I ordered a Brompton. Of course I did. Not without giving it a lot of thought, mind you. I went over and over the specifications I wanted, thinking carefully about how I would use the bike, what accessories I’d need, and what additional gear (and gears, come to think of it).
And I spent hours on NYCEWheels’s configurator. I’m not the only one, either. The configurator lets you decide exactly what colors your Brompton should be. There’s an extra fee for some colors, and I admit to paying it. My Brompton is almost certainly the last bicycle I will ever own, and I wanted it to be exactly right.
His name is Basil, and he’s Team Lotus colors, owing to a vintage familial association with the old motor car firm. He’s a six-speed (hilly terrain where I ride most frequently) with Eazy Wheels, to get me through train stations, and, who knows, possibly airports.
According to NYCEWheels, he’ll be built in London in August, and shipped in September. I muttered something about “waiting”, once all the formalities were dispensed with, and David, the NYCEWheels employee who’d patiently walked me through the order, told me that he preferred to think of it as “anticipating”. I liked that. I’m anticipating.