The All-New Brompton G Line: First Ride Review – Petor Georgallou | The Radavist | A group of individuals who share a love of cycling and the outdoors.

The G Line is the first Brompton to ride like a full-size bike across multiple types of terrain—from the city to gravel tracks and beyond. And it’s still designed around the folding chassis that made Brompton famous. This line of Brompton features new geometry, 20” wheels fitted with custom-made Schwalbe tires, hydraulic disc brakes, and an internally geared Shimano 8-speed hub.

Petor Georgallou got his hands on a new G Line ahead of today’s launch and, today, offers all the details of the versatile folding bike. Check it out below!

Brompton G Line Quick Hits

Shimano Alfine 8-speed drive system
20″ wheels and custom tubeless tires
Hydraulic disc brake-equipped
Sizes: Small, Medium, and Large, which are all the same frame differentiated by stem lengths
Folded size (small): 690mm (h) x 730mm (l) x 402mm (w) size small
Weights (small): 13.9 kg; with rack and mudguards 14.8 kg; Electric G Line 4-Speed with rack and mudguards 16.1 kg without battery, 19.5 kg with battery
Pricing: from £2,399

First Ride Review

For my Brompton G Line review, I received the bike close to a month ago, coinciding with a back injury. As such, it has been my go-to bike for its slightly more upright position. I’ve been a Brompton fan for a while and, over the years, have had a few, with my preference always having been the S Type. The new G Type is a very different bike altogether….

Rather than a tool for urban mobility (where models like the S Type ride like a Brompton vs a full-size bike), the G type is designed as a folding gravel bike. It features several updates, which have been a staple of Brompton modifications by builders for years, such as Eerder Metaal de Brompton from the Netherlands. Most notably, standard-sized 20” wheels for increased rollover and much wider tire compatibility, at the cost of a little extra folded size and potentially a little extra weight.

While this is the most obvious update, a few other minor changes make this a great little touring mini velo, with the added benefit of folding should extra space be required. Mine came in a textured green powder coat, which is exceptionally pleasing to the touch. The Shimano Alfine 8-speed rear hub massively extends the gear range and simplicity of the 6-speed precursor, and the very cute little Tektro hydraulic disk brakes work flawlessly. The new pedals are the best yet, with a design similar to the MKS removable pedals but with big, wide, grippy plastic platforms.

The stem is available in three sizes – small, medium, and large. Mine is a medium, which works five for around town, but at 6′ tall, if I were riding it longer distances, I’d have preferred an L, which correlates to being a little longer and providing more reach. The new stem has convenient bottle bosses that would work well for touring and take a now ubiquitous 31.8 clamp handlebar. The stock bars have a bit of rise and a bit of sweep, as well as ergonomically shaped grips. The fork has been totally re-designed and looks like a cast crown welded onto a steerer. It has bosses for bottle cages or low riders, and I love the shape of the dropouts, which build a neat little fork.

Brompton have continued with the plastic front luggage block which I’m a huge fan of. While they claim it’s rated to 10 kg, I’ve used it on my old S type to carry far more weight, fairly often, for over a decade without any issues. The G type has been released with a few new bag options, which are super well-designed to be 100% waterproof and have pressure-release valves to let air escape. All of the hinges, clamps, and touchpoints have been updated to be machined aluminum rather than the old plastic levers. The look nicer and feel better, however in practice when the bike is folded these are the bits that stick out, so they’re most susceptible to getting scratched or damaged so time will tell how they fair in practice. The seat post quick-release lever, in particular, tucks into the frame super nicely, and is an improvement over the older one. It is also much better to use in practice.

The build quality and finish of the bike are exceptional. Bromtons are assembled in London and filled and brazed on rotating jigs, which means they are beautifully laid and have perfect filler-brazed joints. The textured paint feels like it’ll be super hard-wearing, and the new decals are subtle and tasteful. Brompton not only pays workers a London living wage, but they’re also a certified B Corp, so it’s nice to know the bike is made by workers who are not being exploited and who work in reasonably nice conditions.

At first glance, I’m excited about riding the bike regularly and seeing what it’s like to live with it. The handling of the G Type is far more neutral than its smaller wheeled counterparts, and it does feel like less of a compromise in terms of ride quality to those other bikes as well. Mini Velos are already super practical bikes for people who live in cities, and the possibility of folding reasonably small makes it an even more convenient bike for people living in tight spaces or who’d prefer to bring their bike inside rather than leave it locked up outside when they commute. In a city, the bike makes a lot of sense, and the ride quality is a massive improvement over the S Type. I can also see the utility of the G Type, with its exceptional front block luggage options and numerous rack and bag mounting options, as a super valuable hybrid touring bike where plains or trains form part of the journey. Even if it doesn’t get folded every day, being able to fold it makes it a super flexible travel bike.