37-407: The Brompton World Championship is a promotional cycling event for Brompton Bicycle Ltd that has been held in various formats and venues since 2008. The event consists primarily of a criterium race in which all competitors rode Brompton folding bicycles . The race typically features a Le Mans start with the competitors running to their folded bikes and unfolding them before they set off around
74-576: A 26 km untimed ride through the Sussex countryside, open to 300 participants (compulsory for the Brompton Treble entrants), with food and drink and sightseeing options organised en route. There is no dress code. Brompton Treble The 200 participants who compete in all three events are eligible for the Brompton Treble; the male and female competitors with the fastest times from the Sprint and
111-469: A combined rear fold and suspension design. During riding, the main frame and the rear triangle intersect at a rubber block which provides suspension. The suspension block is kept in compression by the rider's weight. There is no suspension for the front wheel, although the titanium forks of the Superlight versions provide a small amount of spring. In 1976 Andrew Ritchie founded the company, named after
148-464: A computer programmer for Elliott Automation which subsequently became part of Marconi . He then spent 5 years as a self-employed landscape gardener . In the mid-1970s his father, a stockbroker, introduced him to Bill Ingram and the Bickerton bike , which in turn triggered his own ideas for a folding bicycle. Ritchie persuaded 10 friends to invest £100 each so that he could build a prototype which
185-410: A record monthly turnover of just under £1 million; the employees were rewarded with fish and chips . In the same month, the company stated that it was hoping to continue a 25% rate of growth; partially enabled by switching to just-in-time stocking for some of the parts being sourced from suppliers, and by having those suppliers hold the stock until it is needed rather than parts living for periods at
222-448: Is 349 mm (13.7 in), carrying tyres with 16″ tread diameter. The handlebars and some peripheral components are aluminium. A Brompton bicycle uses over 1,200 individual pieces, many of which are specific to Brompton. As of 2024 the combinations allow one-, two-, three-, four-(P and T line versions), six-speed or twelve gearing options to be factory-fitted, with higher or lower gearing available as an option. The Brompton uses
259-589: The Brompton Oratory , a landmark visible from his bedroom workshop where the first prototypes were built. At the time he was working as a gardener. Ritchie obtained backing from friends and sought to license the design, but after five years began manufacturing the bicycle design himself. Production ground to a halt in 1982 after which Ritchie continued to explore possibilities for continued manufacturing whilst undertaking other jobs. Finally in 1986, again with backing from friends and former customers, enough
296-946: The COVID-19 pandemic . When RideLondon returned in 2022 the BWC was absent. The Brompton World Championship race resumed with the first event since the pandemic held in Singapore in October 2022 as part of the Tour De France Prudential Singapore Criterium. In 2013 and 2014 the Brompton World Championship took place in the Goodwood Motor Circuit , as part of the wider Orbital Festival cycling exposition. It features three main events, with separate prizes for
333-528: The 2003 Eurobike trade show, Neobike exhibited their—now unsanctioned—clone of the Brompton, offering it to potential dealers within Europe. Neobike-produced copies of the Brompton bicycle were then imported into The Netherlands branded as the "Scoop One" and "Astra Flex V3". Later, Neobike's interests in its copy-bicycle business were transferred to an entity called Grace Gallant Enterprises, for sale under
370-526: The 30. After 18 months, the bikes were delivered – and all 50 were sold. In the early 1980s, Ritchie raised £8,000 from shareholders, and made 500 bikes over 2 years. 'It was jolly hard work, there was me and one employee, who was doing all the brazing. It was hopelessly inefficient, but it broke even. So I thought I ought to try to raise some venture capital and get the thing going properly. My timing couldn't have been worse. The bicycle business in Britain
407-605: The BWC was merged with the Orbital Festival and moved to the Goodwood Motor Circuit in Chichester, West Sussex. In 2014 the Orbital Festival was cancelled at late notice but the BWC went ahead at the same venue. In 2015 the event moved to central London and became part of the Prudential RideLondon cycling festival, taking place annually until 2019. The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled due to
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#1732791694845444-587: The Brompton World Championship races Brompton Bicycle Brompton Bicycle Limited , trading as Brompton , is a British manufacturer of folding bicycles based in Greenford , London. The Brompton folding bicycle and accessories are the company's core product, noted for its self-supporting compact size when stored. All available models of the folding bicycle are based on the same hinged frame and 16-inch (35×349 mm) tyre size . Components are added, removed, or replaced by titanium parts to form
481-577: The Brompton case this included the M-style handlebars, curved main frame tube and the cable-placement. Each of these were noted to be distinctive design decisions that another manufacturer could change without compromising the ability to create a functional folding bicycle. Such a level of perceived similarity was therefore likely to cause "confusion in the market" under the Dutch copyright law , Article 13. Neobike did not choose to appeal and Brompton Bicycle
518-669: The Brompton factory. The company was awarded The Queen's Award for Export in 1995. In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 21 April 2010, the company was awarded two Queen's Awards for Enterprise , in the Innovation and International Trade categories. This was the second time Brompton had won the International Trade Award, they first received it in 1995. It is very rare for a company to receive two of these awards in one year. Will Butler-Adams , Managing Director,
555-592: The East Asia market under the Flamingo and MIT brand names. Later iterations of the clones had their frames made of aluminium, rather than the steel frame of the originals. Following the expiry of the Brompton patent, Brompton Bicycle's legal actions against Neobike/Grace Gallant have all been brought on the basis of copyright - and industrial design-law . A court case was held at the Groningen civil court in
592-594: The Netherlands on 24 May 2006, which ruled that the industrial design of the Brompton folding bicycle was protected by copyright. Additionally, the Neobike-provided manual had included direct copies of those drawings found in the Brompton user manual. The Brompton Bicycle Limited v Rijwielbedrijf Vincent Van Ellen BV ruling held that there was creative flexibility in the design for a bicycle beyond those choices made purely for functional reasons; in
629-564: The Netherlands, America, Germany, Japan and Scandinavia. A Cambridge engineering graduate, Ritchie was working as a landscape gardener in London when, in 1976, he conceived the idea for a folding bike, which he subsequently named after the Brompton Oratory . His design won the 'Best Product' award against an international field at the Cyclex exhibition in April 1987. After devoting his life to
666-675: The World Championship, together with successful completion of the Marathon, will be the Brompton Treble Champions. Since 2010 many countries around the globe have held their own Brompton National Championships featuring comparative events, with the winners invited to participate in the World Championships every summer. The list of countries that have held National Championships:: Results of
703-555: The aggregated time of the team's top three finishers. There is also a prize awarded to the ‘Best Dressed’ male and female competitors. Brompton Sprint Only open to the 200 participants who have registered for the Brompton Treble, the Brompton Sprint consists of a 500m sprint organised in heats of 12 entrants before the final. There is no dress code and prizes are awarded to the fastest male, female, junior and veteran competitors. Brompton Marathon The Marathon consists of
740-520: The brand "Flamingo". Between 2004 and 2010, several batches of copies were imported into the European market: into the United Kingdom under the name "Merc", into Belgium, and into Spain as the " Nishiki Oxford". Taiwanese-manufactured clones bear the model numbers FL-BP01-3/FL-BP01-7 standing for Flamingo, "Best Persuader", 3-speed/7-speed. As of 2014, Grace-Galant continue to make clones for
777-591: The category winners in each event and then the grand prize for the overall victor of the Treble. 800 entrants were expected in 2014. The Championship consists of a Le Mans style sprint start to the folded bikes before completing 4 laps – over 15 km – of the circuit. Prizes are awarded to the three fastest male and female competitors, as well as the male and female Junior (between 12 and 18 years of age) and Veteran (over 50 years of age) winners. Teams of between 3 and 5 members are permitted and are placed according to
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#1732791694845814-439: The company properly in 1986, and he eventually secured £100,000 to set up a better-equipped factory under a Brentford railway arch in 1987. It had taken five years to secure the capital. Private backing allowed me to be a perfectionist. In a way, I'm glad we didn't get a licensing deal with Raleigh. I'm not sure that the business would have survived. The bike probably would have been dumbed down and cheapened. Volume production
851-552: The development and manufacture of the bike, he began to step back from the day-to-day running of the company in 2005, reduced his shareholding, and now acts as Technical Director. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours for services to Business and to International Trade. After graduating in engineering from Trinity College , Cambridge , in 1968, Ritchie worked as
888-403: The early 2000s, including Will Butler-Adams who became managing director and, with new investors, purchased half of Ritchie's 50% shareholding. "It has paid dividends, I'm not a model businessman. My strength is my eye for detail and an obsession with getting things right but I'm weak in other areas. I would have been happy with the 10%-a-year growth we were seeing but Will recognised that there
925-645: The franchise contract had been "under review", there having been quality issues with the Asian-built Brompton bicycles. Euro-Tai and Neobike failed to return the Brompton-specific tooling loaned by Brompton Bicycle. One week later after the expiration of the official licensing agreement Euro-Tai sold its controlling stake in Neobike to YTE Manufacturing, an aluminium supplier that was already involved with producing frames for Neobike. At
962-620: The largest bicycle manufacturer in the UK. In 1995 he received the Queen's Award for Export and in 2009 the Prince Philip Designers Prize . In the Queen's Birthday Honours of 21 April 2010, the company was awarded two Queen's Awards for Enterprise – in the Innovation and International Trade categories. [1] Brompton has now produced well over 1.100,000 bicycles and in 2008 achieved 25,000 units for export to markets such as
999-508: The many variations. The modular design has remained fundamentally unchanged since the original patent was filed by Andrew Ritchie in 1979, with small details being refined by continual improvement. Ritchie was awarded the 2009 Prince Philip Designers Prize for work on the bicycle. Brompton is the largest volume bicycle manufacturer in Britain, producing approximately 50,000 bicycles each year. The company's bicycles are also available for hire. All Brompton folding bicycle models share
1036-417: The same curved frame, consisting of a hinged main tube, pivoting rear triangle, fork, and hinged handle-bar stem. The main tube and stem are made of steel in most models. The rear triangle and fork are either steel or titanium, depending on model. The T line introduced in 2022 has an all-titanium frame and other lightweight components. Steel sections are joined by brazing rather than welding. Wheel rim size
1073-550: The termination of the earlier Eurotai/Neobike franchise agreement. Many reviews of Brompton folding bicycles are favourable. 51°29′27″N 0°17′35″W / 51.4907°N 0.2931°W / 51.4907; -0.2931 Andrew Ritchie (Brompton) Andrew Ritchie MBE (born circa 1947) is the inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle , and has guided the Brompton Bicycle company to become
1110-519: The track. Riders are required to dress in business wear instead of standard bicycle clothing. The first Brompton World Championship, the inspiration of Koos Kroon, Brompton's Spanish distributor, was held on April 8, 2006 in Barcelona, Spain. The second BWC on March 17, 2007, was also in Barcelona. The race relocated to England in 2008 and was held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. In 2013
1147-532: Was awarded Order of the British Empire in 2015. In July 2015 a plan to move the company from Brentford to nearby Greenford was reported. In February 2022 another move, from Greenford to Ashford, Kent was announced. In 1992, Brompton agreed with Euro-Tai in Taiwan to allow the manufacture of a licensed copy of the Brompton bicycle for distribution in Eastern Asia. A joint venture company called Neobike
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1184-611: Was completed one year later. '[the first prototype] was ride-able and it worked, but it is something I'm deeply ashamed of as a piece of engineering.' Two more prototypes were built in the bedroom of his flat overlooking Brompton Oratory in South Kensington , London – hence the bike's name. After failing to license the design to Raleigh Bicycle Company he managed to sell 30 bicycles to order for £250 each in advance. Convinced that there had to be at least another 20 people willing to buy one, he produced 50 rather than just
1221-663: Was difficult and demand outstripped the factory's capacity, so it expanded into a second railway arch in 1994 and again in 1998 into the Chiswick premises it occupied until moving to Greenford in 2016. I have worked bloody hard. I've remained single. I haven't had a family – this is my family in a sense. I went through years in the doldrums as a thoroughly unmarriable chap – no income at all and obsessed with his project. […] I'm craving more time – to travel, play tennis, garden, and just be. I hardly know my own house. Andrew Ritchie, 2005, Ritchie has recruited new management since
1258-462: Was granted the right to have all of the imported bicycles destroyed with an injunction against future imports by Neobike's distributors. In June 2010, Brompton Bicycle gained a further injunction against the import of the unlicensed copy Brompton models into Spain, this time under the name "Nishiki Oxford Bicycle". The case was decided on the basis that Grace Gallant predecessors' had not returned all of Brompton Bicycle Ltd's drawing and toolings upon
1295-581: Was in decline. I never came across as a natural entrepreneur, and they're pretty wary of the inventor setting himself up as an entrepreneur as well. So that came to nought. Ritchie received private funding of £40,000 from Julian Vereker , founder of Naim Audio and a yacht manufacturer, who had originally bought two Bromptons after a chance discussion about 'folding bicycles' whilst on one of his yachts in Cherbourg in 1982. An additional £10,000 equity raised from friends, relatives and Brompton owners launched
1332-587: Was raised to resume production on a larger scale. With a bank loan underwritten by Julian Vereker (founder of Naim Audio ), production was restarted in a railway arch in Brentford . By early 1988, mass-production Brompton bicycles were once again in circulation. From 2002, when Will Butler-Adams joined the firm (he became Managing Director in 2008), to 2013, production increased from 6,000 to approximately 40,000 bikes per year. The workforce increased from 24 to 190. In March 2009, Brompton Bicycle achieved
1369-658: Was then established to manufacture them. Brompton Bicycle in the United Kingdom would loan tools and drawings, and be paid on a per-unit royalty basis. By mid-1992, Neobike had recruited three senior research and development employees from Dahon , another folding bicycle company, and had started to produce other designs and copies in addition to the official Brompton design. Brompton's licensing contract with Euro-Tai/Neobike lasted approximately ten years until it expired on 31 December 2002. By this time, five senior Neobike employees had been convicted and jailed for stealing trade secrets from Dahon and Ritchie had previously stated that
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