September 24th was a quintessentially English day, with brooding clouds and rain that, fortunately, held off—perfect for a Brompton bike ride! To add to the atmosphere, we hosted the Brompton Meetup Group and Juliet Scott-Croxford, CEO of Brompton North America. Many may know that Pedaal began as a conversation with Juliet years ago, with questions about how to build community and retail Bromptons effectively. This dialogue inspired the Pedaal concept: maximizing revenue-per-square-foot while fostering community (over a good cup of coffee, of course!). Hosting Juliet in the finished space was a thrill, as was being part of a lively group ride organized by the Brompton Meetup group.
For us at Pedaal, beginning and ending the ride at our shop held special meaning. We aimed for the ride to capture both Brompton’s journey forward and its rich history, while celebrating this remarkable bike and the company who makes it. To bring this full circle, we introduced Juliet to another special guest: the individual who first helped us launch our Brompton sales back in 2006.
As many know, the owners of Pedaal played a pivotal role in popularizing Brompton bikes in Canada. We’re grateful for the recognition, yet there’s another story behind it that often goes untold. It starts with the late Michael Barry, founder of Bicycle Specialties, a visionary retailer on King Street that offered some of the most niche city cycling products, including the renowned Moulton bikes. Even today, Bicycle Specialties continues to craft the elegant Mariposa Bicycles, now led by Michael Barry Jr., a celebrated Grand Tour cyclist. Toronto’s early love for city bikes was evident, as Bicycle Specialties sold more Moulton AMs any store worldwide, apart from one retailer in Germany. However, they also sold Bromptons—though not exactly genuine ones, but they weren’t fakes either.
In 1992, Brompton attempted a partnership with the Taiwanese brand NeoBike, which ended in a debacle involving lost tooling, patent infringements, legal troubles, and barely-there royalties. These “Bromptons” from NeoBike still inspire many fake models today. Somehow, Mike Barry acquired these NeoBike Bromptons, marking the beginning of Brompton’s history in Toronto. This partnership posed challenges, as NeoBike models used different parts that didn’t fit Brompton replacements, leading to inevitable confusion.
A decade later, a dedicated Anglophile named Richard Diver began importing authentic Bromptons from the UK, along with Moulton and Pashley bikes, selling them from his Port Credit garage. In 2006, he approached Eric Kamphof, Pedaal’s co-owner, who was managing Curbside Cycle at the time, about retailing these bikes. With bicycles gaining traction as urban transportation, Curbside—already famous for selling the Kronan bike—was the perfect fit for Diver’s brands. Inviting Richard to meet Juliet was an honor, a moment to celebrate the legacy his efforts created.
One of Brompton’s greatest strengths lies in the community it inspires. The bike’s sheer functionality and ease of use, underpinned by meticulous engineering and an uncompromising ethos, make’s one marvel at how a company like Brompton exists at all. The more you use a Brompton, the more you appreciate its exceptional quality and versatility, fitting effortlessly into nearly every use case you can throw at it. The Brompton story, as fascinating as it is eccentric, reveals a deeply human narrative. The bike is meticulously brazed using brass—a craft that requires 18 months of apprentice training—and Brompton remains committed to producing their bikes and parts in London. It’s a bike designed to last a lifetime, free from planned obsolescence. And, while you don’t have to gather with other Brompton owners to appreciate the bike, few other models inspire such a passionate following, as evidenced by the group that proudly showed Juliet around our fine city.
