Prototype 20" Brompton

[berlinonaut]

View attachment 710499
£480 premium for the Grilled Bear C-line explore, the backpack costs £180?

First things first: Obviously you should compare list prices, not street prices. As to my knowledge there is no public price list the best option is to use Brompton's own webstore for getting list prices. There you see:

So the price difference is not GBP480 but "just" a freaking GBP400. The seller you choose seems to sell "ordinary" c-Lines cheaper than list but not special editions. Maybe it is just the "Bumblebee" color - it was a seasonal color for 2023 that did not seem sell too well, they are still widely available and often a bit discounted.

So, where do the GBP 400 come from - or in other words: What are the differences between the two bikes?

Looking at the spec and pics:

- Backpack for the carrier block vs. none - GBP180
- small pouch for the seat post vs. none - no idea, seems not to be available separately, maybe GBP40?
- Brooks C17 vs. standard Brompton saddle - GBP115
- Tanwall racers vs. black ones - GPB 48 per tyre *2 = GBP96

in total this would add up to GBP431. Substract a little bit for not having the standard black racers and the standard saddle you end up with the GBP400 they charge over the standard C-Line explore.

Exactly the same as with every single special edition until now. It is not that I would consider the special edition to be good value, I do not even like this special edition. But the mechanics for the pricing seem to be the same as with every special edition until now:
Take the base price of the model and add the end-user list price of the extra bits to it, as if you would buy them separately. Possibly (not always) substract a little bit for components that have been replaced with the special ones and there you are.

So one may like the special editions or not or one may accept the surcharge for the extra bits or not - it is (once more) obvious that Brompton does not charge

a silly price premium

for a paint job.

 

[Origamist]

I know the new model name as well, but was sworn to secrecy after a pinky swear

Will the new 20" model be released next year, that I don't know for sure, but that is the plan. But you know what they say about plans...We might just get an announcement.

As someone on Reddit has recently outed the new model name, the 20" variant is the G-Line.

 

[cheys03]

As someone on Reddit has recently outed the new model name, the 20" variant is the G-Line.

G for Gravel, presumably 😆

 

[berlinonaut]

the 20" variant is the G-Line.

G for Gravel, presumably 😆

Or G for Giant.

 

[shingwell]

It's a Brompton, it'll be G for Great

 

[Tenkaykev]

Ginormous?

 

[Origamist]

The announcement of the G-Line is imminent. I'd expect something to be flagged at Eurobike. Q4 looking likely for release.

 

[Origamist]

Brompton website getting prepped for the G Line. I'll be an early adopter of this model.

 

[Kell]

I would have sworn I saw that original model (in the first post) on the road a few weeks back.

But it was one of those 'in the distance, could it be...' type things.

Be interesting to see if it does land as I was toying with a 12-speed a month or so ago. Would definitely wait if this gets confirmed.

 

[Origamist]

Here's an electric G Line in the flesh:

 

[tinywheels]

I'm toying with a kinetics allfine upgrade.
Now I have to wait and see wut Brompton produce.

 

[Milkfloat]

I am waiting on the spec of the G and of course the price. It seems that mid-September will be some announcements and bikes available from mid October.
I am not sure how well it will do, there seems to be a pent up demand for it amongst some people, but with demand falling for new bikes in general I think it will need to be priced well. Obviously, the folded size will also be key.

 

[Fastpedaller]

I am waiting on the spec of the G and of course the price. It seems that mid-September will be some announcements and bikes available from mid October.
I am not sure how well it will do, there seems to be a pent up demand for it amongst some people, but with demand falling for new bikes in general I think it will need to be priced well. Obviously, the folded size will also be key.

And the fold size will undoubtedly be larger than the present Brompton

 

[a.twiddler]

The fold size is the Brompton selling point. Unless Brompton have found a way round the laws of physics it will be a tough job convincing buyers to pay more for a 20" version. In the Brompton universe, surely less is more, and more is less.

 

[404 Not Found Anywhere]

Maybe it will have folding wheels. Don’t laugh, it has been done before…