All Things Considered
Online journal by St. Jude's – British printmaking and textiles designed by printmaker Angie Lewin, painter printmaker Mark Hearld, British workwear designers Old Town and others.
Bromptonaut
Posted by Simon Lewin
Having pondered the idea for some time I’ve finally taken the plunge and bought a Brompton.
Conceived and designed by Andrew Ritchie, these miracles of British engineering are hand-built in West London to order.
The story of the Brompton is many ways similar to that of James Dyson’s vacuum cleaner. In the mid 70s, Andrew began work on 3 prototypes in his London flat overlooking the Brompton Oratory (hence the name).
With a single-minded ambition that has to be admired, Andrew Ritchie took the business through various stages of pilot production and finally in 1998 the first production bikes rolled out of a railway arch in Brentford.
Bromptons are now exported round the world – with two thirds of sales going overseas. And if you want a particular model, be prepared to wait!
But it’s been worth it. I’ll probably not be using the bike as you’d expect (i.e. ride to station, train journey and a ride at the other end). Having a folding bike has already thrown up a number of ways in which you can make a journey – especially when an onward journey by car might normally put you off taking a normal bike to work etc.
And it feels like the start of an exciting relationship. I’m inspired by this report of a trip to Barcelona and Brompton touring.
You might find Andrew Ritchie’s philosophy inspiring. And The Folding Society has some useful links. The photo above is by Olivier Pascaud.
Posted by Simon Lewin on April 8th, 2007