Brompton rear hinge - fix myself or under warranty?

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.

LCpl Boiled Egg

Three word soundbite
I'm on my Brompton pulling away from a stop this morning and I feel the back wheel wobble in an alarming fashion. Stopping quickly as possible I check the bike over and somehow I've lost one of the bolts holding the rear spindle in place.

The replacement part would be £20 but Brompton recommend only dealers fit the part. Also, the bike is only 3 years old.

Does anyone have any experience of the same problem and know whether or not it's possible to fit the part yourself?

If not, is it covered under the five year warranty, and would it take long to get fixed?

Essentially I'm trying to fix it as quickly as possible and would appreciate advice from the good people here on the best way to do that.

Thanks all.
 

Fab Foodie

hanging-on in quiet desperation ...
Location
Kirton, Devon.
Have you spoken to your local Brompton dealer to see what they suggest, whether it's a warranty issue and how easy it is to do?
Any on-line videos how to do the job?
 
OP
OP
LCpl Boiled Egg

LCpl Boiled Egg

Three word soundbite
Have you spoken to your local Brompton dealer to see what they suggest, whether it's a warranty issue and how easy it is to do?
Any on-line videos how to do the job?

Not yet, it happened on the way to work this morning and I haven't had a chance to speak to anyone about it. I guess I'm trying to work out if the warranty claim is a lengthy process and whether it's quicker to fix it myself.
 

Kell

Veteran
It's such an integral (and structural) part of the frame, I'd be tempted in that instance to get it fixed properly - and get an explanation of why it came out.

If you do it yourself, and it happens again, then the results could be disastrous.
 
OP
OP
LCpl Boiled Egg

LCpl Boiled Egg

Three word soundbite
It's such an integral (and structural) part of the frame, I'd be tempted in that instance to get it fixed properly - and get an explanation of why it came out.

If you do it yourself, and it happens again, then the results could be disastrous.

To be honest, I am a bit concerned that it came off. My previous Brompton never had a problem with the rear hinge in nearly 10 years of solid riding.
 

Kell

Veteran
Mine came a bit loose on the drive side. I had this unexplained squeaking for ages and it turned out to be the whole rear frame moving as the bolt on the drive side had undone by a couple of turns.

I took the screw out, added loctite and replaced it and it's been good since - and cured the squeak. But I'd certainly not fancy replacing a full hinge myself.

Sounds like a warranty claim to me...
 
OP
OP
LCpl Boiled Egg

LCpl Boiled Egg

Three word soundbite
Mine came a bit loose on the drive side. I had this unexplained squeaking for ages and it turned out to be the whole rear frame moving as the bolt on the drive side had undone by a couple of turns.

I took the screw out, added loctite and replaced it and it's been good since - and cured the squeak. But I'd certainly not fancy replacing a full hinge myself.

Sounds like a warranty claim to me...

That sounds familiar, mine was on the drive side too. I had put the squeaking down to not oiling the chain since cycling home in the rain the other day and was going to look at it on the weekend.
 

srw

It's a bit more complicated than that...
Mine came a bit loose on the drive side. I had this unexplained squeaking for ages and it turned out to be the whole rear frame moving as the bolt on the drive side had undone by a couple of turns.

I took the screw out, added loctite and replaced it and it's been good since - and cured the squeak. But I'd certainly not fancy replacing a full hinge myself.

Sounds like a warranty claim to me...
My experience too. A loose bolt has happened to me once in 21 years of Bromptoneering, reasonably shortly after the hinge was serviced. I think there was a batch of bikes quite a long time ago where the hinge wore out a bit early and needed attention. After the loctite I had no more problems.

In the OP's situation I'd be talking to my supplier.
 
OP
OP
LCpl Boiled Egg

LCpl Boiled Egg

Three word soundbite
Sadly, the original supplier of my Brompton is no longer in business (Ben Hayward and Sons), so I took it to my nearest dealer this morning. I was told the hinge bolt had sheared off and it isn't covered under warranty as the hinge itself is a wear and tear item, unlike than the frame itself.

On the plus side, they've just told me it's fixed so I can collect it tonight if I wanted. On the minus side, both my rims are badly worn (which I had suspected), so I'll probably have to take it back in to them soon to get a new wheel built. Back on the plus side, the hinge bolt didn't wreck the hinge itself which could have meant a new rear triangle apparently.

So, could be worse, could be better. As it's my main mode of transport that gets me to work and back it will have to get done soon, and it's still cheaper than running a car. Cheers for everyone's input on this thread.
 
Top Bottom