gringo_gus

the more I think about it, the more I think it could be a completely new, larger wheeled bike - aimed at the touring/everday loadcarrying market. For all its joys, and they are many, the existing brompton range misses out on folks looking for (a) a larger gear range (b) more pannier/load carrying ability - archetypally, as provided on a touring bike. At the moment all there is is the NWT - expensive, and the Speed TR - not that cheap, well kitted out for touring, but less adaptable for everyday use/ day rides.

rench123

NaH, it'll probably be a prince harry wedding edition for 2013!

Amuro Lee

Source:
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...type=1&theater

Since the first mail out last month we have been contacted by a number of people asking us to tell them what project X is; needless to say, the lips of our design team remain tightly sealed. A large number wondered whether this would be the introduction of the first carbon fibre Brompton. A few weeks ago we asked them whether Project X had anything to do with carbon fibre, their reply was a flat “No.”

They were a bit more forthcoming by the start of this month when Brompton was visited by Mayor of London, Boris Johnson. As part of the factory tour, the Mayor was lucky enough to be given a demonstration of Project X by Will Butler-Adams, Managing Director, and Will Carleysmith, Head of Design. A keen bike rider himself, Boris was clearly impressed, so much so, that by the end of the demonstration he remarked:

“I tell you what, when that’s released, I want to be the first to have one”.

14R 

"A keen bike rider himself, Boris was clearly impressed(...)"

I don't see bike riders impressed with electric versions on bikes. I really hope it is not an electric version.

jerrysimon

Whether this is electric assist or not an electric assist Brompton IS in the pipe line.



Posted on the Institute of Mechanical Engineers web site last month. See 4:20 and the reference to working on electric propulsion.

For some of us (like myself) who already have DIY electrically assisted Bromptons, it has transformed our commuting pattern. I have have cycled to work most days in the last 18 months and covered 1800 miles. Given my medical condition that would never have been possible before, when I used my car every day!

When they bring out this model it will sell like hot cakes.

Regards

Jerry

chagzuki

I'm a rubbish cyclist. I've got puny legs and I get tired quickly. I think electric assist would suit me well.

In London it'd provide the best of both worlds as one would still have access to cycle paths / canal paths.

But given that I've never used such a system I'm not sure how it works in practical terms. . . I mean, if you're being propelled by the front wheel and suddenly you need to brake, how does that work? Hang on, I guess the hub would have it's own internal brake that disengages the motor?

fietsbob

Regenerative braking can be a motor feature.
in braking, the motor becomes a generator,
and puts the kinetic energy stored in motion, then released
in stopping, into a charging current in the battery.

jefmcg

Seriously, this is a pretty transparent (but I guess successful) attempt at creating a viral buzz. Giving the impression that the author doesn't know what project X is, yet they showed it to Boris Johnson, who is - to put it mildly - not the soul of discretion

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ukne...in-quotes.html

Edit: or maybe not that successful. Only 2 likes in facebook? I see more love for friends photos of "my fur babies snuggling"

jur

vik tried an electric tikit, and he liked it. (He is a keen rider as well. )

jur

Seeing that there is evidence of an electric motor in their drawing animations, it is a given that they are developing an electric assist. It may be that is not X but likely it is.

I expect they are looking to integrate the electric control really well. And the animation showed planetary gears inside, it may be an electric 3-speed. The battery is always the bugbear so I expect they are looking at a nicely integrated battery that does not weigh the earth.

gringo_gus

Its a step away for the cycling purists like me, but on the other hand, if its done well it could make a big big dent in the way people do their personal travel, and be a force for the good.

ddez

Notice in the picture the mayor is holding something in his hand blocked out by a top secret (in red)sign. Ill stick to my previous guess. A multi speed hub similar to Rolhoff. That would be really big. In fact i might be convinced to convert my much loved s/s S1E over if that was the case. Straight bolt in,i like the idea.

chagzuki

Maybe that's how small the new brompton folds. Palm-sized.

jur

Nah, not a multi-speed hub. The companies doing geared hubs are few and far between, because this is a risky area to get reliable. Even SA stumbled with their 1st 8sp hub. It is also completely away from Brompton's core business area. The BWR hub is also a special by SA. I think we can safely leave out any multi-speed hub guesses developed by Brompton for those reasons. I suppose the same may be said about electric motor hubs, but there is scope for improving those hubs for small wheels and reducing weight.

Amuro Lee

This one?


A top secret weapon of the US Lavy?

Amuro Lee

INSTALMENT THREE

Hi,

As progress on Project X continues apace we thought it would be a good opportunity to discuss the considerations of Will and the design team as they develop a new product:

Weight
The Brompton has always been designed to be light enough to be genuinely portable. In any case where the total weight of the bike would increase, there has to be a very strong argument for improving the performance or function of the bike. Our designers are always striving to reduce the weight without compromising strength or durability (the lightest spec of Brompton, an S1E-X, currently comes in at 9.0kg).
Project X will be the lightest product of its kind, yet it will out-perform all its competitors.



Brompton S1E-X


Brompton Pentaclip

Size
Along with weight, another key criterion the design team considers with any improvement is whether it will increase the size of the folded package. Brompton bikes are renowned for their compact fold; this makes them easy to slot into luggage racks on trains, under the desk at work, in a late night cab, indeed anywhere where space is at a premium. One rarely (if ever) needs to lock up a Brompton outside; you can pretty much always take it with you. Project X will not, in any way, increase the size of the folded Brompton package.

Originality
Ever since Andrew Ritchie built the first prototype, the Brompton way has been to never adhere to convention. Each product is carefully thought out and designed with the user in mind. This can often mean taking a totally new approach but the end result is a well thought-out product that offers a new and improved take on what has gone before.

Functionality & Durability
A Brompton should be accessible to as many people as possible. This means that any improvements are also user-friendly and intuitive. It is for this reason that products such as the Pentaclip (the connector between the seat post and the saddle) were introduced; it offers an unlimited range of positions and angles for any rail saddle (including the Brompton standard saddle) so it can be adjusted to the preference of each individual. A Brompton is also built to last. The bike, components and accessories are designed with long-term, rigorous use in mind. A large number of parts are fatigue-tested to destruction to ensure no part on the bike is unable to stand up to the conditions of everyday use. All new products and improvements have to be able to stand the test of time and, where possible, must be retro-fittable to bikes already in use.

By the time Project X goes on general release, it will have undergone thorough testing both in the workshop and the field. Its initial launch will be limited to a few hundred exemplars in a unique colour before it becomes available as a B-spoke option widely available to consumers; the retrofit option will follow a year later.

Until next time,


The Brompton team

alhedges

Until I got this latest e-mail, I subscribed to the 20" folder theory. But I don't think that can be correct anymore - it would increase the size of the folded package. And I don't think it could be retrofit.

So now I'm not sure what it could be.

14R 

Highlights: Project X will be the lightest product of its kind, yet it will out-perform all its competitors. Retrofit option will follow a year later.

Good thing I don't have to sell my Brompton to get the benefits of Project X!

chagzuki

So when they say the folded size won't be any larger than it currently is, is that to say that when the battery pack is detached it's no larger or that they've found space for a battery somewhere on the frame without adding to it's folded volume?

bendembroski

My guess is the battery pack will be in a new bag where the connection to the power cables are integrated into the carrier block.

chagzuki

Wow, smart idea.

jur

So, expanding on the assumption of an electric drive, coupled with the main points:

1. Weight: IE IF weight increases, THEN function must be better. Electric drive: Tick. Electric drive: lighter yet better (more efficient? longer mileage?) with Li-ion battery. Putting the battery in the front bag as an integrated panel of the bag such as inside the frame (framed by the frame, not inside the tubing), and combining the mounting luggage block with the electrical contacts (smart idea ben) . Tick

2. Size: With a flat Li-ion battery inside the front luggage frame, or framed in the rear carrier, no effect on the function or folded size. Tick.

3. Originality: Instead of a wart battery (eg Bionix wart), it will be nicely integrated with existing optional structures. Originality: Tick.

4. Retro-fit: New front wheel with electric motor. Battery integrated with luggage options. That leaves the user interface, ie throttle or control. Current electric bike throttles are rather clumsy, intrusive add-ons. I would guess there will be no conventional throttle; instead a cadence sensor will apply or disable the motor. Make this a wireless cadence sensor, with the control electronics also inside the luggage option, next to the battery. No messy wires to be routed all over the bike, just a neat luggage block connector. Tick.

Silverexpress

Brompton folding helmet!

JimBeans83

Battery in the big front top tube _would_ be ideal - the space is open from the hinge, you can get three 18650 cells (laptop common cells) inside that internal diameter, long enough until head tube to have 5 lengths, so 15 2600 mAh 18650 cells gives 5 Ah @ ~36V. 750 grams weight if each cell 50g.

Some other bikes are using 250w 36V motors, so this config would only give 1 hour or so of ride time with 50/50 pedal assist. Think this means not enough space in the open tube, though that would be the perfect place to put the batteries.

A well molded LiPo pack could double this power, which could make the design feasible. 2 hours of pedal assist or 1 hour full drive well targets their commuter market, yes?

chagzuki

Has anyone posted this link yet?:

https://www.cyclingmadeeasy.co.uk/blo...jonathon-monk/

So there's no doubt as to what the product is.

Curious about the mention of a brake lever re-design; it's entirely necessary.