Cracked Brompton rear mudguard

[doginabag]

I noticed a crack on my rear mudguard yesterday and was wondering if it is a common issue or not before I head down to the store I bought it from.

The crack has originated from the jockey wheel bracket where you would expect the highest stress concentration when folded and being pushed around. However from the photo you will also see that the bracket is bent, which will have caused all the stress to be concentrated on one side rather than being more evenly distributed. It has been that way from new and despite irritating my OCD I put it down to the quirks of a hand built bike and thought no more of it.

 

[alicat]

How old is the mudguard? Looks like something has been dropped on that side of the mudguard or the bike has been dropped at some point.

 

[bikegang]

I noticed a crack on my rear mudguard yesterday and was wondering if it is a common issue or not before I head down to the store I bought it from.

.....

Do you roll your brompton a lot? yes, the mudguard tend to break, some have installed reinforced plate to share the load.

 

[doginabag]

How old is the mudguard? Looks like something has been dropped on that side of the mudguard or the bike has been dropped at some point.

It is 6 months old, maybe a week or two older.

The bike is well looked after and has never been dropped or crashed. The crack originates from the corner of the jockey wheel bracket on the side that it leads towards which is exactly where you would expect the peak stress to concentrate. The crack doesn't break out through the side of the mudgiard so I disagree that there is any suggestion that the bike has been dropped.

Do you roll your brompton a lot? yes, the mudguard tend to break, some have installed reinforced plate to share the load.

I have tried it on a few occasion but generally no, they really don't roll well even on a flat tiled floor. The only rolling it does when folded is just enough to get it behind the seats on the train.


I have just popped into my local Evans store. They kindly offered to sell me a new mudguard and looked perplexed when I mentioned a warranty. They then tried to fob me off saying that Bromptons only come with a 6 month warranty on the frame and nothing for other components.

 

[Mrs M]

Aw, that's not good.
I'd contact Brompton directly and advise what Evans have said.
Your cracked mudguard and another cc members Brompton breaking in half have put me off them a bit
Hope you get it sorted.

 

[bikegang]

Aw, that's not good.
I'd contact Brompton directly and advise what Evans have said.
Your cracked mudguard and another cc members Brompton breaking in half have put me off them a bit
Hope you get it sorted.

yes, 1 year warranty should be there for all parts.

 

[doginabag]

yes, 1 year warranty should be there for all parts.

Always worth remembering roughly situations like this, no matter what a manufacturer or retailer tries to tell you, all items sold within the EU are covered by a compulsory 2 year warranty as outlined in European Directive 1999/44.

Two years left to enjoy that protection.

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

I've been through a few rear mudguards by 'parking' the bike with a bit too much enthusiasm so the little wheel bounces a bit as the back wheel goes under. I probably did the first one within six months too. It also bends the bracket out a bit on one side. I'd just buy a new one to be honest.

 

[rozzer1971]

There's a seller on eBay offering a reinforcement plate for the mudguard. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MULTI-S-M...hash=item238035b240:m:mqhfZPO2cEAcRbEraiR68ZA

 

[ryanme]

Aw, that's not good.
I'd contact Brompton directly and advise what Evans have said.
Your cracked mudguard and another cc members Brompton breaking in half have put me off them a bit
Hope you get it sorted.

The cracking of mudguards is caused 99% by the user .. the front cracks when you fold the back wheel without turning the wheel.

The rear mudguard cracks when you fold the wheel under and bounce it off the roller ..

New blades are like £10...

 

[ryanme]

I've been through a few rear mudguards by 'parking' the bike with a bit too much enthusiasm so the little wheel bounces a bit as the back wheel goes under. I probably did the first one within six months too. It also bends the bracket out a bit on one side. I'd just buy a new one to be honest.

 

[Bromptonaut]

The rear mudguard on L models has a finite life but I'd expect it to be in years not months. My first B was an L5 with 5 speed hub and no rack (M5L in current nomenclature). Mudguard, which originally lacked the rubber spray flap, lasted about 7 years before delaminating and cracking.

My second was an M6R and is much easier to manoeuvre folded - for example placing it between seat backs on a train.

 

[Fab Foodie]

If you need to wheel it around a lot, add a rack. Much easier.

 

[Crankarm]

Always worth remembering roughly situations like this, no matter what a manufacturer or retailer tries to tell you, all items sold within the EU are covered by a compulsory 2 year warranty as outlined in European Directive 1999/44.

Two years left to enjoy that protection.

Sorry but there is no way that this is a warranty issue for your bike. It is either damage caused by use or could be considered fair wear and tear given all the other scratches on the mudguard. How do you explain all the other scratches on the mudguard? Also the mudguard is slightly misshapen as well. If it was in a mint and unmarked condition you MIGHT have a slim chance of getting a replacement under warranty. My Brompton is 12-13 years old and has covered a fair few miles and been folded and unfolded hundreds if not thousands of times and it's mudguard is in far better condition than yours. The mudguards are pretty robust. Yours has taken some sort of hit or strike at some point causing it to crack. So I don't know what you are doing to yours but you need to take more care of it. Perhaps be more mindful of the surfaces you are folding and unfolding it on? In any case a replacement mudguard is not going to be that expensive. Either buy a new one or get some Superglue to repair it. But sorry that is NOT a warranty issue so no point going on about being fobbed off or EU directives.

 

[doginabag]

The scratches come from it being slid in and out of storage areas on trains. Obviously is has taken a wack of some sort, probably while being loaded on a train. But my point is that a bike that is meant to be folded, and rested on the mudguard when in the folded position should be more resilient and I still firmly believe that likelihood of breakage was increased by the badly installed roller for reasons already explained. This kind of thing falls well inside my area of expertise.

However, dealing with Evans turned out to be painful and not at all worth my hassle for the value of the part to be replaced so I left it.

I have a new set of black ones on the way now to finally replace it and save my soggy botty, and have some ideas for a more robust fixing method that should better transfer the loads through the bike when in the folded position, taking the mudguard out of the load path all together.