Rear rim's just cracked.

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

Looks like it's scored all round too

That's the designed built in rim wear indicator. You're not supposed to use the rim once it's appeared, all in the manual.

 

[jonny jeez]

Clearly your own fault for braking too often, you must leant to stop with your feet on the ground.

These flimsy little origami bikes are not meant to be ridden, just stored between to your drawing board and site hat.


Right, now I've insulted everyone. Yes it does seem odd to fail so soon but the wear indicator is showing so perhaps you ride a very hilly route, or have to stop a lot more often than usual. Do you ride the brake at all...are the calipers opening correctly.

Whilst I don't think you should HAVE to clean a bike to make it work, a dirty brake cable can seize a caliper on and cause untold wear...especially on you.

I'd swap the cable inners and outers, clean and lube the calipers (do brommies have calipers?) and swap the rim obviously.

Something's not right and I doubt its just due to a build up of dirt on the rims.

 

[Kell]

Consider me thoroughly chastised.

I guess I didn't expect such a dramatic step change in rituals going from AN Other bike to a Brompton.

I did a lot of research before buying about things to look out for and at no point did I read or hear that they have to treated with kid gloves.

While I was surprised that my brake blocks lasted little more than 1,600 miles I view them as consumables. I don't (or didn't) put rims in the same category.

According to my LBS they'll look at it with a view to warranty claims from Brompton or it's
£30 wheel rebuild
£25 rim
£ possibly (probably) new spokes

Or

£160 for a full new wheel.

I'm going to check the front tonight too.

 

[rualexander]

£25 for a new standard Brompton rim is a bit steep, should be able to get one for less than £20.
Or you could splash out on an Andra CSS carbide rim and stop worrying about rim wear (special brake blocks required though).
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/rims-tape/ryde-andra-20-16-x-1-38-349-css-alloy-rim-black-28-hole/

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

I'm heavy and live on top of a great big hill. Sometimes my rims lasted only a thousand miles. Not a problem now

 

[CanucksTraveller]

Consider me thoroughly chastised.

Yeah, and for what it's worth Kell, I feel for you a bit here. I had no idea that Brompton rims had that short a life expectancy either, if I'd switched from a hybrid (say) to a Brompton I'd have been caught out and probably disappointed too. Every day's a school day I suppose.

 

[Kell]

I guess it's just that. Surprise. Four people at work have had Bromptons way longer than me - one's had his 8 years - and not one of them mentioned rim wear.

I'm also heavier (16 stone) and I ride quicker than any of them though (normal 'cruising' speed in the Brompton is about 17-18mph), so am also likely to be much harder on the brakes.

That said in those 2,200 miles the bulk of them have been done doing laps of Hyde Park. I can easily do two+ laps without touching the brakes.

I do have a very steep hill near my home end of the journey, but I only ride that in school holidays when I don't have to put my bike in the car while I drop my daughter off. Other than that, it's very flat.

Anyway, I took some better pics of the crack, the uncracked bit, plus the front wheel to try and ascertain what I'm looking out for.

Rear wheel wheel without the crack. What is it here that indicates the wheel is worn?

Front wheel - does this need replacing too?

Rear wheel crack.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

I guess it's just that. Surprise. Four people at work have had Bromptons way longer than me - one's had his 8 years - and not one of them mentioned rim wear.

I'm also heavier (16 stone) and I ride quicker than any of them though (normal 'cruising' speed in the Brompton is about 17-18mph), so am also likely to be much harder on the brakes.

That said in those 2,200 miles the bulk of them have been done doing laps of Hyde Park. I can easily do two+ laps without touching the brakes.

I do have a very steep hill near my home end of the journey, but I only ride that in school holidays when I don't have to put my bike in the car while I drop my daughter off. Other than that, it's very flat.

Anyway, I took some better pics of the crack, the uncracked bit, plus the front wheel to try and ascertain what I'm looking out for.

Rear wheel wheel without the crack. What is it here that indicates the wheel is worn?

View attachment 139183

Front wheel - does this need replacing too?
View attachment 139181

Rear wheel crack. View attachment 139182

Front wheel not quite there yet but keep an eye on as the rim wear indicator might just be coming through from the photos.

Re the rear wheel, there are lines but they seem to be a bit 'high'. Strange tbh, the rim wear indicators on post 2013 are far more reliable ime than post 2013.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

I guess it's just that. Surprise. Four people at work have had Bromptons way longer than me - one's had his 8 years - and not one of them mentioned rim wear.

I'm also heavier (16 stone) and I ride quicker than any of them though (normal 'cruising' speed in the Brompton is about 17-18mph), so am also likely to be much harder on the brakes.

That said in those 2,200 miles the bulk of them have been done doing laps of Hyde Park. I can easily do two+ laps without touching the brakes.

I do have a very steep hill near my home end of the journey, but I only ride that in school holidays when I don't have to put my bike in the car while I drop my daughter off. Other than that, it's very flat.

Anyway, I took some better pics of the crack, the uncracked bit, plus the front wheel to try and ascertain what I'm looking out for.

Rear wheel wheel without the crack. What is it here that indicates the wheel is worn?

View attachment 139183

Front wheel - does this need replacing too?
View attachment 139181

Rear wheel crack. View attachment 139182

Based on the newer photos I'd say there should be a good case for warranty replacement.

 

[Tim Hall]

(Idle interest) what am I looking for to see the wear indicator in the original photos? I used to run Mavic 719 rims which had wear indicators in the form of a hole drilled part way through the rim from the inside. When it became visible from the outside it was time for a new rim. The indicator was only in one position though. Other rims I've had have a continuous groove in the brake track. When that disappears, again it's new rim time.

 

[Rohloff_Brompton_Rider]

(Idle interest) what am I looking for to see the wear indicator in the original photos? I used to run Mavic 719 rims which had wear indicators in the form of a hole drilled part way through the rim from the inside. When it became visible from the outside it was time for a new rim. The indicator was only in one position though. Other rims I've had have a continuous groove in the brake track. When that disappears, again it's new rim time.

I like the mavic idea, the B's used to be scored in but the scoring caused work hardening, essentially making it the last part of the rim to survive. The new indicator appears like magic when worn. The OP's initial photos show a crack where the indicator is, hence the flaming they got.
Further photos don't show an indicator which indicates (pun intended) a warranty issue.

 

[Kell]

Well it seems like the shop believes it's just wear.

Which it probably is, but as I say, there was no 'indication' of any real wear before it went.

I guess forewarned is forearmed and all that.

 

[berylthebrompton]

Well it seems like the shop believes it's just wear.

Which it probably is, but as I say, there was no 'indication' of any real wear before it went.

I guess forewarned is forearmed and all that.

So you have to pay? I must say the Brompton warranty seems to be a bit like Teflon. I had to pay to have my chain and sprockets changed after 500 miles/5 months!

 

[srw]

So you have to pay? I must say the Brompton warranty seems to be a bit like Teflon. I had to pay to have my chain and sprockets changed after 500 miles/5 months!

The Brompton warranty covers the frame, not consumables. Way back in the dark ages I had frame welds go on my first Brompton - replaced under warranty without question.

Chain, sprockets and rims are all consumables, and I wouldn't expect any warranty to cover them beyond the first few weeks. That said, if I were the OP I'd be popping into Brompton Junction in London rather than some random bike shop. To put things into context, I have in my time been rather heavier than him, and used to ride 5 miles each way every day; I now do the same ride 2 or 3 times a week and have also done longer rides. In the last 20 years I've mangled precisely one rim. On the other hand my first Brompton got to the stage where one of the steel struts rusted right through.

Having said that, the photos don't look like a bike which was utterly brand new only a year ago. In particular, that muck on the inside of the rims and on the spokes looks more like pitting than standard commuter dirt build-up.

 

[Kell]

In fairness, it's hardly some 'random' shop. It's an official Brompton dealer and it's where I got my bike from.

What I might do is ask them for the old rim once the new one is finished and then have a conversation with Brompton.

As for the bike, what can I tell you? It's done 2,200 miles since I got it last August and it was brand new on the Bike to work scheme. I ride it at least 12 miles a day, five days a week in all weathers. It doesn't spend any time outside other than when I ride it as we have a secure car park at work and it's either garaged or in my car at night.

I tend to just clean the braking surface rather than the whole bike. And certainly don't worry about dirty spokes.

As for the cost, it would still be cheaper for me to buy two new Bromptons every year than it would to commute, so I'm happy to pay for maintenace - I'm just surprised that a rim would only last this long given my previous bikes were treated exactly the same and I've never broken a rim. On any bike.