We’ve been known to refer to the Brompton as the best folding bike in the world – a rash statement that annoys some other manufacturers, but not all, because it’s broadly true…

Briefly, nothing folds smaller (without exception), no other 16-inch folder rides so well (without exception, unless the Russians have produced something we haven’t seen yet), and nothing folds so neatly and so fast.These are the killer attributes that have made the Brompton the commuter bike par excellence and kept the order books full for this small British company, now possibly the largest bicycle manufacturer (as opposed to assembler – ie, bolting on bits) in the UK. One could argue that Pashley still has the Post Office bike contract and the Taiwanese claim to be making things, rather than assembling them, in the Welsh valleys these days, but enough hair-splitting.

The Brompton started life in 1981, as a rather heavy, but essentially hand-fettled machine, known today as the Mark 1. After a long pause, the classic Brompton finally arrived in 1987, with the ‘production line-friendly’ Mark 2 – essentially much the same as the modern bike. Small refinements have been introduced over the years, culminating in a complete revamp in early 2000, when the machine was unofficially designated the Mark 3. Since then, a change to SRAM hubs has altered the gear options, and just about every component has been altered, upgraded or replaced yet again. In other words, a 2003 machine looks similar to a 1993 machine, but they differ in almost every respect.

Now, for the first time in 16 years, the bike looks different too. It came about almost by chance. A couple of years ago, the factory adopted an auto-brazing machine to fix the handlebar hinge into the stem (yes, everything else is brazed by hand).Without getting too involved with brazings, forgings and castings, it made sense to fit the frame hinge the same way, but this involved a substantial redesign, and one of the side-effects was a 30mm longer unfolded frame, but no change in the folded size. And in a world where success is measured in terms of the difference between folded and unfolded dimensions, those few measly millimetres are quite big news.

The 2004 Brompton

We thought we’d need a micrometer to spot the change, but with the bike unfolded, it leaps out at you.Where the curved section of the frame tube used to reach almost to the handlebar stem, the straight bits either side of the hinge give the bike a noticeably different form.

Instead of being cheekily banana-shaped, it’s longer and more elegant, making the whole machine look bigger and a little more grown- up. For smaller folk, this will mean little, but for those who previously looked like spindly stick-insects on the Brompton, knee-room is noticeably increased.

Wheelbase has grown to about 105cm – just over 41 inches.Whether you can feel the difference on the road is debatable, but an increase in wheelbase is always welcome, and it seems reasonable to assume that a 3% increase is going to reduce the choppiness of the ride and the tendency to lift a front or rear wheel by at least the same sort of margin.

Despite the extra length and a smaller, neater frame hinge (that’s Computer Aided Design for you), the whole assembly is noticeably more rigid. Useful if you like to ride out of the saddle, and generally put a folding bike to work.Weight has gone up in some areas and down in others – our fully equipped T6 test bike came out at a shade under 12.6kg (28lb).That’s a little more than the official weight of the Mark 3, but our bike had heavy Schwalbe Marathon tyres, which would more or less account for the difference.

Folded size depends on saddle height, handlebar position and whether the saddle stem clamp is placed forward or back. Brompton (naturally enough) quotes the smallest possible size of 77 litres, or 2.7 cubic feet. More realistically, the bike occupies about 90 litres or 3.2 cubic feet, and with the saddle at maximum height on the standard seat pillar and positioned right back, our test bike measured 101 litres, or 3.6 cubic feet.We were hoping that the longer frame would make it possible to ride with the saddle forward, and although that might be the case for smaller people, it was not for us.

Front carrier frame

We mentioned this back in October, and although it may not sound the most exciting advance, CAD techniques have enabled the Brompton boffins to reduce the weight of the front pannier bag frame from 690g to 400g.This substantial cut has been achieved through a mixture of light alloy tubes and nylon castings. It’s all very high-tech and Bromptonesque, and makes a noticeable difference to the weight of the pannier bag.With the panniers down in price to £40 – £70 (according to spec, and including the new frame) there’s never been a better time to upgrade that front luggage. If you have a serviceable bag already, the new frame costs about £25.50 on its own.

Lights

The dynamo lights on the Brompton have changed out of all recognition in the last few years. Early dynamos whined and seized, while dim bulbs fought to provide illumination.The arrival of a Basta LED rear light and halogen front lamp brought a dramatic improvement a few years ago, and there’s now an Axa HR dynamo too. It’s hard to say how useful this is, but it’s quiet, it rolls easily, and light output, even at low speed, is excellent.

You still have to own a ‘T’ type with a rear rack to fit this excellent dynamo set (£18.64, plus £10 for the halogen lamp as an upgrade).We’d prefer to see a front dynamo feeding a larger three watt headlight and completely separate battery LED at the rear.This would eliminate the wiring loom and provide a rear standlight.The dynamo could then be optional on both the ‘T’ or lighter ‘L’ models.

Brake cable gaiters

Another small, but worthwhile development. A tiny plastic rod is fixed into the brake calliper and the previously exposed inner cable is protected from the elements by a flexible rubber gaiter. Brompton brake cables are prone to water ingress because the cables point upwards, so this tiny change should help improve cable life and braking performance on all-weather bikes. Unfortunately, older bikes can only be upgraded by drilling the calliper, but the gaiters cost only £1.50 each.

Handlebar catch

A long long overdue change – the handlebar locking catch has been replaced with a new design that should help to keep the folded handlebars under control, and prevent them flying open at inconvenient moments. A great safety upgrade for older bikes at £3.71, and highly recommended.

Another change that arrived without fanfare a few months ago is a proper catch for locking the wheels together when the bike is folded.

Previously, the front mudguard stay doubled as a hook, but often got bent on older bikes, allowing the front wheel to unfold involuntarily.The new stay can be fitted to older bikes and costs £3, or £10 if a new mudguard stay is needed.

Colours

Once upon a time you could have a Brompton in any colour you liked as long as it was black for the expensive jobs or red for the cheapo models, but the range has blossomed in the last few years. Current thinking is to continue with the well-established basic colours, but provide a list of special optional finishes for an extra £35, the selection being changed every year.The 2004 list includes Baby Pink, Cobalt Blue, Aquamarine Blue and Apple Green.We were longing to see the pink bike, but had to settle for Aquamarine Blue with Ivory extremities. In our opinion this is a rather unhappy combination – the sort of thing that appeared briefly with fins on US cars in the 1950s.The other colours have been delayed, so we can’t venture an opinion, but the principle is great. Brompton dealers will be supplied with a computerised illustrated brochure, updated with accurate renditions of the new colours.

Carry bag

After numerous false starts from both Brompton and others, it looks as though a good air or coach carry bag solution is on the way. Brompton has designed a soft, but thickly padded bag that should protect against most handling disasters, yet fold small enough to carry with you at journey’s end (a hard case gives full protection, but how do you carry it?).The prototype we saw was bristling with extras, such as wheels and a neat shoulder-strap, and is expected to sell for £85 or thereabouts. A great advance, but not likely to be in the shops for a few weeks yet.

Brompton tel 0208 232 8484 web www.bromptonbicycle.co.uk