Brompton enters the gravel market: New G Line with larger wheels and improved brakes

The British bicycle manufacturer Brompton, known for its foldable bicycles, is expanding its portfolio towards "gravel biking" and is launching a model with larger wheels and more powerful brakes for the first time. The new G Line, available from October 7th, marks a significant departure from the previous 16-inch wheels that have been standard since the company's founding in 1975. The new model will remain foldable but will feature 20-inch wheels and hydraulic disc brakes. A purely pedal-powered model will cost around £2,500 and will offer various optional extras like mudguards, lights, and a luggage rack. This model will have eight gears in the rear hub gear system. An electrically assisted version of the G Line will be available with four gears and will cost £3,499. CEO Will Butler-Adams stated that the company began developing the new design three years ago because the managers themselves wanted to ride such a bike. "We wanted to create something that allows people to go further," he said. The designers concluded that the new machine needs greater stability than a traditional Brompton to handle uneven terrain. "We have changed a lot of fundamental design principles to make the machine as capable as possible," added Butler-Adams. The G Line weighs at least 13.9 kg, compared to 11.35 kg for the standard C Line model, and takes up more space when folded than the traditional version. Gravel bikes with wider tires and powerful brakes are among the few growth areas in the generally declining market for purely mechanical bicycles. According to the Bicycle Association of Great Britain, sales of gravel bikes increased by 11 percent in 2023, while the overall market for mechanical bicycles fell by 5 percent. Since small wheels respond more sensitively to uneven surfaces and are more likely to get caught in holes than larger ones, the new model promises better off-road capability. Brompton, a privately held company, did not want to provide sales forecasts for the G Line. However, the company sold a total of 91,785 bicycles in the year up to March 2023, a decrease of 1.8 percent compared to the previous year. While other bicycle manufacturers in the United Kingdom design and market their products, production mostly takes place abroad, predominantly in Taiwan. Brompton, however, continues to manufacture all its bicycles at its factory in Greenford, West London. Carlton Reid, a writer on cycling topics, described the G Line as a competitor to other foldable bicycles with 20-inch wheels, a market segment dominated by machines from the Taiwanese company Tern Bicycles. He expressed doubts about a large market for such a bicycle but suggested that the electric version might be more attractive. "I would guess that the electric variant will be more of a market mover," said Reid. Butler-Adams emphasized that the new model serves a different role than the existing 16-inch Brompton: "It is not as compact and not as light," he said. "But it has serious capabilities that allow you to do more with it.