Brompton Bicycle, David Henshaw (2009) Excellent Books 9781901464221 152pp illustrated paperback £11.95 An epistle to commuting's magic key that does its subject proud

In October last year, Lord Mandleson, de facto deputy prime minister, was pictured navigating London's streets on a Brompton. It prompted the Daily Mail to run a prominent feature praising the folding bicycle as 'nothing short of wondrous'.

Meanwhile on commuter trains into London, there are sometimes so many Bromptons in the luggage racks that it is difficult to find space, and the company is only just keeping up with demand with the 25,000 bicycles that is produces annually.

With such a level of critical mass, the surprise is that a book tracing the Brompton's history and development has not appeared before now. Far fewer Moultons have been manufactured than Bromptons, yet there are several books devoted to the former. Happily, this book, by the editor of A to B Magazine, does the small-wheeled wonder proud.

Brompton's history is something that Henshaw has tackled before - a series of articles in his magazine traced the development of the bike, and revisions to the range are frequently the subject of major articles in its pages. This book goes well beyond a rehash of those pieces, however. There is a good deal more detail, and this telling of the tale is a more enjoyable read than in previous iterations.

His potted history of folding bikes is good - the Grout, folding penny farthing was new to me. Biographical details of some of Brompton's other key employees also gives the book an enjoyable texture.

It is an extraordinary story - that of a single-minded engineer, Andrew Ritchie, with a good idea, who persevered through all kinds of difficulties to manufacture a product that for 30 years has been the standard by which the rest of the market is judged.

Lighter, cheaper, faster and more comfortable folding bikes have been promoted as 'Brompton-beaters' but none have touched the combination of ride quality, weight, ease of fold, folded size and luggage-carrying ability.

Not only that, but it is still manufactured in west London and has a record for product improvement that means that, although from a distance models spanning the decades look similar, nearly every aspect of the bike has improved and improved again.

It is hard to think of a British design and manufacturing success to compare. James Dyson is a contender, although in recent years he has moved manufacturing outside the UK.

The production of this book makes it a particular delight, from the Warholesque cover, to the plentiful colour illustrations. It is also rich in some of Henhaw's most endearing foibles, most notably the frequent appearance in pictures of the writer's wife Jane providing a human counterpoint to the metal marvel.

I have ridden a Brompton regularly for nearly a decade. Deeply sceptical about its likely ride quality, I borrowed a model from a shop with a view to serving up a humorous denunciation in a magazine article. In fact, I was won over by the time I had ridden the bike home, and bought the bike rather than returning it to the shop.

Despite ten years riding, carrying and obsessing about the several Bromptons that I have now owned, Henshaw dished up plenty to enrich my experience. He will do the same for anyone else with an interest in folding bikes in general Ritchie's brilliant invention in particular.

Tim Dawson Feb 10

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