When foldable bike maker Brompton said it would let anyone borrow one of its peddle bikes for an entire day for free from its new Brompton Junction store in Georgetown in April, it raised the question “What’s the catch?” There are no real restrictions — just a reservation, a helmet and a promise to return it the same day before the store closes.
According to Brompton, the only catch is to get more people on bikes.
“It’s a really great way if you are a little bit nervous or a bit intimidated by cycling in a city,” said Dawn Fichot, head of North American marketing for Brompton Bicycles. “Maybe you learned to bike as a kid, but now you come to the crazy city streets of Washington, D.C., and it’s nerve-racking. This is just a great way to build up that confidence.”
Brompton’s Georgetown store, located at 1214 Wisconsin Ave. in Northwest D.C., opened this spring and is the company’s third U.S. store, with the only two others in New York City. It has dozens of stores in Europe and sells its bikes in the U.S. through dealers, bike shops and online. In addition to its foldable peddle bikes, it also makes electric bikes, though the e-bikes are not part of its Brompton Borrow free-bike-for-a-day program.
The company is active in the biking community. In D.C., it works with the Washington Area Bicyclist Association and the League of American Bicyclists. It also partnered with the Georgetown Business Improvement District shortly after its Georgetown store opened to paint colorful murals in the crosswalks at Wisconsin and M streets, sometimes referred to as multicolor perceptual markings, which have proven to significantly reduce auto collisions with pedestrians and cyclists.
Why pick D.C. for its second U.S. market?
“I would consider D.C. one of the best cities for cycling,” Fichot said. “Obviously, we have a ways to go to live up to the likes of Amsterdam or Copenhagen, but when you look at cycling infrastructure, D.C. has made some really great strides.”
U.K.-based Brompton is coming up on its 50th anniversary. Its bikes are all handmade in the U.K., and they are not inexpensive. Foldable bike prices start at around $1,500 and can top $5,000 for some models.
“The bikes are super light. They fold up into thirds, so you can think of it as essentially the size of a large pizza box. You can bring it into your apartment, put it in your car or take it on the Metro,” Fichot said.
She also acknowledges an additional benefit for the company from its Brompton Borrow program. What amounts to a free, all-day test drive will likely sell some bikes as well.
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