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01-01-09, 12:15 PM
Happy New Year Everyone!:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao:
The New Year brings more interesting changes to the folding bike world. This is the time the major players bring more new features and developments to their bikes. One of which is Brompton. I got a e-mail from them a few days ago. In case you missed it, here it is in text version only form without changing the proper English spelling as used in the UK (my American spell check was going crazy):
Hello
Thank you for subscribing to Brompton’s (infrequent) mail outs. It’s not in the Brompton style to overburden your Inbox with emails offering you all manner of upgrades or details of every last design cour radio silence owes as much to circumstance as to design. 2008 range, but we have to admit that has been a busy year at Brompton; bike sales, staff numbers and product development have all been in overdrive, and we are thoroughly optimistic about the year ahead, with more staff joining the team and ambitious plans for further expansion in manufacturing capacity in West London. his year saw us become a little more ambitious about bringing our bikes to a wider audience, attending more bike shows and events than ever, and even engaging in some advertising. Demand for our bikes has grown most strongly over the past 12 months in Asia and North America, and we are working hard to replicate in other parts of the world the kind of dedicated local support that a British consumer would receive from us and our dealers in the UK.
Finally, 2008 saw the 20th anniversary of the full-time production of Bromptons in March 1988; having finally secured funding, Andrew Ritchie and two staff began producing a handful of bikes per week in a railway arch about a mile from our current factory. 20 years later, having seen his small project grow to become a globally-recognised brand, Andrew stepped down as Managing Director in April, though he continues to be heavily involved, as Technical Director, in the day-to-day activities of the company, in particular in quality control and training. sees the introduction of a number of product changes to our range, in addition to the improvements introduced to our bike range over the past nine months – dual compound tyres, new polymer suspension blocks and improvements to brakes, cranks and to our gear-free hubs are all already fitted as standard to all our bikes.
More details on the improvements and changes that will be fitted from 1st January may be found over the next few pages; in addition, a stiffened version of the new suspension block will be available for heavier riders, or those who prefer a more responsive ride
But much does not change. In 2008/9, as in 1988, many Bromptons continue to be purchased on the strength of personal recommendations from existing owners; the company’s growth over the past two decades, from a 3-man outfit to today’s thriving manufacturing enterprise employing almost 100 people in London, owes everything to the support and loyalty of Brompton owners over the years.
Which is why this mail-out represents the start of a more organised, informative campaign to keep Brompton owners up to date on the company and our products; we also invite you to sign up, if you haven’t already, to My Brompton on our website and to check back regularly as we update the site over the coming months. And if you would like to talk to us, you can always write to us at marketing@brompton.co.uk.
We hope you find this update of interest and wish you and yours a very merry Christmas, and a happy, cycle-friendly new year!
With best wishes
The Brompton Team
Brompton Wide Range Hub
The new configuration for 6-speed Bromptons will feature a wide-range hub of our design, manufactured by Sturmey Archer; the present 6-speed arrangement, employing a SRAM hub, will be discontinued.
We believe that the Brompton Wide Range Hub , together with Brompton's derailleur system, sets a new standard in folding bike gearing systems. It offers an evenly-stepped gear range (302%) that is comparable to the leading 8-speed hubs but weighs almost half as much and is considerably more efficient.
New Saddles
Both the standard PU saddle and the Vitesse are being replaced from 1st January by a new Brompton-designed saddle, which combines the best aspects of the two saddles it replaces. The design is sporty and light, but offers a comfortable level of padding that will not intimidate new or casual cyclists; the functionality is improved overall but perhaps the most useful feature is the moulded grip to make it easier to carry the bike. The new saddle comes fitted with a Brompton Pentaclip, allowing truly stepless adjustment for all Brompton owners.
We will retain the Brooks B17 Special for those consumers who wish to add that quintessentially English touch to their bikes but will also be offering, for the first time, a female version of the same saddle; as with the male version, the B17 S Special, will feature hand-hammered copper rivets.
Lightweight Front Wheel
For 2009, we are introducing a new front wheel to the Superlight option that will save further weight and make ‘going Superlight’ even more attractive.
The new wheel features double-butted spokes and a completely new Brompton-designed front hub with an aluminium axle and high-quality sealed Japanese bearings.
New Non-Folding Pedal
The non-folding [NF] right-hand pedal will be replaced from January by a new Brompton-designed lightweight aluminium pedal that offers improved grip over the plastic model, better durability and integrated reflectors that will not break off.
Luggage
We have begun to update our luggage offering. The Cloth Pannier is being replaced by the C Bag, a larger messenger-style bag with a Velcro- and buckle-fastened flap, a comfortable, stowable shoulder strap, pockets finished with water-resistant zips and a bright lining.
Colours
From 1st January 2009, all Brompton bikes will be painted in a matt finish. The switchover from a gloss finish will offer higher consistency in terms of quality, reduce the number of rejected frame parts, eventually remove the need to undercoat the frames and lend the bikes what we feel is a more modern look.
We are also making changes to the colours offered. Tempest Blue, Kew Green and Ivory will be discontinued, as their similarity to other colours makes them superfluous; Silver will also be discontinued as it only works as a gloss colour. Three new colours – White, Desert Sand and Purple Haze – are being introduced.
End Of E-Mail
No major surprises here. But do check out the new colors (excuse me colours) that Brompton is offering now in a matte finish (which is an improvement in my opinion)-White, Desert Sand and [B]Purple Haze-Right out of the late 1960s & early 1970s!
For the full PDF file with photos and interesting icons, please subscribe to the Brompton official Website's own My Brompton (http://www.brompton.co.uk/my/login.asp?accessdenied=%2Fmy%2Findex.asp) section.
I look forward to further participating here for many more years to come.
Best Wishes for The New Year,
"Folder Fanatic"
The New Year brings more interesting changes to the folding bike world. This is the time the major players bring more new features and developments to their bikes. One of which is Brompton. I got a e-mail from them a few days ago. In case you missed it, here it is in text version only form without changing the proper English spelling as used in the UK (my American spell check was going crazy):
Hello
Thank you for subscribing to Brompton’s (infrequent) mail outs. It’s not in the Brompton style to overburden your Inbox with emails offering you all manner of upgrades or details of every last design cour radio silence owes as much to circumstance as to design. 2008 range, but we have to admit that has been a busy year at Brompton; bike sales, staff numbers and product development have all been in overdrive, and we are thoroughly optimistic about the year ahead, with more staff joining the team and ambitious plans for further expansion in manufacturing capacity in West London. his year saw us become a little more ambitious about bringing our bikes to a wider audience, attending more bike shows and events than ever, and even engaging in some advertising. Demand for our bikes has grown most strongly over the past 12 months in Asia and North America, and we are working hard to replicate in other parts of the world the kind of dedicated local support that a British consumer would receive from us and our dealers in the UK.
Finally, 2008 saw the 20th anniversary of the full-time production of Bromptons in March 1988; having finally secured funding, Andrew Ritchie and two staff began producing a handful of bikes per week in a railway arch about a mile from our current factory. 20 years later, having seen his small project grow to become a globally-recognised brand, Andrew stepped down as Managing Director in April, though he continues to be heavily involved, as Technical Director, in the day-to-day activities of the company, in particular in quality control and training. sees the introduction of a number of product changes to our range, in addition to the improvements introduced to our bike range over the past nine months – dual compound tyres, new polymer suspension blocks and improvements to brakes, cranks and to our gear-free hubs are all already fitted as standard to all our bikes.
More details on the improvements and changes that will be fitted from 1st January may be found over the next few pages; in addition, a stiffened version of the new suspension block will be available for heavier riders, or those who prefer a more responsive ride
But much does not change. In 2008/9, as in 1988, many Bromptons continue to be purchased on the strength of personal recommendations from existing owners; the company’s growth over the past two decades, from a 3-man outfit to today’s thriving manufacturing enterprise employing almost 100 people in London, owes everything to the support and loyalty of Brompton owners over the years.
Which is why this mail-out represents the start of a more organised, informative campaign to keep Brompton owners up to date on the company and our products; we also invite you to sign up, if you haven’t already, to My Brompton on our website and to check back regularly as we update the site over the coming months. And if you would like to talk to us, you can always write to us at marketing@brompton.co.uk.
We hope you find this update of interest and wish you and yours a very merry Christmas, and a happy, cycle-friendly new year!
With best wishes
The Brompton Team
Brompton Wide Range Hub
The new configuration for 6-speed Bromptons will feature a wide-range hub of our design, manufactured by Sturmey Archer; the present 6-speed arrangement, employing a SRAM hub, will be discontinued.
We believe that the Brompton Wide Range Hub , together with Brompton's derailleur system, sets a new standard in folding bike gearing systems. It offers an evenly-stepped gear range (302%) that is comparable to the leading 8-speed hubs but weighs almost half as much and is considerably more efficient.
New Saddles
Both the standard PU saddle and the Vitesse are being replaced from 1st January by a new Brompton-designed saddle, which combines the best aspects of the two saddles it replaces. The design is sporty and light, but offers a comfortable level of padding that will not intimidate new or casual cyclists; the functionality is improved overall but perhaps the most useful feature is the moulded grip to make it easier to carry the bike. The new saddle comes fitted with a Brompton Pentaclip, allowing truly stepless adjustment for all Brompton owners.
We will retain the Brooks B17 Special for those consumers who wish to add that quintessentially English touch to their bikes but will also be offering, for the first time, a female version of the same saddle; as with the male version, the B17 S Special, will feature hand-hammered copper rivets.
Lightweight Front Wheel
For 2009, we are introducing a new front wheel to the Superlight option that will save further weight and make ‘going Superlight’ even more attractive.
The new wheel features double-butted spokes and a completely new Brompton-designed front hub with an aluminium axle and high-quality sealed Japanese bearings.
New Non-Folding Pedal
The non-folding [NF] right-hand pedal will be replaced from January by a new Brompton-designed lightweight aluminium pedal that offers improved grip over the plastic model, better durability and integrated reflectors that will not break off.
Luggage
We have begun to update our luggage offering. The Cloth Pannier is being replaced by the C Bag, a larger messenger-style bag with a Velcro- and buckle-fastened flap, a comfortable, stowable shoulder strap, pockets finished with water-resistant zips and a bright lining.
Colours
From 1st January 2009, all Brompton bikes will be painted in a matt finish. The switchover from a gloss finish will offer higher consistency in terms of quality, reduce the number of rejected frame parts, eventually remove the need to undercoat the frames and lend the bikes what we feel is a more modern look.
We are also making changes to the colours offered. Tempest Blue, Kew Green and Ivory will be discontinued, as their similarity to other colours makes them superfluous; Silver will also be discontinued as it only works as a gloss colour. Three new colours – White, Desert Sand and Purple Haze – are being introduced.
End Of E-Mail
No major surprises here. But do check out the new colors (excuse me colours) that Brompton is offering now in a matte finish (which is an improvement in my opinion)-White, Desert Sand and [B]Purple Haze-Right out of the late 1960s & early 1970s!
For the full PDF file with photos and interesting icons, please subscribe to the Brompton official Website's own My Brompton (http://www.brompton.co.uk/my/login.asp?accessdenied=%2Fmy%2Findex.asp) section.
I look forward to further participating here for many more years to come.
Best Wishes for The New Year,
"Folder Fanatic"