Bromptons and folding bikes

[Jonny69]

I've been wanting a Brompton for a while so I can break up my commute and do the last part of the journey by bike. Last time I looked they were about £350 but I had a shock when I saw them going for £600 on eBay and over £800 new

What happened there? Am I looking in the wrong place?

So I'm still on the lookout for a folding bike. I can't really leave it at the station overnight because this is London and I don't want to come back to find things missing or the whole bike gone, so I'd prefer a folder that I can carry with me. I like how small the Brompton folds and how quickly it does it.

What are my other options for folding bikes? That A frame Sinclair bike thing is no good

 

[Jonny69]

Aha, this is where my thread went. Plenty of you don't work or live in London then

This is my normal ride but I don't want it stolen:

Reynolds 531 frame, retro Shimano uniglide hub with 12 gears, Flite saddle, skinny Hutchinson kevlar tyres on light alloy wheels.

The guy I used to work with had the £700 one and it was stupid how quick it just folds away and how light it was. Compared to the cheap folding bikes on them market it's 100 times better.

That's basically what I thought. The others I've seen in bike shops have been heavy and have complicated or spazzy folding mechanisms or just don't fold down very small for on the train.

 

[Jonny69]

How do you stop things like the saddle and wheels being stolen? I know mine are on quick releases but normal axles etc only need an allen key or a spanner.

Problem is I'd have to leave it at Wimbledon which is fed a continual stream of scumbags from Croydon, no thanks to the tram

 

[Jonny69]

What like tamper-proof Torx or something?

 

[Jonny69]

Cheers folks. Need to get some of these for the racer anyway because when I go to the shops it'll mean I don't have to take my epic long chain with me

 

[Jonny69]

I popped into an Evans today (not the shop for fat chicks) and they have a plain black one for £595, pretty much the model I'd be looking at. Still a bit steep but I got to have a play around with it. They are definitely the best of the folding bikes. The Dahons they had folded nowhere near as small and were heavier.