Folding Bikes - Brompton Clones?

I've heard mention of some Brompton clones/copies (and others that have a similar folding mechanism), and I thought it might be a good idea to put them all in one thread so others would have an easier time getting information about them.

I've separated this listing into two sections. Pure clones and the others with a similar

Clones & Copies
Merc (produced by Flamingo/Gallant Grace): http://www.mercbike.co.uk, http://www.flamingobike.com

Merc/Flamingo bikes are available in the UK through Merc Bike. However, there appear to be issues with the website and the best way to get one appears to be to contact Merc through their eBay store (http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Merc-Folding-Bike-Spares). Merc will ship to the US, but cost may be prohibitive with current exchange rates.

Flamingo may export to other places, but there is currently nothing confirmed beyond Merc in the UK.

Many Merc owners feel that the bike is very close to a Brompton... down to being able to use parts interchangeably.


Scoot: (placeholder for website)

I've seen Scoot mentioned along with Merc, but I haven't been able to find anything concrete about it. If anyone has links or info, please post it to this thread.


Neobike: http://www.neobike.com DISCONTINUED

Neobike was a Brompton licensee for the Asian market. The license was pulled in 2002, but some of these bikes still pop up for sale. If anyone has more info about Neobike clones, please post it to this thread.


Brompton-Like Fold
Mezzo/Ori: http://mezzobikes.com; http://www.oribikes.com

It would probably be more fair to say that Mezzo is trying to copy Birdy (see below) as the only thing it borrows from Brompton is the rear wheel fold. You can mainly find Mezzo at retailers in the UK and Ireland. Some retailers will ship to the US, but cost may be prohibitive with current exchange rates.

Ori Bikes is the Taiwanese manufacturer for the Mezzo bike. In an interesting twist, Ori is now making their own line of folding bikes based on the Mezzo, but with a slightly different design. Again, the bikes are more Birdy clones than Brompton. But they do have that rear wheel fold under design that makes for a relatively tight package.


Birdy: http://www.birdybike.com

Birdy is a high-end folder maker from Germany. These bikes can be found in Europe and the US. They feature a unique suspension and very high end parts. The only similarity to the Brompton line is the rear end fold. If anyone wants to add anything about Birdy, please post it to this thread.


Breezer/Mission/Oyama: http://www.breezerbikes.com, http://www.oyama.com/products.asp?le=english&fid=104

Breezer, like Merc, imports a Taiwanese bike. However, the manufacturer is Oyama instead of Flamingo/Gallant Grace. The Breezer/Oyama line of bikes are not exact clones of Brompton. However, they do use a similar folding scheme. The bikes are heavier than most in this range. Breezer is imported into the US.

These bikes are imported into the UK by Mission (http://missioncycles.co.uk) as the Space Genie. These appears to be the cheapest Brompton-like bike out there. Beware the weight however... not exactly portable. It has also been noted that these bikes don't fold as small as Brompton/Merc, but honestly, is there anything that folds that small? ;)


Go Bike: http://www.gobikeonline.com/

Go Bike is a Canadian company that makes a very nice looking folder with the Brompton-style rear wheel fold. I'll do some research to see what others have said about it. If anyone has any thoughts they would like to add, please post them here.


Dahon Curl: http://www.dahon.com

Dahon is, of course, the largest folding bike manufacturer we know of. They make a wide line of products. The Curl appears to be their first attempt at a Brompton clone. It's not exactly a clone, as it appears to trump the Brompton on folded size with an evolution to the frame design. This is not available yet, but we hope to see it in the next year.

Bike Friday Tikit: http://www.bikefriday.com

Bike Friday is a leading maker of folding bikes. Their bikes tend to be in the packable end of the folding bike spectrum. The Tikit is their first foray into a truly compact folding bike. The bike folds under in the rear like the Brompton, but that's where the similarity ends. The rest of the bike couldn't be much more different.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That's all I have for now. If you have more info, please post it and I'll update the top entry.

Later,
--sam

Based on the way it folds, Mezzo seems to have a shorter wheel base than Brompton though both of them use the same wheel size.

Based on the way it folds, Mezzo seems to have a shorter wheel base than Brompton though both of them use the same wheel size.

It is certainly a much better ride than the Brompton, if a little bulkier in the fold. I think I'd class the Mezzo rather more as a non-suspended Birdy on the basis of its fold, rather than a Brompton copy.

Breezer/Oyama: http://www.oyama.com/products.asp?le=english&fid=104

Breezer, like Merc, imports a Taiwanese bike. However, the manufacturer is Oyama instead of Flamingo/Gallant Grace. The Breezer/Oyama line of bikes are not exact clones of Brompton. However, they do use a similar folding scheme. The bikes are heavier than most in this range. Breezer is imported into the US. This, along with the Mission Space Genie below, appears to be the cheapest Brompton-like bike out there. Beware the weight however... not exactly portable.

Breezer fold is considerably bigger than the Brompton/Merc. The rear triangle does tuck itself in the frame as neatly as the Brompton/Merc.

-G

Good point about the Mezzo... so do you think that I should remove it from this list then? Or should I add a section for Mezzo and Birdy as bikes that fold similar to Brompton, but are not clones/copies?

Thanks,
--sam

I'd get yourself to the Folding Bike wiki I set up a few months back and stick all your info on their. Feel free to put as much info up as you feel able! http://foldingbikes.wikispaces.com/ - I might see if i can get the admin on this site to put the link up as a sticky at the top of the forum. Its got nearly enough content for it to be quite worthwhile. A page on Brompton clones would be a fine idea.

Excellent idea. After I get the collected wisdom of the forums, I'll post it up to the wiki. :-)

--sam "I <3 wikis" santos LOL

Excellent idea. After I get the collected wisdom of the forums, I'll post it up to the wiki. :-)

--sam "I <3 wikis" santos LOL

Would be nice to get some new content - its slowly turning into a decent resource.

Great idea to do a thread like this.

On the merc contact issue (website is problematic to say the least) you can contact their ebay uk shop here, but it will only show spare parts unless a bike has been put up. I don't think she sells that many on ebay, but you can contact through here.

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Merc-Folding-Bike-Spares_W0QQssPageNameZstrkQ3amefsQ3amesstQQtZkm

Good point about the Mezzo... so do you think that I should remove it from this list then? Or should I add a section for Mezzo and Birdy as bikes that fold similar to Brompton, but are not clones/copies?

Thanks,
--sam

In my opinion the Merc and the Flamingo are the only bikes that can fairly be called Brompton clones. Other bikes may have a few things in common with the Brompton, but that doesn't make them clones.

makeinu... I agree with you, at least partially. What I hope is that this thread gets all of the available information so that others can come to their own conclusion.

That said, you're right that if you want an exact copy of a Brompton, Merc/Flamingo is the only true option, but I think the others are obviously inspired by Brompton... and are therefore fair game for this discussion.

The Brompton inspired bikes are an interesting sub-genre within the folder market. Even though I don't own one, I find it interesting to read about as I delve further into folder fanaticism. LOL

--sam

I went ahead and made a distinction between clones and bikes that use that Brompton rear-wheel fold scheme. Post any info you might want added to this.

--sam

Added some stuff. If you have any thoughts or additions to the list above, please post them here.

--sam

Added some info on Dahon Curl and Bike Friday Tikit...

--sam

Added a tidbit about Ori Bikes...

spacegenie folds like a brompton

It is certainly a much better ride than the Brompton, if a little bulkier in the fold. I think I'd class the Mezzo rather more as a non-suspended Birdy on the basis of its fold, rather than a Brompton copy.

Mezzo is a nice enough bike but I don't agree with that its a much better ride than the Brompton. That's a subjective.

spacegenie folds like a brompton

Yep... these are the Mission entry noted above. I'll make sure to add the Space Genie name for completeness. :)

--sam

ok :D