Looking after your Brompton - rust

[Time Waster]

I wonder what your advice would be on thee Brompton rust issue? Apart from the various nuts and bolts (especially on the brakes), I have patches that the paint has flaked off and is now rusty. There is a big patch on the side of the pivot point for the rear triangle but there are quite a few dodgy patches.

I bought the bike shortly after lockdown for Covid ended and I always take care with my bikes but I do use them. I have never had a bike rust and paint flake off like this since I had a cheapo kids bike over 40 years ago as a young kid (my first ever bike is the only one I have had that rusted in the past). I have no idea why muy bike has rusted such that the paint fllaked off and is flaking off in at least one place.

So what would you do to stop the rust and make good the damage caused so far? Could I take wire wool to the nuts and bolts then oil them to protect them? What about the painted bodywork? Would you wire wool off the rust, prime / undercoat it then use touch up paint on it? Where can you get colour matched point for Bromptons? Mine is that standard dark blue colour (no idea what the colour name is).

 

[Gunk]

Brompton decided to bring the powder coating in house a few years ago and IMO the later bikes lack the quality of finish that earlier bikes had.

Rub it down with 800 grit wet and dry, use a high build primer and touch it in, the code for the black satin is RAL 9005.

The dark navy is Tempest Blue RAL 5011, if you order paint with these codes make sure it’s satin.

On the corroded steel nuts and bolts, I clean them with fine wire wool and WD40 and smear some Waxoyl on them. Best preventative maintenance on a Brompton is to keep it clean and wash the salt off it at least weekly if you are using it every day.

 

[neilrichardson55]

had this with my 2006 the inside of the tubes with surface rust and where the paint gets damaged little chips or scratches i tend to make sure they are touch in and repaired to stop the rust. also i used waxoyl in the inside of the tubes to stop it rusting inside out. if the bike is used in the wet i will dry the bike off just to make sure no water hangs around the trouble areas

 

[roley poley]

For touch-up paint I just folded it up and took it in halfords to the paint section and held the small bottles of colour to the frame till i found a match nowt whizzy basically british racing green

 

[Time Waster]

Just out of curiosity, are the other brands of folding bike found in the UK commonly such as R&M (Birdy), Dahon and Tern better or worse for this rusting issue than Brompton? I know my other bikes do not have anything like this issue despite getting more bashing and having had more outside in the wet use. Especially my road / gravel type bike.

 

[Gunk]

For touch-up paint I just folded it up and took it in halfords to the paint section and held the small bottles of colour to the frame till i found a match nowt whizzy basically british racing green

I just search the correct RAL code on eBay and buy a bottle of touch up paint for about £7.00

 

[Gunk]

Just out of curiosity, are the other brands of folding bike found in the UK commonly such as R&M (Birdy), Dahon and Tern better or worse for this rusting issue than Brompton? I know my other bikes do not have anything like this issue despite getting more bashing and having had more outside in the wet use. Especially my road / gravel type bike.

Brompton’s don’t hold up well, especially the rear triangle, here is my 2007 that I’m restoring at the moment.

 

[fossyant]

Buy a non rusty proper bike.





Sorry !

 

[Andy in Germany]

I've noticed the rusting issue as well, so it's good to have a few options for fixing it. You'd think a bike made in the UK would be able to handle airborne moisture, wouldn't you?

 

[HMS_Dave]

I've noticed the rusting issue as well, so it's good to have a few options for fixing it. You'd think a bike made in the UK would be able to handle airborne moisture, wouldn't you?

Indeed, It looks like they purchased an old Lancia's guide to rust proofing in the bargain bin of their local book shop.

 

[Time Waster]

Do not mention it on a Brompton reddit!! You will get downvoted so badly!!

Rust simply does not happen to those guys. I guess perhaps they do not take it out into the rain and do things like kick their missus out to sleep in the garage so their Brommie can take her side of the bed!! Seriously they are precious about the brand.

And do not even try to explain that you cannot take the bike into your office at work with you. They simply do not understand that concept and the poor dears have a breakdown at that!! 🤯

Sorry I have jusst learnt a bit about emojis, I am tryhing them out more!!

 

[Time Waster]

Indeed, It looks like they purchased an old Lancia's guide to rust proofing in the bargain bin of their local book shop.

I did hear a good few years ago that at one time Ford cars of certain years were rare. It was not that in those years there were not many sold, but in those years the price of steel rose sharply so to keep costs the same they bought cheaper steel which rusted away. So after about 5 years you would not see used cars from maybe one or two years around then. They had mostly been taken off the road by failed MOTs due to serious rust issues.

Then again certain models were made in UK and Germany. The German ones were well made, the UK ones you were advised not to buy.

I think Bromptons are the ones that I would never recommend after having one for a 5 years now.

I have a pretty bad rust patch on the bottom bracket block that the rear triangle pivots from. ALmost half of one side is rust now. I have never seen a bike rust so badly as my Brompton. It is really not worth the £1300 they cost. For that price I would really want to have nio rust issues. OTher brands of bikes can manage it.

 

[Schwinnsta]

Just out of curiosity, are the other brands of folding bike found in the UK commonly such as R&M (Birdy), Dahon and Tern better or worse for this rusting issue than Brompton? I know my other bikes do not have anything like this issue despite getting more bashing and having had more outside in the wet use. Especially my road / gravel type bike.

I would bet they rust a lot less. Of course, using aluminum frames could have something to do with ti.

 

[Andy in Germany]

And do not even try to explain that you cannot take the bike into your office at work with you. They simply do not understand that concept and the poor dears have a breakdown at that!!

Wait until they hear that some people don't work in an office.

 

[Drago]

Do not mention it on a Brompton reddit!! You will get downvoted so badly!!

Rust simply does not happen to those guys. I guess perhaps they do not take it out into the rain and do things like kick their missus out to sleep in the garage so their Brommie can take her side of the bed!! Seriously they are precious about the brand.

Oh, I know. They got the vapours when in the end I purchased a different brand of folding bike and they spent days telling me I wouldn't be able to do all sorts of things with it, things which I have invariably done in full many times since. They're so far up their own behinds they wouldn't recognise sunlight.

But coming back to TW's original post, Buzzweld's lanolin spray now comes in 400ml aerosols, ideal for spring into frame tubes, and is very good value.