Brompton Hire
This site mainly covers fleet bikes that you can see on the street and unlock. But what about the ones in lockers? Perhaps you already know these exist, perhaps you have seen them and wondered what they’re about, or maybe you’ve not seen them at all. In this article we’re going to be looking at Brompton Hire, a hire scheme for Brompton folding bikes that is available in London, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and more. Find all of what you need to know about Brompton Folding Bike Hire in this article.
Who are Brompton Bikes for?
I personally cycle 9 miles each way to get to the office. The majority of people who cover this distance ride in on full size bicycles, mainly gravel/road bikes, I use a Forest bike. You could absolutely do 9 miles on a Brompton, but as the tyres are smaller than a usual bike, and as they are less resilient on bumpy ground, I would not want this to be my main commuter bike. So, who does the Brompton Bicycle best suit?
- The individual who lives near the city centre, as if nothing else, the roads are much smoother.
- The person who wants to use public transport alongside their bicycle to commute. See this article for information on folding bikes on TfL transport.
- The person who has space, for example in a cupboard that a folding bike would fit into, but no room for a non-folding bike.
Brompton Folding Bike Hire
It is likely that you can hire Brompton Bikes from many bike hire shops throughout London and beyond. It would be difficult to list them all here, one place you can hire them from is Yotel, should you be a guest there. You can also use their lockers which are dotted around London. It costs £5 a day, and if you were to keep the bike overnight, you would just be extending the rental period for another day, paying another £5. If you want to hire the bike over a longer period, 60 days is the maximum until they ask for it back for a return.
Now, £5 a day feels both a great deal, and an expensive way to use a Brompton at the same time. So how can this be true?
Is £5 per day expensive?
So I have a Forest bike subscription through the Cycle2Work Scheme, meaning I could use Forest bikes for 1,800 hours each month for less than £32. When you consider this against the cost of public transport it’s an absolute steal. Santander Cycles cost £1.65 for a 30 minute ride, and there are plenty of offers and subscriptions which could make this cheaper.
If you are able to travel in by bus, travelling on a London bus (TfL), this will cost £1.65 each way, meaning that if you can get a bus each way, your travel costs would only be £3.30 per day.
If you hired a Brompton Bike for 365 days of the year, this would cost you a whopping £1,825, this is more expensive than owning some Brompton Models. You can also get some non Brompton folding bikes for as little as £300.
Why £5 per day is cheap!
However, if you were to think about Lime Bikes, they cost £1 to unlock, then £0.29 a minute, meaning that after 14 minutes you would have paid more that £5. Again, there are deals that could make it cheaper, but the point is that the costs can add up quickly on some fleet bike/scooter offerings.
Not only this, but getting the tube or train both ways, or jumping on multiple buses throughout the day could easily cost you more than £5. Whilst you are putting nothing towards owning a bike (you actually might be, more on that later), you are still saving anything from pence to pounds each day on travel. This could mean you could buy a coffee each day with your savings, or invest it (my choice).
Test ride…
You could possibly walk into a bicycle shop and get a bike for a test ride, but it’s unlikely they are going to let you take it out for the whole day, or for multiple days at a time. Bicycle ownership is great, do not get me wrong, but unless you have no debt, and plenty of money to spare, it’s no good getting a bike for over £1,000 only for it to gather dust in a cupboard whilst you are still paying for public transport. Paying £35 for a one week rental of a Brompton Bicycle will get you used to riding a bike, will give you confidence that it’s good enough to get you all the way to work, and might even save you wasting £1,000+ on a bike you thought you would use, but do not. Think of it as try, or rent before you buy!
N.b. If you are looking to buy a Brompton Bike they are expensive, and you wouldn’t want to risk losing out on such an expensive investment, so please consider getting some good bicycle insurance. Make sure to really understand the terms and conditions though, as some insurers will not insure bikes that are locked up unattended. Of course, Bromptons fold small enough to fit in your home, or under your desk at work, so again, just make sure to fully understand how to keep your finances safe before making a purchase.
What Bike Will You be Hiring?
For Brompton folding bike hire, the standard model is the C Line Utility with Mid Handlebar. As you can see below, this is a well made bike, and whilst there are plenty of Brompton models, this is definitely the type of bike you’d think about when thinking of a standard Brompton. As mentioned earlier, this is a brilliant way to test ride a Brompton, when you pay for the daily hire, you may be able to put this towards up to £150 off a standard Brompton, or £250 towards an electric Brompton.
What About Damage?
When you unlock your bike, you should check it for any damages before using. Unfortunately, somebody else could have damaged the bike and not returned it. You should then report it as damaged in the app. This is the exact same if it gets damaged whilst you use it, take it back to a locker, and register the damage in the app. There are possibly some charges where damage is concerned, with large costs where the bike is damaged beyond repair. The full terms and conditions for Brompton Hire can be found here, please make sure to thoroughly read these to fully understand your obligations before hiring a bike. It’s always best to ask, and so you should call them on 0204 538 3225 if you have any questions.
Safety First
If you are looking to make use of Brompton folding bike hire, whether through the hire scheme or through purchase, you should always wear a helmet. Even if you are only planning to use one occasionally, you should absolutely invest in a good helmet. In order to help you pick, we have popped 2 options below which comply with the regulations outline in the UK.
ABUS Hyban 2.0 city helmet – Coming in at less than £50, this is a great option should you not be spend a load of money but want safety.
Newlane Folding helmet – More expensive, but folds down, easily fitting into most bags, great for those who want to jump from bike to bus.
Some high-vis straps also wouldn’t go amiss where you are cycling in dull or dark conditions.
