Why ride a Brompton bicycle? I mean, really, look at Basil.
Even at rest he looks quick, zippy and alert. How could you resist such an enthusiastic companion? (Not easily, I can tell you. Not easily!)
The day this posts, though, I’ll be away again, briefly, and missing Basil. Bah, humbug.
When I sat down to write up our 5 Boro Tour, Mr. Diarist pointed out that storms were on the way, and that, if I wanted to ride Basil to the market, I’d better do it sooner, rather than later. Forsaking my bloggerly duties, then, I headed out the door.
In the week we were gone, our suburban world had changed enormously. Spring was no longer a half-hearted hint.
The sky was fantastic: Mr. Diarist had been right about the storm. Nonetheless, one must have veggies.
Basil’s Brompton “basket” is very deep. Thanks to the wonderful luggage block — which is mounted on the frame, not the handlebars — weight in the front does not affect either handling or steering adversely. Or at all, really.
This was an emergency run, so I bought bulk stuff. There was room for plenty more — including the milk that I forgot. No matter; forgetting something is a good excuse for another ride — after the storm passes.
Basil, like a Sun-God. Almost.
Two days after the 5 Boro, I’d still forgotten to take his frame tag off.
I’m pretty sure most old-school deities didn’t have to put up with carelessness like that.
Even I forget how compact Basil is when folded, especially when there’s a bag clipped to his luggage block.
The counter height at this shop is just above my left wrist; my right hand is on the handle at the top of the Brompton S luggage frame. A Brompton can also be steered by flipping the handlebars up and rolling it along on the rack and Eazy Wheels, but this method is even easier, and about as unobtrusive as can be.
A Brompton bicycle, despite its small wheels, rides very much like a “regular” bicycle.
The title of this post explains why. In 2004, Brompton elongated the wheelbase of their clever folder. As you can see, Basil fits right in with the big boys when it comes to frame length!
The Camelback bottle I’m wearing is working really well, but I need to be able to carry more water on longer rides, and I’d rather not wear the water belt on shorter ones. While wandering around the Internet, I read about the Bar-ista, made by Portland Design Works.
Leaving aside the whole question of why you’d ride a bicycle with a cup of coffee (rather than a closed mug) on your handlebars, it occurred to me that I might be able to make this work for my Brompton. It’s simple, sleek, and all-metal (!). So I bought one.
When it arrived, I realized that, to use it on a Brompton, I would have to unscrew the loop, and re-install the clamp upside down. Then I mounted it on Basil’s handlebars — making sure, of course, to cut a piece of inner tube to put between the clamp and his handlebars.
The supplied clamp screw was too short to allow the clamp to go around my Brompton’s bar, so I found a longer one at a hardware store, along with the wing nut I’d need so that I could swivel the holder out of the way when folding Basil.
My Brompton has the M bars, so I installed the holder at the bottom, near the stem.
I’d read that people complained that coffee cups could fall through the Bar-ista, so I added a mesh bag that is part of my travel gear. (It’s ostensible purpose is to allow me to carry liquids attached to my suitcase handle. It works, too, but Basil’s need is greater.) The mesh pouch is attached by cable ties.
I had to place the cup holder carefully, so that using the wing nut would not interfere with my Brompton’s cables. I do have to be dexterous, but it’s amazingly easy to flip the holder up so that it aligns with the handlebars.
The impact on the sleekness of Basil’s fold is almost non-existent.
The mesh pouch tucks into the ring. It tends to stay in place, but even if it didn’t, it’s small enough that it wouldn’t matter if it flipped out when Basil is folded.
If I do choose to leave the holder flipped out when my Brompton is folded, I can put my water bottle back into the ring, which means I don’t have to carry it separately when lifting Basil. This is especially nice when boarding trains.
A skinny water bottle is required. This Sigg fits perfectly, and is easy to lift in and out while I’m riding. However, the cable ties were not kind to that lovely matte finish on the black Sigg, so I bought an unfinished stainless Sigg to use instead; it won’t matter if its surface gets dinged and scratched a bit. (The second Sigg is in the photo above.)
As of this writing, I’ve only tried this kit on a short run; a longer test is in the works. But so far, I’m very pleased.
I’ve also discovered that the mesh pocket, when not in use, behaves like a wind sock sometimes, which is quite amusing (but doesn’t slow me down a bit.)
A car needed to go in for service the other day. Since the garage is in another town, I put Basil in the trunk, and headed out with him while the work was done, so I could simultaneously knock off a few errands and sneak in a ride.
I was shocked to discover that a large building in a small strip mall was being torn down. The largest store in this particular section had been a bookstore, with plenty of square footage. The retail section stretched from the front of the store all the way to the back, and about 2/3rds of that distance had been beautifully tiled.
In the rear, where the other stores had shipping and receiving, the bookstore owners had installed tall, huge picture windows. The rear 2/3rds of the store were bright and light.
We’d heard that a gym was going in. Just what every community needs, right? Another gym. I tried to be philosophical about it; the one good thing was that gym-goers would at least reap the benefit of that view, which changed, naturally, with the seasons.
It is not to be. The windows, indeed every part of the building, including the foundation, which was being destroyed the day I was there, is gone. I suspect the new construction will be no improvement over the old; quite the opposite.
When I parked Basil to take these pictures, I hadn’t noticed the single piece of litter in the area. It was a closing notice for the bookstore, the tape from attaching it to the window still attached at the corners. I tucked it in the trash and moved on.
Like swallows to Capistrano
flock the fisher folk to water. March has eased on its way, and April is holding forth.
Basil, however, is an all-season kind of critter.
Basil looks amazingly lean, even when all geared up.
I love being able to use thinner gloves in cold weather now that I can stuff my hands into these polka dot warmers.
Those neoprene bar mittens are truly ostentatious, but wow, do they work! This was just a quick 10 mile/16 km jaunt for coffee.
Basil poses by a stone wall, with his T bag:
This was a muddy, muddy ride, even though I didn’t need my rain cape. (That’s the yellow fabric poking out of the mesh pockets in the front of the T bag.)
This is the grubbiest Basil’s been, so far. I expect this will be a much more common occurrence this month than it was in February when this photo was taken. (Not to worry; he gets a good cleaning as soon as we arrive home.)