Acquired in 2014 as a Claret S6L, Clarence became my main Brompton with little more tweaking for many years than “better comfort items, etc”.

Once my Chpt3 v2 came along, with the realization that lightness & fast tyres were a godsend for me, tweaking turned to Rudolph (but minimal variation away from the Chpt3 look).

In wondering what a 2speed Clarence would feel like (& a solid chunk of Covid lockdown), I started with a 2speed wheel from the parts bin (squirreled away from the Cheeky Transport closing sales) & before long some Ti bits started arriving. The Meccano experience came alive & tinkering spread into other Bromptons.

Clarence finessed (eventually) into a 5speed lightweight, with lots of experience gained into what mods were possible (& problematical?). Clarence now weighs 8.7kg for a S5E-X format. (Other Bromptons have since been created that benefited from the early learning, with lighter & better gearing configurations.)