I have been riding this Brompton bike for 14 years. It does show severe signs of wear but they are made to last forever
by the_70x
I have been riding this Brompton bike for 14 years. It does show severe signs of wear but they are made to last forever
by the_70x
11 Comments
Tools that show wear are tools that have been used. An unused tool is just an ornament, unwearable jewelry. I love to see a bike that has miles and marks to show for them
I’d have at least tackled the worst of the rust myself.
After 10+ years I finally gave mine the once-over on the high-wear spots and put some of those pre-made metal guards on the high-wear spots, plus a little touch-up paint after some cleanup.
I do ride mine in the rain, though I don’t have to deal with salted roads.
Would love to see a picture of the bike
And even if a part eventually fails, with a Brompton it’s likely you’ll be able to get a replacement part even if the bike is 20 years old.
I wonder how long other (cheaper) manufacturers keep parts in stock, if at all. Looking at how many different models some of them offer, my guess is that if anything breaks on a 5 year-old BRANDX, you’re SOL.
As long as the hinges are good with very little to no movement then you’re fine. If you want to check the hinges yourself then slacken the clamps like you are going to fold it and see if you can feel any side-to-side movement. Check all 3 so main (rear end), frame & handlebar. All the hinges can be replaced at a good Brompton dealer.
Paint wear is quite normal for a used Brompton.
How strong are the wheels? Like how many times have you had to replace or true?
All except the handlebar stem look fine to me. That handlebar stem though, it’s hard to tell from the photo, but it looks like the metal may be completely worn through.
If it’s not just an optical illusion and there is actually is more than around 1mm of metal worn off, over quite a large area, I think it’s actively dangerous. Replace ASAP.
You might think it’s a low strain area but in an an emergency, under hard braking, with your body weight on the handlebars, a lot of stress goes through that area. You don’t want it to snap at the worst possible moment.
They don’t last forever. They’re steel and aluminium, and steel rusts and aluminium fatigues. Yes you can replace all the parts and that’s one of the strengths of the bike, but that doesn’t mean you can ignore basic maintenance.
I wouldn’t worry about the usually scratches and paint chips, as the frame is made from a fairly basic heavy-duty steel. Where you should be careful of is the fork ends and the welds on the rear triangle, esp around the roller mounts. I’ve seen cracks on those parts, and in fact my own S2 is cracking on the front EZ wheel mounts, probably where I bash it down to roll it along. It’s annoying, but I’ll get it brazed up rather than buy a new rear triangle.
Brompton recommend that the aluminium parts such as the handlebar and the hinge clamps are replaced regularly (every 5 years or 5000 miles, if I recall correctly) but I’ll bet that most owners aren’t aware of that and have never changed either.
my Brompton was also brazed by EE
Nothing is indestructible. After 14 years and what looks like no maintenance what do you expect? Your expectations are unreasonable.
Can we all just take a moment to appreciate that in the age of planned obsolescence, this British bike company stills believe in making things last?
They have been continually improving the design in tiny increments since its inception to do just that.
(I couldn’t get a straight answer about why they chose to change the 3speed C Line into a 2speed though…)