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.