The Museum of Cycling Curiosities – The Plus Size Brompton

This is the first in a series of articles where Sanny will cast his critical eye over some of the more unusual designs out there. We’re going to be looking at the tech that’s lurking in overlooked corners of the bike world, the things that never quite caught on, and wonderfully weird. To kick things off, we’re starting with that commuter’s friend, the Brompton – but with a plus sized makeover. Is it a case of a modern design classic being improved upon or is it a step too far?

“Sanny! Have you seen the plus tyred Brompton that Ben Cooper has built?” enthused my good friend Gary on the other end of a socially distanced landline (remember those?) Taking a moment to ponder, I may have squeaked out a high pitched “Whaaaaaaat?!?!?” It is fair to say that my previous experience of riding that British design classic of a folding bike could be politely summed up in one word, “Meh!”

Like Gru’s mother, I cannot say I had particularly strong feelings either way. While the engineering thought that has gone into the folding mechanism is undeniably ingenious, the actual ride quality always struck me as being on the rattly and twitchy end of the spectrum. The tiny tyres didn’t exactly inspire me with confidence while the steering seemed to want to try and kill me at every little opportunity. 

Memories of folding bikes of the past…..

Riding one took me back to the days of my childhood when, after some ne-erdowell lowlife stole my first racing bike, I ended up riding a Hercules folding bike that had been purchased from the grand old lady of a department store in Glasgow that was Arnotts. Perhaps the fact that my parents had bought a bike from a department store should have been a clue as to its ride characteristics? It was a bit of a monster, truth be told – a steel frame that felt like it was made of rebar, a folding mechanism that saw us fold it just the once, a three speed Sturmey Archer that changed gear with a wonderful vagueness akin to James Fleet’s Tom character in Four Weddings and a Funeral and steering that was more point and shoot me than point and shoot.

“What the hell are you?”

For a primary schooler, it had zero credibility when all my pals were whizzing about on BMXs but it was a bike and it still took me on mini adventures. Like the Hercules, the standard Brompton has failed to scream “FUN!” at me. Inspiring neither love nor hate, it struck me as a bike that would probably be well suited to the London commuter set but as something I would want to ride and own, it was definitely a case of thanks but no thanks.

However, throw the creative mind of Ben Cooper and his welding torch into the mix and I was suddenly a lot more interested. Having known Ben for a good number of years (even interviewing him for a previous issue of the mag) and his penchant for the strange and unusual, I was more than a little intrigued to see for myself if the Brompton could be turned into something I would want to ride for fun and not just as a means of commuting between station and work. Turning up at his workshop and showroom located a stone’s throw from the theatre of dreams that is Firhill Stadium (assuming your dreams consist of your team being relegated to Scottish League One), I have to admit I was more than a little excited when he offered to wheel out this fat tyred monster commuter and unleash me on it.

The Chop Shop

Starting with the standard Brompton design, Ben has applied no small degree of carefully considered design and logic to develop a whole range of custom alterations. Rather like a West Coast motorbike shop, the basic bike is only the start. Perhaps you hanker for a larger wheel size to help smooth out the bumps or you want disc brakes instead of the standard rim brakes? How about an internally geared hub or perhaps a custom rack? Electric motor you say? Yup. He offers that too. In a world of everything appearing to be made in China, it’s genuinely refreshing to have someone on your doorstep that offers upgrades that even the manufacturer doesn’t.

Gazing upon this curious creature for the first time, I couldn’t help but think that it just looked right. As someone with a soft spot for all thing plus and fat, it should have been obvious to me that adding fatter tyres to the mix would be a logical thing to do but it was only when I saw it in the flesh that the thought crystallized! Innovative thinker me? Clearly not!

“A taste of the unusual, sir?”

Designed for a customer in Greece who wants to use it to tour on rough roads and tracks, Ben has gone to town on the build. Out back, there is a Rohloff internally geared hub, beloved of so many tourers the world over. In place of the standard rim brakes are a set of Magura hydraulic disc brakes while the big clue to this being a bike that is more than a little out of the ordinary is the presence of the 3 inch wide tyres running on the still teeny tiny toty 16 inch rims. Curiously, it doesn’t look in any way odd but seems to really suit the character of the bike. In order to make these changes, Ben had to get handy with his welding torch and fashion an entirely new rear end and fork. Well-practiced in the art, it is fair to say that the rear triangle and fork looked as if they came with the bike as standard. The quality of the welding and overall finish were, to my eye at least, indistinguishable from the standard design.

The cycling equivalent of Steve Austin

Given the added versatility on offer, I would probably go so far as to say that they are an improvement over the original. The world has moved on since the original Brompton first rolled off the production line. Disc brakes are becoming ubiquitous even on the cheapest of bikes and even racing tyres have gotten fatter. Without wishing to be harsh, the original does not appear to have evolved much. Of course, it has many devotees and as anyone who has tried to buy one of late will have discovered, demand is such that they are rarer than rocking horse shit. Clearly, Brompton is doing something right but to my mind, the best designs are those which adapt to the times and take advantage of new technology.

But what is it actually like to ride?

Leaving my prejudices behind at the door, I hopped on the machine and took myself off for a spin along the banks of the canal that overlooks the city. A mixture of graded path, tarmac and cobblestones with a side order of dirt track, it is a well-established commuter route that is arguably the ideal hunting ground for such a machine. Turning the pedals, the bike felt both familiar and different. It was still most definitely a Brompton, the ride position was unaltered from what I had ridden previously but the twitchiness was gone. With more rubber on the road, the bike instantly felt more stable and confidence inspiring. The steering was still quick but not so much as to be disconcerting. Upping my force on the pedals, I shot forward in the way that only a small wheeled bike can. Truth be told I was grinning like a loon. The added weight of the 3 inch tyres did not seem to impact upon the way the bike rode compared to the narrower tyred original. Acceleration felt easy. 

Hitting the canal proper, I quickly adapted to the narrow bars that looked like they should be more properly fitted to a kid’s bike. Being well used to the Germanic efficiency of Magura hydraulic disc brakes and a  Rohloff hub, I felt at home on the machine. The trademark clunk when you lift the bike up from the rear end was still present but hopping up kerbs and riding over cobbles singularly failed to unsettle the bike. My past experience had suggested I should ride with caution but the changes that Ben had implemented threw that out of the window pretty quickly.

Spotting a section of pave (cobbles to Brexiteers…or should that be cobblers?), I upped the gears and hit them hard and fast. To my amazement, the Brompton coped with the bumps with aplomb. It moved over them with a level of composure that was entirely unexpected. Despite the small diameter of wheel, the added girth (no tittering at the back!) was having a transformative effect on the entire nature of the bike. The more I rode it, the more I found myself enjoying it. Reflecting on the design brief, Ben’s improvements could definitely be felt. It was now not so much “Meh!” as “Hell, yeah!” I was actually enjoying riding a folding bike that, on paper at least, should be the antithesis of what I look for in a bike. 

Stopping to take some pics, I found myself doing something that I had not done in over thirty years and attempted to fold it up. As you can see from the pics, I mostly managed it but it would probably require a bit more practice to reach Ben’s Black Belt level of folding skills. Playing about with the various knobs and levers, I reflected on the vision that had gone into realising the design, not just Ben’s improvements but what Brompton have achieved in the first place.

To me, good design is something that makes the interaction between the user and the product seamless. Taking a leaf out of Dieter Ram’s book, it should be, amongst other things, innovative, useful, aesthetic and long lasting. As a bike, the Brompton is ingenious. It is designed for a specific purpose and at that it succeeds. Where Ben’s customisation comes in, a great bit of design is made even better. Rather like John Cooper did with the original Mini designed by Alex Issigonis, Ben has taken a great design and refined it. He has succeeded too. 

So what do I think?

I have to admit that I have become a bit of a Brompton convert, in this form at least. The changes made all make sense to me and widen the scope of its appeal, beyond that of the basic design. I now look at the original through new eyes. Frankly, I would not want them to change it. When BMW bought the rights to the Mini name and John Cooper Works, I think they lost their way. They took a brilliant piece of design and created something which, although it looked a bit like a Mini, did not live up to the promise of the original. It may bear the same name but it’s a totally different experience. With Brompton, I hope they continue to produce the same basic design for many years to come. They have a real winner on their hands and when you have tinkerers like Ben who can make improvements without affecting the basic character and appeal of the original, you have something really rather special on your hands. As an introduction to the world of unusual designs, I think it is a rather fine start.

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