My Brompton "Super Light"
A review of the Great Urban Bike




Part of my objective in purchasing my new Bike Friday was to pare down my fleet, ideally to one bike. My initial attempts to write this review were based on how well it did in that role, and how well it could replace my other bikes. When reviewed that way, the I found the Bike Friday to be a “jack of all trades, and a master of none”.

So I can use it as a road bike, but it's not as good as a "real" road bike, and I can use it as an around town errand bike, but for that, it's no better than any other bike. But I does work well for touring, and while it's not quite as good as a big wheel touring bike, it is much easier to transport to and from trips.

So it isn't the do it all bike I had hoped it would be, but I probably need two bikes anyway as I ride too much to only have one bike. If for no other reason, I need a backup bike for when I have to work on my "primary" bike.

So I have rewritten this review, looking at my new Bike Friday as what it really is: A touring bike that is easier to get to the start of, and back from the end of trips. At the end of the review, I will look at how it did as compared to my old Friday, the bike this one is aimed at replacing, and improving on.

So if the Friday is touring bike that simplifies logistics what does it (or any other touring bike for that matter) need to be able to do?

  1. Carry a lot of gear, as much as 60 pounds when needed.

  2. Get me up steep hills with those heavy loads (i.e., have adequately low gears).

  3. Be sturdy, and easy to fix when needed.

  4. And finally (since it's primary purpose is to be a folding travel bike), be faster, and easier to pack and transport.

So how does it do in these areas?

  1. While it probably can't carry as much as my Randonee, it can carry all I need and then some. Interestingly, the Friday and Randonee both have similar weight limits, one that is less than the bike’s weight, plus my weight, and 60 pounds of gear needed for long self supported touring! When I road my old Friday down the Pacific Coast, I never carried 60 pounds, but I did get to 50, and it handled that fine.

  2. The low gear on my new Bike Friday is almost as low as the low gear on my big wheel touring bike; close enough so that it doesn't matter. However, because the wheels are small, the high is quite a bit less than my other touring bike. But frankly that is more than is needed. Plus, given that the Friday isn’t particularly stable at faster speeds, I don't need that high of a gear anyway.

  3. In my experience it's sturdy enough, and there are plenty of stories out there of people who have used them on "Epic" adventures, so it should be plenty stout. I rode this bike's "predisesor" 2000 miles down the Pacific Coast, and it had no issues. And since Fridays use off the shelf parts and repairs, if and when they are needed, should be straight forward.

  4. While I don't have the expirience to pack and fold my Friday in 15 minutes like the experts at Bike Friday can, it is easier and faster to pack it, and the resulting package is much easier to take with me on "Planes, Trains, (busses), and automobiles". straight forward.

So again, it's quite capable of doing touring duty, and it's simpler transportability is very useful.

But life isn't all rainbows and roses. And “baby the rain must fall”. So what issues, or shortcomings did I find?

Issues with the bike as delivered:

  1. The front derailleur cable was routed over the under bottom bracket guide instead of through it, requiring me to redo it. An easy fix, but that should have been caught at the factory.

  2. Shifting is poor. Compared to all of my other bikes, it is imprecise, and pulling the levers up, requires more effort.

    when shifting into the largest cog, it would "hunt", going back and forth between the largest and second to largest cogs. Shifting between the two smallest cogs was also touchy. Careful adjustment of the cable tension and the three set screws, made all of the gears usable, even if Shifting wasn't perfect.

    I have read that some people have had similar shifting issues on other bikes as well, and that when they replaced the MicroShift shifters I have with Shimano bar end shifters, and that the shifting worked much better. But the Shimano shifters cost more than $100! Maybe later.

  3. The ( MicroShift Marvo) rear derailleur that came with the bike has a fairly long arm. when on the largest cog, the bottom pulley was less than an inch from the ground and it nearly touched the tire. I was uncomfortable with this, and wanted greater clearance to the ground, and especially to the tire. The Kojak tires I am using now are only 35mm wide, and are treadless. But I will use wider, slightly knobby tires for touring. The quarter of an inch difference in tire width would put the sidewalls precariously close to the lower derailleur pulley. Given the knobby nature of touring tires this could result in a bad day.

    So I chose to replace it with a MicroShift "R9" medium cage derailleur - about $20. Despite being a "road" derailleur, it will work with a 36 tooth cog, and wrap the number of teeth needed, This gave me an additional inch to the ground, and because the cage sits higher, it it is now parallel to the rim, not the tire. So going to a wider tire should not be an issue.

    Interestingly, another owner's bike, which was received about the same time as I received mine, came with a "R9" rear derailleur.

  4. When I ordered the drop bars, Bike Friday thought the ones they used had a 135 mm drop. Actually the drop was around 155 mm. That's a big difference. All of my other bikes have 128 or 130 mm drops, which is what I wanted. So I ended up purchaseing a set of Dimension "Short Drop Compact bend" bars and new bar tape. That change cost about $50.

  5. At the risk of repeating myself... It's not as stable as I would like. Using it for my ride down the Pacific Coast, I found my old Bike Friday to be twitchier than my other bikes. That was manageable, but did take more effort, and energy.

    When I talked to Bike Friday about this, they told me that having more weight on the front wheel would help. I surmized that some of the reason there isn't enough weight there is that the frame size is a bit too big for me. By having too long of a reach, my body is moved back from the center of gravity of the bike, resulting in less weight on the front wheel. My new Friday is one size smaller (54 cm instead of 56), in theory moving my center of weight 2 cm forward.

    So how does the new bike behave? Is the twitchiness at least reduced? Well, the handlig is basically the same. That is, the twitchiness is no better. But many people have said that you get used to it. While I would agree that I do "mostly get used to it", what that really meant to me was that I learned to adapt to the differences. That doesn’t mean that the handling issues went away. The steering still requires more effort than my other bikes, and is therefore more tiring. I can ride my big wheel touring bike "no hands"; for several seconds, and one handed for quite some time. Riding the Friday no handed is a bad idea, and even riding one handed requires care, and is best done on smooth, straight roads.

    High speed descents are still best done at lower speeds. I have had my big wheel touring bike at 45 MPH fully loaded and felt safe. On my Bike Friday, anything above 25 MPH starts to get a bit spooky.

None of these issues are serious, even if a bit disappointing. And of these, all but one can (or already have been) remideed. Only the last one - Stability remains.

Heck, if the "performance" was better (i.e. it was faster for a given effort), and the stability issue didn't exist (or could be remided), it might even be the does it all bike I had hoped it would be.

What ever the case, once this is all sorted out, the bike should be fine for what it is designed for: Touring with easier logistics.

I should note though, that as I understand it, the original reason Green Gear created the Bike Friday bikes was to avoid paying the obscene oversize fees charged by airlines. However, in recent years most airlines have become much more bike friendly. In fact, at the time I am writing this review (Nov. 2023) American Airlines doesn't even charge extra for Bikes. But the process of packing a Bike Friday for travel is still easier and faster than with a big wheel bike, even if the cost advantage is no longer there.

In the end, a Bike Friday is somewhat of a compromise. But travel logistics are much easier than with a big wheel bike. This becomes more significant as the trip becomes shorter. But Fridays aren't cheap. The price of a bike Friday with no changes is about $2000. And even at that price, the components used while serviceable, are pretty basic.

But since I am pretty much done with "epic" tours, and only plan to do 1-2 week trips in the future, the Bike Friday does make sense, so it does belongs in my fleet. But if I were still looking to do another long trip, the decision might be different.

Part of the reason I made this purchase was that Bike Friday made an offer of a 20% discount if I ordered, and paid for the bike in November, with a delivery in March.

So now that I have given my review, what did I actually get? I chose a New World Tourist (NWT), upgraded to have Disc Brakes (+ $100), and 18 speeds / double front crankset (+ $80). The total price with the upgrades: $1975. ($1580 after the 20% discount).

I also made a few changes to this spec in my order:

1

Upgrade the standard Weinmann "Zac 30" rims to " Sun Rhyno Lite" rims.

$40    

2   

Upgrade the Schwalbe "RoadCruiser" tires to 1.35 inch (35 mm) Schwalbe "Kojaks".
(I'll switch to wider/stouter tires for touring)

$48    

3   

Swap the marginal base disc brake calipers to TRP "Spyke" calipers.
(the mountain version of the TRP Spyres)

$182    

4   

Change from flat handlebars to drop bars. This required adding Cork Bar Tape, using Tektro RL520 Brake Levers, and microSHIFT Bar End shiters.

$48    

5   

Add a "Brompton block bracket". A braze on bracket allowing me to use Brompton bags.

$150    

Total cost, including Brompton fixture:

$463    

After adjusting for the 20% discount I got for ordering in November for a March delivery, my actual costs for these upgrades was $370.40. Adding that to the discounted base price of $1580.00 is $1950.40

Some reviews I have read say that Bike Friday charges more for upgrades than they felt was reasonable - Charging the full retail price for parts substituted, while giving little credit for parts being replaced. I ran some numbers to see how all this came out for me, and found that not to be the case. At least for me

After taking out the $150 cost of the Brompton front bag attachment fixture, which has no outside price to compare to, the cost of the upgrades was $250.40. Doing a quick internet search, retail/listed prices for all of this (again, less the cost of the Brompton bracket) came to about $489

So what Bike Friday charged me for these upgrades was $313. About $176 less than I would have paid to do the changes myself after the fact. Subtracting the 20% discount from the price listed about makes the upgrades cost $250;    $239 less than I would have paid to do the changes myself. That means that in the end, I paid 64% of what I would have paid to do the changes myself after getting the bike. That's probably better than what others have calculated, though the 20% off probably makes a significant difference.

Looking at these upgrades, the most notable (and expensive at $282) was the move to Disc Brakes. Was it worth it? Maybe. They are very strong brakes, and I do like them. And they should do stopping distances. The question is if it was worth the cost.

I said above that I'd give more info on the Brompton block bracket below. So here it is:
One of the really cool capabilities of the Brompton is the carrying block on it's head tube. A number of bags, from pretty small, all the way up to 25 liters, are available to attach to it. And because they are on the head tube, they don't swing with the fork when the bike is steered. I do a fair amount of shopping using my large bag and have found this to be very useful.

The purpose of adding the Brompton Block carrier bracket to the new Bike Friday, was so I could do credit card tours using only the large Brompton bag, and to use it to go grocery shopping with the Friday, just as I do with the Brompton now.

I was for really looking forward to using this capability. The block does work with my 8 liter "Vincita Mini Front Bag"., but it doesn’t work with my Brompton "Large Borough Roll Top Bag". When that bag is attached, it prevents the handlebars from moving, and therefore steering the bike. There are of course other ways to carry items for Credit Card Touring, but I wish I had know about this liitation when I placed my order, If I had, I wouldn't have included it, and saved myself $120.

The other upgrades (Rims, Tires, Bars...) are pretty self explanatory, and worked as expected.

Based on what I learned from my purchase, I would recommend saving money by buying the bike with the standard components - probably with only the 18 speed option; Specify any significant upgrades when ordering (assuming you have the money for the upgrades, and accepting that the added cost may or may not be worth it...); Or plan on making changes over time, after the bike is delivered.

OK. so after all this, how does the new Friday compare to the one it is replacing, and was it worth it?

Handling is about the same, so in retrospect, buying the new bike for this reason didn't work out. And unfortunately, all the other changes were "since I am buying a new bike anyway, I might as well..." changes.

Given the challenges I have had, The drive-train on the new bike is definitely as step backwards. The shifting is more finicky, and I don't think the MicroShift Bar Ends help. My old bike has Shimano Ultegra bar end shifters, and with those, shifting is not an issue.

So now the question: Should I have just stuck with the old bike? What are the differences, and what difference did they make?

What

Old

New

Comments

Size

56 cm

54 cm

Did this make any difference? No.

Brakes

Rim Brakes

Disc Brakes

Are they better? Yes, but if the primary reason the bike is touring, disc brake rotors should ideally be removed for travel, complicating packing, and making the cost more questionable. So are they enough better to have been worth the cost?

Seat Mast

"Easy Pack"

Folding

I wanted the folding mast because it makes "quick folds" more useful. But the Easy Pack seat mast is, well, easier to pack. And since the bike will now mainly be used for touring, the Easy Pack seat post is a better fit for my usage.

Brompton Block

Absent

Present

While nice for around town stuff, a trunk bag (or large "fanny pack") does much the same thing. And since I can't use the large bags, it buys me little (and cost me a lot!).

Some of the changes, in particular the disk brakes, and "Quick Fold" would be more beneficial were the bike able to be my only bike. But for a bike whose primary purpose is touring, specifically touring where logistics are important, disk brakes, and the Quick Fold feature might not be as advantageous. It kind of depends on if the extra 10-15 minutes to remove the rotors on the outgoing side, and 10-15 minutes on the incoming side are worth it.

In the end, touring is what the Bike Friday New World Tourist (NWT) does best. The twitchy handling is a concern when compared to my big wheel touring bike for longer trips. But going forward I expect to be doing shorter, 1-2 week trips. So while the NWT’s handling isn’t as good as my big wheel bike, it does have significantly easier logistics. So for shorter trips, it makes sense.

I should note that the original reason Green Gear created the Bike Friday bikes was to avoid paying the obscene oversize fees charged by airlines. However, in recent years most airlines have become much kinder to bicyclist. In fact, at the time I am writing this review (Nov. 2023) American Airlines doesn't even charge extra for Bikes. So while the process of packing a Bike Friday for travel is still simpler and faster than a Big Wheel bike, the cost advantage is mostly gone.

In the end, a Bike Friday is a compromise. Travel logistics are much more convenient, but at a cost of twitchier handling, and given the price of my new Bike Friday (about $2000), the value is marginal.

As for being a replacement for my road bike, I asked on the Bike Friday “Yak” how many people had only a Bike Friday, one person’s response was that he found that he had trouble keeping up on club rides, so he ended up buying a road bike to go with his NWT for faster rides.<br>

Well, I found the same thing. Plus, the NWT is unstable (almost scary) at speeds over 25 MPH (40 KPH). Given that my old road bike’s gearing doesn’t meet the needs of this old man, I too found myself buying a new road bike - A Cannondale Synapse. An "endurance" road bike. It did cost $1620, But it replaced my "Vintage" road bike very nicely.

So after all is said and done, was the new bike worth the cost? Probably not. And in my case, since I was looking for a "Quiver Killer" it falls short. It probably comes closer to this goal, that the other bikes I have, but not enough to meet my needs.

Is the new bike a significant enough improvement over the NWT it replaces? Was it worth it? Would I do it again knowing what I know now? Again, probably not.

The brakes are better, but make packing harder. The reduction in gear shifting crispness is a concern. But most importantly, the handling is no better, and moving to disc brakes, and improving the handling were the primary reasons to get the new bike.

So there you have it. As a touring bike for when logistics of each end are important, Bike Fridays are great bikes; ones that probably no other bikes can match. But for most other uses, it works, but there are better choices.

So now what?
Do I keep the new bike and sell the old one?
Do I keep the old one and sell the new one?

I'm still deciding that one. The amount I can get selling one; The minor difference in the ease of packing; Better brakes; Having a Brompton Block???
All these things have to be considered. That and how much I will actually use the Friday, especially around town, will have a bearing on my decision here.

If I decide to keep the new bike, what changes will I make? Since I am considering replacing the shifters anyway, would it make sense to replace them with 10 speed units, and also change the cassette? Since the shifters are most of this cost, that might make sense, especially as it will make the gear spacing better.

It also occured to me that had I known that the Brompton Block would not meet my needs, and that the MicroShift shifters would have issues, and that it would be easy to switch from a 9 speed to a 10 speed drive-train, I could have had the bike built that way. I would have saved the $150 on the bracket, and if I assume full price on the different cassette, chain, and shifters, and getting back half of the cost of the "standard" parts, the change would look something like this:

subtract $150 for the bracket, $10 for the cassette (1/2 of $20), $10 for the chain (1/2 of $20), $10 for the rear derailleur (1/2 of $20), $20 for the shifters (1/2 of $40). Then add $30 for the cassette, $30 for the chain, $50 for a new derailleur, $110 for the shifters.

That gives: + $30 + $30 + $30 + $50 + $120 - $150 - $10 - $10 - $10 - $20 = $20 more than what I paid. Add in the 20% discount for ordering in November gives a whopping $16! Again, if I had known...

Hind sight is 20:20...

Lots to consider.