Tern Verge Hinge does close enough

[rider70]

Hello,

I purchased a Tern Verge P20 new (2017 leftover) in January 2022. Though I love the bike, I have one (two if counting no support) major problem with it.

When riding straight, I noticed that I must keep the front wheel turned a bit to the right. It's not the handlebar alignment. Checking the frame, it is clear that the folding hinge does not entirely close to unfold the bike, so the front half is a few degrees off centerline to the left. Turning the front wheel to the right keeps it straight, but the bike is puppywalking, with front and back tires out of line.

I also have an old Tern Link without that problem. (I own 5 bikes, all customized by me). The Link has adjustment screws to control the amount of unfolding. The Verge has these little wedges in the back half that fit into wedge cutouts on the front half. If I grind them down, I'll lose corrosion protection, and I don't even know if that will fix the problem. I guess they are there for stability, but they are improperly located.

I hadn't ridden it much until now because I do not like thumb shifters. I finally mounted good twist shifters and the bike flies. Of course the problem right now is that it is unstable (cannot ride with no hands for one thing) and it will probably wipe out the tires and maybe the bearings over time.

All I can think of is to replace the hinge pin with one of smaller diameter and put in an eccentric sleeve to bring the hinge side out as far as the clamp side. Sounds dangerous.

Does anyone have any experience here in massaging a Tern hinge to close completely?

I realize that many here cannot stand Tern, and many hate twist grip shifters. But it's all personal taste. I am a good mechanic, and I am also very comfortable with the sizing, weight and speed of this bike, so I want to make it safe.

I visited all the local Tern dealers that Tern recommends. All of them told me that they really don't handle folding bikes anymore, and don't even sell parts for Tern, but they never let Tern know that they cannot support their product.

Thanks for any mechanical suggestions.

 

[chriswoody]

Both the Link and the Verge have the OCL joint which is adjusted with the hexagonal bar under the hinge lever. You can make it out on the picture below where it indicates how to turn it. I'm not aware of any adjustment screws on it?

It's one of the semi regular maintenance jobs I do one my Link to keep it all tight. I know on mine if I overdo the turn then I can't close the hinge properly which means the frame is not properly shut.

Personally I love my Tern, it's been a fantastic bike, reliable, practical, cheap transport what's not to like?

 

[rider70]

Both the Link and the Verge have the OCL joint which is adjusted with the hexagonal bar under the hinge lever. You can make it out on the picture below where it indicates how to turn it. I'm not aware of any adjustment screws on it?

It's one of the semi regular maintenance jobs I do one my Link to keep it all tight. I know on mine if I overdo the turn then I can't close the hinge properly which means the frame is not properly shut.

Personally I love my Tern, it's been a fantastic bike, reliable, practical, cheap transport what's not to like?

View attachment 666047

Thank you so much for the reply.

You are correct. I was mistaken. There are no adjustment screws on the Link. It is an early model and so has a different hinge, but the holes inside do not have corresponding screws as I had thought.

The hinge on the Verge is tight. It is difficult to tell from the pic I am attaching, but there is a gap of about 1/8" (3mm) between the two halves at the clamp side.

When I get a chance, I'll put some modeling wax in the hinge before closing it. Then when I open it, I'll be able to see the high points.

Thanks again.

 

[the_mikey]

The clamp is adjustable, I bought a Tern Link in 2012 which has exactly the same arrangement, right down to the red release clip (which is only there as a last stop to prevent disaster if you are riding with a poorly adjusted clamp!) , it pays to take some time to learn how the clamp works, it's quite simple really but its adjustment might not be intuitive since it is not something you simply tighten up, it needs to be adjusted until the two hinge surfaces mate correctly when locked, if over adjusted it won't be possible to lock, if under adjusted it the hinge surfaces won't meet.

 

[rider70]

The clamp is adjustable, I bought a Tern Link in 2012 which has exactly the same arrangement, right down to the red release clip (which is only there as a last stop to prevent disaster if you are riding with a poorly adjusted clamp!) , it pays to take some time to learn how the clamp works, it's quite simple really but its adjustment might not be intuitive since it is not something you simply tighten up, it needs to be adjusted until the two hinge surfaces mate correctly when locked, if over adjusted it won't be possible to lock, if under adjusted it the hinge surfaces won't meet.

Sorry for being vague.

The adjustment I was seeking was for setting the angle between the front and back frame halves, not hinge tightness.

Fully opened the frame should be in a straight line. Mine is a few degrees short if that.

Thanks for the reply.

 

[rider70]

Update 2-1/2 years later.

Still no joy from Tern. Contacted them to complain about them sending me marketing emails when I cannot get the bike to work. They finally answered me from Europe requesting info. I sent them pics and registration info. They said they would get in touch with Tern USA to get it fixed. Tern USA contacted me, asked for the same info, and said they would contact a dealer in my area to make it right. They did not do so.

After over a week, I checked back with Tern USA. He said oh, sorry for the delay, I'll get you the dealer info within 24 hours. Never did. Over a week later I asked if there was any new info. No answer. That was five days ago.

Two years ago there were 4 Tern dealers within 5 miles of me. Now there are two within 10 miles, and one says he cannot get parts. I decided to again try to get it fixed on my own and had a very bad experience today with the other dealer, who suggested I purchase a Brompton. Among other things, he said Terns don't track and are only for short trips around town, not for rides. This is contrary to all the marketing for this bicycle.

Two years ago, the dealers told me that they did not really sell Tern anymore because they lost customers due to Tern's would taking orders for parts and then just not delivering, and it was impossible to get anyone on the phone. Their customers thought the dealers were jerking them around, since parts could be ordered directly from Tern on the retail website.

This new email chain with them is five weeks old. I am definitely fed up. I'll try one more guy who cannot get parts (but it's a welded part of the frame, so it's not a part unless they replace the frame). I assume I will need to take a grinder to the hinge, and then try to find a way to plate that small area. I can weld, but I cannot do Heliarc where I live. Besides, I don't have another hinge that would work.

Attached are two more pics, one with a string that shows the hinge doesn't completely unfold the bike. The other shows the hinge itself that does not totally close. If you look at the video at their site, https://www.ternbicycles.com/us/bikes/support/803 (click on top link, owner briefing), you will see that it is supposed to close.

It's a terrible combination when a company has poor quality control and awful customer service. I assume that's why nobody in my area wants to be a real Tern retailer. That is sad, because their ingenuity and design are great, but sometimes you cannot get them to work or the company to make the buyer whole.

I'll be sending a complete write-up to Tern in Europe when I get a chance.

If anyone has any advice on what I should do before I start grinding away at the hinge, please let me know. That would void the warranty, but they seem to not want to honor the warranty anyway.

Thanks.