Brompton frame clip. Originally published in A to B 61 – September 2007
Whatever your views on the slightly esoteric argument about which is the best folding bike in the world, you can’t deny that Brompton’s engineering expertise is absolutely first class. In this latest upgrade, they’ve performed a loaves and fishes style miracle by adding features without adding any weight.
There are two styles: new bicycles are already being made with a lighter seat clamp, that works more smoothly and holds the seat post tighter. This more complex quick release/rear frame clip version is now a £10 option, but from January 2008 it will become a standard fitting,with the lightweight clamp as a discount option. Got all that?
The frame clip version weighs about a gram more than the old-style clamp, but it incorporates a little clip assembly that can be set to stop the rear frame folding down when you lift the bike. We’ve never really seen the point in this, because once you get used to the sagging rear frame, it’s a real convenience, but a locking pivot can be useful if you regularly load up a rear rack. In any event,the public wanted one, so the company has obliged.
As we’ve come to expect, the engineering of the levers,springs and other widgets is superb. We rarely read instructions, but this was an exception, because fitting can be a bit puzzling. Once in place and adjusted (about 15 minutes), the bike works as normal until you turn the rubber suspension block around (yes,they supply an anti-friction washer) until a little groove points upwards (you could do it in the dark). In this position, a little clip catches the suspension bush, enabling you to lift the bike in conventional fashion.
Everything works with satisfying clunks and clicks,and the new basic clamp is lighter (and cheaper on a new bike), while the clip-type gives you that lovely warm feeling of adding only one gram to the bike. Either type could be a worthwhile upgrade for people with slipping seatposts, because the clamping action is much improved as well. We’ve tried other rear frame clips, some Heath Robinson, and some rather elegant, but none works quite so well, and none does the loaves-and-fishes bit.In the end, bikes like the Brompton will get copied in the developing world, but it’s these little design touches that make the British bike excel – this is a development in the best Brompton tradition.
Quick-release £11.62 Quick-release/frame clip £21(£10 with new bikes) . From all good dealers
A to B 61 – Sep 2007
