Simply Cycle: NBD

You know the time when you feel like you are pretty well "biked up?" Then something you see or read makes you realize that N+1 is a mathematical LAW! I visited that place recently. The run on bicycles made me realize procrastinating was going to cost me a lot more than "investing" in my future dreams. I'm trying to make this sound like a rational decision, bear with me. I used a Dahon Expresso folder for several years on train trips to visit my parents. After my father's passed, I didn't use it so I sold it to a college student who could use it in her dorm. Time goes on and I realized that there is a lot of travel I might enjoy in the future which would make a folder useful. While the 16" wheels on the Brompton had turned me to the full sized wheels of the Dahon, I admired the compact design of the Bromptons and began to take a look at them again.

This is how bike shopping goes in the age of the Plague; I was going through the internet and only found three Brompton dealers within hours of driving. So, just looking at one in stock was out the window. Educating myself on their custom order widget to get what I assumed I would want, I found myself reaching 2K. That didn't sound good, but they have a basic model, the B75, which could be ordered from Brompton with delivery provided by a dealer. At less than a thousand $ I felt better and arranged delivery at JC Lind Bicycles in Chicago.

The order went through the Brompton website, I got an e-mail confirming the order and my credit card was charged. Within a few hours, I received another e-mail informing me that the custom order widget was being shut down and the bike I had "designed" would not be available. They were just too busy to keep up. That made me nervous, but I had ordered the stock Model T of Bromptons and they said it would be delivered within a week. I waited. Five days later I got a text from the shop that it had arrived! Whew! That part was over. Jon at JC Lind said they were so busy it would be a week before they could get it prepped. OK, I made plans to visit downtown Chicago in the time of the Plague, racial strife and national chaos. The shit I will do for a bike!

By the time I went to pick it up, they told me the B75 was no longer available and everybody in the world was waiting for Brompton to get caught up. I got lucky. For all we know, I got the last one. I may not have seen a Brompton for a year at much higher price. That's what it's like to buy a bike these days.

JC Lind is a really great place to buy a bike. They walked me through the folding/unfolding procedure and I bought a couple of accessories from them. I enjoyed a beautiful afternoon wandering around The Loop,

stopping, folding, unfolding and trying out the bike. The streets were busy with bikes and pedestrians. Old Town was bustling, open-air restaurants and bars were doing reasonable business. People were wearing masks everywhere inside and mostly out.

The cycling infrastructure is developing throughout the downtown area.The "superhighway" for bikes on Dearborn St. is busy and people were using Divvy bikes all over. The Brompton was a pleasure. That's it, just a pleasure to ride, and take into a shop or cafe. It's a really brilliant design and at the end of the afternoon it fit quite nicely in the trunk of my car for the ride home.

I created an auto tour of the cycling infrastructure by being a complete idiot. While riding my bike I had used Google Maps to lead me around town. While driving I forgot to change to the automobile setting so Google led me to the best bike routes out of town. I realized it when I reached the golf course south of the university. Duh, I felt stupid but I got to see the South Side in the time of crisis and it was enlightening. Nothing we see or hear about on the news was evident, people were going about their business and traffic was just the normal pain in the ass you expect from Chicago. Some businesses, liquor stores mostly, were boarded up, but that was about the only indication that something wrong may have happened recently.

The B75 has a Sturmey Archer 3 speed and and some of the components are dumbed down to keep the price low. So, what I bought was the frame, basic running gear dressed up with some rather generic components. I refer to it as the "Model T" of Brompton world because, like the Model T, it's simple, basic and you can order it in any color you want, as long as it's blue.

At home I upgraded the grips with a pair of Ergon, the pedals with MKS folding pedals, the seat to a Brooks C17 and added a mirror. The only upgrade I am thinking of now is adding fenders. I don't expect to have more than $1300 tied up in it when I'm done.

Around town, the bike is a commuter's dream. The three speed hub provides just enough range for 5-10 mile rides and Ergon grips make the straight handlebars much more enjoyable. At the grocery store, I used it as a shopping cart, went through the "shop and scan" self service checkout and picked up $75 worth of stuff, a couple people admired the idea.

I ran a few errands, stopped for lunch at Panera Bread, took it inside with me, later stopped in a bar (which had appropriate social distance laid out) and nobody took notice.