I have test ridden a Brompton many times, but never managed to pull the trigger. I'm not thrilled with the compromises needed for the fold, most notably the lack of sweep in the handlebars, which is tough on my wrists. I owned a Bike Friday for several years until I found a somewhat rare Dahon Smooth Hound that uses the Ritchey break-away system. I also have a Birdy, currently on SF Craigslist. The Birdy has some of the attributes of the Birdy and some of the Bike Friday. It folds pretty small and pretty quickly. It has full suspension, which works quite well. And you can easily fit standard parts--bars, shifters, a second chainring and shifter, etc. And you can pack it in an an airline suitcase. There are of course a few compromises too. So bottom line for me is the Brompton is all about the fold, the Bike Friday is all about the ride, and the Birdy is a bit of both.
On Thursday, May 29, 2025 at 8:37:05 PM UTC-7 Robert Tilley wrote: > I had two but now only own one. I love Bromptons!They are quirky but you > get used to them quickly. I used mine primarily for commuting and errands. > The luggage block is incredibly useful. I used a laptop bag up there for > commuting to work and do grocery shopping using the folding bag. > > I use it in “shopping cart mode” when shopping so that eliminated needing > to lock up a bike. I have also brought it into numerous restaurants without > any issues. > > I can see touring one although haven’t done that. My tours lean towards > off-road routes and that eliminates my Brompton. The new 20” wheeled > Brompton may be up to it though. There are reports of people who tour on > them and strap their backpacks to the rear rack and a dowel on the rear of > the saddle. Other reports are from bike/pack raft tourers. > > Robert Tilley > San Diego, CA > > > Sent from my iPhone > > On May 29, 2025, at 8:03 AM, Dwain Weary <[email protected]> wrote: > > What do you use it for? Commuting? Touring? > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to [email protected]. > To view this discussion visit > https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/4754378d-6665-4c2e-b6ba-16cdb3d45caen%40googlegroups.com > > <https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/4754378d-6665-4c2e-b6ba-16cdb3d45caen%40googlegroups.com?utm_medium=email&utm_source=footer> > . > > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/rbw-owners-bunch/1986a065-ecb9-490c-b47e-6055072c8e54n%40googlegroups.com.
