Palace teamed up with Rapha and EF Education First to create the most outrageously out-there kit for the 2020 Giro d’Italia – remember those cartoon ducks that popped up not only on the jerseys but also on the Cannondale team bikes and POC helmets? They morphed into little yellow dragons for 2022 but in 2024, since this year is its 20th year anniversary, Rapha has designed a series of its own tribute changeout kits. However, Palace has launched a new cycling collaboration that's every bit as boldly creative.
What do Brompton, the legendary British folding bike manufacturer, and cult skate and streetwear brand Palace have in common? According to them: “Brompton started with a young engineer [Andrew Ritchie] believing there had to be a better way to move around London. Palace was born from a belief that the UK skate scene needed to do things differently. For nearly 50 years, the compact folding bike has been transforming the way people move in and around cities across the globe. Since 2009, the Palace community has catapulted from a London skate brand to a culture-defining streetwear company with global cult status.” You might also add that Bromptons and skateboards have small wheels in common, or perhaps that’s stretching it slightly.
The project has produced a limited-edition Brompton C-Line with Palace-designed “Glowstick Yellow and Disco Silver paint fade colourway, inspired by late night rides”. It comes with a special Palace-printed saddle, a cordura Palace Brompton pouch, a laser-etched licence plate and even arrives in a special Palace Brompton cardboard box.
Brompton sums up: “Palace Skateboards are as iconic as they come. We know them for cutting edge design, and pushing the limits of what’s possible with product and storytelling, so it was a no brainer to collaborate. Seeing their unique lens on our product, and world of two wheels, has brought a new kind of energy to our iconic folding bike.”
Brompton collaborated with David Millar for the limited-edition Brompton x CHPT3 bike in 2018 – a super-high-end, handmade titanium folder weighing 9.5kg that was designed to perform like a race bike. Last year’s version four was priced at £2,595. By contrast the C-Line, the base bike for the Palace Brompton, is a tough, utilitarian and minimalist steel bike that weighs 11.35kg and is priced at £1,295 for the standard version. Like all Bromptons it is designed to fold in under 20 seconds.
The Palace Brompton bike and bag combo is available from 10th May on www.palaceskateboards.com and then from 17th May on www.brompton.com. More details at www.brompton.com/palace.
