Equipment

The Brompton 💛

My race bike was this Brompton M6R superlight in black lacquer which I purchased from the aptly named Brilliant Bikes in 2021. Brompton no longer offer this model, but it's essentially a C Line, but with the fork and rear-triangle made from titanium rather than steel. I bought it for the 2021 Pan Celtic race, and I also rode the 2022 Pan Celtic Race on it.

Titanium

I have no issues with riding steel-forked Bromptons for regular all-day riding, but over the course of a week or more, sometimes on rough ground, steel can take its toll. After suffering from ulnar nerve issues (pins & needles / numb fingers) for a couple of months in 2018 after completing the Transatlantic Way Race on a standard all-steel Brompton, I switched to using Bromptons with titanium forks, which I’ve found to significantly reduce the vibration.

Gearing

This model comes with 6 gears (the most Brompton currently offer), covering a gear range of 302% (33.1 to 100.1 gear inches). To this I fitted a double chainring ahead of the 2021 Pan Celtic race, as the race covered a lot of sharp hills in Cornwall. The double chainring means I have three gear levers instead of two, and extends the gear range to 437% (23.8 to 104.1 gear inches). The additional gearing works very well, and the change is buttery smooth! The downsides are slight increase in weight, loss of chainguard, and very occasionally I have to poke the chain when folding the bike to get it to not interfere with the fold, but these all pale into insignificance compared to the benefit of having a bigger overall gear range, which comes in pretty useful when cycling a loaded bike up and down mountains in a race. Ideally the range would be even larger - the bottom end is low enough, but a slightly higher top gear would enable me to pedal on some more of the downhills. In the main though I’m really pleased with the conversion.

The chainring is a 170mm Sugino Mighty Tour 52-36. The front derailleur is a Ultegra FD R8000 Braze-on, which I fit to the bike with the aid of a Litepro SP8 FD adapter and a 113mm Shimano bottom bracket. I use a Sunrace friction shifter to change gear, which is cheap and cheerful and I love it!

Lighting

I run a Son dynamo - this one is the Son XS which has proved reliable.

The dynamo hub powers a Son Edelux II front light and a Son rear light.

For cycling fast on dark lanes at night, or just when I’m on my own in the middle of nowhere and light becomes a comfort, I use an Exposure Joystick which can be mounted either on the helmet or on the handlebar. It does a great job.

I have a light built into the seatpost by Lightskin. This is a nice additional light, uses two AA batteries which can power the light for a week or two if left on continuously. It works well on the telescopic seat post of the Brompton as the lights and button sit fully flush with the seatpost and so the seatpost can be telescoped down when folded.

Additionally, I carry two more small USB-chargeable lights - a bright red rear light, and another light that can be set to white or red as a backup front or rear light.

Wheels

The Son XS looks great, but spokes of the correct length don’t appear to be available anywhere. I end up building at least one new set of wheels each year, so when I do, I get the spokes specially cut to fit.

I use Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres on ultras. They are pretty slow-rolling but as mentioned previously I’m not in a hurry. As the Transcontinental is over 4,000 km I also need something where the tread will last the distance. I do like the new Continental Contact Urban, which is what I’m currently running on my bike in London - they seem a lot faster. For the ultras I also pack a spare lightweight folding tyre as emergency backup, as getting hold of a 16" tyre in remote parts is rarely an option.

My preference for inner tubes is Schwalbe AV4, which are reliable, have a metal collar which aids inflation, and the clear valve caps can be recycled in cool projects like these glow-in-the-dark Brompton wheels.

Brakes

I use Swiss Stop blue brake pads, which are very effective and last a long time. I have no issues with the stopping power of rim brakes, although I do have issues with the rims overheating on mountain descents. I’ve always been tempted by gear and brake offerings from Ben at Kinetics, but I haven’t got there yet.

Garmin / phone mount

For ultras I use a Garmin 1030 Plus for navigation. It’s fully waterproof with a decent battery life, and I just have the route up, but without turn notifications or anything like that. It also includes info on hills you are climbing or coming up which is useful.

When not on ultras, and for unplanned diversions on ultras I use my phone instead. It’s just much more responsive when browsing a map. I have the planned route added to the brilliant Bike GPX app, and also use Google maps if for example I have to head for a hotel, campsite, or make my way around a closed road.

As the cockpit space is limited on the M-type handlebars, I made an additional mount which fits in between the upright section of the bars, onto which I can easily attach either my Garmin satnav or phone. This is essentially a cheap mount for regular bikes, which has been cut to a shorter length with a hacksaw.

Luggage mounts

The front luggage block attaches the front bag to the frame with a quick release mechanism. I’ve been using the Brompton front luggage as long as I've been riding a Brompton, and it works really well - the bike feels better to me with luggage than without. It's a very rare occasion that I'm riding the Brompton without the front T-bag (sadly no longer sold by Brompton).

The Ortlieb bag is attached to the rear luggage rack using the luggage rack bungee cords. This system is simple and works well and takes about 10 seconds to attach or detach.

I also use a bossless water cage mount on the main tube (not shown in this picture), which safely carries a litre water bottle on the top of the frame. It’s a generic brand I bought in a bike shop somewhere and looks something like this.

Pedals

The standard Brompton pedals are a tidy solution, where the left pedal folds neatly out of the way when carrying, but for the last couple of years of ultras I’ve switched to using detachable MKS Lambda Ezy Superior pedals which offer a larger platform for my big feet, and seem to last a bit longer.

I often get asked why I don’t use clipless pedals. I did use clipless for a couple of years so I’ve given them a fair trial. Perhaps if I was trying to win the race I might, but I’m not and I favour comfort over marginal gains. I’ve also experienced ‘hot spots’ before on long rides when clipped in and found it annoying not to be able to change my foot position, which I do quite a bit on rides. I also like the fact I can use whatever shoes I want to when riding the bike, which I think fits the ethos of the bike better :)

Saddle

I’ve always got on well with the Brooks B17 saddle on a Brompton. This one is the titanium version.

Grips

I switch out the standard grips with Ergon GP1 grips, which offer a larger area over which to distribute the forces, as another aid to reducing the risk of numb fingers.