You don't have to read too far in the Perennial Cycle Shopcast to know how much we love Brompton folding bikes. As a staff, about half of us have a Brompton (or two...) at home. We each have our quirks when it comes to the fold, favorite colors, and preferred handlebars. But the enthusiasm for introducing YOU to Brompton? That's something we all share, even when we're not in the shop. Whether on a lunch break ride, on a weekend road trip, or during the daily commute — we're happy to chat with those of you who smile, introduce yourselves, and ask... just what is this small-wheeled bike all about? Does it fold? How small does it get? And my favorite... Does it fit inside the front basket?

This year, we've decided to bring Brompton to you in an entirely new way. Each month, we'll be sending a Brompton home with a new owner to find out what it's like to be a newly minted Brompton rider and see how it fits into each of their lives. To begin, we've loaned a Turkish Green S3L-X to Patrick Stephenson, also known as @patiomensch, a Minneapolis-based cyclist and co-founder of #30daysofbiking. When asked if he'd be interested in participating in our #meetbrompton project, Patrick leapt at the chance and suggested he borrow the bike during his favorite month of the year — April — just in time for 30DOB. So here we are: 30 Days of Biking, meet 30 Days of Brompton.

For those who are curious about the details... B-Spoked especially for #meetbrompton, this S3L-X has titanium extremities, a Shimano Dynamo front wheel and lights, a front carrier block, mudguards (critical for April riding!), a telescopic seat post, and a Brooks B17 Special that Patrick will be the first to break-in. When he's not toting his official 30DOB Banjo Brothers Canvas Backpack, Patrick will also be using a black Carradice Stockport City Folder (pictured below) and an Abus Bordo lock for those times when it's not possible to bring the Brompton in with him at a given destination.

Be sure to follow @PerennialCycle on Twitter and Instagram to see what Patrick is up to with his shiny new Brompton. And if you see him out and about, stop and say hello!

Meet Patrick

Originally from Rochester, Patrick moved to Minneapolis in 2002 to attend the University of Minnesota. In 2010, Patrick started 30 Days of Biking along with his good friend Zach Schaap. The two created a website and launched a campaign that encouraged over 1,000 people to pledge to ride every day in April that year. Patrick still loves to ride and makes friends wherever his bike takes him. He continues to be amazed at a how 30 Days of Biking has grown in just 5 years.

A copywriter by day, Patrick is a true perfectionist and hopes to abandon his folding cheat sheets within the week and is working to speed up his fold before the month is up.

Stay tuned for more from Patrick about his adventure with #meetbrompton and get on over to #30daysofbiking to make the pledge yourself. It's easy, it's free, and for every 30 pledges made, 30DOB will give one bike to a girl or boy in need via Minneapolis-based Free Bikes 4 Kidz.

Ever since becoming a Brompton dealer, we have seen great value in superlight models and have always made them available to customers as a part of our Brompton inventory. You may have heard them referred to as "Titanium Bromptons," "Ti Bromptons," "Superlights" as above, or "X-Models." All of these refer to the same product — Brompton's superlight frame option. At the start of this year we received several superlight bikes in various configurations, including all three of our standard handlebar types and a variety of colors.

For 2013, we also added a third bike to our demo lineup: an S2L-X that was later transformed into an even lighter S2E-X when Luke travelled to England for the Brompton World Championship. Several of you have test-ridden our new demo and all agree: the S2 is a very zippy Brommie! With more and more Brompton riders gaining interest in Brompton racing, Superlight Bromptons are more popular than ever. Of course when it's not race day, one of the superlight's main advantages is not in riding it but in the moments you need to carry it. Going up a flight of stairs or through the airport with your Brompton in tow is all that much easier with a superlight bike.

But just what makes a Brompton Superlight so very super? And just how light is it? You'll find the answers to those questions and more below.

The following components on a Brompton Superlight or "X" model differ from a standard Steel Brompton. These changes combined contribute to a weight savings of 1.63 pounds (.74 kg) on any given Brompton.

1 - Aluminum Headset

2 - Xtra-Light Front Hub (not only lighter than Brompton's standard front hub, this is a sealed cartridge bearing hub, a big step up from their standard cup and cone hub) built into the front wheel, along with butted spokes for additional weight savings***

3 - Titanium Front Fork

4 - Titanium Front Mudguard Stays

5 - Titanium Rear Frame

6 - Titanium Rear Mudguard Stays

7 - No pump is supplied with a Superlight bike

What parts of a 2013 superlight bike are steel?

Two key parts: the Main Frame including the stem riser (both painted) and the seatpost.

Why Titanium?

While not as stiff as steel, titanium is equally strong and weighs about 50% less, all of which adds up to mean that Titanium has the highest strength-to-weight ration of any metal. Brompton has long seen its advantages, as has our favorite touring rack manufacturer, Tubus.

Titanium has excellent resistance to corrosion; it won't rust. This makes it a great choice for all-weather riders and those who bike in areas where roads are salted in the cold months.

Because of its corrosion resistance, titanium doesn't need to be painted — and, we might add, the silvery-grey color of the raw metal is very attractive.

As a West London-based manufacturer, Brompton has one more thing in coming with the metal we call "Ti" for short: both have English roots! Titanium was first discovered in Cornwall, in South West England, in 1791 by William Gregor.

Is it possible to B-Spoke order a Superlight Bike?

While it is usually possible to B-Spoke (custom-) order a Superlight Brompton, as of September 2, 2013, Brompton is not taking any new orders for Superlight bikes. (Should that change, we'll post an update here.) Many of our stock-superlights have already gone out the door, but we still have Brompton Superlights available for purchase. You can see a selection of our in-stock Superlight Bromptons here. Except where noted, all of the bikes listed on our website are in-stock and ready to ship to your door. Each has a front wheel built with the Brompton Xtra-Light Front Hub.

I have a standard, steel Brompton. What else might save weight?

Standard reflectors and battery lights are lighter than a dynamo lighting system

Single-speeds, 2-speeds, and 3-speeds will be lighter than 6-speeds

E-Version bikes without mudguards will be slightly lighter than L-Version bikes

E-Version and L-Version bikes will be lighter than R-Version bikes fitted with a rear rack

Standard or Extended Seatposts are lighter than a Telescopic Seatpost

Brompton Kevlar tires and Schwalbe Kojaks save weight over Schwalbe Marathon tires

The S Type is lighter than the M, H, or P Type

Standard rollers marginally save weight over Eazy Wheels

Saddles, in order of lightest to heaviest: B Saddle < B17 S Special < B17 Special

Some Brompton owners choose to retro-fit superlight parts, like the Xtra Light Front Wheel, to an all-steel Brompton

Carry only the necessities in your Brompton luggage

Ride your Brompton every day!

If you're interested in purchasing (or simply test riding) a Ti-Brompton, stop in any time or order online now. We ship Brompton bikes on a regular basis to U.S.-based Brompton enthusiasts and Brompton fans abroad. Shipping in the continental USA is just $35-40. International shipping quotes are available upon request.

***Since the publication of this post, Brompton has had some stocking issues with the Superlight front hub. As a result, not every Ti bike will ship with a Superlight front hub. To compensate, Brompton (and we at Perennial Cycle) has reduced the price of all bikes that ship without a Superlight front hub. These bikes will still feature butted spokes in their wheel builds but will use the standard Brompton front hub, unless a dynamo hub is fitted. If you are interested in ordering a specific in-stock Brompton and are curious about what type of front hub it features, please call us at 612-827-8000.