Where am I?:^mistymornings-->Cycletouring-->Equipment.-->Bikes and bags.-->Our Bromptons in 2007

Touring with Bromptons in 2007.

Clearance is a problem when trying to add anything to a Brompton particularly if you still want the bike to fold properly. With a bit of ingenuity you can use standard parts. One thing you have to remember is that there is a difference between clearance when you gently fold the bike as opposed to say folding the bike in a hurry. For example if you let the handlebars drop down you need more clearance than when folding down the handlebars gently by hand.

The pictures below show our approach to carrying things on the Bromptons, the basis of which is the use of the Brompton Touring bag. This bag takes something approaching 30 litres of stuff; comparable to larger front pannier sets. Anything that needs to stay dry has to go into waterproof bags as the Brompton bag is sadly not 100% waterproof. To increase carrying capacity we've fitted a Cordo Klickfix handlebar bag adaptor to the rear saddle stem. This allows a Klickfix mounting to be fitted to the saddle stem which is compatible with both Agu (and I guess Vaude) and Ortlieb handlebar bags. Our Ortlieb handlebar bags are usually mounted there. In the picture below right, I had removed mine whilst we enjoyed some coffee and cake.

Stan and Damae's Bromptons fully loaded

The saddle stem adaptor also allows waterproof rolls to be strapped on to the rear of the bike, rather like a large saddlebag. In the photos above Damae tried to carry all she needed with just the Brompton bag, but as you can see this is stuffed to the limit. On her bike this is not such a problem, but as I have a front handlebar bag mounting as well I have to be careful how I pack the Brompton bag. As the Brompton bag is mounted on the frame and hence does not turn with the wheels there has to be sufficient clearance between it and any handlebar bag.

On the blue bike, the front Klickfix mounting is held in place by two bar ends, which have been put as high up as possible on the inside of the standard Brompton handlebars. The bar ends have been flattened a bit in the middle and just make contact with the front wheel nut when the handlebars are folded down. The short cable that stops the Klick-fix mounting from rotating has been replaced with a much longer steel cable. The Klick-fix is tightend just enough to allow it to be rotated. When in the 'vertical' position, the Klickfix does not foul the Brompton front wheel as it otherwise would and allows the handlebars to fold normally. Thus I can carry a handlebar bag but still fold the Brompton down to its usual compact size. Damae's bike does not have this complication so her handlebars are a bit less crowded.

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