Hi everyone,
I just ordered an A-Line as my very first Brompton! I am looking for some advice on which rear rack I should buy.
My main goal is to have good stability and comfort when the bike is folded so I can roll it around easily. I am trying to decide between two paths:
- Going with the official Brompton rack.
- Buying an aftermarket option, like this Aluminum Alloy Folding Rack on Amazon.
I want to minimize costs, but I also absolutely do not want to void my 7-year frame warranty. Ideally, I'd like a rack that is easy to install and easy to remove from the frame just in case I ever need to take the bike in for a warranty claim.
Does anyone have experience with this specific Amazon rack on an A-Line? Should I just bite the bullet and buy the official one?
Thanks for your help!
by Agreeable-Risk-1599
9 Comments
I just went with the official rack. A bit pricier, but what is my time worth worrying about whether the third party one will fit, do the job etc. £125, bosh, job done. Zero worries.
I appreciate that I’m in a fortunate position, but I know that it isn’t going to let me down, and if it does, it’s covered by a first party warranty.
Unless you plan to carry much you don’t really need rear rack.
If you are in the UK/EU fitting an aftermarket bike rack will not automatically void your cycles warranty. Consumer protection laws (often referred to as ‘block exemption’), a manufacturer cannot invalidate your entire warranty just because you use aftermarket parts or accessories.
However, if that was the cause, ie, a strap caused damage or it fell over breaking because the rack broke, they’d be in a good position to void the warranty. Obviously, you’d have removed it in such case, before going to the LBS and they’d be having to prove your after market part was the reason for the damage. Don’t post pictures on reddit 😉
Aliexpress has cheaper racks i bought a litepro for brompton folding bike standard rear rack in aluminum it was £18, and is suitably strong, the only downside from it, it took 10days to arrive. The saving £100 on the listed rack I took the wife out for lunch and we both cycled on our Bromptons.
Nice! Congrats! I would really recommend utilizing the front block over the rear rack. Having the little extra weight up front makes the bike handle so much better.
I have an A line and I opted for the official rack. Rolling around is really important to me so I also installed EZ wheels + wheel extenders + Omni wheels. All these require the official rack to install properly and allows me to roll my Brompton around 360 degrees like a carry on luggage. Otherwise it only goes in a straight line and each time you need to pivot, you have to lift the whole bike.
Probably either will perform well.
However let’s dissect your objective when folded for good stability & comfort when rolling; with a few example scenarios.
If you get a bag on the front block (I don’t think a Brompton block comes as standard on an A line) and shop in a supermarket with a smooth surface, in shopping mode it tends to tip sideways as the bag is loaded if I’m not holding onto the handlebars, so you may need to consider sideways wheel extender aka “eazy wheels” to prevent sideways tipping, the rack’s wheelbase isn’t really wide enough.
If on the other hand you are pushing it along folded with the handlebars (or saddle if you prefer) across say a fairly poor surface on a train station, I found the rack’s wheels were too small and narrow to cope, so I upgraded them to larger in line skate wheels that roll better over irregular surfaces.
What seems ti be a simple modification starts a whole new level of fine tuning.
Very good luck and welcome to the fold.
Factory rack. they are heavy duty.
Go to Aliexpress and find a titanium one
I’m lost in the possibilities of what “Attention: No Manning” could mean.
I’d look at it as a knockoff. It’s probably going to crack after a few dozen folds. Independent of alleged quality, I also prefer having four wheels as opposed to two. I don’t get how that works with the two wheeled system already on the A-Line, and they didn’t bother to show it in the pictures, as far as I can see.