Hello fellow Brompton enthusiasts, three years ago I got my first Brompton, a brand new C line. I absolutely love this bike and have used it for my commute ever since. I do hardly ever leave the bike outside. As of now, I have ridden about 6k km on the bike. I made some minor upgrades, but for the most part it is stock. There is only two issues and I’d like to hear from your experiences and if you have any recommendations for fixing these issues…
- Certain parts are prone to corrosion like crazy (see pictures)
- The coating/paint is not very durable. The cables gave worn into it pretty heavily on some places
My current plan is to touch up all worn out and corroded spots on the frame and then apply some stickers/sheet metal to shield the frame from further damage. But what about the screws and the springs? Switching to titanium is expensive and using stainless steel on aluminium parts like the breaks is not a good idea, is it? Do zou just change screws regularly or how do you deal with it?
Overall, I’m still very much in love with my Brompton, but tbh I’m also disappointed in Brompton as a company since I think in the price segment a Brompton sits in, it is not acceptable to see these issues so quickly. The cost of better components and some R&D on Brompton’s side to fix those issues is probably minor in my opinion. Although it is not a major issue, also the inside of the frame is not painted, which I don’t understand. Yes, it is an odd geometry, but that’s no excuse to me. I think for the value Brompton could deliver more.
Curious to hear from you guys!
by SmileSuperb1273
8 Comments
> Certain parts are prone to corrosion like crazy (see pictures)
It is a steel bike. Steel corrodes.
> But what about the screws and the springs?
Just clean them up from rust. They are perfectly fine. It takes a lot of rust to damage hardware.
> but tbh I’m also disappointed in Brompton as a company
You bought a steel bike. You should be disappointed with yourself for not realizing the consequences of the choices you made.
Brompton is not the problem here. Every bike requires some kind of care and maintenance and it is upon you to understand it. It is like if you kept driving the bike without ever cleaning it and maintaining your drive chain and then complained at Brompton that your bike failed.
With proper maintenance and care the bike can last pretty much forever.
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I also have a bike that I drive regularly to work and to do shopping. So pretty much every day or every other day.
It is foldable so I never need to leave it outside in the rain. I try to not ride it in the rain but if I do, I will wipe it when I bring it home so that it dries faster.
Water can also get into the frame so if I am in heavy rain I will tilt it to pour any water outside so it doesn’t sit there for a long time.
I regularly wash it in my tub and take the chain out to wax it.
Once a year I disassemble and reassemble majority of the bike to inspect it, clean it, fix any problems and just generally make sure everything is fine.
There is no signs of rust on the bike, not unless you look with a magnifying glass.
This is normal even on high end bikes if you ride outside in the wet and don’t wipe it down and just let street dirt and oils sit on it. A lot of these are standard metric screws/bolts and can be replaced for pennies at the Baumarkt and don’t impact performance.
Paint rubbing off is to be expected if you don’t baby it, but again it is probably just surface rust and can be treated. No impact to structure.
The only thing that is readily stupid is the cable rub. That they don’t sell you protective film for the underside is incredibly dumb.
However, please show the chain, chain tensioner and sprocket. I kind of have a dark premonition about the condition of those.
Do you live next to the sea, cycling through the waves daily?
With my Brompton things like the nuts, bolts, washers & springs I’ve replaced through Aliexpress with titanium or aluminium fitting them always anti seize.
Corrosion unfortunately is very prone Brompton like most bike companies skimp on good quality bolts. The powdercoat is perfectly durable but cables can and do wear through it and they require cable patches like on any other bike.
Your expectations are just extreme, adjust them the bike is fine
It’s a tool.
Wear the wear with pride. At least it’s being used.
Maintenance is key, also pretty much all bikes don’t really do their due diligence setting up the bike. Greasing threads to prevent water ingress and various things where they just don’t put the protection in.
All bikes you buy unfortunately need a full service before use. Always check everything that its been greased properly.
In addition having a bike towel to dry things off after riding in the wet will do marvels for preventing surface rust on bolts and things. A little bit of GT85 on a cloth wiped over them when dry goes a long way to prevention of corrosion too.
Good maintenance is needed, regardless of the price range of the bike.
My first Brompton, purchased 11 years ago, standard six speed thing, I had something similar with this. Wear points from cables rubbing, bits of rust on nuts and bolts. I cycle all year round, so the bike gets wet, you are folding and unfolding, carrying the bike around, sticking it on trains, banging through crappy roads, yes, it is a tool and it gets damaged and banged around, but the bike always worked. I would deep wash the bike every few weeks, clean the chain, and then spray something like. GT85 or some kind of protective bike spray on the vulnerable areas and a quick spray inside the tubes too. Does the bike look like new? No, but it still works very nicely,. and there is not much rust.
You could probably do more to protect the frame and the rust areas, but it’s your call.Clean, dry and lube the bike, and use some frame spray of some description on the rusty areas.
I bought an electric Brompton a couple of years ago. I bought special stickers for it to protect the frame, I am more careful with the bike, I clean it more, protect it more, I just put it through a full service. Does it look brand new? No, but it looks pretty good.
You are using the bike as a tool, as it was designed. They get wear and tear on them. If the bike is working fine, great. Some people buy Bromptons and treat them like fine sports cars. Good for them. They preserve the bikes in as-new condition, everything polished and cared for. Ot they customise them.That’s great to see. But I imagine some of these people aren’t commuting through rain, salt and sleet. Dragging the bike onto a late train home. Squeezing it into a friend’s car boot when they bike you up. Giving one of your kids a scoot to school on the bike. Folding it into a supermarket trolley while you can up some food on the way home.
The Brompton has been an enabler in my life. Helping me get to work, shop, live my life more flexibly. And it shows. For other people, it’s a piece of engineering they can show off and it stays in perfect condition. It is very difficult to be both! As Indiana Jones says, it’s not the years, it’s the mileage! Enjoy those miles, and stay safe.