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| Founded | 1976 |
|---|---|
| Headquarters |  Brentford, Greater London, England, UK |
| Key people | Andrew Ritchie (Founder and Technical Director) Will Butler-Adams (Owner) |
| Industry | Bicycle |
| Products | Folding bicycle |
| Website | brompton.co.uk |
Brompton Bicycle, or simply Brompton, is a British company that specialises in folding bicycles, commonly known as "Bromptons". The design has remained fundamentally unchanged over three decades, although it has been refined.
Contents |
History
In 1976 Andrew Ritchie, a gardener, obtained backing from friends and founded a company named after the Brompton Oratory, the London landmark visible from his flat where the first prototypes were built. He sought to license the design but after five years began manufacturing the bike himself. Production ground to a halt in 1982. Ritchie continued to explore possibilities while doing other jobs. Finally in 1986, again with backing from friends and former customers (notably Julian Vereker, founder of Naim Audio), enough was raised to resume production on a larger scale in a railway arch in Brentford. By early 1988 Brompton bicycles were once more in production, earning a Queen's Award for Exports in 1995.
Brompton is one of only two mass-production bike builders in the UK, the other being Pashley Cycles.
Bicycles
All Bromptons have a curved main tube with a hinged rear triangle, three-speed hub gears and/or two-speed derailleur to give two, three or six speeds, 16" wheels, a tall seatpost and a folding handlebar stem. The frame is brazed steel with cast iron hinges for hardness and rigidity. The handlebars are aluminium. There is a hinge in the main tube. In riding position the rear triangle rests loosely on a rubber spring to give suspension; it is held in place by the rider's weight, and the triangle will pivot down if the back of the bicycle is raised (although on modern Bromptons a clip is fitted which may be set to prevent this). On the left is a folding pedal which reduces the width of the folded package, on the right a standard pedal. The dropouts are narrow, which keeps the folded package small but restricts the range of compatible gearing and hubs. Schmidt Maschinenbau manufacture the SON XS hub dynamo for the Brompton.
Folding
The folded package is 565 mm x 545 mm x 250 mm (22.2" x 21.5" x 9.8") and weighs between 9 and 12.5 kg (20-28 lb). Most other folding bicycles are significantly longer in at least one dimension.
Once folded the pannier can be re-attached to its block and the handle used to push or pull the bike like wheeled luggage.
Modifications
Brompton fans with engineering expertise have modified the bike; Steve Parry's SP Brompton includes a 7-speed derailleur, V-brakes, carbon fibre seat post and suspension handlebar system.
The Schlumpf Mountain Drive1 can be fitted in the bottom bracket, giving 2.5 times gear reduction, doubling the number of gears available..
Criticisms
- Small wheels give Bromptons the same advantages and disadvantages as other small wheel bicycles
- Replacements for the 16 x 1 3/8" tires are less common than for wider tires.
- Many parts are custom made, which may bring delays and extra costs for repairs from other than authorized dealers
- The bike is not suited to long rides as most models have restricted gears.
See also
- List of bicycle manufacturing companies
- Raleigh Cycles - Biggest UK manufacture at one period.
 Custom larger trolley wheels for easier trundling |
 ITchair folding child seat |
References
External links
- Brompton Bicycle
- Brompton factory photographs
- Brompton Folding Bicycle FAQ
- Brompton tagged photos on Flickr
- A Newspaper Review of the Brompton bike
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 18 November 2008, at 18:12.
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