The Brompton

Engineering for Change

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Pub Date 20 Dec 2022 | Archive Date 20 Dec 2022

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Description

The story of how Brompton, the iconic folding bicycle that you can take anywhere—and that can take you anywhere—grew from a small cult bike company to a multimillion-dollar business

Lightweight, compact, distinctively styled, and now, electric: The Brompton isn't the only folding bicycle—or even the first. But everyone who has been on one will enthusiastically testify to its marvelous design (virtually unchanged over decades) and the particular joy of riding it. 

Will Butler-Adams, CEO of Brompton Bicycles, has been at the company for twenty years. Initially, he worked as an engineer for Andrew Ritchie, the bike's brilliant inventor and the business's founder, before taking the helm in 2008. Butler-Adams's heartfelt mission is to grow and promote sustainable urban transportation and to improve city-dwellers' lives everywhere. 

Under his leadership, Brompton has grown from making a few hundred bikes a year to over 90,000, with revenue of $130 million. But progress hasn't always been easy: There have been boardroom struggles, supply-chain problems, and conflicts with founder Andrew Ritchie. In The Brompton, Butler-Adams brings to life what it means to grow a company to global scale. He also tells the stories of the people who make the Brompton and the people who ride it. And he explains how customers all around the world fell in love with a brand that never set out to be a brand.
 
The story of how Brompton, the iconic folding bicycle that you can take anywhere—and that can take you anywhere—grew from a small cult bike company to a multimillion-dollar business

Lightweight...

Available Editions

EDITION Other Format
ISBN 9781615199563
PRICE $30.00 (USD)
PAGES 288

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Average rating from 3 members


Featured Reviews

One of my kids bought a Brompton bike. It took a while to arrive but it was well worth the wait. I was amazed by its incredibly intricate,clever, puzzle like, design. Take a look at the cover to get an idea of what I mean. This bike folds in the most ingenious and useful way.

When the opportunity came to find out more about the company and its bikes, I eagerly requested an e galley. I came away so impressed by what Brompton does, why they do it and how they do it.

The book is divided into three sections; they are Making Bikes, Building a Company, and Changing the World. It was interesting to get insights into the Brompton’s way of making bikes and their mission. They have created a product that lets folks take their bike most anywhere. Surely, as we think about the environment, they are to be applauded for a good contribution to getting places easily and without polluting.

This book will be enjoyed by both bicyclists and environmentalists. Engineers and business students may also find this title to be of interest.

Many thanks to NetGalley and The Experiment for this title. All opinions are my own.

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I got an advanced digital galley of this book via Netgalley. I must admit that I am not an avid cycler nor did I know about the folding cycle - The Brompton, which the book is about.

However, I enjoyed reading the book as much as any other biography. Though the flow of the book is not linear, I liked the way the authors have weaved the stories in such a way that it is logical in its own way. The story of this unique company and the product it brings to market provides us with a lot of lessons in terms of how to run a company (any one, not just a manufacturing operation).

At the end of the book, I feel like I need to buy a Brompton myself. That is a testament to the great storytelling by the authors in the book. Overall, you will love the book if you use a Brompton and you will want to use one, if you like the book.

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