I ordered a Brompton at the very start of june. I’d looked around and convinced myself sufficiently that it was the best option in the foldable bike category. Not the cheapest, definitely.
I go to this shop which is a known distributor of Brompton in Brussels, and after some parleying order a bike. The standard color is black, not bad at all, but i’d spotted and decided for a lovely shade of blue. I figured, if you’re going to pay that kind of money for a bike, might as well make sure you like it.
The saleswoman tells me: “OK. if you want a custom color, you’ll have to wait for 8 weeks”. I ask “really 8 weeks ?” “well, we say 8 weeks to be sure”, she grants, conspiratorial.
So i go home, more or less confident in the fact that 6 weeks later, i’ll have my bike. Trying to imagine a painting process that takes up to 8 weeks: an old guy in the Welsh hills painting bikes with a tiny brush, in a mad british version of zen craftsmanship.
After 8 weeks, i phone the shop. “So, do you have my bike ?” The guy answers, faintly annoyed, that no, otherwise they would have phoned me. After some talking he says that they’ll have a delivery the next thursday.
The next thursday afternoon i phone again. The conversation gets a bit tense when i realize they don’t have my bike, and that i can phone back in ten days, and will you please leave me alone.
Yesterday, i get a phone call, and a guy announces me that the bike has arrived. Christmas come early ! But no, because in fact in the meantime i’ve found out that i need a telescopic saddle. Tall, you see – i need more distance between my seat and the pedals.
The guy tells me i’ll have to pay for this extra. I reply that they never offered me this, while i’m very obviously tall, and i never even got a chance to try out a bike. So the service they offered was bad, ergo i don’t have to pay. He promised to find out if that’s true, and never phones me back.
This morning, then, i take the trip to the shop, and after some negociating they admit that in fact, i seem to be quite tall, indeed. Sorry. No extra needed.
But, (confirming the theory of the old man in the hills) they tell me that no two bikes are the same, and that it’s not that simple to change a saddle. They’ll need an extra WEEK (!). So 10 weeks later, i’m still waiting, and wondering if they’re pulling my leg. Which is long enough already.
Update: they phoned me last night – the complex surgery required to add the saddle was performed ! I’ll go and get it tomorrow, Inch’Allah.
Update: i’ve got the bike now (finally). Very happy with it, too.
I’ll remind myself to stay as far away from those people if I ever need my Brompton serviced. I got mine from a shop in Antwerp where they had a variety of colours in stock. Including a hideous pink and a vomit-green. I went for black. I had the easy-wheels installed. Total waiting time: half an hour. During which I was offered finger food.
Of course, I’m short, so I don’t need any fancy saddles.
My (green) Brompton also took a good while to deliver (I bought it from Fietsen Koen, in Leuven). Koen let me borrow a bike while I waited for mine though…
I can’t remember if I paid extra for the telescopic saddle pole. I remember paying extra for the proper saddle, but that’s another story.
The geek Brompton brigade expands! Excellent! Welcome to the club! (soon).
I am a heavy Brompton user since 2000. Best 1000€ I ever spent. Really happy with http://fietsenkoen.be ’s service .
Leuk om lezen in elk geval! Minder leuk om mee te maken natuurlijk…sorry, vind het een goei verhaal.
groetjes,
paul
I have a black Brompton, my wife has a red one. We went to Jomasport (in Ghent, very near the railway station) and just bought what they had in stock
We bought the “street legal” version (with lights, easy-wheels on the carrier) etc. The only option we took was were the 6-speed gear instead of the 3-speed one. We both have a telescopic saddle, but that came “standard”. My wife doesn’t need it, I do, and I am sure you will need it as well
The one accessory you really need is one of the original Brompton bags you can fix to the bike. The carrier at the bag isn’t even big enough to carry my laptop in it’s thin sleeve, and wearing a bagpack on that bike isn’t confortable! The original Brompton bags are expensive (about 100 eur I think) but are worth it. See http://www.brompton.co.uk/content.asp?p=4&l=1&view=9 for the models.
Do not ever go to that shop, they suck.
Never seen anybody doing business like that, I was in that shop to try bikes, to decide see, well they would not let me, if you want to try, you do not want to buy … huh ??
Anyway, try veloxygene, armed with patience but not for the same reason, the guy is much much nicer, and cheaper
Good to know
Hi, i’d like to buy a blue brompton but i’ve never seen one in this color, do you have pictures of yours that can convince me on this color?
thank you
hi Paolo, the picture in this posts corresponds to the one i’ve got (name: Cornflower Blue).
ok thank’s, i thought you had some others pics, but it’s ok, here brompton is very uncommon and , i’d like to be sure on the color to chose before spending € 900, thank’s a lot