One of the ancillary benefits of immersing oneself in a Brompton weekend like the BNC is the opportunity to see, up close, a lot of the after-market stuff Brompton owners try out and use on their bicycles. Dr. Diarist and I were very interested to see the Off Yer Bike handles.
The eagle-eyed will have already spotted the OYB handle on Basil in a previously published picture:
I’d seen these online, but, as ever, was reluctant to actually buy one without trying it out in person. Everyone who had one of these on his or her bike in DC raved about it, and now I know why. My hands are too small to wrap around Basil’s frame, so I can’t easily lift him at the best fulcrum point; as a result, I’ve been wed to the Brompton stock saddle, with its handy grip just under the nose. That worked, but the balance when lifting Basil was never quite right.
The Off Yer Bike handle changed all that. Even Dr. D, who easily carries both our bikes at once, is very pleased at how much simpler it is to wrangle our Bromptons with these handles attached. I couldn’t be happier with it, too. Lifting and manipulating Basil is a whole different, better, story now that he has a handle!
Installation is really simple, and just requires attention and a modicum of brute force to ensure that the velcro and straps are pulled tightly around the Brompton’s mid-section.
The down side? It’s pricey. But it’s strong, appears to be extremely well-made, and I expect it to last forever. If you ship yours individually to the USA from the UK, you can expect to pay even more, but a few dealers in the US are now carrying it, which should save at least a little on p&p.
I bought ours from Bay Area Bikes in Oakland, California — they were fantastic at communication, gave great customer service, and shipped promptly. If you are near Washington, DC., BicycleSPACE, hosts of this year’s Brompton National Championship, carries them, but they do not ship.
The other bummer? I hate the way they obscure that beautiful Brompton frame. But, you know: function over form*. I don’t think that handle could be transparent and still do the job.
Also, I love the Off Yer Bike logo, and I’m happy that the OYB handle is made in the UK instead of in a city-factory in China, but I’m cutting that white tag off ours. It’s distracting to have a white blip flying on the frame, and white? That tag is going to be really filthy in no time.
*Edited: originally wrote the line wrong. Grrr. Busy week; no time!
16 replies on “A Handle for a Brompton Bicycle”
The utility of this gizmo definitely outweighs the downside of covering the Brompton frame. Nice find and excellent review!
It really does, Cathy, much to my surprise! I had no idea the handle would be such an improvement.
By obscuring the perfect B’ton logo, are the handle creators guilty of form over function? Is part of the function to not cover the logo? If the handle demonstrates success of form over function, does this upset the balance of the world, as we know it?
Could the OYB logo be sewn or glued to the dorsal surface of the handle and protected with a protective coating?
All excellent pholosophical questions, Saul — even if I wrote the original sentence so that it said the opposite of what I meant to say! (Now corrected.)
I”m a little scared that I’m apparently considering stitching a little plastic window above that silly white tag, thanks to your comment. That’s probably a step too far.
Or could an added function of the form be to protect the Brompton logo? No matter what we wear or who we profess to be, we are who we are underneath and in reality.
Oh, so true, Saul — no matter where we go, we’re stilll there! Basil’s logo, I’m afraid, is terminally damaged already, thanks to my sloppy ways, which apparently involve dragging the soles of my cycling shoes over it.
In the UK, I could readily purchase a replacement, but here, I just put helicopter tape over it. One could argue that I defaced it — two different ways — before I ever got the OYB handle. (The logo is a decal; some people even replace it with a custom version, as did Andy, of Legend of Brompton Bumble Bee fame. His decal says “Bemble B”.)
Still waffling between the OYB and the leather Brompton handle, which appears to offer near-equivalent function but is, you know, leather.
I’m so shallow.
Aesthetics are a quality of life issue, Cathy! Follow your bliss!
I was going to mention the plastic window/sleeve, but thought better of it. It certainly was a next step in the process. Scotchguard, or a greener version, might also be a consideration. Of course, you could also buy an embroidered Brompton logo, or create same, and attach to OYB.
Hmmm, I like these ideas far too much, Saul. Also, Dr. D has been trying for a long time to convince me to customize an embroidered Basil patch. I may have to go there.
I was in Minneapolis last weekend and fell in love (and purchased) a leather Brompton Handle at Calhoun Cycle. Pricey, but lovely… and matches my Brooks saddle so well.
Great feedback, John! (Cathy, take note!) The leather handles are really beautiful even in photos; I can only imagine how terrific they look in use.
Excellent, that’s settled! Thanks to John and Brommie for the enablement.
Heh, heh . . . enablement: it’s practically a public sevice!
Great minds@The Brompton Diarist
I love these great minds, Saul — I think the comments are my favorite part of Basil’s blog!