Brompton Emergency Toolkit - Recommendations?

[dmoan]

SavageHoutCop - you are a genuine star and I owe you a pint! Have a virtual beer on me in the mean time!

Mickle - Thanks for the service report - good to know that it is unlikely that anything more than one or two proper services a year will be required to keep our new babies on the road.

ShaunCollier - armed with the tool sizes provided by the most excellent SavageHoutCop, I will research the world of multitools to try and find the perfect Brompton one!

Dellzegg - I refer you to my earlier post on this thread(http://www.cyclechat.co.uk/forums/showpost.php?p=835679&postcount=8). I thought you - of all people - would appreciate someone going the extra mile to make sure they could complete your ride!

 

[srw]

Right, so my quick check last night came up with

[long list of tools deleted]

Of those, literally the only one I have ever used out on the road is the 10mm spanner to adjust the quick release on the seatpost - and that's only because I didn't get around to doing it at home. The only tool I regularly use at home is the 15mm spanner to remove the wheel - and since switching to Marathons even that is a very rare job. Sooner or later I'm going to have to replace the brake blocks - the first set on a new bike always wear down quickly (about 7 months so far) - but that's a five-minute job.

I have been riding Bromptons now for 13 years, and reckon I've done the best part of 20,000 miles in that time. My maintenance routine is to pump up the tyres about every three weeks (two if I remember) and to use ordinary oil on the chain when it begins to dry out. Otherwise I only repair or replace (or get repairs done) when something wears out.

I've had six non-puncture catastrophic failures in that time which have aborted my journey. The first two were weld failures within the first six months or so and were replaced under warranty. Two others were caused by the failure of the plastic doobry holding the suspension block in place. The other two were caused by rear wheel rim failure, and a slightly better inspection routine would have sorted those out.

No tool on earth would have kept me going after any of those six failures. The Brompton is, as mickle says, unbelievably robust. It just keeps on going. You can abuse it with impunity.

 

[matason]

Thanks

Subscribing, thanks for this info, it's exactly a question I was going to ask because later in the month I ride from London to Paris on my Brompton and there'll be no taxi option

 

[cityboy]

I hear there's a documentary being made on the history of the Brompton. I think they did some filming at the BWC