{"id":6437,"date":"2016-06-16T12:00:01","date_gmt":"2016-06-16T11:00:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.markwilson.co.uk\/blog\/?p=6437"},"modified":"2016-06-16T14:07:07","modified_gmt":"2016-06-16T13:07:07","slug":"adventures-brompton-bike-first-london-commute","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.markwilson.co.uk\/blog\/2016\/06\/adventures-brompton-bike-first-london-commute.htm","title":{"rendered":"Adventures on a Brompton bike: my first London commute"},"content":{"rendered":"

Those who know me well know that I have a collection of bikes in my garage. Fans of the Velominati will be familiar with rule #12<\/a>, which states:<\/p>\n

“Rule #12: The correct number of bikes to own is n+1.<\/p>\n

While the minimum number of bikes one should own is three, the correct number is n+1, where n is the number of bikes currently owned. This equation may also be re-written as s-1, where s is the number of bikes owned that would result in separation from your partner.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So, it was with great delight that I recently persuaded my wife it would be a great idea for me to buy a new bike. Maybe not the super-light road bike that I might like (I need a super-light Mark before that makes sense anyway) but a commuter. A folding bike to take on the train. A Brompton<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My employer doesn’t take part in a Cycle to Work scheme and Bromptons are pretty pricey (so saving the tax would make a big difference) but I did my research and snapped up a second-hand example with “only 100 miles on the clock” on eBay (checking first to see if it was reported as stolen<\/a>, of course!). So, on Monday, I was very excited to return home from work to find that my “new” bike (bike number four) had arrived.<\/p>\n

\n

The newest member of the Wilson family pic.twitter.com\/wILtXUUofz<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Mark Wilson (@markwilsonit) June 13, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n