Brompton Spokes and rims (and their associated hubs)

Choosing the correct Brompton spoke / rim combination for you wheel / hub can be confusing - so we have made this (not so simple) guide - if you think of anything that is missing - please let us know so we can improve it!

Jump straight to the spokes!

As at the beginning of 2024 there are now four rim types that have been used by Brompton:

Double wall rim - from 2013 onwards (the most common)

Along with the double wall rim came a different rim for the front and back
The angled (the spoke holes are drilled at an angle) rims are used for hub gear rear wheels only
The straight (the spoke holes are drilled straight - 90 degrees to the rim) rims are used for front wheels and single / two speed rear wheels

Valve hole: 8mm for Schrader / car type valve

These rims have a rim identification sticker on them as shown below (RIM-28-STD is a straight drilled rim with 28 holes)

The double wall rims from Brompton are available in silver or black (the black rims still have a silver braking surface)

Aero rim:

Made by Alex rims from 2022 and introduced with the T line / P Line

Some P Lines have these rims but (as at 2024) due to supply shortages the majority of P Line bikes use the C Line double wall rim

These rims have a 6mm valve hole for Presta / racing type valves

Cyo rim:

The CYO rim is used exclusively on the Brompton Electric

Single wall rim:

The Brompton single wall rims were made by Alex rims (most recently at least) - up until 2013

Front and rear wheels used the same rim

Note: Wheels using these rims can not take the Continental Compact Urban tyre - we have seen them pop off of the rim when being inflated

Until recently (2022) all Brompton wheels had 28 spokes. This changed in 2022 with the introduction of the T Line / P Line advanced front wheel which uses a 20 hole front wheel

We have split the spokes into the rim types they are compatible with

You do of course need to know which wheel / hub you have!

The Brompton Electric uses a slightly different wheel rim to the standard Brompton - black in colour with a single wall

* The 1 / 2 speed rear wheel came with either plain gauge or double butted spokes
** These spokes were discontinued by Brompton in 2018

Note: Where a one or two cross pattern is used it is important not to ‘interlace’ the spokes. The outside spoke should always cross over the top of the inside spoke. Interlacing the spokes will put undue stress on the spokes and cause premature spoke failure.

Spoke style

PG = Plain Gauge - the spoke is an equal length throughout
SB = Single Butted - the spoke has a join at one end
DB = Double Butted - the spoke has a join at both ends

Radial versus 1 cross versus 2 cross spoke patterns