Brompton Bicycle - an exhibitor on Cyclorama, the online guide to outstanding and specialised cycles

The Brompton folding bike, a personal transport solution.

Exhibitor Profile: Brompton Bicycle

Andrew Ritchie left university in 1968 with a degree in Engineering. He first applied this hard-won knowledge in the nascent field of computing but soon realised he preferred the idea of being self-employed and before long, found himself working as a landscape gardener in London. While plying his green trade out of the back of an ancient Morris 1000 van in 1975, a chance meeting with a backer of the fledgling Bickerton folding bicycle changed the direction of his career again. Looking at the Bickerton's design, he thought he could do better and came up with a fresh approach to the challenge of designing a folding bike.

The theory looked sufficiently promising that Andrew managed to obtain backing from friends to fund the production of prototypes and in due course prototypes 1, 2 and 3 emerged from the cramped confines of Andrew's bedroom overlooking the Brompton Oratory in South Kensington, London' Brompton Bicycle was born.

The Brompton is a bike which rides superbly, is safe, agile and fast, yet folds easily and quickly into a highly-compact and portable package. The result is a vehicle that increases your sense of freedom and independence. Finely-engineered and elegant, the Brompton has a full-sized frame, made mainly of steel for strength and stiffness. It is designed to be practical and light enough to be genuinely portable.

Nowadays, all Bromptons are designed and built in a factory in West London, England. Brompton is one of only two major frame manufacturers still based in the UK, and have been in full production since 1988. The company has come a long way since its initial production facility in a railway arch, and the current site occupies 22,000 ft² (some 2,000m²).

Visit this exhibitor's website: http://www.brompton.co.uk