The Brompton: Engineering for Change

by Will Butler-Adams, Dan Davies, Julian Elfer (reader)

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, 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 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.
 

Genres: Business, Nonfiction, Design

Audio CD

Published May 16, 2023

Reviews

[Mukesh Gupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[Tim Gru · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love my Brompton and great to read about a company that cares about it's employees and purpose as well as the quality and durability of the product. Brief but wild take from the CEO was that we should not be investing in public transit but rather divert those funds to cycling infrastructure. Essentially, we could serve more people and have a lower impact for the same $. Could be convinced of a less binary version of this with the scale tipping heavily towards cycling infrastructure, but would need to understand better any potential accessibility concerns. Overall, neat read.

[joyce w. laudon · Rating 4 out of 5]

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.

[David Nash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now I understand.

A truly wonderful book of the company history and evolution by the CEO Will Butler-Adams.
As an engineer with a long career as a leader in software for businesses, it was both familiar to me and also a radical & refreshing departure. I was already in the cult ever since buying my Brommie for my daily commute last year, and am now even more so. This is a book about vision, courage, scaling a small business and ultimately, culture. And, oh yeah, bicycles. An easy, captivating read.
Truly 5-Star.

[Nicky Neko · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm officially a Brompton nerd.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable read. With such a glowing book about the brand I needed to look on the internet to realise there are customers with complaints about quality, customer service or the quality of the ride. To be fair it seemed no worse than other bikes and ride quality could be put down to expectations. Maybe expecting a small wheeled bike to perform like one with 26 inch wheels or where the riders seating position is quite different.
I did also read about profit decline post COVID potentially made worse by cheaper imitations. Only mentioned this due to the authors specifically mentioning these issues in the book.
https://fortune.com/europe/2025/01/03...

Oddly didn't mind the "technical" aspects of putting the bike and business concepts together but mostly enjoyed Part 3, Changing the World. I seem to be one of the few readers who does not own a Brompton but love the concept and the almost cult like following of a quirky, quality device that provides far more positive resuts than negative side effects. I don't know the gender breakdown of commuters, (do some avoid cycling to work because it could mess hair or makeup before an important meeting), but certainly wish the brand a healthy future.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quirky book about a quirky company that makes a quirky bike. As someone who's had a bike stolen outside my office even though it was locked up with a Kryptonite, I now really want to get a Brompton and carry it inside. Also, there was some good advice for leading an organization that cares about innovation, quality, safety, integrity, and improving the world. Having just finished a very theoretical business book about why things go wrong, it was refreshing to hear about people doing good work with a practical concrete thing I can understand.

Quote:
“You build systems rather than solving problems. Design quality in rather than inspecting defects out. And let people come to you with solutions rather than going to them with instructions. Anytime someone asks you what they ought to do, you don’t answer the question. You try to find out why they had to ask.”

[Jerry Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an engineer and Brompton owner I had to pick up this book when visiting the Brompton Junction New York in the Village.

We brought our Bromptons on Cunard Queen Mary 2 and cycled in Arcadia National Park and New York. We can’t wait to travel farther and cycle more.

“If you go into management, thinking that your job is to solve problems, you will retire, unhappy, because every day brings new ones.”

[Alison Carlson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part textbook, part management guide, this books gives a deep dive into the history, philosophy and culture of innovation at Brompton. As a Brompton fanatic, it was fascinating. I now know far more about brazing than I ever thought I would. But what struck me most was the integrity and rigor that goes into every single bike made. It makes me even more proud to be part of the Brompton community.

[Michael Hillman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not so much about the Brompton bike, more about the Brompton philosophy, and how to design, manufacture and sell the Brompton bike. Written by the CEO of Brompton. Inspiring, and makes me proud to be a Brompton rider.

[Antti Tähtinen · Rating 2 out of 5]

“Anybody who rides a bike is a friend of mine.”
- Gary Fisher

[Steve Carleysmith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great review of engineering innovation and transition to lean manufacturing, in the wider context of the development of the Brompton business.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wer die Fahrräder mag und sich für die Probleme während des Wachstums des Unternehmens interessiert, dem wird das Buch gefallen.

[Kitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

kui ma juba ei töötaks Bromptonis, siis pärast selle raamatu läbilugemist ma tahaks töötada. selline toode, selline lugu, sellised inimesed, selline juht. ja minu meelest on raamat nii kirjutatud ja kokku pandud, et võiks küll teistele ka samamoodi mõjuda.

esimene osa räägib jalgrataste ehitamisest - siin on tohutult detaile mehaanikast ja materjalidest ja masinatest ja tootmisliinidest. aga ka inimestest, kes selle kõik välja mõelnud ja siis järjest paremaks ehitanud on. kõlab, nagu võiks see olla igav, aga ei ole üldse - iga peatükki lugesin tohutu põnevusega, et kuhu see kõik välja jõuab (isegi kui ma põhimõtteliselt teadsin, kuhu. siis oli vaja teada saada, kuidas).

teine osa jutustab firma ehitamisest ja juhtimisest. harva suudab mõni CEO oma töö mu jaoks põnevaks rääkida, aga Willil on siin õnnestunud. ega siingi jalgrattamudelitest ja -materjalidest mööda ei pääse, aga väga huvitavalt on juttu ka rahast. ja ikka jälle inimestest ja suhetest.

kolmas osa on maailma muutmisest. väärtustest ja brändist ja sellistest asjadest. tore seegi, aga mu lemmik vist ikka oli esimene osa. ja... ma tahaks nüüd ise ka ühe jalgratta otsast lõpuni kokku panna.

[Carlosfelipe Pardo · Rating 5 out of 5]

It started with tons of technical detail (boring to me) but later goes on to describe everything else and it’s really interesting!