ActiveCyclingBrompton T Line: how Brompton reinvented its folding bike in titaniumOnly the brakes remain from the old Brompton and the weight is down to just 7.45kgWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
ActiveCyclingBrompton T Line: how Brompton reinvented its folding bike in titaniumOnly the brakes remain from the old Brompton and the weight is down to just 7.45kgWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
Only the brakes remain from the old Brompton and the weight is down to just 7.45kg
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
Imagine a folding bike that weighs just 7.45kg, that you can scoop up with one hand, and balance on a finger. Now meet the Brompton T Line. Using titanium instead of its standard steel, Brompton has gone away and redesigned practically every element of its iconic urban folding bike. Except, of course, the central hinged design. Brompton is adamant it found the perfect folding mechanism almost from the very first prototype of its first ever bike, so don’t expect that to change any time soon. And given the success of its bike, why would it change?
Image1of7(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)
Image1of7(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)
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(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
(Image credit: Brompton)
The main challenge with building the T Line was returning stiffness to the frame that was lost when moving to titanium. To give you an idea of how successful the engineering was, the new bike in its lightest form is 7.45kg. The P Line, whichwasthe lightest Brompton, is 9.65kg… and the ‘standard’ C Line is 2 kilos heavier than that.
At the launch, riders were picking up the T Line and balancing it on one finger, and the ride of it looked nippier than ever. Bromptons are always faster and more fun to ride than they look like they should be, but the T Line seems to take that up a further notch. It will be interesting to see how much flex there is in the frame, and how it differs from standard steel Bromptons.
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The T Line’s titanium elements are forged and welded in Sheffield, Steel City(Image credit: Brompton)
The T Line’s titanium elements are forged and welded in Sheffield, Steel City
The T Line’s titanium elements are forged and welded in Sheffield, Steel City
(Image credit: Brompton)
What makes the titanium T Line tick?
New drivetrain
The ‘entirely new, patent-pending drivetrain’ is designed to sit inside the fold, even on the geared version. Clever design was required to ensure that the T Line Urban could be folded regardless of what gear it is in. The gear ratios were tested in Amsterdam (flat) and San Francisco (madly hilly) and ‘perfected for city roads.’
Allied to this is a new carbon crankset that Brompton says gives greater power transfer.
New seat post
New folding mechanism
Well, notnewnew. It’s still the same mechanism at its core, but there are new, self-aligning hinges, a spring-loaded handlebar catch ‘that effortlessly clicks’ and the carbon saddle also has a new handle built into it. The result is a bike that is faster to fold than ever – not that previous Bromptons were exactly slovenly in this department.
Now that’s a crisp action(Image credit: Brompton)
Now that’s a crisp action
Now that’s a crisp action
(Image credit: Brompton)
The little wheels that sit at the back and let you roll the bike along when folded are also of a larger diameter, which should make it easier to navigate on crappier surfaces.
New ride feel
Brompton has plumped up the dynamics of the T Line, with carbon cranks and a cast titanium bottom bracket, ‘for a faster ride.’ Titanium’s natural shock-absorbing properties should also make for a smoother ride, which is excellent news, given the current parlous state of the UK’s roads. The one-piece carbon fork and wider carbon handlebars, meanwhile, ‘make it stiffer and even more responsive.’ Well, it should be fun anyway.
Brompton T Line: price and availability
T Line One front/right, T Line Urban rear/left(Image credit: Brompton)
T Line One front/right, T Line Urban rear/left
T Line One front/right, T Line Urban rear/left
(Image credit: Brompton)
There are several more affordable Brompton models these days… but the Brompton T Line is not one of them, alas. Nor will it be straightforward to buy, at least at launch.
• T Line One (single speed, no mudguards, 7.45kg) £3,750, $4,795, €4,360, AU$7,100
• T Line Urban (4-speed gears, mudguards, 7.95kg) £3,950, $4,995, €4,590, AU$7,500
The bike is exclusively availablevia a ballot system on Brompton.comand through selected Brompton Junction stores in London, New York, Shanghai, Singapore and Paris, the bike will be available in two specifications, each with the option of a low and mid-rise handlebar fit.
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