Brompton: bicycle review | Emma John

People love Bromptons: not just suited commuters but mai(R)tre d's and cinema ushers. What's the big deal?

Brompton M3L
Price 905
Weight 11.8kg

I count myself a functional cyclist: I don't cycle for exercise, because I enjoy a sense of speed or to justify a wardrobe full of steampunk chic. I cycle because I am lazy and pedalling feels like less effort than walking. My journey into work only takes a quarter of an hour by bike, allowing me 15 minutes longer in bed. But when cycling seems like an effort, I simply won't do it. Anything beyond a 25-minute radius of my house and I reach for the tube app.