British bike
ONE of the main reasons I got a folding bike was to avoid the often horrendous jams in front of my office after work hours – a simple 3km commute to my home could take up to an hour.
However, the second reason was that I also wanted to explore Kuala Lumpur in a more personal, on- theground way, using public transportation and my bicycle.
With this in mind, the bicycle I settled on was the Brompton. To my mind, it’s more suited for taking onto trains than most folding bikes.
Why? Well, unlike most folding bikes which fold in two, the Brompton folds into thirds, and produces a very compact package about as big as a medium- sized suitcase.
On top of that, this British- made bike has another, smaller set of wheels that are specifically used when the bike is in its folded configuration – this makes it very easy to fold your bike, then roll it along through the access gates at the LRT station.
Once in the train, the relatively small size of the Brompton also means that it’s a lot more easily stowed away – it’ll very easily fit into that space right next to the sliding doors where people usually stand.
The Brompton also has another side benefit – in a crowded train, you can actually use it as a makeshift chair in its folded position!