けんた、折り畳み自転車界最強の一角、ブロンプトンを手にしてしまう。

けんた、折り畳み自転車界最強の一角、ブロンプトンを手にしてしまう。

Folding bicycles.
Small wheels.
Unique appearance.
From a specialty road bike shop
to a home improvement store nearby,
they’re sold in a wide variety of stores.
From simply-made ones…
to e-bikes with the latest technology.
From the ones under 30,000 yen ($194)
to the ones over 500,000 yen ($3232),
there is a wide variety
of folding bikes.
It looks like there is more variety
than road bikes and gravel bikes.
But some people barely get
a chance to try out folding bikes.
I’m one of them.
I currently own six bikes.
They’re all the finest of the best bikes.
I love traveling with my bikes.
I go to unfamiliar places
and favorite places in Japan
to experience the local ambiance.
Those trips are always fulfilling.
Folding bikes…
Aren’t they the perfect bikes
for these trips?
It can be folded small.
So, I can put it in my car.
And I can pack it and bring it
on trains and planes.
With everything considered,
folding bikes seem convenient for trips.
Why have I never owned one?
Just because.
I never had a chance.
I can pack my road bike in a bag
or carry it on my car.
I’ve packed and taken my bike overseas.
So, I didn’t feel it necessary
to own a folding bike.
But is that true?
I’ve never owned a folding bike.
I’ve tried them for reviews.
But it’s shameful to say that something is
good or bad without owning one.
What I say won’t be convincing.
After riding it for over several months,
I should realize
the charm of a folding bike.
Have you heard of Brompton?
Brompton, a folding bike manufacturer,
is located in London.
And each bike is created by craftsmen.
It has a long-established fame
in the UK as well as in Japan.
It has a history of about 50 years.
The originally made frame,
parts, derailleur,
paint, and assembly.
Everything is done
at their factory in London.
Their bikes are made in the UK
and handmade in London,
having established brand equity.
Their carefully designed parts
and features are
very appealing, functional,
and beautiful.
They aren’t cheap by any means.
But their bikes will surely fulfill
my desire to own great bikes.
I’ve actually been to
their factory in England
to explore the factory
and experience welding.
I saw the craftsmen
working carefully on each bike.
And Brompton has recently established
Brompton Japan.
Until then, Mizutani Bicycle Co., Ltd.
was their distributor.
Now, Brompton Japan is a company,
and letting me borrow their bike
so I can share my reviews.
Now…the bike is here.
Can you tell where it’s at?
It’s right here.
It’s very compact, indeed.
All the other bikes stand out
so much that
even I had to look for it.
It’s very easy to unfold this.
You pull up the seatpost and lift it up.
And you tighten clamps at two places.
Even if you take your time,
you can do it in 20 seconds.
It’s pretty quick.
I got a model called P Line.
And it’s a new 2024 model.
It’s a blend of titanium and chromoly.
Thought it looks classical,
it’s light (under 10 kg).
And this model has a newly released
12-speed gearing system.
I’ve been riding this bike
for two months.
Now, I know a lot about it,
so I can talk about the Brompton bike.
Today, I organized my talk
in two sections.
So, I’ll go over them one by one.
How compact it is.
As you can tell just by looking,
the biggest appeal is that you can make
a big bicycle very compact.
I felt this to be most handy
when I packed and took it on a trip.
I went to an event in Nagoya,
and the venue was 5 km (3.1 mi.)
from Nagoya Station.
So, I took my Brompton
so I could ride it to the venue.
Honestly, I was very impressed.
I took it out at the station.
I don’t have to remove the wheels,
so my hands don’t get dirty.
It’s easy to carry
because it’s so small.
I don’t like to put it on my shoulder,
so I carry it with my hand.
It’s very easy.
I went straight into the Green Car
from the platform.
I used to walk to
the edge of the platform
so I could get a seat
in the very front car.
But can you see
how compact Brompton is?
Since it’s smaller than a suitcase,
I don’t have to worry about it too much.
What surprised me was
that it fit perfectly at my seat.
I have less space at my feet,
but I never expected to ride on a train
with my bike right at my seat.
It was the same way in the shinkansen.
I was impressed.
I’ve always had to reserve
an oversized baggage area.
But even with that,
if some baggage was already there,
I couldn’t put my bike down.
So, I felt like I’d been missing out.
Right when I arrived,
I quickly took it out and unfolded it.
I attached my backpack
to the front of my Brompton bike.
And I’m off to the event.
How convenient and cool!
This bag is also from Brompton,
and it has concealed magnets
to secure the shoulder straps.
And it fits on the bike.
It’s very well-made.
At the venue, I put my bike
inside a tent for guests.
It wasn’t in my way,
and I had no need to worry about thefts.
So, if you have lunch at a restaurant,
they might let you bring it inside.
Or they might let you keep it
if you’re seated at the terrace.
And I stayed at a hotel for this event,
so I packed it in my rinko bag
to bring it inside my hotel room.
But it wasn’t a hassle at all.
I knew a Brompton bike’s small size
would make indoor storage easy.
But I never expected that
packing would be this easy.
I’ve packed my bike
so many times for traveling,
I strongly felt that way.
Riding performance.
Those who ride road bikes
and gravel bikes are most concerned
about riding performance
on folding bikes, aren’t they?
I sure am.
The hinge part might come loose.
Pedaling hard might break the bike.
Would I feel comfortable on it,
in the first place?
For the past ten years,
from short to long distance,
I’ve ridden various types of bikes
at different places.
So, I can tell. A Brompton bike
performs better than you expect.
It has a smooth shifting.
It features great acceleration
and sharp turns.
The well-made frame makes it sturdy
enough that I can pedal pretty hard.
With their 50 years of experience
making folding bikes,
the riding performance surpassed
my expectations.
But honestly, Brompton can’t compete
with the speed of a road bike
or the off-road capability
of a gravel bike.
A road bike is better
for a long ride with high speed.
A gravel bike would be
faster on unpaved roads.
Those bikes would be better
if all you cared about was the ride.
Then, you might think that road bikes
and gravel bikes would be better.
But that’s not
where Brompton’s appeal is.
Brompton holds the highest quality
riding performance for a folding bike.
Also, it boasts the highest quality
performance in other situations.
That’s where its appeal lies.
Using public transportation
and your car,
riding the bike
and spending the night.
Brompton makes
all the processes comfortable.
For my car, I don’t need a rack
since I can put it in the trunk.
And taking it
on the train isn’t a hassle.
I don’t have to worry about storage
and security at hotels.
I don’t have to search
for a bike-friendly hotel.
This bike allows me to focus
on my riding experience only.
So, this was a super attractive bike
since I love traveling.
I never thought about riding
super long distance with this bike.
But going around Sado Island
or Izu Oshima Island
with this bike while camping
sounds inviting.
I’ve only shared positive points.
But I’ll also talk about concerns
I encountered as I rode it.
First, the handlebar felt wobbly,
which is common with small wheels.
Cruising at a high speed is hard.
It doesn’t have a bottle cage.
The bike gets quite wobbly,
trying to get a drink with one hand.
So, it’s hard to maintain balance.
It’s hard to let go of the handlebar.
When I stop at traffic lights
while on my road bike,
I hold the top tube
in between my legs.
So, I can easily let go
of the handlebar.
But the Brompton’s low top tube
makes it easier to get on.
That’s why it’s hard to let go
when I’m stopped.
It’s pretty unstable,
so I have to hold it tight in between
my legs or sit on the saddle.
Shifting gears requires some practice.
With a four-speed cassette
and three-speed hub gear,
it achieves 12 speeds.
But it’s different from a road bike.
It’s like a bike with
triple front chainrings.
Single or double chainrings are
standard now, so it’s confusing.
Additionally, you can’t shift
the three-speed hub while pedaling.
You have to stop pedaling
to shift the hub gears.
On the other hand, you can shift two gears
at once without pedaling.
This is an unusual drivetrain.
And lastly, I’ll talk about the price.
Brompton bikes aren’t cheap
by any means.
The C Line is 260.150 yen ($1,680).
This 12-speed P Line is
480,700 yen ($3,105).
For a bike made of titanium and chromoly,
the price seems reasonable.
But it’s surely expensive
for a folding bike.
They make their own frame,
parts, and drivetrain.
And they paint and assemble it.
All the processes are done
in their factory in London.
The bike is made in the UK
and handmade in London.
Having established brand equity,
they create every part carefully,
resulting in high performance.
If those points matter to you,
then, in my opinion,
a Brompton bike is worth owning.
It’s like a product made in Japan
and handmade in Tokyo.
Many people overseas find it
valuable for that reason alone.
You can buy all the parts separately,
making repairs easy.
This is crucial when you own a bike
for a long time.
If you have a clear vision
of how you want to ride it,
this will surely serve as
both a main bike and a backup.
I pray this video will help those
who are trying to make a decision.
See you later.

スポンサー＆サポート　

サイクルウェア→ @cafeducyclsite
https://bit.ly/CafeduCycliste

撮影機材→ @Insta360Japan
https://www.insta360.com/sal/x3?insrc=INR1WKW

サイコン＆スマートローラー→ @wahoofitness
https://www.wahoofitness.com/?rfsn=5537388.87c46c5

メインバッグ→ @CHROMEINDUSTRIESJAPAN
https://www.chromeindustries.jp/

自転車旅のWebサイト→ Discover Ride
https://discover-ride.com/

大好きなバイクメーカー @trekbikes
https://www.trekbikes.com/jp/ja_JP/

メロウなパーツ Alternative Bicycles
https://www.alternative-bikes.com/

使ってるサイクルラックはこれです。（割引クーポン付き）
https://adventure-aid.store?aff=5
・クーポンコード「KENTASAN」
・割引内容 10％OFF

けんたさんおすすめ自転車グッズ（随時更新しております！）
http://amzn.to/2bA2YZL
※上記URLはアフィリエイトリンクを使用しています。

お仕事のご依頼はこちらから
reimond09b052@gmail.com

インスタグラム、ツイッターなどのSNSはこちらから、フォローよろしく！
https://linktr.ee/iamkentasan

#ロードバイク #cafeducycliste #foreveroutsiders

0:00 折りたたみ自転車とは
2:03 Bromptonについて
3:25 ついに我が家にBromptonが！
3:38 展開方法
3:53 今回のモデル
4:23 コンパクト性について
6:58 走行性について
9:27 使って気がついた懸念点について
10:49 Brompton　Pラインについて
12:05 エンディング