Hi, so I've had a number of questions about the success of the upgrade - you know, has it worked or not?
Well here's my honest answers along with some points to note if you're using my experience to guide your decisions on buying one.
First let's talk about the "New" Brompton C Line Electric
I was asked yesterday (April 8th 2022) whether the "New" Brompton C Line Electric still has the same problems.
First of all, I'll address the newness of the C Line. Unless I've got something very wrong, there is no difference between the C Line and what was previously the classic standard Brompton. Whether in normal format or electric format, the C Line is simply a new name to the existing product.
have introduced the T Line which is the Titanium version and have done a bit of a rebrand on the rest of the product line.
So as far as I can see, if you get an Electric Brompton in C Line it will be the same as I have.
But wait, don't go off disappointed...
Before you think oh well it's not solved, I'm not going to buy one, please read the rest of the post and no that isn't a hidden marketing catch, there is more useful information.
Let's talk about the upgrade
In February this year, Brompton came with an upgrade to the luggage catch on the Brompton bag.
If you've watched my video on the cause of the battery disconnect issue you'll have seen that the root cause on mine is that the bag doesn't lock down firmly onto the luggage mount, it bounces about while riding and then sometimes disconnects. The upgraded latch approaches the same problem that I fixed with my little bit of plastic but it approaches it from the other direction by lengthening the latch. It sets out to solve the same problem, just in a different way.
And it works pretty well.
So has it solved it?
For me it's improved things dramatically but it hasn't fully fixed it. I still get disconnections but now only maybe once a ride where before it could be 6 or 7 times per ride.
And again I'll say, don't run off disappointed at that point, read on.....
Things that I need to add to the discussion
Not everybody has the problem as badly as I've had it
Not everybody has the problem at all
Not everybody rides theirs in the same places or in the same way as I do
The motor failure and the battery disconnection are not the same thing
The Brompton isn't the only E bike that has disconnection problems
Let's explain all that then
1, 2 & 3
Over the months since I got it I've spent way too much time searching YouTube, Facebook, the web in general and anywhere else I can find to look for information on this and I'd like to be clear that I think my specific bike is probably one of the more extreme cases of issues. Whenever I find a post or comment about problems I find a number of people responding who say they've never had an issue. Taking that alongside the actual number of people posting complaints online, particularly in the Facebook group for Brompton Electrics, I reflect there must be a lot of Brompton Electrics out there that don't have a problem. Certainly most of the people that do complain about it seem to have the issue slightly less than me.
And there's likely a reason for that. Where I ride it and how I ride it have a massive effect. Where I live, the roads, cycle paths, pavements are very poorly maintained and oaten resemble the surface of the moon. The way I ride it makes absolutely no allowance for this. While I'll try and avoid the worst potholes and lumps, I won't avoid an area or ride slower just because the surface is rough. I also drop off kerbs and bunny hop up them and over obstacles and all in all my bike takes a bit of a pounding.
If I were riding constantly smooth tarmac I would never have a problem. So you might want to factor that in to any decision making.
4
One thing that does get mixed up a lot is the two different faults of battery disconnection and motor failure.
They are not the same thing, motor failure is exactly what it says and if it fails you will have to go and get a new wheel from the dealer. And it seems a lot less common failure than the battery disconnection.
Battery disconnection is an ongoing thing, if you, like me, are still getting the problem after the luggage catch upgrade you have two choices
Stick with it and don't worry about it like I now don't, once every now and then I can live with
Keep at your dealer until it's fixed or maybe fix it yourself
5 The last thing I'll mention is that problems aren't exclusive to the Brompton Electric. There are others with issues. I have a Trek Rail 7 EMTB and there's a fair bit on the internet about battery disconnection issues. I've never had a problem with mine but others have had problems with theirs. I've been having an ongoing conversation with a guy who has a Swytch conversion Brompton and he gets very similar problems with his. He also tells me there's a Facebook group with lots of people talking about the same issue. I built a Swytch conversion on a Brompton for a friend and that seems to work fine.
My point in all of this last section is that Ebikes are still a little bit evolutionary and as these things evolve and grow, technology and engineering will gradually fix the problems (and likely introduce new ones). If you're thinking of getting one, go try one out, find a dealer with a demo bike and ride it properly (not just round a car park), spend some time on it and form your decision.
Me?
If I didn't have one, knowing what I know now i would still 100% go out and buy one tomorrow. What I'll actually likely be doing tomorrow is riding it, dropping off kerbs, stopping to quickly restart it because I've made it disconnect and carrying on my way with a smile on my face becasue I genuinely enjoy it