I signed up for the OCBC Cycle in October so I needed to level up my fitness quickly. Riding on my road bike for short distances (i.e. less than 20km) can be a chore as you need to look the part when riding on a road bike (like wearing cycling jersey, helmet, gloves, cycling shoes...). So I turned to virtual cycling portal, Zwift. It's been great experience as hooking up the Trek on a smart trainer allows me to cycle on somewhat real-life conditions. Buuuuut, you can't improve by just riding at home and I really wanted to ride long distance outdoors.
After a short search online, I got myself a used 1-year old 6-speed Brompton via Togoparts.sg for $1900. While I don't plan on bringing this bike on public transport, the abilty to fold up is a nice option. You can see the photo below of how I strapped the Brompton on my Yamaha Tricity with a pair of Rokr straps.
Well, this is not my first foldable bike. My 2008 Dahon Speed D7 is my first which currently resides at my workplace as an exercise bike. In terms of speed, given the same effort of riding, the Trek is naturally the fastest (averaging 25km/hr), followed by the 20" wheels of the Dahon (20km/hr) and then the 16" wheels Brompton (18km/hr).
I recently did my longest ride on a bicycle yesterday for a total distance of 75km (4hr 30min). I rode 90% on Park Connectors which was mostly a pleasant experience. There were some constructions going on which required some detour. Note to cyclists who are crossing over from Pasir Ris to Punggol, the Lorong Halus track is undergoing renovation works so have to take a long detour via main roads in order to reach the pedestrian-only bridge.
Overall, the Brompton is a great bike. I feel like riding a well-built vintage car. It is slow and heavy at 13kg but that's what it is supposed to be. To enjoy the surroundings and take life easy. If I want to go fast, there's always the Trek. But we don't live in picturesque mountains of the French alps, so I don't feel motivated to ride long distance on the Trek. I really like the front block which allows me to fix a bag carrier. Once I can cycle 100km in 5 hours without bonking, I might consider touring on the Brompton.