The Brompton: Engineering for Change

The story of how Brompton, the iconic folding bicycle that you can take anywhere—and that can take you anywhere—grew from a small cult bike company to a multimillion-dollar business Lightweight, compact, and now electric: The cityscape has been forever changed by the addition of the Brompton bike, with its distinctive style and clever folding design. For over forty years, the Brompton’s modular design has remained virtually unchanged. It has stood not only the test of time but every financial crash since 1976, Brexit, and COVID-19—not to mention every other risk that any business faces. Where, then, did this ingenious feat of engineering come from? Who were the minds behind it? And how did a small company grow to become one of the biggest cycling brand names in the world? As they answer these questions, CEO of Brompton Will Butler-Adams and journalist Dan Davies give behind-the-scenes insights into the evolution of both the bike and the company alongside more than one hundred images that chronicle Brompton’s past and present. This work of business history provides both interesting facts about an elegantly designed machine that cyclists know and love, and inspiration for readers curious about what it takes to bring an idea from concept to final product. It’s not only the first look behind the scenes at Brompton Bicycle Ltd, but also a masterclass in entrepreneurship, manufacturing, and scaling a business.