingly useful! Gear ratios are very different from what I’m used to, as is the way the throttle works, but I’m sure will become second nature fairly rapidly. A couple of dislikes – the handlebar grips were horrid, as I discovered on my test ride, and I’ve already changed them! The saddle is OK-ish, but I’ve ordered a gel one.
Major dislike is the massive S-bag that houses the battery, and detaches to be a messenger-type bag. Too many pockets, dangling straps, awkward shape … really not my kind of thing! Fortunately, small bags to house the battery are available (at horrendous cost), and I already have a reflective backpack which I use for carrying anything heavy or bulky when cycling.
All in all, it was the right machine at the right price. Yes, extra costs in customising it to suit my particular tastes and needs, but that was the case with the blue beast as well, and was only to be expected.
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