I’ve done two days commuting on my new Brompton and I’m impressed with how well such a little bike copes with the steep hills on the route, both up and downwards. My timing is no different from the times I made on my racing bike. The lowest gear on the Brompton is lower than the lowest gear I used on the big bike and I miss the choice of in-between gears. Yesterday I also kept stopping to move the saddle higher, convinced that it was slipping down. In fact it wasn’t and somehow it feels more cramped than a racing bike and my knees feel they are taking a strain. the riding position must be different. The bag at the front works beautifully and it feels so good not to ride with a heavy rucksack. Here’s the record on Strava of my first day. This morning was a few minutes longer as there was a headwind. (In fact a 16mph wind from exactly the direction I was heading towards.)

The journey back home is never any quicker because, although it is mostly downhill, its the people walking out into the road in Hampstead and Belsize Park and dealing with other traffic that determines how fast you can move.