🌐 Freedom From Ordinary: Brompton Folding Bikes Take on America

Built for the 98% Who Don’t Call Themselves Cyclists

We know biking is good for us. It’s good for our hearts, our lungs, our muscles. We feel better after a ride—calmer, more alert, more alive. That’s not just anecdotal. The data backs it up.

Newly published research indicates that people who commute by bike daily live longer. They carry a 47% lower risk of all-cause mortality. Bike commuters also have a 24% reduced risk of cardiovascular hospitalizations, a 51% lower risk of dying from cancer, and improved mental health, as measured by fewer prescriptions for anxiety and depression.

Their productivity jumps by as much as 27%. They take fewer sick days. Their energy lasts. In cities like Seattle, commuters who bike report far greater satisfaction with their day before they even reach the office.

Now layer on the climate math. Every trip on two wheels instead of four cuts emissions. Every car that stays parked moves the needle. 

And factor in PeopleForBikes’ findings in its latest 2025 nationwide city rankings, indicating that cities are improving and cycling infrastructure is on the upswing, and the future of mobility starts to look a lot like two wheels.

It’s a more bike-centric American future than many thought possible. But that future depends on more than better infrastructure. It needs the right tools. 

Tools designed not for cycling’s Lycra-clad 2%, but for the 98% who grew up riding, still enjoy bikes but don’t think of themselves as “cyclists.”

In other words, tools designed for people who don’t realize they need a Brompton—until they do.

The Cult Folding Bike Built for the City

Brompton has been building for urban mobility since 1975, long before “urban mobility” conferences were trending.

Engineered and hand-built in London, Brompton remains the largest bike maker still manufacturing inside the city. 

The Brompton signature fold—compact, fast, brilliant in its simplicity—is what nurtured its cult following that numbers in the millions worldwide.

Now, as cities grow denser, climate urgency grows louder, and multimodal commuting becomes common sense, Brompton finds itself perfectly positioned for this American moment. With a product that’s portable, proven, and damn fun to ride.

“It’s a tool to move through every corner of a city,” says Juliet Scott-Croxford, Brompton’s President for the Americas. “And it makes you feel better while doing it.”

Juliet joined the company four years ago, just as post-COVID bike adoption was peaking. Since then, she’s been leading the charge into a new and uniquely challenging market.

Selling Urban Freedom in the Land of the SUV

America is enormous. Space is abundant. Driving is ingrained. That makes it harder to pitch a compact folding bike—especially one that costs more than a discount e-bike and doesn’t fit the stereotypical image of a cyclist. Brompton’s price range is anywhere from $1,300 for a basic low-maintenance, long-life model up to $5,500 for the company’s ultra-light titanium model.

Juliet’s pitch? Freedom, joy, and a more adaptable lifestyle.

“Our brand is about urban freedom,” she explains. “It’s about making people feel happier, giving them a tool to move through the world with ease, and doing it with style.”

The data support the strategy. After price considerations, color is the second most important decision factor for Brompton buyers. Not gear ratios or frame geometry. Brompton bikes are engineered beautifully—but their appeal often begins with how they look, how they fold, and how they feel in your life.

From Bike Shops to Brompton Junctions—and a 30% E-Commerce Jump

Scaling that kind of product in America requires an omni-channel model—and Juliet’s orchestrating all of it:

• Flagship Brompton Junction stores in New York and Washington, D.C.

• A network of over 120 independent dealers across the U.S.

• Placement in national retailers like REI.

• Direct-to-consumer e-commerce—up 30% in the last quarter versus the same quarter last year.

That last stat matters. Because if there’s any bike in the world built for e-commerce, it’s this one. Bromptons arrive nearly fully assembled. They fit in a small box. There’s no bulky, cumbersome box—or hours of setup. You unfold it and go.

Remember when Casper mattresses were all the rage, and people just couldn’t get enough of the unboxing magic? Brompton delivers that similar joy-in-a-box.

A Design Icon That’s Racing Into the Future

From GQ to Bicycling Magazine, from Gear Patrol to the New York Times, the Brompton fold has been celebrated as one of the most iconic and enduring product designs of the past 50 years. And its fans turn that admiration into expression—through custom builds, group rides, social content, and even racing.

Yes, racing.

The Brompton World Championship, hosted annually in London (with satellite events around the world), features crowds of fans, suits instead of spandex, and wild stunts on compact frames. It’s fun. It’s quirky. It’s kind of distinctly British.

And it’s yet further proof that climate impact doesn’t have to come at the expense of performance, profits, and joy.

Juliet’s team is now scouting cities to bring the championship to the U.S.

The Compact Climate Signal

A Brompton won’t electrify the grid. It won’t sequester carbon or reinvent your supply chain. But it will change how you move through a city. How you feel on your way to work. How much carbon you emit, how much stress you carry, and how free you feel in your own commute.

That matters.

“Sometimes the benefits of biking get lost,” Juliet says. “But it’s health. It’s joy. It’s freedom. And it’s a real economic lever too.”

She continues, “ Workers who commute actively take 27% fewer sick days per year than car commuters. So I think there's this interesting thing, particularly of how you articulate the benefits of something like this. Not just as a green, eco moment, but as genuine economic benefits for the country.”

Supercool Takeaway

The fastest way to scale climate impact isn’t by selling sustainability—it’s by delivering something people love.

Brompton’s foldable bike cuts emissions, boosts health, and unclogs cities, but Juliet Scott-Croxford isn’t pitching it as a green solution. 

She’s positioning it as the smarter, stylish way to move. 

Because when a zero-carbon tool becomes the object of desire, climate adoption follows.

This Week’s Podcast Episode

Freedom From Ordinary: Brompton Folding Bikes Take on America with Juliet Scott-Croxford

🎙️ Listen on Apple, Spotify, YouTube, and all other podcast platforms.

↓

What we’re reading at Trellis

ESG might as well stand for Economics, Security, and Geopolitics—outside the U.S.

The headlines say sustainability is on the ropes. That corporate climate action is in retreat. But at Supercool, we know the headlines rarely tell the full story.

So does Joel Makower, Chairman and Founder of Trellis Group. Here’s what he recently shared: “Most companies are not abandoning climate action.”

According to PwC’s 2025 State of Decarbonization report, while 16% of companies are pulling back, 37% are strengthening their commitments. The number of firms setting climate targets is nine times higher than five years ago.

Across Asia, more companies are baking sustainability into core operations—driven by regulations and investor pressure. China is preparing to roll out carbon footprint standards for key industrial products. And in Latin America, sustainability is becoming a central strategy pillar across sectors.

Get the full story and sign up for the Trellis Briefing newsletter here.

↓

Stat of the Week: 25,000

That’s how many Brooklynites ride a bike to work every day. The borough now ranks #1 among large U.S. cities for biking, according to PeopleForBikes’ 2025 city ratings.

Quote of the Week:

↓

Related

🚴‍♀️ What Better Bike Infrastructure Looks Like

Across the U.S., cities are rethinking how people move and building for a future with fewer cars, more connected streets, and safer commutes. Here are seven projects showing what modern bike infrastructure can look like when cities commit:

Broadway, New York City

156th Street Cycle Track, Redmond, WA 

Inman Square, Cambridge, MA

300 West, Salt Lake City, UT

Bryant Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN

11th Street, Houston, TX

Rail-to-Rail Corridor, Los Angeles, CA

🎧 Want to go deeper?

Interested in how cities can build this kind of infrastructure faster? Check out the conversation with Kyle Wagenschutz on the Supercool Podcast, Episode 10.

A nationally recognized bicycling infrastructure expert, Kyle helped lead The Final Mile—an initiative that accelerated the rollout of 335 miles of bike lanes in just 24 months across five U.S. cities: Austin, Denver, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, and Providence.

In the episode, Kyle lays out exactly how they did it: the partnerships, the playbook, and the political alignment it takes to build safe, connected bike networks in months, not decades.

🎙️ Listen here → Cities on the Move

↓

Where Supercool traveled this week:

Recognition:

🌐 GoodPods: Supercool’s podcast climbs the ranks to #23 among all climate change podcasts

Podcasts:

🌐 The Deep Dive Lab: Don’t Sell Sustainability, Sell Something Better That’s Also Sustainable with Josh Dorfman

↓

Interested in Advertising with Supercool?

Connect with future-forward decision-makers seeking next-gen climate innovations. Reach out to discuss how Supercool’s platform can help. Just hit reply to this email.

↓

Not yet subscribed to Supercool?

Click the button below for weekly updates on real-world climate solutions that cut carbon, boost the bottom line, and improve modern life.

🌐