Going brompton

Three years of saving. I was waiting for this moment. And here I am. A fresh new member of a [growing] club. Riding a red Brompton!

Bromptons are spreading through their owners' friends. After only a few seconds of riding my roommate's bike, I knew that I was going to own one. As an engineer, I love fine pieces of equipment and engineering. The bike is amazing and the quality of the build is delightful.

See this page: Why Brompton?.

These days, Bromptons are seen everywhere in Lille. They are way more easily seen here than in Paris. I wonder if there is a correlation with the fact that we are closer to London.

This bike is a very welcome upgrade on my weekly train ride to Paris. The VLille (bike sharing network) is unreliable. As the stations are usually empty when the Paris train arrives in the evening, or the bikes out of order, I was quite often walking back home.

+15 minutes of sleep in the morning, arriving +15 minutes earlier at work, leaving work +15 minutes later and arriving home +15 minutes earlier. Success. These last few weeks, I really did enjoy my fresh 30 minutes of work and 30 minutes of leisure time.

Folded bikes are quite welcome on the French High Speed Trains (TGV). The Brompton can fold in a very efficient form, and folding bikes are allowed on trains. A folded Brompton can be stored everywhere, as it is not much more large than a luggage cabin.

The comfort of the bike itself is really hard to describe. People expect something uncomfortable because of the smaller tires, but this is not the case. However, on rugged or paved roads, you will feel the lack of suspension.

If you are looking for an efficient folding bike for your daily commute, I would suggest that you try a Brompton!