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Welcome back to the channel Cycle Everyday with me Chris.
Today we are going to be talking about the 2 speed Brompton,
and what we think about it after using it the past 2 months
everyday while our other Brompton was waiting to be repaired.
It won’t be a review in the sense of a Brompton,
but it will highlight the good and bad points compared to our 3 speed Brompton,
which maybe you have experienced yourselves,
or you might like to know before choosing your Brompton.
First up is a quick overview of the main differences between the two Bromptons.
Noise. Without a doubt, the two speed is significantly quieter because
it doesn’t have the internal gear hub.
After swapping onto the two speed you really notice the
difference in noise when riding it around everyday.
Those that have an internal hub such as the 3 speed and 6 speed will
have gotten used to the sound that it makes so it is quite strange to not hear it on the two speed
but it is definitely something you notice.
Gears This is obviously the thing that was the biggest difference between the Bromptons.
Apart from the sound the different gears make,
the two speed is more similar to a normal geared bike,
with a simple derailier system.
Now this is the main challenge I have had with the 2 speed,
and I expect it might be a similar challenge on a 6-speed, as they are the same type of set up.
My ride daily use of the Brompton involves riding along
the canal for the majority of the 24 mile commute everyday.
Although the canal paths are good, especially this time of year in the UK
you do get a lot of dead leaves and dirt at some points,
which inevitably ends up on the bike.
The reason I bring this up is that I have had on a couple of occasions where
the gear would not change due to bits of dirt and leaves along the cycle path blocking
the chain pusher assembly, and not allowing it to move freely.
In order to sort the issue out, I have just had to remove some of the dirt from
it and it works fine again, but
I have never had this problem on the three speed due to the internal hub.
Cleaning Obviously keeping the Brompton clean is key to stop this issue.
I do clean my Brompton most days after the commute and never leave it more than 2 days without cleaning it.
One of the other points about cleaning on the 2-speed,
which would also be the same for a 6-speed is that it is much more difficult to clean
due to the spring assembly, which gets pretty dirty on a daily basis during the autumn and winter.
This is not an issue with the 3-speed, as it does not have the spring assembly.
The only other difference and something I have had an issue with is the jockey wheels.
The jockey wheels on the 2-speed and 6-speed are very different to the 3 speed because
they have to move with the chain to allow the gears to change.
I have found that because they are more enclosed, they collect a lot of dirt and small stones
which again takes longer to clean out on a daily basis.
Chain One last point I have noticed on the 2-speed is that
the chain appears to wear out much faster than on my 3-speed.
Due to the extra tension from moving up and down gears I expect, but
to give you some sort of idea, I normally get around 3400km out of a chain and sprockets on my 3 speed Brompton
but one the 2 speed I have so far managed 1750km and it
is now 100% worn, so will need to be replaced soon.
So, to summarise, the 2-speed is much quieter than the internal hub 3-speed and 6-speed versions,
but we have found needs more regular cleaning,
takes a bit longer to clean, and will probably cost a bit more in the long run
on replacing the chains and sprockets.
That said, I have really enjoyed using the 2-speed over the past few months
is still a very good bike. If you are considering which type of Brompton to get
then it would be worth bearing in mind where and how often you ride it
and what time of the year as in the summer,
I expect that the cleaning will be much easier to keep on top of
and you wouldn’t expect the same challenges I have had on the gears and jockey wheels.
I hope that you found the video useful. I would be really interested to know
if you have experienced the same challenges on your 2-speed or 6-speed?
Let me know in the comments. As always, thanks for watching,
and we will catch you in the next one!