A cheap(er) Brompton

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Pale Rider

Legendary Member
Word reaches me of yet another special edition Brommie.

But this one has something worth having - a lower price.

The Brompton 75 will be a limited edition of 75 bikes priced at £750.

I'm not clear on specs, but I think the headline price will be for a naked bike - no rack or mudguards.

The other downside is the 75 has the previous generation brake levers, and possibly some other previous model year components.

The brakes are a bit of a downer, the curved lever ones never worked very well.

A cynic would suggest Brompton has been raking around its parts inventory, and the 75 is an attempt to clear the factory of bits they will never sell.

On t'other hand, a new Brommie can easily be £1,200, so £750 is attractive for what is essentially the same bicycle.
 

Cycleops

Legendary Member
Location
Accra, Ghana
I'm guessing it's a single speed too. I think Brompton are feeling the heat from the lower end of the market and from market saturation.
At that price the modders could have a field day and end up with a machine to match their individual needs. I'm think of @chriscross1966 here and others.
 

rogerzilla

Legendary Member
They're taking the mickey. Brompton prices have crept up to the common £1000 Cyclescheme limit. What other manufactured goods have doubled in price in 10 years?
 

chriscross1966

Über Member
Location
Swindon
I'm guessing it's a single speed too. I think Brompton are feeling the heat from the lower end of the market and from market saturation.
At that price the modders could have a field day and end up with a machine to match their individual needs. I'm think of @chriscross1966 here and others.
If I was in the market right now it might be interesting... but what would be more interesting would be bare frame kits... does smack rather of clearing out the old bits, the same way the C-spec bikes did for a while.
 

steveindenmark

Legendary Member
They have just released another Special Edition as they have opened another Brompton Junction.

I like my Brompton but I think they are watering down the brand with stunts like this.
 

Tenkaykev

Guru
Location
Poole
I got a second-hand Brompton in September last year and have been really very pleased with it.
As a previous non cyclist the upright position of the M bars suits me.
It allows me to go out on trips with my wife who is an accomplished cyclist.
The engineering is very good but there are little things which could have been done better at little extra cost.
Things like having black fixings to match the components on the black editions ( such as the handlebar fixing bolt, chainwheel guard etc )
I've remedied the above with a replacement bolt and the judicious use of black satin paint, but it's the little thoughtful details that can add to the overall perception of a brand.
Having said that I'd certainly buy one again.
 

Kell

Veteran
I'm afraid it does rather smack of desperation (and them trying to get rid of a load of stock).

Either go the whole hog and recreate the somewhat ungainly looking original (frame included),

1982-production-run-of-400-dscn3981.jpg


or make a homage with modern parts, but the original frame colours (like Land Rover did with the defender).

01_defender_heritage.jpg


(Oh no, that's what they do now anyway.)
 

ukoldschool

Senior Member
They have just released another Special Edition as they have opened another Brompton Junction.

I like my Brompton but I think they are watering down the brand with stunts like this.

I really dont understand your point - you bought a special edition Brompton made only because they opened another Brompton Junction.... :smile: :smile: :smile:
 

ukoldschool

Senior Member
No I bought it because I liked the colour scheme and the spec of the bike.

I wasn't disputing why you had bought it, I was stating the fact of why it was made in the first place, ie for exactly the same reason as you are deriding the current special editions...
 
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rogerzilla

Legendary Member
The engineering isn't even that good. The frame clamps are good and so is the fold, but there are many, many improvements that should have been made years ago and the build quality can be shocking (the wheels on mine were so bad that I pulled them apart and rebuilt them from scratch in the first week) It's a good milk cow of a product, I suppose.
 
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