Hi reddit!
I'm thinking about buying an electric Brompton. In my country they cost approx 3,5k € for a new one and I saw online that I can buy one second hand for 2k €, it is a model P Line Urban from 2023.
My worry is the battery. I had one electric bike before and I had to sell it because I couldn't find batteries for it, so I'm worried not to make the same mistake again.
I saw this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MEncoELvVXY
I wanted to ask you:
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Is an electric P line for 2k € a good deal?
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From the video, I saw that there are only two types of batteries, am I correct? It seems I will be able to buy batteries from brompton for many years in the future.
I'm a bit scared to go second-hand. It is quite a bit of money.
Thanks a lot! you have a great community here <3
by Massive-Ground-9991
3 Comments
Replacement parts won’t be an issue but just be aware if anything breaks on the second hand bike electrically repairs are going to cost you….a lot. The update to the battery is retrofittable to the older Brompton so you need not worry about that. Personally I wouldn’t buy a second hand electric Brompton reliability is pot luck realistically and you’ve zero warranty if anything goes wrong.
That seems like a decent deal for an electric p line. Replacement batteries for bromptons are outrageously expensive, so I’d make sure it’s in good shape before you buy it, it’s also probably out of warranty or will be very soon so you don’t have that to fall back on.
On a side note, those bike will probably continue to go down in value if you want to wait a bit. Brompton just released a new electric p line with a rear hub motor instead of the front motor. The rear motor version will be a nicer ride and hold up better over the long term, the front motor puts a lot of strain on the forks, and while the electric versions have a beefier front fork, it’s still not ideal if you plan to keep the bike past its frame warranty
Why a Brompton electric: what’s your use case for an electric folding bike?
If you’re reasonably physically fit and or used to cycling, I’d say go with an analogue P, or T line.