r/BrompNOTs

So as more financially astute tri-fold cyclists I'm seeking your advice, due to the vast savings you have made on your bike, you have possibly lavished it with after market parts to make it better in all ways. Me having stuck with the old faithful brand, made in Britain, purchased a P-Line, not the new heavier version, and I'm aiming at 10kg with mudguards, lights, and inclusive of the wheel reflectors. I'm considering a titanium stem, looking through historical posts, there are comments, for example, too flexible, didn't like it, went back to steel, aluminum won't fit.

Now I'm not adverse to a Frank-N-Brot, personally i feel they’ve sat on there hands, but this isn't the path I want to head down on here, so my question is any of you guys running titanium stems what are your thoughts on them?

Hey all, hoping to get some informed opinions before I commit. I'm set on a 20" wheel Brompton-style trifold (which I understand is not "true" Brompton geometry). The three options I keep circling back to:

1. Cranston D20, aluminum, disc brake, seems to be one of the more popular 20" clones floating around AliExpress / various resellers.

2. LitePro S20D, also aluminum, disc brake, 11kg, 9-speed. LitePro seems more established as a parts brand, which makes me think aftermarket support might be easier.

3. Hexati / Comeplay titanium frame from tibicycles.com. They offer a couple different "titanium tri-fold 20inch" and sell individual Ti frames/components. Pricier but obviously the dream long-term. One thing I did notice which drove me to write this post is how distinctly different these two frames look, even though they are both 20 inch. See this one versus this. Unless my eyes are playing tricks on me here, there would seem to be minor differences throughout each frame. Or maybe it could be the angle the photo was taken making stuff like the rear fork look "taller" in the latter listing? I'm just not sure.

My situation: I'd like to start with one of the aluminum bikes (D20 or S20D) and upgrade individual components to titanium over time, seatpost, handlebar, stem, fasteners, maybe rear triangle eventually. The endgame would potentially be swapping the main frame itself out for a Ti one down the road (probably from Hexati).

My questions:

Between the Cranston D20 and LitePro S20D specifically, is there a meaningful difference in build quality, geometry, or hinge design? Or are these basically the same frame coming out of similar factories with different stickers?

• How standardized are the dimensions across 20" Brompton-style clones? I know the standard Brompton world has well-known specs (74mm front OLD, 112mm rear, etc.). Is the 20" clone ecosystem similarly consistent? The LitePro 20" frames I've seen list 100mm front / 135mm rear OLD with 33.9mm seatpost. Does the Cranston match? I noticed the rear rack designs are different between the two, so it got me wondering about how the rest of the bikes match up.

• If I buy 20" Ti parts from Hexati later, am I rolling the dice on fit? Specifically thinking about seatposts (diameter), handlebar/stem clamp sizes, rear triangle/dropout spacing, hinge pin compatibility.

• Has anyone actually swapped a 20" clone frame for a Hexati Ti frame? Did the rest of the build transfer cleanly?

Basically I want to avoid the situation where I sink money into Ti upgrades on a Cranston and then find out the Hexati frame uses subtly different spacing/diameters and half my parts won't carry over.

Any first-hand experience appreciated, especially from anyone who's done a partial or full Ti conversion on a 20" clone. Thanks!

Hi,

I’m 187 cm tall. What bike would you recommend for me?

Cheers!

Hello, I’m interested in the Mint T9d, which can be bought quite cheaply on Alibaba. The bike itself costs around €430 including shipping when purchased individually. I had calculated an additional €100–150 for import VAT and customs duties. However, I recently learned about an anti-dumping duty of around 50% on the purchase price when importing a bicycle from China. Because of that, I canceled the purchase.

Still, I keep hearing that people ordering from Alibaba often didn’t have to pay any customs duties at all. Those normal customs fees wouldn’t really bother me, but the anti-dumping duty would definitely make the bike unattractive for me financially.

So how does this look in practice? What are your experiences, and do I really have to expect the anti-dumping duty?

Best regards,
Christian

I'm thinking to buy Takachia C20, does anyone have experience with this bike? I want a folding bike,but my budget is very limited that is why I found a Takachia. Also I do not have any experience with folding bikes,so if someone can share your experience using Takachia and compare it with other brands,I will be very happy

Thanks

Don't order a bike from them. I placed an order through their website on April 21, 2026. I still haven't received a tracking number from them. It's been 20 days already. And now they've stopped responding to WhatsApp, even though they were quick to respond at first. The most interesting thing is that I read reviews here that people received their bikes. I think these are most likely front people.

Fellow BrompNot/TriFold owners!

I will soon ask volunteers in the community who are owners of these bikes to fill out a questionaire about purchasing a BrompNot or Trifold and their experience in order to help all people who wish to purchase one as well.

What questions should I ask / data should I gather to help all of us? Please contribute below.

So far I have thought to ask these questions:

If you bought a BrompNot or Trifold -

• Bike model name, wheel size, gearing # (external or IGH) frame material
• Where did you buy it from? —> Business - Link or Physical Location
• Purchase Cost TOTAL - Please if possible break down all costs: Retail Price, Additional Sales Tax, Delivery Cost, Additional Fees at time of purchase
• Additional fees once imported into country? Complications? --> Which country?
• Time to Deliver to your address?
  1. Packaging Quality?
  2. You live in Major City, town, or very rural?
  3. What country was bike delivered to?
• If you communicated with seller, good service? Modifications requested?
• Tracking Number? Delivery Updates were provided?
• Weight of bike upon delivery (before any modifications)
• Folded measurements upon delivery (without pedals, saddle) .....

What other questions should I ask / data should I gather to help all of us? Please contribute below.

Hi, I'm from México and I'm really interested in purchasing a trifold bike but their not sold by local retailers in my country.

Does any one have any experience buying a BrompNOT bike and importing it into México? I'm especially worried about shipping and tariffs from Aduana, so I'm looking to see if there's any preference on buying from Aliexpress or directly from manufacturers like Cranston or Litepro so I get my bike and minimize the chance of it getting lost or damaged in transport.

Any guidance or feedback on what the best options could be would be greatly appreciated :)