Бромптон: Британский производитель складных велосипедов

British bicycle manufacturer

Brompton Bicycle Limited, trading as Brompton, is a British manufacturer of folding bicycles based in Greenford, London. The Brompton folding bicycle and accessories are the company's core product, noted for its self supporting compact size when stored. All available models of the folding bicycle are based on the same hinged frame and 16 inch (35×349 mm) tyre size. Components are added, removed, or replaced by titanium parts to form the many variations. The modular design has remained fundamentally unchanged since the original patent was filed by Andrew Ritchie in 1979, with small details being refined by continual improvement. Ritchie was awarded the 2009 Prince Philip Designers Prize for work on the bicycle. Brompton is the largest volume bicycle manufacturer in Britain, producing approximately 50,000 bicycles each year. The company's bicycles are also available for hire.

All Brompton folding bicycle models share the same curved frame, consisting of a hinged main tube, pivoting rear triangle, fork, and hinged handle bar stem. The main tube and stem are made of steel in most models. The rear triangle and fork are either steel or titanium, depending on model. The T line introduced in 2022 has an all titanium frame and other lightweight components. Steel sections are joined by brazing rather than welding. Wheel rim size is , carrying tyres with 16″ tread diameter. The handlebars and some peripheral components are aluminium. A Brompton bicycle uses over 1,200 individual pieces, many of which are specific to Brompton. as of 2024 the combinations allow one , two , three , four (P and T line versions), six speed or twelve gearing options to be factory fitted, with higher or lower gearing available as an option. The Brompton uses a combined rear fold and suspension design. During riding, the main frame and the rear triangle intersect at a rubber block which provides suspension. The suspension block is kept in compression by the rider's weight. There is no suspension for the front wheel, although the titanium forks of the Superlight versions provide a small amount of spring.

In 1976 Andrew Ritchie founded the company, named after the Brompton Oratory, By early 1988, mass production Brompton bicycles were once again in circulation. From 2002, when Will Butler Adams joined the firm (he became Managing Director in 2008), to 2013, production increased from 6,000 to approximately 40,000 bikes per year. The workforce increased from 24 to 190. In the same month, the company stated that it was hoping to continue a 25% rate of growth; partially enabled by switching to just in time stocking for some of the parts being sourced from suppliers, and by having those suppliers hold the stock until it is needed rather than parts living for periods at the Brompton factory. The company was awarded The Queen's Award for Export in 1995. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 21 April 2010, the company was awarded two Queen's Awards for Enterprise, in the Innovation and International Trade categories. This was the second time Brompton had won the International Trade Award, they first received it in 1995. It is very rare for a company to receive two of these awards in one year. Will Butler Adams, Managing Director, was awarded Order of the British Empire in 2015. In July 2015 a plan to move the company from Brentford to nearby Greenford was reported. In February 2022 another move, from Greenford to Ashford, Kent was announced.

In 1992, Brompton agreed with Euro Tai in Taiwan to allow the manufacture of a licensed copy of the Brompton bicycle for distribution in Eastern Asia. A joint venture company called Neobike was then established to manufacture them. Brompton Bicycle in the United Kingdom would loan tools and drawings, and be paid on a per unit royalty basis. By mid 1992, Neobike had recruited three senior research and development employees from Dahon, another folding bicycle company, and had started to produce other designs and copies in addition to the official Brompton design. Brompton's licensing contract with Euro Tai/Neobike lasted approximately ten years until it expired on 31 December 2002. By this time, five senior Neobike employees had been convicted and jailed for stealing trade secrets from Dahon and Ritchie had previously stated that the franchise contract had been "under review", there having been quality issues with the Asian built Brompton bicycles. Euro Tai and Neobike failed to return the Brompton specific tooling loaned by Brompton Bicycle. At the 2003 Eurobike trade show, Neobike exhibited their—now unsanctioned—clone of the Brompton, offering it to potential dealers within Europe. Neobike produced copies of the Brompton bicycle were then imported into The Netherlands branded as the "Scoop One" and "Astra Flex V3". Brompton Bicycle's legal actions against Neobike/Grace Gallant have all been brought on the basis of copyright and industrial design law. A court case was held at the Groningen civil court in the Netherlands on 24 May 2006, which ruled that the industrial design of the Brompton folding bicycle was protected by copyright. Additionally, the Neobike provided manual had included direct copies of those drawings found in the Brompton user manual. In June 2010, Brompton Bicycle gained a further injunction against the import of the unlicensed copy Brompton models into Spain, this time under the name "Nishiki Oxford Bicycle". The case was decided on the basis that Grace Gallant predecessors' had not returned all of Brompton Bicycle Ltd's drawing and toolings upon the termination of the earlier Eurotai/Neobike franchise agreement.

Many reviews of Brompton folding bicycles are favourable.