About touring on a (Brompton?) folding bicycle
"Why did you choose folding bikes for touring?" … "Are they suitable for long distance riding?"
These are the most common questions we face when meeting people on the road. Although many other cyclists have used folding bikes for excessive touring before, “touring foldies” are still a rarity on the streets, and arouse a lot of interest.
So, why did we decide for the small wheeled foldies?
Folding bikes are perfect for the kind of bike travel we like: For us, it’s not about average speed per day or kilometers per country. It’s about enjoying the ride, and getting to the places that we want to see. With folding bikes, it’s easy to combine different means of transportation. So far, we took them on airplanes, trains, busses, tuk-tuks, pick-up trucks, large ferries, small boats, taxis and minicars.
It’s a great way of travelling. Like on a regular bicycle you experience the freedom of biketravel: You can go where you like, whenever you like. You are independent of expensive airport shuttles, obtrusive cab drivers or bus timetables. But then, on a folding bike, you are much more flexible. You don’t have to stick to the bike (unless you want to): You arrive at a big city in the evening, you’re tired and don’t know the way? Fold the bike and jump into the taxi. You discover some beautiful place, you stay longer than planned but have to make it to the airport in time to get your plane? Fold the bike and take the train.
Folding bikes allow for doing things that would hardly be possible on regular big wheel touring bikes. Here are some Petit Tours real life examples:
All of our travel gear - including the bikes - fits into the apsis of our tent. Of course that’s not a must-have, but in some places we feel safer that way, plus all our stuff remains dry in rainy nights.
After leaving a hospital - unable to ride the bikes - and unsuccessfully waiting for the ordered cab, a hospital employee drove us (+ 2 bikes + travel gear) to some cheap hotel in his private tiny tiny microcar.
When staying at hosts, hostels or guesthouses, there is often limited space available for safe bike parking. It's mostly no problem to just take the folded bikes into the room. On occasion we also used hotel showers for some bike cleaning sessions.
In Thailand, we visited a small island with ridiculous steep hills. The whole island was only accessible by motorbike or off-road taxi. Both wouldn’t take regular bicycles. However we could convince them to take the folded Bromptons. We were thus able to visit the island without leaving the bikes somewhere else, and could also explore the area around the place we were staying by bike.
When we arrived in Phnom Penh late in the evening, tired and without a city map, we had no idea how to find the flat of a local friend we wanted to visit. So we just jumped on a tiny tuk-tuk (with all our stuff), showed the address to the driver and enjoyed some relaxed ride through chaotic Phnom Penh.
In other cases, folding bikes just make things more convenient - or cheaper. Again some real-life examples:
When taking the airplane, we check in our bikes as regular luggage. No additional costs, no special bike carton/bag needed.
Busses and trains often charge additional fees for bike transportation. We put the folded bikes into bags to get the transport for free. (The bag is indeed important as the bike can not be recognised as a bike. Otherwise you might have a hard time arguing with the bus driver...)
We can carry our complete equipment - including the bikes - by ourselfes, and at once. Yes, it’s no fun, it hurts, and we don’t like it. But it’s possible. This is extremely convenient when changing trains, crossing borders (customs + immigration) or checking in to hostels.
We usually don’t take taxis, but in emergencies every taxi will do, even a small one. Two bikes in the trunk, the rest in the front.
And, why Bromptons?
The Brompton is not made for long distance touring. It’s a bike made for commuting, and that’s where it excels. There are folding bikes that are probably better suited for touring, Bike Friday or Riese & Müller are just two examples. Handling, luggage system, suspension, gearing, better options for fitting the bike to your body and easy access to spare parts due to the use of standard components is where they migh trump.
Apparently we went with the Bromptons nevertheless, for three main reasons: First of all, we already had them. We use them for daily commuting in Berlin. We really like them. And we prefer to just use what we already have instead of switching to the “Ok, now I am going to do a long travel so I have to buy a ton of new expensive equipment and spend one month researching for the perfect bike” mode.
Then, although not made for touring, the Bromptons are really good at it! Many other touring cyclists have used Bromptons for journeys way longer than Petit Tours. And we did some test runs too before starting our round-the-world trip (Karen in Southern Europe, Daniel in Norway). It’s a high quality bike, pretty robust, with a good ergonomy and a great riding experience considering the small wheels. Maintainance on the field is easy due to an “integrated workstand”.
But most importantly: No other “serious” folding bike folds as quick, easy and compact as the Brompton! And that’s what it’s all about. When folded, it has a box-like shape and handles like a suitcase. Plus you can equip it with 4 rollerblade-like wheels so that it can be easily rolled when folded. The folding itself is actually fun, and that is why you often do it. Unless many other folding bikes, that are often used like regular bikes as nobody dares to start the “folding procedure”. On a Brompton, all the above mentioned advantages of travelling on a folding bike really come into play.
However, as the Brompton is not designed as a touring bike, a number of things have to be considered when planning long distance tours:
Luggage carrying: The Brompton comes with a great front luggage system. A good selection of high quality front bags is available. All front bags are attached to the frame, not the fork, so the luggage doesn’t affect steering, and the weight is always centered. However, when doing longer tours you will need more than just a front bag. As the bike is designed for commuting, there is no off-the-shelf solution available for the rack that would be suitable for touring. But, there is a work-around. Due to the small wheels and the low height of the rack, it is possible to attach a regular backpack to the bike. For us, this turned out to be an advantage, as the complete gear can be carried at once: Backpack on the back, front bag in one hand, the folded bike in the other hand.
Gearing: Although the 6-gear version is well suitable for most terrains, the range (between the lowest and the highest gear) is somewhat limited. Also, the intervals between the gears are bigger than on a dedicated touring bike. Solution: Choose the right gearing setup and plan your route to avoid the craziest of all mountains. Maps with elevation profile will be a big help. We didn't have them for Japan, and this turned out to be some real disadvantage. (And if you want to go extreme, there are custom solutions like the Schlumpf Mountain drive available.)
Spare parts supply: The Brompton uses some custom parts that will be very hard to find in certain countries. Examples are the derailleur unit, the rear sprockets, spokes and rims. But also the tubes and tires are rare, and you will probably have to find a Brompton dealer to get them (and in many countries there is not a single Brompton dealer). Solution: Take the right spare parts with you. And if something goes wrong nevertheless, fold the bike and take the bus to the next bike shop!
Wheel size and tire selection: This one is obvious. The bike has small wheels. They won’t roll as smoothly over rough ground as big wheels would do. Even cobbles will feel annoying. Also, the steering is pretty direct. You won’t have that “I’m rolling on rails” feeling that a dedicated touring bike would give you. Moreover, the tire selection is very limited (basicly only 4 tyres available, only 2 of them suitable for heavy touring). Solution: You will want to stick to paved roads as often as possible, and you will want to watch out for potholes.
Geometry and bike fitting: Brompton offers 4 different handlebar types, each resulting in a distinct riding position. That’s great. You can do some test rides and decide for the version that suits you best. However, if you have decided for one handlebar type, there is very little possibility for further fine-tuning and fitting the bike to your body. Of course you can adjust saddle height and position, and on some handlebar types you can do slight changes to the handlebar position. Solution: Do some extensive test-riding before deciding for one handlebar type. Find a Brompton dealer that has all the different models available, and compare. Some dealers might allow you to borrow a Brompton for a few days, so you can do longer test rides. This will be a great help for making the decision.
That said, for us the advantages of the Brompton do outweight these “downsides” by far. On our tour, we never whished for a different bike. Not even when crossing the Japanese Alps. Well, at least not for more than a few seconds ...
Of course, independent of the bicycle, there are these situations: It’s early in the morning. Sun just said “hello”. We have packed our stuff and are about to start cycling. We are tired, and we feel the long ride of the day before in our bones. In these moments we sometimes think “Oh no, not that bike again”. But after the first pedal turns, the wind in our faces and the clickeryclackery sound of the Sturmey-Archer hub in our ears, we can not help but smile, and ride on …