brompton

  1. Brompton Tire Guide

    Looking for some new rubber for your Brompton? We have been riding and selling Brompton Bikes for over 10 years. Finding the right balance between durability, ride quality and efficiency will depend on where you ride, how you ride and what your expectations are.

    • We find the Schwalbe Marathon to be a shop favorite (not just for Bromptons, but overall) because it has mega durability yet the Marathon is quite speedy. The downside is that it is a fairly stiff tire, so the ride isn't quite as smooth as some other options.

    • If you want to be protected from flats as best possible, the Marathon Plus is the way to go. In Minneapolis it might be considered overkill, but if you're in a cactus state it might be necessary. This is the highest mileage and best flat protection offered from an air filled tire.

    • The Marathon Racer is Brompton's default stock tire. The Racer is a nice compromise between durability, smooth ride and speed. You're not going to get the same mileage as the Marathon and the flat protection isn't quite as high, but you gain a more supple tire which translates to a smoother, speedier ride.

    • If you like kicking it old school and want the narrowest and highest pressure tire, then the Kojak is for you. This has been the go-to for Brompton racers since the day it was introduced. While the folding and the non-folding Kojak look identical, the folding Kojak is lighter and more supple (higher sidewall chord count).

    • The Schwalbe One is the newest performance minded tire in the lineup. We LOVE it. Fast, lightweight, supple, durable and even a bit chubby. The only downside is the price, but hey, we don't need to replace our Brompton tires very often, so it is money well spent.

    • While the Marathon Winter is only going to appeal to those riding on rather extreme conditions (like those of us in Minnesota), it is a great tire for icey conditions. The Fin's made this tire possible and Minnesotans thank them ; )

    Schwalbe Marathon HS 420

    SIZE: 16 x 1.35"

    ETRTO: 35-349

    PRESSURE: 65-110 psi

    WEIGHT: 420g

    BEAD: Wire

    COLOR: Black

    COMPOUND: Endurance

    If we had one tire to recommend for the utility rider or daily commuter, the Schwalbe Marathon HS 420 is it. It is a little slower rolling than others on this list (except the Marathon Plus), but in exchange it will reliably shrug off glass, wire and other debris. We find this this is a dependable tire that will provide favorable riding characteristics.

    Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 440

    SIZE: 16 x 1.35"

    ETRTO: 35-349

    PRESSURE: 65-110 psi

    WEIGHT: 480g

    BEAD: Wire

    COLOR: Black

    COMPOUND: SmartGuard

    The Schwalbe Marathon Plus HS 440 is Schwalbe's best selling tire and is also the most puncture resistant tire available for Brompton Bikes. It is an extremely durable, long-wearing and flat resistant tire. This is the highest mileage and most flat resistant tire available for Bromptons.

    Schwalbe Marathon Racer HS 429

    SIZE: 16 x 1-1/3"

    ETRTO: 35-349

    PRESSURE: 65-110 psi

    WEIGHT: 282g

    BEAD: Wire

    COLOR: Black

    COMPOUND: SpeedGrip

    The Schwalbe Marathon Racer HS 429 is the best-of-all-worlds option for your Brompton, and is the standard tire option on their bikes since 2017. We find that the Schwalbe Marathon Racer provides excellent city / commuting performance, while still being reliable and rugged enough for everyday use.

    Schwalbe Winter HS 396

    SIZE: 16 x 1.20"

    ETRTO: 30-349

    PRESSURE: 65-115 psi

    WEIGHT: 460g

    BEAD: Wire

    COLOR: Black

    COMPOUND: Winter

    The Schwalbe Winter HS 396 is the best way to winterize your Brompton. This tire provides outstanding grip on ice, and the winter compound provides reliable stability in winter conditions. We also like the added puncture protection and reflective sidewalls.

    Schwalbe Kojak HS 385

    SIZE: 16 x 1-1/4"

    ETRTO: 32-349

    PRESSURE: 70-115 psi

    WEIGHT: 230g

    BEAD: Wire

    COLOR: Black

    COMPOUND: SpeedGrip; 50TPI

    The Schwalbe Kojak HS 385 is a high performance Street Slick, well suited for use on the road. We find that the Kojak is ideal for city / urban performance riding due to its high on-road grip, low rolling resistance, and puncture protection. Reflective labeling is just the icing on the cake.

    Schwalbe Folding Kojak HS 385

    SIZE: 16 x 1-1/4"

    ETRTO: 32-349

    PRESSURE: 70-115 psi

    WEIGHT: 175g

    BEAD: Kevlar

    COLOR: Black; RFX

    COMPOUND: SpeedGrip; 67TPI

    The Schwalbe Folding Kojak HS 385 has similarities to the non-folding Kojak, but it's lighter weight, has a kevlar (folding) bead, higher threads per inch, and a full reflective strip. The higher thread count makes for a lighter and more supple casing. Additionally, the compact fold makes this a great option if you need to pack an extra tire.

    Schwalbe ONE HS462A

    SIZE: 16 x 1-1/3"

    ETRTO: 35-349

    PRESSURE: 65-100 psi

    WEIGHT: 180g

    BEAD: Folding

    COLOR: Black w/ Tan Walls

    COMPOUND: Addix Race

    The Schwalbe One HS462A is the fastest and lightest Schwalbe tire available for the Brompton. Here at Perennial Cycle, we prefer the slightly wider Schwalbe One VS. the Kojak, as we find the the ONE gives a slightly smoother ride and gives a bit more durability. If you are looking for the speediest tire option, this might be 'the one'.

    • • • • • • • •

    Schwalbe Tubes

    Schwalbe tubes have extremely high air retention and elasticity. We recommend Schwalbe Tubes for all of these tires.

    The Schwalbe AV4 is standard (shrader valve) for Brompton Wheels. This tube is used unless you have non-standard rims.

    WEIGHT: 85 grams

    STEM LENGTH: 40mm

    VALVE TYPE: Schrader Valve

    The Schwalbe SV4 is used on non-standard (presta valve) Brompton Wheels. This is used if your rims are setup for presta valve tubes.

    WEIGHT: 85 grams

    STEM LENGTH: 40mm

    VALVE: Presta Valve

    Click here to see all of our Brompton Tires & Tubes

  2. Brompfication: Upgrade your Brompton Game

    • • •

    Brompfication Ti Seatpost, Ti Seat Quick-Release and Ti Hinge Clamps
    Titanium Seatpost, Hinge Clamp, Axle Nuts and Seat QR

    Here at Perennial Cycle, Brompton Folding Bicycles are a house favorite. Despite the adage that says there is no such thing as a bike that 'does it all', we feel that the Brompton comes about as close as any bicycle.

    The main two reasons Brompton has earned this status at our shop is their attention to detail and the endless ways in which a Brompton can be personalized to fit the needs of their riders. This is why we are excited to talk about these upgrades from Brompfication, along with the main reason we use them as upgrades ourselves.

    Brompfication Titanium Seat Post

    This addition makes sense for Brompton because it provides additional anti-shock qualities beyond that of Aluminum or Steel.

    We find that this is an excellent solution to reduce 200g of additional weight off your Brompton. This is a big upgrade for your Brompton because it is a bike that is designed to be lifted and transported by the user on a regular basis. The pay off becomes cumulative!

    Brompfication Hinge Clamp Set

    This high quality part is made from Titanium and Aluminum. Not only do these clamps add a big ol' splash of bling to your bike, they are a serious quality of life upgrade for Brompton users as well.

    These are cleverly machined in such a way that the Hinge Clamp Plate is always aligned correctly to the frame. This saves fiddling and time while folding your Brompton! Awesome!

    Brompfication Seat Clamp Quick Release

    The simple and clean design is reason enough to gift yourself with this little gem, but if that is not enough, there is also a quality of life factor.

    It has been cleverly designed to hold its position on the bike without rotating. You'll thank your self when you see how smooth and simple it makes adjusting the seat post. It is not just candy for the eye!

    Brompfication M10 Titanium Rear Axle Nuts

    What?!? Are you nuts?

    Nope, we just love Titanium on our Bromptons! This last piece may be just for bragging rights, but there are real-world reasons we use these in-shop as well.

    Perennial Cycle is located in Minneapolis, MN. Winters here are hard on bikes and we like to install parts that will hold up to the demands of cycling in that salty slush. You'll even save a few grams over the stock ones.

    Jesús optimizing their Brompton fold with Brompfication
  3. Introducing The Flat S Senso Light

     
    Here at Perennial Cycle we love the German Busch & Müller dynamo and battery-operated lights! Germany has strict cycle lighting laws and B&M abide by them and we benefit from that. We have recently brought their battery powered Flat S Senso light into our shop and have found it to be a wonderful upgrade to a Brompton.
     
    The Flat S Senso has both a light and a reflector, so it is legal to use this to replace a reflector on a bike. The Flat S Senso sports B&M’s LineTec technology which has a single LED as well as multiple mirrors that extend across the light in a  line, making you very visible on the road. In its Senso mode (S), the light turns on and off using light and  motion! This means that it will turn on whenever the bike is in motion and it is dark out  and it will remain on for a couple of minutes at a stop to keep you visible. If no further motion is detected the light will turn off on its own!


    The light works on both rack (R) and non-rack models (L/E) of the Brompton. When installing it on a L/E (non-rack or non-fender) all you need to do is replace the reflector with the Flat S Senso. The reflector/light mounts on the the bike have a slotted hole that allows the light or reflector to slide up or down a bit. When tightening the Flat S light on, be sure and have the light as low in the slots as possible. This allows clearance with the ground when folding the bike.This light also fits very nicely on our Tubus and Racktime racks (also German engineering at is finest).

     
     
  4. NEW: Souma Handlebar Bags for Brompton

    Anyone who has stopped into our shop on Hennepin Avenue (or browsed our website, for that matter) knows for a fact that we absolutely love bicycle bags. We have bags to fit just about any bike, and our selection of Brompton-specific bags is especially formidable. So we were thrilled to find out that Souma, a tiny company operating out of the Czech Republic, is making a handlebar bag that's unlike any the ones we were already stocking. We knew we had to get them in the store!

    There are many handlebar bags that could be used on a Brompton, but nearly all of them fit weirdly, or get in the way somehow, or simply flop awkwardly onto the concrete when you're folding the bike. These Souma bags, on the other hand, perfectly fill the unused space in the middle of your M- or H-type Brompton handlebars. They're easy to mount up with four leather straps and four heavy duty snaps. They don't flop around or interfere with the fold, and they keep your essentials within easy reach. A snap closure keeps your stuff inside when the bike is folded and the bag is upside down. It's a design that we've never seen before, and as soon as we saw it we wondered why the heck nobody had thought of it until now.

    Handmade in Brno, Czech Republic from full-grain leather, Souma bags are available in two versions to fit either your pre-2017 or current model M/H bar (for those who don't know, Brompton modified the shape of the M/H handlebar back in 2017 - see photos for clarification). The 2017 version is slightly smaller to fit the updated handlebar, and comes in three colors: Topaz (which matches Brooks "Honey" saddles), Brown, and Black. Folks with pre-2017 bikes can choose a brown or black bag.

    If you need color suggestions: Topaz looks especially nice with softer colors like grey and turkish green. Brown looks excellent on our nickel edition bikes. When in doubt, black looks good with everything (but we like it especially well with bright colors such as red or lime). Like any quality leather good, your Souma bag will acquire a unique and beautiful patina with time and use, so buy it, use it, and love it and know that you're only making it look cooler. Click here to check out Souma bags on our website.

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