Brompton in Palace

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    Zen, And The Art Of the Brompton Community…

    Or, Fold-ups, Fears, Foul-ups, Fuss, Faffing And Fun… After weeks of sunny weather (and heat), rain and drizzle came as a bit of a shock, but with a packed schedule there was little time to mess around. I slept later than usual and woke to rain, which made me suspect there would be no Brompton meeting at Tachikawa event today. But I checked the Instagram account of the event organiser, and she was keen for it to go ahead. Having yet to visit under her auspices and after pledging to myself that I would make every effort to do so this month, I prepared my Brompton bicycle to take me…

  • Bye-Bye Brompton in Pal-ace

    For me, riding a Brompton bike is about more than mere cycling. I didn’t realize it when I first picked up one of the prestigious folding bikes a bit over a decade ago. At the time, I just wanted a fold-up bike that wouldn’t break after a few rides as other collapsable cycles I had purchased seemed prone to doing. What I didn’t know was that bikes need care and maintenance. I know, dumb, but that was what I thought. Having spent most of my time until then on ultra-durable mama-chari that are virtually unbreakable, I believed all bicycles were like that. So the Brommie used to get me upset…

  • Rejoining the Fold

    I’m really blessed to be able to ride a Brompton folding bike. I think…. ….Anyway, my Brommie is the reason I got hooked on cycling. I fist learned about Brompton bikes through a work mate who had one. I was already riding extensively at the time on a Dahon folding bike, riding it to a station midway through my commute, packing it away and taking it on the packed public transport for another section and then getting off for the final leg of the journey. The Dahon Route was an awesome ride, but not made for the heavy duty use I was giving it (including the complete lack of maintenance…

  • Brommies More Than Just a Mere Bike

    Several years ago now, I was very fortunate to stumble into buying a Brompton folding bicycle that has fundamentally changed my life and continues to have countless unimaginable effects. I’d already shown signs of developing into an avid cyclist and was using a Dahon foldup bike to slice my then two-hour each way commute into thirds when a Brompton-riding co-worker inspired me to get a Brommie of my own. I didn’t realize that I should be caring for it and putting effort into maintenance, which is really dumb and naïve, but totally on brand. So, after finally getting gainful, permanent employment for the first time in the better part of…