Wayhey – Electric Brompton bicycle coming in 2011

bromptonmain.jpgAs you may have probably guessed we are huge fans of electric bicycles here at Shiny. So I was very excited to read in an interview in Fast Company today that Brompton, manufacturer of those cult fold up bikes, is working on an electric model.

About half way through an interview with the CEO Will Butler-Adams, the writer gets ushered in to the R and D department and this this happens.

‘Parked up there is a black Brompton with a matt metal box attached to the left handlebar. It’s a battery. On the right handlebar is what looks like a plastic sleeve with three LED-illuminated settings. “Try that for size,” says Will. “Crank your right hand and see what happens.” I set off around the estate. As I turn the corner into the next plot, I twist the plastic sleeve and almost go into the back of a Mercedes truck.

It sure is poky. Let me repeat that. There is a lot of poke in this bike. This is a prototype for Brompton’s electric bike, which should be coming out some time in 2011. This is not its final iteration, as the CEO explains to me something that sounds like the world’s first smart pedal. To sum it up, the amount of pressure you put on the pedal will determine just how much power the bike needs. Now that’s smart.’

So to sum up

1 Electric Brompton due in 2011
2 It has a smart pedal which determines how much power the bike needs
3 I am hugely excited.

Alas there are no pictures or videos of the bicycle yet. So to whet your appetite here’s a video of our old favourite the GoCycle in action along with an interview with the CEO

Ashley Norris

One thought on “Wayhey – Electric Brompton bicycle coming in 2011”

  • Can’t wait to see it! Now that ID Bike oem the ‘TMM Sensor’ strain gauge in the rear dropout, the smart pedal might not be the least complex solution. You can be sure it will be a solid build, though.

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