{The 'BROMPTON' Folding Bike}
| Designer | {ANDREW RITCHIE} |
| Dates | {PRODUCTION DATES 1982-2007} |
Description
{SIZE WHEN FOLDED 565 mm x 545 mm x 250 mm or 22 X 21 X 10 INCHES.}
{WEIGHT FROM 19.5LBS TO 27LBS FOR A TOURING MODEL.}
{The Brompton is a finely engineered and elegant machine. It has a full-size frame, which for strength and stiffness is made mainly of steel. Thanks to a careful choice of alloys and tube sections, it's light and the bike is easy to carry. Actual weight depends on the configuration and ranges from about nine to thirteen kilos. }
{Actual folding or unfolding is a simple procedure, as once parked the Brompton stands on its own leaving both hands free. There are three main parts to fold and it takes just ten to twenty seconds. When folded, a Brompton stays locked together automatically, making an extremely compact package, little larger than its wheels. .}
{OPTIONS AVAILABLE -;Ride position,Gearing,luggage,Superlight titanium frames & mudguards are all available as 'A la carte'options to make the bike specific to your needs, as well as an extensive range of colours from flamingo to cornflower as shown in the brochure in the link below http://www.foldabikes.com/Talk/Docs/Brompton_brochure.pdf .}
{The main function of the folding bike is to be easily stored ,either at home in cupboards or in luggage racks on trains , as this bike has been adopted by many commuters who found regular bikes unwielding and difficult to store and manhandle on various forms of transport such as buses or trains . The folding bike can also be used as a regular bike for longer rides so, offers the best of both worlds and for that reason is a successful piece of product design .}
{Prices start at £500.00 for standard models and can be exceptionally higher depending on optional extras as previously mentioned .}
A Personal View
{I have choosen this designed object as i feel it is a beautiful piece of design engineering , by taking the standard unwieldy bicycle and transforming it anto a very user friendly item with a simplicity that is quite breathtaking .}
{Another reason why I like this object is because it has encouraged a generation of cyclists and commuters to rethink their mode of transport saving both natural resources and gaining exercise into the bargain.}
{And lastly I am pleased to know that a fellow landsape gardener has designed what is arguably one of the best of it's kind in the world.(See link below detailing the development of the Brompton and the designer http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brompton_Bicycle}
Context
{The Brompton folding bike sits very favourably amongst it's competitors as a successful folding bike and is regarded within the industry as a leading brand .The Brompton earned the Queens award for exports in 1995 , Not only showing it's worthyness as a British led design but its popularity worldwide .}
Links
{http://www.foldabikes.com/Talk/Docs/Brompton_brochure.pdf } - {BROMPTONS BROCHRE PDF FORMAT}
{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brompton_Bicycle} - {A SHORT HISTORY OF THE BROMPTON BIKE AND ITS DESIGNER}
| Author: | {DAVID GRISELEY} | 14TH: | March 2007 |