I love my Brompton
My fold-up bike from London still has me swooning 12 years later.
The mid-century design duo Charles & Ray Eames felt that the job of a designer was to be like a great host, anticipating the needs of the guest in exquisite detail. My Brompton bike lives up to that standard. I love it even more than the five-speed bike I saved up babysitting money to buy when I was thirteen years old.
I bought this bike in London in 2009 when we lived in the city and had a teeny tiny staircase and no garage to speak of. We got around town on the bus and tube, yet the beautiful Battersea Park across the river was beckoning me to come ride.
I splurged for a fold-up Brompton, and have never once regretted it. It's a bit pricey as bikes go (I paid just under $1k) but darn cheap as a second car. And for years, that's what it was. It served me well for the six months we lived in London, and has now for over a decade in Chicago. I can bike to work along the lakefront in the morning, meet up with my family for dinner out, and then stow my bike in the trunk while we all ride home together in the car after dark.
Plus I never have to lock it up, since I just bring it with me.
Here's to great design, and beautiful fall days!