a design classic - and made in britain
WORKERS, SEPT 2004 ISSUE
The Brompton bike, attracting admiration and applause as it unfolds from its extremely compact package, is a good example of British inventiveness and capacity for production. But in future the European Union wants to stop people knowing where this remarkable bike is made — by banning labels such as Made in Britain.
This classic design by Andrew Ritchie (who incidentally does approximately five thousand miles per year on his own Brompton) is produced in a small factory in West London which currently employs 45 people. The whole engineering process from bending tube through frame-building to final assembly takes place in house.
Although some components are imported the company has complete control of materials and for every bike they ship they can identify whose work went into all stages of its manufacture. Given the number of small components factories which do still exist in London why don't they go the extra step and make the components here?
Quick folder
Although it is a folding bike it nevertheless has a full size frame made of steel for strength but with careful choice of alloys and tube sections it is light enough to carry easily. Remarkably it takes just fifteen to twenty seconds to fold.
When folded, a Brompton stays locked together automatically, forming a package little larger than its wheels. Often when riders unfold it on a platform after a train journey, onlookers give a clap as the folded specimen turns into a full size bike as if by magic!
The attention to detail in the design is all important as many Bromptons are used by commuters who need to arrive at their destination looking smart. When the bike is folded the chain and gears are on the inside and therefore there is no risk of getting grease on your own or other commuters' clothing. Likewise vulnerable parts like lights and cable-runs are tucked away and cannot get caught in luggage racks.
One or more Bromptons could easily fit into a car boot and crucially for flat dwellers a Brompton means that the rest of your flat mates are not constantly falling over your bike in the hall.
The bike has a unique front carrier system which allows the rider to carry a heavy briefcase or a significant amount of shopping. As the load is attached directly to the main bike frame it has remarkably little effect on the steering despite the carrier having a capacity of 22 litres.
Efficiency
Just in case you are thinking such a small wheeled bicycle must be uncomfortable and slow, other design features such as the hub gears and good alignment means that there is very efficient transmission of energy. It is true that smaller wheels will not cover the same ground as large ones, however small wheels do have some intrinsic advantages in that they are easy to accelerate and highly manoeuvrable.
In a recent commuting challenge organised by Islington council a London red bus, a car and a Brompton were raced against each other in the morning rush hour from Finsbury Park in North London to Finsbury Square ( on the edge of the City of London).
The London Bus took 49 minutes which was nearly three times as long as the Brompton on which grandfather Tom Bogdanowicz rode the journey in 15 minutes wearing a suit.The car was second taking 25 minutes. Incidentally, the slow speed of the bus demonstrates why London's public transport problems will not be solved without more attention to tube and rail travel.
Bromptons are cheap compared with other modes of travel but not as cheap as some imported bikes. The cheapest model costs £375 and the most expensive which includes an integral dynamo, lights and carrier costs £626.
From hallway to street: and quicker in London than bus or car
Enamoured
However if you are considering a cheap import consider the words of American bike designer Leonard Rubin. "After buying a Brompton (initially as a new curiosity for addition to my collection) I became so enamoured of the design I stopped making mine....I believe the stock bike is the most compact, civilised, well designed and produced folding bike ever sold commercially..."
Rubin and other bike designers would like to see a museum of Bromptons opened to honour this design classic. There would only be limited items to go into such a museum because all the original production prototypes were sold as the West London factory was operating in such a hand to mouth fashion when it first opened.
As Britain continues to become increasingly a heritage trail country there is something rather heartening about a company selling even its prototypes
in order to keep producing for a future. Consider a ride on the living herita ge of the Brompton bicycle rather than the visit to a museum of industrial heritage (or you could do both).
Why should we allow our country's industrial merit to be hidden behind the vague label Made in the EU? When objection is raised it is sometimes pointed out that so little is now Made in Britain why bother to object?
With the destruction of manufacturing jobs continuing apace under this Blair government at approximately twice the rate of the Thatcher era, it must be more important than ever to celebrate and take pride in industrial success
