Brooklyn Franklin Review: The Best Cheap City Bike (& My "Poor Man's Rivendell"!)
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- Опубліковано 25 лип 2024
- The Franklin from Brooklyn Bicycle is a classic, steel-frame city bike with 3-speed and 7-speed options for just $500.
After years of all-weather commuting and some recreational rides, I'm a big fan. In fact, far more expensive bikes have come and gone while this one is still here.
That's because it has a smooth, balanced ride quality that avoids the extremes of boat-like cruisers and some twitchy road and hybrid bikes. This makes it perfect for bike commuting, errands, and other practical daily transportation.
It has similar geometry to several Rivendell models, and I say that having owned two. If you like that long, low, and slightly relaxed geometry, then the Brooklyn Franklin is the best cheap option I've found yet.
Brooklyn sells through what they term a buy and ride program. That means they’ll ship the bike to a local dealer who then assembles it professionally and holds it for you to pick up. Importantly, there is no added cost for any of this. Shipping and assembly are free as of filming.
That means to trying before you buy, but with only two very accommodating sizes, it shouldn't be a problem.
A quick note: the Brooklyn Willow is essentially the same bike as the Franklin but with a double-butted 4130 chromoly frame. That may save a fraction of a pound and perhaps feel even smoother, although I haven’t ridden one to compare.
The Willow is only $100 more, and it includes a rack which you’ll probably need anyway, so I’d just as soon go for the Willow as the Franklin if budget isn’t painfully tight. They’re otherwise the same thing, so everything else in this review will apply to both of them equally.
Read the blog version here: twowheelsbetter.net/brooklyn-...
0:00 Intro: quick thoughts on the Brooklyn Franklin?
1:17 Style & accessories
2:07 Step-through frames for men & women
3:28 Frame construction quality
4:14 Brooklyn Franklin vs. Willow
4:58 Parts & specs
8:47 Geometry, ride quality & handling
11:14 Conclusion
(Music: Bensound.com)
What a pleasant surprise. Thanks for pointing out this poor-man's Riv. I love the value proposition!
Thanks for watching! Yep, great deal and hard to go wrong with!
Thank you so much! This was really helpful in refining my search.
Glad it was helpful! Good luck and have fun choosing!
The Franklin 7-speed uses a derailleur. The Willow 7-speed uses a Shimano internally geard hub. I own the Willow 3-speed. You've described its ride perfectly.
The orgiinal Willow (2013-2020?) used an ultrawide "moustache"-style handlebar. On newer Willows, the handlebar is more conventional. I got the older version and love the bar's wide stance.
I agree about fenders. I wonder about rust. This info is a little dated. But I'd recommend these bikes over any other. For reasons of sanity.
700c is not 29". 700c is slightly larger than 27" Just pointing it out to help everyone. Great video.
Great video and information I really love your videos I'm a big fan of yours I am looking for a Dutch style bicycle could be stepped through or diamond frame but for the money the Franklin 3 speed seems like the best value I'm looking for everyday transportation to use my car as little as possible and where I live is totally flat do you think the Franklin free speed will be a great bike also can you tell me the difference in maintenance I need something as low maintenance as possible I'm assuming the three speed is going to be much lower maintenance then any other bike with a derailleur can you also tell me what type of maintenance the three speed will eventually need and how often they need to do it thank you
Thanks Steve, much appreciated! In a flat area, I'd go with the 3-speed Franklin assuming you have a good bike shop nearby just in case.
Derailleurs need much more frequent maintenance but are a lot easier to work on. And if anything breaks, you can probably Google your way to a fix.
Internally-geared hubs needs little or no _daily_ maintenance, but they'll need a service to change their oil perhaps every couple thousand miles (I forget the exact interval for the Nexus 3). You can do it yourself, but I'd strongly prefer not to. And if anything breaks...that can be tough.
You might've seen my derailleur vs. hub gears video already, but if not, then it might also help: ua-cam.com/video/7zmrAFo35MU/v-deo.html
@@twowheelsbetter_yt thank you for the response I really appreciate your great knowledge and your wisdom when it comes to bicycles I love bike riding it's My Life and it seems like you really enjoy it too I did talk to Brooklyn bicycle the people who are very nice I asked them that if I ever wanted to turn the Franklin 3 speed into a single speed they said that would not be a problem so in the future if anything does go wrong with the three speed internal hub it seems like I have an option to turn it into a single speed or replace it or get it fixed I turned one of my other bicycles into a single speed and I absolutely love it I really love the Franklin three speed I was hoping for a single speed but you said they don't make that one anymore but at least with the Franklin I have an option to turn it into a single speed if ever feel like I want to thank you please make more videos you are absolutely my favorite UA-camr you rock my brother
No need to answer this if you don't feel like it, but I'd value your input-
I haven't owned/ridden a bike since I was a teenager (I'm 34 now) and now that we're moving to a small relatively flat city I want to get a Franklin or Willlow for transportation and utility loke grocery shopping and easy commutes. Eventually I'd like to get a trailer to be able to haul more cargo or even my kid. For a relatively flat area do you think I would benefit more from a 7-speed internal (Willow) or a 3-speed internal (Franklin or Willow)? Is it worth waiting for the 7-speed Willow to come back in stock, or should a 3-speed work for me in the long-term (when I start carrying more weight)?
Thanks in advance and like I said no need to respond if you don't feel like it, but I greatly value your opinion after reading your blog. ❤️
Great question! It depends on how big your kid is ;)
In all seriousness, for hauling trailer-sized loads, I'd hold out for the Willow 7 if you don't mind waiting.
The Franklin 8 is also a good deal if you'd like to buy sooner and are OK with a derailleur. But being able to shift while stopped is *really* nice with cargo, so that may not be worth it.
There are some other great options with a 7- or 8-speed IGH for under ~$1000...but they won't have quite the same look or feel. Not necessarily bad, but different.
@@twowheelsbetter_yt thank you!
Do you know anything about the Public C7? Seems like a close comparison to the Franklin, but I'm curious what the ride quality is like.
Yeah, and I actually commuted on their V7 for quite a while.
Speaking as a picky cycling geek who probably cares too much, I'd say the Brooklyn felt a bit smoother and more responsive. May have weighed a bit less but can't recall. It's my favorite of the two.
But speaking as a normal person, I'd say they're very similar, and it's hard to go wrong with either for practical use.
great video and information but I wanted to ask you for some advice Where I live it's all flat no hills or mountains I am looking for a quality low cost comfortable cruising type bike that can do between 10 and 12 miles an hour all day long with low maintenance plus I also do delivery by bicycles do you think the Franklin 3 speed would be a good reliable choice for me thank you for your help
Hey John, thanks for watching. Maintaining 12 mph "all day long" is probably more of a fitness challenge than a bike challenge. I don't think the Franklin 3 speed would be an obstacle, but I might go with a hybrid for that kind of distance.
Not sure about using it for delivery. I imagine time is of the essence (presumably faster = more deliveries = more earnings...) so I'd probably choose an e-bike in that scenario. But again, I've never done it...
Hope that helps, and let me know what you pick!
This seems to be the best bike business in the USA!!! I absolutely hate modern bicycles. They are all made for short legs relative to torso, and make the lean so far and wheelbase so short that it's impossible to find all day comfort.
How does this bike compare to the Electra Loft 7i Step Thru? or sixthreezero bikes? Anyone know? This one is about $200 more expensive than it was in 2020 by the way. I should have bought it then, but I didn't
also you mentioned that the model in the video has aluminum wheels but online it says alloy. has it changed?
No changes, to my knowledge. The bike industry tends to use "aluminum" and "alloy" _both_ as shorthand for "aluminum alloy." I see how that could be confusing :)
I think the Loft and sixthreezero would both be good choices and functionally similar. I've ridden a Loft and it was by far my favorite Electra model: comfortably upright, but way more nimble than their Townies and cruisers.
I have not ridden the sixthreezero, and don't know much about the brand...but the Ride in the Park is probably their closest alternative to the Franklin. Its tires are on the narrow side in my opinion, but not terribly. Nothing seems obviously weird/bad, so no concerns on paper at least.
I suspect stock is limited for all three, so inventory might make your decision for you. Anyway, good luck on your bike search!
@@twowheelsbetter_yt Thank you so much! what a kind response to include such useful information. Yes, inventory is the issue for sure
My pleasure, glad I could help! Have fun searching.
Disappointed to hear it's not good for tall men 🙁🙁🙁 can you make them fix that? 👍 Pls? So 6'4 works well?
It was so hard to find a business like this. Somehow, they need to get into public view+knowledge much more. They seem to be the only sane bike business. IMHO. It took me over 6 months of frustration and anger to finally find what I was after. Then I hear it doesn't fit tall men well 🙁🙃🙁
Check out Linus and Public. They *might* have larger sizes in a similar design, although I'm not sure.
Rivendell bikes are similar but super high-end (like 3-5x the price). They have enormous sizes.
@@twowheelsbetter_yt why aren't these mfrs more well known? They have no presence in bike shops, no presence in reviews (or so little you can't find them), and I wouldn't know the special keywords to locate them in an internet search. I am sure I can't be alone in needing an all around do-it-all bike that is all terrain, all climates, all distances, all purposes. Especially with such high fuel costs. I'd think many people must be looking for alternatives to all the things they use a car for. Anyway, thanks for the tips! 🙂👍
So, for anyone else, these are what I know about now:
Rivendell
Brooklyn
Linus
Public
🙂👍 Never heard of them before!
But they are exactly what I was looking for, for a very long time!
M 4'11" - 5'5" 28"-30"
L 5'6" - 6'5" 31"-35"
These are the Franklin sizes, but they don't seem correct. At 6'3, my inseam is 36-38in. So, I think your opinion is probably correct.
Good luck searching! BTW check out Breezer too. They may still sell something similar.
Otherwise not a ton of _quality_ choices for an affordable, off-the-rack, steel city bike in that more traditional upright style. Most will differ on at least one of those criteria.
l disagree the TECTRO duel pivot are WAAAAY SUPERIOR TO VBRAKES ALL DAY LONG !! HECK old cantalever brakes are better than VBRAKES !!! OF ALL RIM BRAKES VBRAKES ARE THE WORST !!