Brompton dont innovate?

Some say Brompton don't innovate - if you think that's true, just compare Brompton's over the years!

Or favourite "recent" changes are:
Change from plastic to aluminium pedals
Superlight removable pedal
Change from fixed to spider crankset
Brake lever and caliper upgrades
Be Seen Lights

[mranonymous]

They don't need to change a winning frame concept. But dude they can make the bike lighter. For people owning several bikes, the by far smallest one, the Brompton, meanwhile often is the heaviest of all! And no, the T-Line for 5k is not really a solution. Every Brompton should be below 10 kg.

[HolgerNestmann]

I understand what you are going with, but to be honest I needed to google what the differences between the short wheel base and the long wheel base are. Looking at your example bikes side to side including the c-line, there is no obvious visual change other then the color. Also I have a 2018 H6L and a 2022 bought c-line. 4 Years apart and the only difference I (!) see are the front wheel nuts

[charles]

Brompton don't really do much innovation in the last 20 years but their customers do. Brompton just got the ideas from them, including the electric bike. The torque sensor is made by a Chinese/German company.

[terryc]

Theres an old saying' "If It Aint Broke Dont Fix It" this applies very well to the Brompton! Its by far the best folder, so why would they change it drastically? Mods to gearing, braking etc are merely updates.

[effyleven]

The Brompton has been altered and improved slowly over the years, but if it was subjected to a regular "program of innovation, " it would start getting worse.

[MB-ywup]

All I'm asking for is a 20-in wheel option. You can go faster and at the same time the ride would be even more smoother and with the tri-fold concept that you can push around it would be perfect especially now that they finally have a 12-speed

[BadByte]

Good short proving the point. They just change colors.

[casiofi]

I think it's a shame they don't offer gearing options like the Alfine 8 speed hubs. The 6 speed with 2 external gears on a 3 speed hub has always felt a bit janky - a Brompton idiosyncrasy if you're a fan, or a flaw if you aren't. Excited to see the 4x3 12 speed, but same ergonomics issues and no real innovation, they've just combined two things they already had. Imagine if they offered a variation with disk brakes and more wheel clearance to make gravel tracks more comfortable - that would've been a hell of a change to launch with the Bear Grylls edition. If anything, they've gone backwards by not allowing you to order custom colour combinations any more, and I think we all called them releasing the silver hardware as an upsell when the black edition became standard.

As ever brilliantbikes, you are a fantastic resource for Brompton bits and knowledge, this isn't a dig at you guys in the slightest. And big up places like Kinetics in Glasgow who are pushing the boundaries of what Bromptons can be, and the EZ clamp type people providing 3rd party solutions to unaddressed issues.

[adrianmiller]

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[torokun]

Both pros and cons of Brompton. I do think they can make some improvements on the materials of the frame and better gear hubs.

[coderkind]

I wish they would innovate; a slightly larger model with bigger tyres would be good.

[musiqsoundsproductions]

All the innovation comes from 3th parties.

That can be good or bad.

I hear a lot issues with the weight though.

[duncanhamilton]

Innovation. An over-used word these days, where everything new is hyped as innovative or disruptive. After the basic design, the nearest thing Brompton have come to innovation is the Electric.

However, that would have been innovative in 2014... by the time it eventually staggered onto the market in 2018 the tech had already moved on. Since then Brompton has steadfastly refused to improve the thing and it feels incredibly Heath Robinson now. (I own a 2021 Electric, and against current gen electric motors it's unreliable, inefficient, noisy, and isn't very smooth).

The real innovation in Brompton is the company itself - they manufacture handmade bikes in West London at scale. From a flat overlooking Brompton Oratory, to railway arch, to a big factory, to a massive factory. With a sector following and brand loyalty that is on par with Volvo and Apple - that's taken innovation.

[raymonde]

Brompton is all about evolution, not revolution. Apart from the wheels of course 😉

[luvinfunvan]

Bigger tire clearance and disc brakes would be sweet…

[Swalkervfs]

Innovation stands for having something to solve people's problems, make life easier. In this aspect Brompton always innovate and they well understand their customer needs.

[neto]

Um dia eu pelo menos sonho, em pedalar uma Bromptom.

[kzarz]

I think Brompton does not innovate. They could add disc brakes and a belt drive for the internal hub. But they would up the price to 7k if they did that.

[flufflebut]

I'm not too annoyed that Brompton was stagnant with their design till their copyright expired and actual tri-fold competition showed up. It was a clever design for the time.

What I am annoyed with is that with decades of profit and a fanatic fanbase, what do they do? Improve the design by adopting popular fan hacks? Streamline production for cheaper products? Set up a factory in one of Britain's many struggling areas, creating jobs and avoiding the ridiculous London tax? Start collaborating with the talented 3rd party shops that has sprouted around modding Bromptons into something usable?

Nothing! Shows they really don't care about the long-term future of the company, just money for CEOs.

We end up with a bike that costs more than a car, costs 10x more than other folders that weigh 10lbs less, with half as many gears. And if you mod/fix it at all, goodbye to that warranty.

At least with Apple, the components steadily improve each year. I swear, Brompton welding has gotten sloppier.

Brompton has taken the Lego route. Used to be accessible to the people. Now the only thing they seem to invest in is superficial luxury brand deals. Ooh look, the latest limited edition Bear Grylis model!

Even the T-line seems an insincere response. Is it a coincidence that the first noticable innovation in decades, happened right when the copyright expired and actual tri-fold competition started to show up?

[StevenZephyc]

I wouldn't call making slight adjustment to geometry or using another material for frame while others have been doing it for decades a innovation. And the electric version... It both semi defeats the purpose of a lightweight foldable, and occupies the convinent front mount. It makes sense to put electric on heavy cargo bikes or long distance commutes, but Brompton is easy to pedal already and the range is terrible, and the added weight defeats how portable and lightweight Brompton is.