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Industrial Design Case Study: SeymourPowell Tackles Brompton Bike Rental Stations

By Rain Noe - July 30

in Design Business | Bikes

Brompton Bikes wanted to create their own dedicated bikeshare system. Because their products fold down, this system would obviously be different from dock-based bikeshare programs.

The company hired industrial design consultancy SeymourPowell to figure it out.

"A modular secure locker for hire cycles that makes seamless city travel as easy as riding a bike."

"Brompton, famous maker of lightweight foldable and portable cycles, saw an opportunity to set up a network of unmanned but secure rental stations for its bikes," writes SeymourPowell. "We designed the easy-to-manufacture, high-security docking station and the UI which underpins the system."??

"The core concept consists of an 8-module dock which can be specified with a single solar panel. Additional pods of 4 docks can be added on, if and when demand increases. The solar panel means the units can be completely self-contained and easily installed without having to interfere with local services and utilities."

?"[The outcome is] a stand-alone design for maximum flexibility and efficiency, streamlining the user experience and maximising opportunities for branding and advertising."

Brompton Bike Hire has 70 stations spread across the UK, renting the bikes for £5 (USD $6.43) per day.

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Dee An

3 months ago

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I've seen them at a British train station. Other solutions in the same space:
- rentable eScooters and eBikes, licensed by the local authority. These present no security headaches for the end user.
- a lot of scruffy but serviceable bicycles are chained up by the station. This suggests many people keep a bicycle at the station they depart from and at the station they arrive at.
- owning one bicycle but taking it on board a train. This usually works, but the train guards have the right to refuse to take your bicycle on board if there already too many bicycles on the train. Additionally, in the case of a bus service replacing a train service, bicycles are unlikely to be allowed on the bus. Note: fold up bicycles such as Bromptons are classed as luggage and can always be taken aboard trains and busses, as well as taxis and Ubers.
Note: eScooters are not allowed on British trains, indeed the use of privately owned eScooters on public roads is not legal, even if not always enforced.

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