Brommie Skywalker

I bought my Brompton folding bike from Lane & Trip in Taipei, Taiwan, last October 2010 to replace my Dahon Jack.

The Jack had 26" wheels and I thought it would be a cool bike to have.  Also, I thought small wheels were too unstable for my taste.  Then I realized that it was difficult to transport since it was still bulky when folded.  There was no lock, so the front fork would sometimes rub against the derailleur.  Plus the bike was heavy.

I decided to replace it with another folding bike that was more compact and easy to travel around with.  Enter the Brompton.  But there was no authorized dealer here in Manila.  The closest dealers were in Singapore (Diginexx), Hongkong (Flying Ball) and Taiwan (Lane & Trip).

So when the opportunity came to visit Taiwan, I readied myself to pass by Lane & Trip.  Once in Taipei, I convinced my wife to accompany me one afternoon, and I got to talk to Ben, who looked like the shop manager.  He had confirmed the availability of the M6L model.  They had one in black, yellow and white. I chose the white one and named it Brommie Skywalker, after the teenage Luke Skywalker in Star Wars Episode 4 because the latter wore white.

Ben installed the front block mount, and adjusted the brakes.  I bought a folding basket and two inner tubes.  Ben threw in a canvass saddle bag with bike cover.  I was very happy with my purchase, even though I had to carry it in a bulky box from downtown Taipei to the airport via taxi, bus and train.

So here he is, my Brommie Skywalker:

Skywalker un-folded.

 Here he is in "parked" position.

They say Broptons have the most compact fold among folding bikes.

It's cool that they attached a mini-pump to the frame.

The M Handlebar is the standard handlebar of a Brompton bike.

There are a total of 6 gears on this model.  2 on the left and 3 on the right.

Skywalker is a member of the Tiklop Society of the Philippines.

Notice the front block carrier attached.  Various Brompton bags may be attached to it like the folding basket, the touring pannier, the O Bag and the C Bag.

Notice the grooves under the saddle.  That's to put comfort to your hand when you carry the bike.

The saddle bag contains the bike cover.

Skywalker under the black canvass bike cover.

So there you go, folks, that's my folding bike.  I will be posting on this blog our adventures within and outside Metropolitan Manila.