City cycling has changed a lot since Brompton first started cobbling folding bikes in London. Not only is there more traffic than ever but train rules are stricter, plus e-bikes have gone from novelty to normal.
The catch has always been weight. Most electrics are a pleasure to ride but a pain to carry, especially up some stairs or onto a packed carriage. Brompton’s answer has always been to make the whole thing lighter and smarter, without losing that fold-and-go routine it's known for.
With that, the brand has just announced an all-new electric range, which sports the company’s lightest folding e-bike to date - the Electric T Line. What makes this bike special is it's the first time Brompton has brought electric assist to its titanium platform - a feature that means the bike weighs just 14.1 kg with the battery included (or 11.2 kg without).
Lighter, smarter, safer
Brompton's new titanium electric range is powered by the firm's e-Motiq system, hand-built in London and already proven on the bigger-wheeled Electric G Line.
With the bike, you get a custom rear hub motor rated at 250 W, with torque tuned by model, and a detachable 345 Wh battery for up to 90 km of claimed range. There’s a new handlebar controller for assistance and lights, too, alongside pairing options with the Brompton Electric app for smart range predictions and over-the-air updates. What's really cool about this system, though, is that it learns how you ride during the first 100 km, then refines its estimates every few kilometres after that.
Day to day, Brompton says the bike is built for stop-start city life. A Start Assist feature gives you a nudge off the lights or onto a climb, while Walk Assist will drive the motor up to 6 km/h while you push, which will prove handy for station ramps.
When it comes to the folding mechanism, Brompton claims it will still take under 20 seconds to fold the bike from ride to carry, and then there's a SuperRoll+ setup, which makes it easier to tow or wheel indoors.
Where and when to buy
E-Motiq is not just for the T Line. Brompton is rolling it across the C Line and P Line as well, broadening the range beyond the titanium bike.
Pre-orders for all lines open across Europe on 21 October at Brompton.com and Brompton Junction stores, with general sale from 28 October at selected accredited retailers.
There is also a wider choice of frame finishes and a new run of luggage designed for the electric models, the brand has said.
Hot on the wheels
The announcement comes just weeks after Brompton celebrated 50 years of its iconic folding bikes, releasing a special 1975 Edition version to mark the occasion.
As Brompton's CEO Will Butler-Adams put it, the new bicycle was designed as a "thank-you" to the company's "makers and dreamers."
The limited-run bike, with only 1,975 units available worldwide, is a nod to the company's past, particularly to the skilled workers who have been handcrafting every frame at the London factory since its inception.
The 1975 Edition is available at Brompton, in-store, and at selected Brompton Accredited Retailers.
