https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNZR4zqC450

How about settling down and enjoying a short video on the Brompton and it's unique properties.

Electric propulsion, eh?

I guess you have to have a double-barreled surname to be high up in the Brompton company. Given that so little has changed about the bike for so long I wonder what the 'head designer' actually does. . . unless his job is more to do with streamlining manufacturing than designing.

Perhaps he's Mr Electric Propulsion.

I see Peter from NYCE wheels in that video... perhaps the next "big thing" that Brompton is coming out with is similar to this:

they had a smart pedal that can measure effort

Looks like they are spending the bucks needed to develop & execute a marketing plan to sell to more than just Brits. Cool.

Lou

Looks like a motor (or generator)

People have been using an electric front wheel on the Brompton for about 5 years maybe more! Regardless, I'm glad Brompton is still trying to innovate but it's going in the wrong direction! They need a larger frame for those 5'11 and above. I'm sure taller folks would be willing to sacrifice a larger bike for a better fit!

I do think adding an electric motor is a contradiction in a way to their simple model. In fact, electric bikes suffer more broken spokes, hubs, forks, batteries, controllers etc! Maybe Brompon should just widen the rear triangle for the polished Nexus 8.

I do have a Brompton and yes it is a 3 speed!

A Brompton has 1200 component parts that are defined by 120,000 drawings? (@ 2:46 in the video) There are 100 unique, current drawings for every part? I've been in mechanical design engineering and worked in factory production for over 30 years and even allowing for assembly drawings I've never heard of anything so bizarre.

I'd be satisfied with Brompton merely improving the ergonomics and rigidity of the bike, plus improving stock components such as brake levers. Which are very badly designed and un-ergonomic. There's a distinct lack of design in a lot of areas (despite the core design being 30 years old). The head tube/stem area needs improving with regards to flex. Also the upsweep of the M bar is needlessly extreme and the space available for grip/levers/shifters too small. Though that could largely be fixed with a brake lever redesign. The brake lever / M bar combination is somewhat absurd in design terms.

I can appreciate some parts having many defining drawings... not sure what the chap meant, perhaps he meant every angle shown as a drawing. Then parts which get made in several stages will have quite a lot of drawings, showing the details of each stage.

No complaints regarding my M6R. It is perfect for the intended purpose for which I bought it, which is, short range commuting, ability to wheel it a couple of hundred meters to get it to my office, folding neatly under my desk. It is also great for pootling around the park. If I wanted to hammer with a group, do centuries, climb up 10 plus degree grades out of the saddle, I use my road bikes... horses for courses.

If Brompton produced a model designed from the frame out for a bottom bracket electric motor, that would fulfill a long-standing fantasy. Clip on front luggage with battery, start pedaling, and shoot straight up Nob Hill.

Yes, I know there are front wheel motors such as the nano. They are only vaguely the same as a bottom bracket motor that turns the cranks.

I actually prefer an electric motor on the front-wheel, preferably easily swappable with a regular wheel. The reason for me is that there are times when I prefer to use the folder without getting all sweaty... such as commuting or running errands on a hot/humid day.