I see many people just riding around with a very large bag on the front of their folding bike. That bag is like an airbrake really reduces your speed. I understand if you were planning a 500km adventure however if you will switch to a rear trunk bag or a large seatpost bag there will be much less wind resistance making your ride more efficient.
by randywhorton
8 Comments
Air resistance increases with the square of speed.
Me puttering to the train with a giant air brake on the front of the bike matters not a bit.
Bikes are easier to control with weight on the front.
Folding is harder like that.
The whole concept of using a Brompton for its intended purpose (folding and rolling the bike at some point in your journey) requires a front bag.
If you never fold your bike on your journey then that’s great and enjoy your rear bag. Just realize a rear bag is not the best bag for people who fold their bikes on their journey.
I ride my Brompton with and without my front bag depending what I’m doing and the speed increase is negligible. These aren’t road bikes, they’re foldable commuters and the benefits of carrying a bag on the front (dedicated mount, better balance, easier folding + grocery cart mode) far outweigh the “benefit” of putting a bag on the back, whatever that may be.
What is your Brompton for? Mixed modal commuting or racing? Really? If you’re racing would you carry a bag anyway? If you’re commuting it’s likely stop start riding so quick acceleration and nippy handling of a Brompton works well. Made even better with a bag up front.
Check out Restrap from the UK. They have the city bag. It’s a narrower front bag. Or they have other bags for a Brompton too.
One other thing. IME the front bag on a Brompton doesn’t really affect me much unless a headwind. A rear bag would catch a side wind of which in my neck of the woods is an issue. My commute is prone to headwinds in some parts but side winds are more likely. In fact the only time I’ve had issues was with side winds blowing the bike from under me, or very close to it!
I’m not going to be fast enough to have an issue with aerodynamics on my Brompton. It’s a slow old bike with me providing the power. 15 minutes versus 7 to 9 minutes on my road bike on my short work side commute. So I’m not at the speed that it’s a big issue for me. Headwind aside
It really doesn’t matter to me if I’m able to ride at 14 or 16 MPH (23 or 26 km/h.) If the bag were keeping me at 10 MPH I might care, but it doesn’t.
A C-Line without a front bag is like trying to ride a squirrel. You know, squirrelly.
The fork trail is designed to carry weight in the front. Bromptons are actually mid trail touring bikes by design.
So you notice the air drag but not the stability issue?