Brompton Electric C Line review

The Brompton’s popularity with commuters is easy to understand, the ability to get from home to the station and then to the office under your own steam on a bike that folds to the size of a typical carry-on suitcase remaining an incredible feat of engineering. The clever three-step folding mechanism takes mere seconds to operate (if a little longer to master) and the only real difference between this and a regular Brompton is the addition of an electric motor integrated into the hub on the front wheel and a clip-on battery. As such it’s perfectly usable without the electric boost, meaning you only need take the battery when required. The all-steel C Line tested here is a little heavier than the more expensive P Line we tried previously, though not by much. While the one we rode had four-speed gears you can also have it with a six-speed arrangement combining hub gears with regular ones, an option not available on the P Line.

The Brompton’s unmistakeable design looks a bit peculiar at first glance thanks to the tiny wheels, single-tube frame and the seat and bars elevated above on long posts. But the extended seatpost included as standard makes it viable for riders of all sizes, even those over six feet in height. A choice of mid- or high-rise handlebars also helps you tune how upright you feel and once you get over those looks and the slightly twitchy feel you’ll be amazed at how comfortable the Brompton is to ride. While generally better suited to short distances we have seen people riding them on the 100-mile Ride London event and keeping pace with fancy carbon fibre road bikes while some owners we know even tour on theirs.

We’d advise practising the folding and unfolding process for your Brompton at home rather than risk the social shame and sniggers of your fellow commuters by getting tangled up in your bike on the station platform. But once you’ve mastered it you should be down to the 20 seconds or less Brompton promises is possible, some owners reckoning they do it in half the time. That speed of folding is one of the things that makes the Brompton so incredibly practical, but there’s more to it than that and there’s a huge range of accessories to tune the bike to your particular needs. Ours included the optional City Bag, which includes an internal laptop sleeve, zipped accessory pockets and integrates the battery into one handy package. This means when you get to where you’re going you unclip, sling the bag and battery over your shoulder and the folded bike is therefore much lighter and easier to carry. An open-topped basket-style one is also available. Integrated lights are another useful feature, though these are quite low to the ground so for riding after dark we’d probably have additional ones at handlebar and seat height that are more in the eyeline of drivers and other road users.

You can have the C Line with six gears, but its combination of hub and derailleur systems is a little tricky to master and it adds quite a bit of cost and weight. Given the electric boost you use the gears less than you would on a regular Brompton as well, so we’d argue the simpler four-speed set-up is probably the way to go for most riders. The hub-mounted motor uses sensors to only kick in once you’re pedalling and is limited to 250W and an assisted maximum speed of 25km/h (15.5mph) as required by law. There are three levels of assistance available, which you select with a button on the battery pack. You’ll burn through the charge faster in the highest level but even here you’re getting 25 miles of assisted riding, which is plenty on a Brompton. Because the motor is in the front wheel there can be a slight delay before it kicks in, so for the first pedal stroke you’re on your own and it can be more of a heave away from the lights than other e-bikes. But once you’re up and running you feel swept along by the motor and quickly whisked up to the limit of the assistance. Fitter riders may feel like they’ve hit a brick wall at that point but if you accept this as your cruising speed the leg-saving benefits mean you arrive at your destination a lot less sweaty than you would on a regular Brompton.

Even experienced riders may feel a little unnerved by how twitchy a Brompton feels the first time you get on it, the tiny wheels and narrow handlebars meaning it lacks the stability of more conventional looking bikes. Thankfully the electric model feels a little more confidence inspiring than the regular one, the low-slung weight of the battery and motor helping the stability. And you get used to it pretty quickly, though real speed freaks may prefer the security of a bigger-wheeled folder and you do need to be more aware of potholes, grates, cobbles and other obstacles. The natural flex in the frame and addition of a small bumper where the rear section hinges take the sting out of the worst bumps, though. The narrow handlebars and sense of manoeuvrability are also incredibly handy when cutting through traffic as well. If nothing fancy the cable-operated rim brakes are perfectly up to the job.

No Brompton is cheap to buy, electric or otherwise. But the design is well proven and, while many parts are specific to the bike, the spares back-up is excellent and reasonably priced. Charging the battery should only cost a few pence plugged in at home, too. Beyond that it’ll just be a case of the usual bicycle running costs of oil for the chain and ongoing upkeep like cables for the gears and brakes, tyres and other consumables. Keep on top of that and an Electric Brompton should more than offset its purchase price by costing peanuts to keep running.

There are cheaper folding and electric bikes out there but the beauty of buying from Brompton is that it’s a proven design built here in the UK by a respected company. Given the number of them in circulation any bike shop should be capable of regular fixes, but if you do need any special parts you have the reassurance of knowing they’re a click or phone call away and you won’t be trying to contact some anonymous factory or supplier on the other side of the world. Years of running regular Bromptons suggests they’re pretty tough as well, the only real issue beyond regular wear and tear that we’ve encountered being mudguards going brittle and cracking after time. But these are cheap to buy and easy to replace, so it’s not a big issue.

General servicing should be within the abilities of any competent bike shop, given the usual stuff like brake cables and other components are standard kit. For anything beyond that a Brompton dealer can help, while flagship stores like Brompton Junction in central London are there for truly expert care. If you prefer to fix your bikes yourself the support site does a good job of detailing which bits you need for your specific model, and most parts can be sourced directly by mail order. Brompton meanwhile offers a general seven-year frame warranty, while the electrical system is covered for three years.

Electric Brompton models come from the upper end of the range so come with a decent level of equipment, including those built-in lights and a smaller version of the shoulder bag for the battery with enough space for your wallet, phone and keys. Electric models get a specific app as well, through which you can monitor battery life, service intervals and record riding data as required, an optional phone mount meaning you can clip your handset to the bars for real time info and navigation. Unlike the fancier P Line there’s no rear ‘roller’ rack option for the C Line but, frankly, the front-mounted bag is a better way of carrying stuff anyway. Brompton meanwhile offers a huge range of accessories, ranging from branded clothing to tools and more besides.

Anyone who’s ridden a regular Brompton will know they’re great, but only up to a point. And if you want to go further, faster or have a nasty hill on your commute the limitations suddenly become obvious. Limitations that all but disappear on the Electric, gradients or headwinds that would have your legs burning on a regular Brompton swept aside in the whirr of the motor pulling you along. The fact it does all this with absolutely zero compromises over the amazing practicality and usefulness of the standard version is the icing on the cake.