Sublime or ridiculous? Possibly both. A 24-carat-gold-plated Brompton S2L with a pool-ball stickshift, stop-cock hinge clamps and skateboard wheels for rollers. In other words a Brompton that has been pimped through flash, gaudy, and vulgar, out the other side into ironic, and beyond that into uber-cool. Perhaps.
This bike has had two owners, neither of whom have convinced themselves to make it part of their regular commute. Originally won by Joseph Swallow in a competition run by the Environmental Transport Association, it appeared on eBay in February this year. Sean O'Dell saw it there, complete with a "Buy It Now" option.
Buying It Now on eBay always feels a bit frenetic. If someone else clicks the button while you're procrastinating, it's gone for ever. On the other hand, ask yourself – do you need the item enough to pay top whack for it? (in this case four figures.)
Sean decided he did. Between then and now, with the help of a growing family, he has decided he doesn't. ("One of my babies had to go," as he puts it).
Before he says goodbye, Sean has got the Brompton specialists Warlands of Oxford to do some fine-tuning. Originally the weight of the pool-ball was enough to make the gearstick shift when you moved off, so that has been fixed. They added a Brooks saddle, the original white Specialized being too vulgar even for a bike like this. They have also added a back brake. Sean suspects the original Dia-Compe front-only braking system was put there only for the sake of the model name (Goldfinger).
"The bike didn't feel quite right before," he says. "It does now. It deserved to be fully functional." He has put it on eBay today. Will anyone buy it this time? Will you?
