7 products to add a vintage flair to your Brompton
7 products to add a vintage flair to your Brompton
Brompton folding bikes represent a very curious thing in today’s world. It is both modern in the sense that all the technological advancements in cycling that have ever been produced and discovered have been implemented in its construction. At the same time with its vintage look hardly ever changing since 1975 when it was first introduced to the world by Andrew Ritchie. Timeless classics such as these usually have an affinity to looking vintage and of course nothing adds a vintage flair better than leather parts and accessories. We have compiled a list of items from Bromptonic that will add a touch of Vintage Flair to our trusty Bromptons.
1. Leather Frame Protector Brompton
Advances in paint protection spearheaded by 3M, Gye-On and more have recently made their way to bikes. Ceramic paint protection has been the number one choice for the more discerning hobbyists out there whether it be for cars, cycling or motorcycling. If you want to protect something, these are the first names that pop up. These advances however don’t translate well to all canvasses, especially with Bromptons. Brommies have all the modern technological advances we all enjoy when it comes to cycling but the look has barely changed for the past 50 years. With this in mind, frame protection against scratches looks better using a more traditional approach in leather. These leather frame protector patches feature genuine leather, they’re also bonded using stitches instead of glue, once you finish wrapping this leather frame protector on your Brompton, it will give it a very vintage aesthetic that would be the envy of every rider out there. This kit comes with needles and a wax rope. Perfect for a weekend project to get really into that vintage feel.
2. Brompton Bicycle Cow Hide Grip
This product puts the ultimate exclamation point on adding a vintage flair to your ride. The leather is stitched in which perfectly accentuates the stitching you will use on the leather frame protector. Grips are oftentimes one of the most under-rated and least looked at improvements on the bicycle but upgrading to this will help you ride longer as these grips provide a good level of cushioning for your hands that carry about 40% to 60% of your weight while riding a bicycle. When starting out this hobby, a lot of bike shops will recommend upgrading the drivetrain, but seasoned veterans will tell you that contact points to your bicycle is one of the first things you should look at. Getting comfortable on your bike will help you ride longer and build more strength over time rather than buying an expensive drivetrain.
3. Vintage Retro Leather Saddle Seat for Brompton
This next product brings home the point stated for the previous item, saddles are a very big part of what carries your weight on the bicycle, it carries about 40 to 60% of your weight and should be one of the first things you should upgrade when getting a bike. Contrary to popular belief that cushions are important when it comes to bicycle saddles, the proportion of the saddle to your sit bone is what actually matters more rather than the amount of cushioning present on the seat. Each one of us have different sit bone lengths so it makes it very hard to find the perfect saddle unless we use specialized equipment used by bike fitters around the world to figure out how pressure is distributed while we sit. Fortunately, leather saddles naturally conform to your sit bones, thanks to the malleable material, over time thus making leather saddles one of the most comfortable saddles out there.
4. Brompton Leather Saddle Bag
Saddle bags are a necessity for every rider out there since they house most of the emergency tools we need to get out of emergency situations, but often times we are left with little to no options when it comes to looks and aesthetic since most of these come in very basic colors that offer no promising changes to the overall look of the bike. Here at Bromptonic we believe this shouldn’t be the case so we added this nifty product.
The most stylish way to keep your tools and emergency patches, saddle bags have long been used to house multi tools, inner tubes, tire levers and patchkits. This nifty little bag will house everything you need to get through emergency situations and mechanical problems while riding. This little leather addition to your kit will compliment the vintage and timeless design of your Brompton.
5. Brompton Retro Leather Bag
Bromptons are one of the most versatile commuter bikes available in the market today which offers the perfect balance in speed, versatile foldability, and weight. A Lot of Brommie owners find this bike to be perfect for commuting to and from work so to answer the demand Brompton added a lot of mounts for bags engineered to fold and work well with your Brompton and of course to go with the theme of leather for this little write up, we also found a solution to keep up with the Retro/Vintage leather style. This leather bag is made from real leather and synthetic fabric which can house your laptops, documents and any other stuff you need at the office. Are you worried about if it will rain? This product has got you covered literally, this package comes with a waterproof cover so you can forget about worrying if your electronics will get wet while you’re riding.
6. Brompton Handmade Classic Leather Fender Mudguard
Bromptons are the most versatile bikes for commuting ever. It has the perfect balance of speed, mobility, weight and carrying capacity to bring you to point A to point B as efficiently as possible. Sometimes though, bike commuting will also have you face weather conditions that you wouldn't think about getting into if you were biking casually, like riding in the rain. Sometimes we have to embrace the weather to go to work or go back home, this mudguard is not only very stylish but it will also save your clothes from getting mud from the road.
7. Brompton Leather Strip for quick release bag
The Brompton Front Bag Carrier Block is one of the innovations that make Bromptons one of the most versatile commuter bikes in the market today. This will let you carry your bag without having to wear it on your body making it bearable to go longer distances without suffering any pain from carrying your bag too long. Of Course some innovations come with some drawbacks like the hassle of finding the release for your bag in the event that you use it. This Product not only gives you another chance to add more leather, let’s face it the only way to make bikes with leather to look better is to add more leather, but it also enables you to quickly release your front bag from the Carrier Block.
Written by