Research & development

The pursuit of improvements is the lifeblood of any innovative and ground-breaking manufacturer; Brompton's excellent in-house design resources ensure that our bikes forever remain works in progress.

Elegant design solutions rarely come quickly when the conflicting requirements of compactness and light weight are considered; moreover, the thorough testing of all new mechanisms and materials means that development work at Brompton proceeds at a steady, rather than a rushed, pace.

Our product development work is focused on looking for weight savings (broadly achieved in small, steady increments with time), working on new configurations based on our folding principle, and refining the componentry on our bikes.

But although much of the programme of improving the Brompton takes place in a never-ending process of small, incremental steps, the year-on-year evolution of the Brompton range is occasionally boosted by more fundamental changes, as seen with these developments over the past few years:

Re-engineering and re-tooling allowed us to extend the wheel-base by a few centimetres, further increasing the stability of the ride without compromising the size of the folded package
The launch of the S and P Type handlebar options broadened the kind of riding styles the Brompton accommodates and thereby further extended its appeal
The launch of our own gear-free rear hub enabled some lightweight 1- and 2-speed options to be added to our range
The introduction of optional titanium parts for the frame, seat pillar and sundry other components offered substantial further weight savings

Like all developments at Brompton, every improvement on the bike is designed to be capable of being retrofitted on older Bromptons. For obvious reasons, we can't go into details about current projects, except those whose release is imminent.

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