Brompton Bikes

Andrew Ritchie was a young engineer who thrived on solving problems. When he moved to London, he decided there must be a better way of moving around.

In 1975, in the bedroom of his flat overlooking the Brompton Oratory, he invented a bike with an ingenious 3-part fold. A lightweight vehicle that transformed into a small locked package in under 20 seconds. A bike that you could take anywhere. A ‘magic carpet for the city'.

Over the next ten years, Andrew obsessively honed his invention and self-taught bike building skills from a small, rented workshop in a local engineering company - hand-making every customer bike to order.

Yet, despite the demand, Andrew faced endless rejection letters from banks and bike companies to invest. His determination paid off when in 1987, an impressed Brompton owner and founder of Naim Audio, Julian Vereker, stepped in. After persuading Andrew to participate in the Cyclex Bike Show at Olympia, London, the Brompton folding bike won the coveted Best Product Award.

In 2011, the first Brompton Junction store opened in Kobe, Japan. A space where the curious and existing owners could experience the engineering first-hand with test rides and specialist advice. Today, there are 16 stores in cities across the globe. Which have become hubs for local owners with meetups and rides.