"Heavy mileage" and "penetrative spray" = replacement 18 month old rear wheel!

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berylthebrompton

Active Member
Location
Bristol
Sorry to start a new thread, but I would appreciate peoples opinions on this.

TL;DR - My 12 month old M6L started making a grinding noise. After months of troubleshooting (isolation sound to the hub, full hub service, replacement driver), the dealer spoke to Brompton who agreed to take the bike back to inspect it.

After almost a fortnight, the bike returned with a whole new rear wheel. Reading the report, it says the technician dismantled the hub and found evidence of wear on the axel and pawls. They also noted the wheel rim wear, and put all this down to "heavy mileage". They also noted that the chain oil appeared to be a "penetrative spray", and this would have accelerated wear. They conclude that the signs of wear would not be classed as a defect and not normally covered under warranty, but would replace the whole wheel as a goodwill gesture.

Firstly: "heavy mileage". I bought my bike in Sept 2015, and cycle to and from work. In total I have clocked up approximately 2,500 miles. My commute home is hilly (110m gain). However, when you read about Heinz Stücke and the likes riding Bromptons across country, I don't see that mileage on a brand new bike as "heavy". Opinions?

Likewise, this "penetrative spray". I have only ever used Muc-Off chain lube. Currently it is Muc-Off C3 Wet Cermaic Lube. Brompton show this brand in their cleaning guide and even run competitions with them. Surely this isn't a bad chain lube? And could it really migrate into the hub in large enough quantities and cause issues of this magnitude so quickly?

On one hand, I am thankful the issue has been resolved. But it feels like an anticlimax, as it feels like they are blaming me for using my bike just for commuting. And it has damaged my confidence that this hub isn't going to last another 2,500.

I would love your experiences and honest thoughts.

Cheers,

James
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Enjoy your free new wheel and move on...
 
Brompton wheels can be a bit fragile, due to the fact there physically isn't much material there. I once shot a Brompton wheel to pieces inside 200 miles, TBF, Bromptons aren't designed for endurance riding, and I wasn't entirely surprised. But it can be a surprise how easily / quickly a Brompton wheel can be worn out.
 

12boy

Guru
Location
Casper WY USA
That seems bogus to me. I have had many more miles on mine without issue although I lube my chains with hot wax and oil the 3 speed hub with synthetic auto oil through the right hand axle where the chain goes into the hub. I still managed to trash some front wheel cones in 5000 miles or so but I probably should have repacked the hubs a little earlier. Have a recent post about getting them but apparently UK dealers will not send them to the US.
 

Kell

Veteran
I don't think it's ungrateful at all. I think it's a genuine question from someone who expected more from their £1,000 bike.


First things first, IMHO Brompton's response is piss-poor. There have been many hints that their expansion is causing quality-control issues and rather than them admit it was a problem, they've effectively passed the buck and blamed the user for the problem. The 'free' wheel is just to try and hush you up.

I wouldn't expect a hub to last as little as 2,500 miles. I don't believe that using penetrative spray on your chain would cause the hub to wear out - or were they saying the spray caused the rim to wear? Either way, I'd expect more from my bike. In fact, when my rim wore out and cracked at around 2,000 miles I was also left feeling disappointed but told from the shop 'that's just normal'. And I've never even been near my bike with penetrative spray.

In my case, I also expected rather more constructive answers from this site than things like 'it's your own fault for not cleaning it', that I was somehow not telling the truth and my bike was older than I said it was or that I brake incorrectly. :rolleyes:

I do think the responses on this site seem to be a little harsh at times.

Here's my thread if it makes you feel any better:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/rear-rims-just-cracked.205315/
 
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12boy

Guru
Location
Casper WY USA
This sort of thing is why I have always liked cartridge bearing hubs, headsets and bottom brackets. Instead of saving a pound or two off total bike weight by investing in TI parts I'd rather have maintenance free components, although once I'd gotten them I'd probably want some TI parts too!
 
First things first, IMHO Brompton's response is piss-poor. ..............

................ The 'free' wheel is just to try and hush you up.

Eh? Brompton's warranty were presented with a failed component. They replaced the whole wheel for a new one and made an effort - given the limited evidence that they had available to them - to understand why the component had failed. I fail to see what more they might have done.
 

Drago

Legendary Member
I'd be quite happy if I had a failed wheel and it was replaced under warranty. I couldn't care less what they accused me of on the ticket, just so long as the goods appeared.
 

mitchibob

Über Member
Location
Treorchy, Wales
Firstly: "heavy mileage". I bought my bike in Sept 2015, and cycle to and from work. In total I have clocked up approximately 2,500 miles. My commute home is hilly (110m gain). However, when you read about Heinz Stücke and the likes riding Bromptons across country, I don't see that mileage on a brand new bike as "heavy". Opinions?

I got a new M2L last summer. Within 2,500km, the bottom bracket needed replacing. After a little online research it didn't seem that uncommon, although I was disappointed to get only that kind of distance out of it. I'm doing about 25km a day on my commute with a daily height gain of 100-140m. I didn't think that was particularly high milage, but whenever I'm asked in the shop about the distance I cover, they always seem to say that it's high for a Brompton.

Considering the condition of many London roads, the wheels have coped pretty well, although I could maybe do with truing the front a little. Hubs seem fine, although no hub gear to worry about.

One thing that surprised me after buying a Brompton, was what they think the longevity of some parts are in the manual, e.g. M-Type handlebars only lasting 5,000miles if you "ride hard", whatever that means, and suggesting you change before a dangerous failure.
 
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