The mighty tiny bike

Its is common sense that one can't have too many bicycles (if allowed to), and I have been learning that the best bicycle to use always depend what you will need it for. A Brompton has never been an obvious choice, and it looked simpler in my daily context to use a light city bike that I could lock outside when stopping somewhere. Until I had a trip from Lisboa to Cambridge for which I planned to cycle from Luton to Cambridge, but didn't expect the hassle to transport an ordinary bicycle on a flight. Particularly because my idea since the beginning was to leave the airport cycling and independent to go on my way. There were bromptons in the close family and I was kindly allowed to take one borrowed - got a cardboard box at the store, packed it the night before with the bike and also a 20l cabin bag with all my belongings for a week that fit on the front of the bike. Got a ride to the airport and, arriving Luton, the adventure commenced. The brompton looked like a stylish toy, loaded with a full bag and a folded cardboard tighten to the front, and there were 65 kms in sight, I questioned if it was possible. 

In the end, it wasn't, and I made the last stretch by train. But before that, the mighty toy rolled in roads and (some pretty rough) trails, climbed steep hills, starting to prove it is much more versatile than it looks. That trip included several more kms in and around Cambridge and triggered my surrender to the Brompton's unique features. It is amazingly agile and robust, friendly simple, and it fits into a very small space. Perfect to take with you when going somewhere new and be free to explore.

Since then, I have made another combined work + cycling travel in the UK, doing some longer distances (around Edinburgh and down to the Holy Island), in the Atlantic Islands of Azores where I crossed the island twice a day to go to a conference (sometimes got a ride or a bus one of the ways), and some local exploring combined with train and bus. Got my own brompton and improved the method of transport, dropping the cardboard box for a cordura bag reinforced with cardboard and clothes (but still looking for the ideal formula). No major incidents with the bike so far, and the coolest thing ever is to leave the luggage area with the bike and your stuff ready to roll. And kept wanting to go further.