Brompton rear frame

[Yellow Fang]

I thought some kids had damaged my Brompton. I locked it up outside a bowling alley. When I unlocked it, it felt a bit funny, and then I noticed someone had gobbed on it. On the way home the chain kept coming off, and I suspected they had bent the chainring. I tried knocking it back into shape, but it was a bit like that scene in Father Ted where he tries to knock out a small dent in a prize car and ends up crumpling the entire shell. So, I ordered a new chainring, which I fitted yesterday. Now I'm not so sure it was the chainring, because when I started cycling it this morning, there was a distinct wobble on the back. When I had a closer look at the rear frame, I noticed the bridge was broken. It seems to have corroded through. I'm wondering what I can do about it. I know you can get replacement rear frames, but an additional problem is that one of the bolts attaching the rear frame to the main frame has been glued in using thread-lock. A bolt had come loose and wouldn't tighten up, so the LBS recommended doing that rather than sending it off to have it re-bored. Maybe it's time to do this anyway.

 

[mickle]

100% warranty.

Nb. Rear swingarm removal and bearing replacement is a factory only job which they don't allow dealers do it as it requires special tools and proceedures.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Would it be 100% warranty? I've had the bike a few years and the shop I bought it from has closed down.

 

[mickle]

100%. Though you may have to deal with Brompton directly if your nearest Brompton dealer are reluctant to handle it.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I will ask my local Brompton dealer about it, but the Brompton Warranty seems to have a long list of exclusions, one being that the bike has to be less than five years old. I can't remember exactly when I bought it, but I'm pretty sure it's over five years old.

 

[mickle]

In all the time I worked in Brompton dealerships I've never known them them turn down a warranty claim. In fact I've sent bikes back to them to be repaired - fully expecting an invoice - to have them returned, repaired under warranty. And often they've done more work than is necessary - replaced cables and the like. They are, without any doubt, the best manufacturer when it comes to warranty issues.

nb. I haven't worked in a bike shop for 5yrs so I can only claim knowledge between 1983 and 2006 but I cant imagine that the situation has changed very much in the intervening years.

 

[Yellow Fang]

Surprisingly, the bikeshop phoned me up this morning to say Brompton would honour the warranty . Well, there you go, I've always thought Brompton was an example to the rest of British industry.

 

[TheDoctor]

Never doubt the Mickle!!!

 

[ufkacbln]

Never doubt the Mickle!!!

Many a mickle makes a muckle

 

[mickle]

Many a mickle makes a muckle

Lies, all lies.

 

[Yellow Fang]

I've just picked up my Brompton from Evans this morning - not a penny to pay

The factory even serviced it. The brakes are tighter and I think they changed the gear cables! They wrote a note to say the the dynamo lighting system was poorly fitted (not surprisingly since I fitted it). Otherwise they advised me to fit a new chain and to consider replacing the handlebars. I thought they'd messed up when I saw the right pedal missing, but it turned out it had just been removed so that the bike could be put in the box.

Well, I can't complain about that, can I?

 

[palinurus]

Good stuff.

I've heard several stories of Brompon fixing other stuff and doing unrelated upgrades when doing frame warranty work.