There is no mystique to the Brompton. Like Bike Friday in Oregon, Brompton makes very good quality bikes for their purpose. Their brand is not purely based on mystique and 'made in Britain'. For example wealthier Asians in Singapore, Taiwan & South Korea appreciate its quality and fold. They don't just buy into British mystique, I'll give them far more credit than that. Their are some great inventors and designers in this country and I'd include Alex Moulton, Andrew Ritchie, Mark Sanders and James Dyson as just a few examples. A brand needs more than mystique to grow at 25-30% per year! And While I'm happy to buy a British product, I did not spend £750 on my original Brommie merely because it was made here! People buy it because of its fold, acceptably good ride and reliability. It's a great commuting bike, especially in urban areas and it has a payback. One can argue about some components being better or improved but the core frame and components are very durable. I have used the analogy of an IBM laptop keyboard. After decades it still has the best ergnomics on the market so why change it to a chiclet keyboard?

Dahon are entilted to benchmark the Brompton, it is nt a carbon copy like the Merc. I think the chain on the outside and Dahon Steve's points above sum up the shortcomings of a bike that should have promised much more. Dahon have made some very original bikes in their time just maybe too many models, that's all really!