Old unloved Brompton - FOUND!

[JhnBssll]

I fancy another refurb project and have my heart set on a Brompton. I've been scouring eBay but they all seem too good for my purposes, I really want something that has been used and abused and will take some work to freshen up. As such i dont want to be paying too much but understand even poor examples hold their value.

If you've got something that might fit the bill I would be interested to hear from you with some pics and a price

Thanks in advance!

 

[steveindenmark]

You will struggle. Bromptons are well looked after and even tbe old ones are expensive.

 

[JhnBssll]

I have been struggling for a while but I'm sure theres one out there somewhere for me

 

[vickster]

Even the stolen ones command a high price

 

[rogerzilla]

I bought a very well-used one for £250 a few years ago. That seems to be the bottom price for an L3 with not much paint left and a waggly rear end. At high mileages the head tube will likely be stretched, meaning a loose lower headset cup.

No bike is "worth" refurbishing in an economic sense as a re-enamel is so expensive*. A Brompton even less so, as the base price is too high. You only do it for fun.

*powdercoating cheaper but rarely nice - also, a Brompton would need the hinges dismantling for powdercoat, which is not a home job. For wet paint jobs, the stem and main frame hinges can be left intact.

 

[JhnBssll]

Thanks for the reply some good info there. I wouldnt be doing it to for economic reasons, I just enjoy rebuilding bikes and feel like a Brompton would be fun Hearing that the hinges arent a home job just makes me want one even more

£250 for a tatty one seems reasonable, but the last tatty one I watched on eBay went for nearly double that

 

[rogerzilla]

https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https://www.ebay.co.uk/ulk/itm/193011748767

That one went for £200. Cheap ones are out there, but not in London, where they are most in demand.

If you're doing a rattle-can respray you should be able to leave the hinges and free them up between coats. Dismantling requires reaming for new oversize pins, which Brompton will probably not sell you. In fact, Brompton won't sell many parts to end users now, which makes a refurb tricky.

 

[JhnBssll]

That's encouraging, ill keep my eyes peeled then.

I've got plenty of equipment available to me at work including mills, lathes and a hydraulic press so should be able to rebuild the main hinge if it came to it, even if it meant machining my own oversize pin. You've got a lot of knowledge on this subject @rogerzilla have you refurbished many?

 

[Freds Dad]

This might be of interest to you.

https://www.easyliveauction.com/cat...y-classic-antiques-interiors-auction-lot-248/

 

[JhnBssll]

This might be of interest to you.

https://www.easyliveauction.com/cat...y-classic-antiques-interiors-auction-lot-248/

Very interesting, thanks for sharing! I may well take a punt at it

 

[Zanelad]

Let us know how you get on. The fees seem steep if I'm reading their page correctly.

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

Do you think you would be able to fix the problem with this frame? It's still in my garage, but I've been cannibalising it for bits on the replacement Brompton so it's not a complete bike I'm afraid. Happy to take more pictures if it helps.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/is-my-frame-beyond-repair.157120/

 

[JhnBssll]

Do you think you would be able to fix the problem with this frame? It's still in my garage, but I've been cannibalising it for bits on the replacement Brompton so it's not a complete bike I'm afraid. Happy to take more pictures if it helps.

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/is-my-frame-beyond-repair.157120/

Interesting... I've got welding gear too I've recently signed up for a C&G welding refresher course starting in January so this could be a good subject to play with I would be interested to find out what the rest of the bike looks like and how much you would want for it Where abouts are you based?

 

[LCpl Boiled Egg]

Interesting... I've got welding gear too I've recently signed up for a C&G welding refresher course starting in January so this could be a good subject to play with I would be interested to find out what the rest of the bike looks like and how much you would want for it Where abouts are you based?

I'll have a look in the garage and work out what's left of the old thing, take some pictures and send you a message soon. Oh, and I'm in East Cambridgeshire so not too far away for you if you're in Suffolk.

 

[JhnBssll]

I'll have a look in the garage and work out what's left of the old thing, take some pictures and send you a message soon. Oh, and I'm in East Cambridgeshire so not too far away for you if you're in Suffolk.

That would be splendid, thanks very much! Look forward to hearing from you