Post #4011331
2026-07-22 10:26 UTC
@lproven@social.vivaldi.net @davidgerard@circumstances.run @denisbloodnok@mendeddrum.org @RogerBW@discordian.social the Brompton dared to be a mostly regular bicycle! with sometimes strange but functioning gearing. clive couldn’t help but make his bikes unusably unique
how was the Birdy? I’ve been looking at one of R&M’s full-size Dutch-style e-bikes, but a good folding bike is really tempting as the last mile vehicle after traveling by train or similar
Replies (1)
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@RogerBW@discordian.social 2026-07-22 11:12
@zzt@mas.to @lproven@social.vivaldi.net @davidgerard@circumstances.run @denisbloodnok@mendeddrum.org More broadly I think Sinclair had learned quite early that you can cheap out on electronics if it still does something _amazing_ for the price (calculators, ZX80, 81, Spectrum). But the QL and the TV80 didn't do something amazing; and you just can't do that with mechanical parts in the same way. Broms and Birdys aren't just expensive because the bosses are greedy, it does take good quality parts and careful manufacturing to make it work.