Brompton owners

Got a rear puncture this morning. General online consensus is that it’s a ball ache so I’m not even going to attempt it in my lunch break (also has a marathon tyre). My 3 speed hub has been slipping in 3rd and the RD sticks so is no longer used. I’ve been putting it off so it seems to make sense to tackle all together.

…So a couple of Qs:

• can anyone recommend a good 3-speed hub gear set up tutorial and a Brompton derailleur one?
• How do I tell whether I've got a SA or Sram 3 speed rear hub, and does it matter?
• I intend to replace the gear cables. Do I need to worry about the little chain thingy, or do they more or less last the life of the hub?
• Does the hive think the rear derailleur just needs a solid clean, re-cable, and lube?
• Are there any other service jobs I should be thinking about at the same time?

Cheers.

EDIT: It's a 2005 T6.

EDIT: here is what looks like a decent guide: http://www.kinetics-online.co.uk/technical-info/brompton-maintenance/

My Brompton's just started making an unusual ticking/rattling noise. Not rhythmic, seems to mostly be whilst pedalling, mostly on rougher roads. Not in time with pedal revolutions and not changing speed with wheel or crank speed. I don't think it's the bars, I think I've checked that everything's done up tight (mudguards, those little screw on things on valves etc). I've got Ultegra cranks on there with BBR60 bottom bracket, don't think it's that kind of dying BB noise either.

Any ideas what might be going on?

Dunno but i've got a real nightmare of a squeak going on too.

Could be bushings or suspension related?

Couple of issues I would like to ask for advice about oh Brompton sages!

My Brompton is mostly stock from 2012, S2L, had new chains and cogs regularly, had a new rear frame hinge fitted a couple of months ago:

• I'm going crazy with my seat post constantly working loose and my saddle rotating whilst riding. How do I fix this, do I get a new quick release seatpost collar, tightening the current stock one doesn't seem to do anything for longer than one ride.

• The clip with the suspension block doesn't engage well anymore and is visibly worn, can I replace both sides and whats the best replacement?

Could well be. I think I've done almost 2000mi on it, and mostly in shit weather. Is that about the life of a set of bushings?

Suspension I'll have to check, I've not got the standard block, I've got a metal spring thing. Don't seem to be able to make the sound happen by sitting there and bouncing up and down on it.

Squeak sounds annoying, when's that happening?

It seems the seatpost sleeve wears out - £25 for service here http://www.bikefix.co.uk/brompton-servicing

Save yourself a world of pain and take it somewhere decent for a service.

2000 miles is quite a lot for a set of bushings I think. I've got wear in mine from less than that.

My squeak is mostly in line with left pedal strokes but as far as i've checked it's not drivetrain related so i'm wondering if it's torsion through the main hinge under pedal load.

I've experience something similar to this. I haven't solved it as it seems to come and go but it's like a chattering sound, particularly on rough surfaces. I initially thought it might be the cables rattling on the frame but it wasn't, now I wonder if it is the hinge clamp. I use the Brompfication clamps and might swap them back to try and rule them out of the equation here. I tried greasing the clamping faces to see if that would help but it got worse, which made me think I was at least looking in the right place.

Yeah that sounds similar. Good thinking with the hinge clamps. I've got the standard Brompton U-shape hinge clamps but Ti clamp bolts. Will try greasing them and see if it gets worse :)

I did wonder if it might be my chinese Ti bars, but I can replicate the sound when holding onto the stem and not touching the bars, so guess that's not it either. I've also checked that everything attached to the bars is secure.

Another thing I've noticed recently is that it squeaks only in the 12t gear. I've lubed the chain, the mech, jockey wheels and everything else I can think of. That tends to come and go too, usually happens straight after I shift into that gear then seems to calm down.

Save yourself a world of pain and take it somewhere decent for a service.

Is it that bad?

Surely the wheel is just unhooking the 3 speed and some wheel nuts. At which point it's a re-cable and gear adjustment.

Or am I missing something?

It's my dad's so, I guess I can just tell him to take it somewhere.

Just found the /carbon section of dinokiddo. Wow.

https://dinokiddo.me/product-category/carbon/?show_products=50

The prices!
Boggle!

I'm going crazy with my seat post constantly working loose and my saddle rotating whilst riding. How do I fix this, do I get a new quick release seatpost collar, tightening the current stock one doesn't seem to do anything for longer than one ride.

Recommend booking it in to get a new plastic shim fitted and reamed, ditto replacing the clip, 2012 is quite a long time and not surprised the seatpost started slipping.

Is it that bad?

Not really, just that it's quite a complicated service and a shop that have mechanic trained to work on Brompton mean that they can assess your bike properly and quote what need replacing/looking at.

Before you recabled it, the housing may also need replacing, so I would recommend getting Brompton's own cableset for it.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/itsbruce/sets/72157689467939225/with/36594049903/

Found a travel bag that comes in a backpack, so that you can arrive, unpack the bike and ride away with the travel bag on your back or hanging from the handlebars. Not a lot of room in the backpack for anything else (but some), so you either travel light or have another bag. There's light padding in the walls of the bag but If you were taking it on a plane you'd want to add some bubblewrap and put clothes around it - it's a slightly roomy fit for most folded bikes so there's space for clothes. I'm going to be trying just that in a few days, so I'll report back.

Given the dimensions of the travel bag (34 * 68 * 85 cm), you could fit some models of medium-sized road bikes in it if you disassembled them and still have room for some clothes.

Isn't perfect but it's a flexible solution, cheap as these things go (£58 on Amazon Prime but as little as £34 from some UK eBay shops).

Bromptons have a lot of moveable surfaces and specialist parts, and are renowned for squeaks and rattles which can be notoriously difficult to diagnose. I've worked on more than I can count over the years (am also Brompton-trained) and the places to look initially are the hinges, the seat tube collar, the saddle clamp, the r/h crank (the swaged flange where the crank arm joins the actual chain ring can fail), the rear triangle pivots, the expander bolt in stem fixing (in the head tube), and that's just for starters! It's very hard to to try and diagnose over an internet, so a good LOCAL dealer is the best place if you can't find the cause. Brommies also need regular servicing - they eat chains and sprockets, for example. Good luck!

recabled

Cheers.

I bought the Brompton full inner/outer cables for both RD and 3-speed. But once I'd examined the current ones, they seemed fine and I left them alone - the beauty of full outers! Didn't have any lube, so sprayed a load of 3-in-1 down them, and they're working well.

3 speed adjustment was easier than expected (may have got lucky). Wheel change was fucking long, but those stupid little axle hook thingys are great for reinstalling the wheel.

@ the 2-speeders - what cog sizes are you using? Now the derailleur is back in action I'm struggling to see the point of it. Obvs if you've got a 3 speed there's no reason not to have a 2x3, but on the standard gearing it's hard to see the benefit of a x2 over a x1.

Brompton are recalling and replacing bottom brackets. Bikes built from April 2014 – May 2017, serial numbers 1403284144 to 1705150001.

https://www.brompton.com/recall

Interesting this, haven't seen it before

What/How/When are you using it? I have the Ikea Dimpa bag that I haven't yet tried, but I have vague and distant pipe dreams about being able to fly with a Brompton, including cycling to and from the airports

Found out about that too, this is gonna be fun.

This happened to me a fortnight ago tomorrow. I wasn't going to mention anything until I had been compensated by Brompton, but as I replaced the bottom bracket myself I believe this now won't happen.

I was extremely lucky, happened as I was slowly turning right out of a road onto the Chiswick High Road, trying to filter into traffic coming from my left. I must have only been going 5mph when the crank detached itself from the rest of the bike. Just coasted to a stop and fetched it from the middle of the road. I look back at moments before the event, and even on rides on the days before and shudder as to what could have happened.

Contacted Brompton to be told for a warranty replacement the work needed to be completed by a dealer, but no one near to me had the components in stock (I also needed a new crank as the taper was damaged when the axle snapped), and I needed the bike back on the road ASAP. Picked up new ones from the Evans Gatwick warehouse and fitted them that day.

I am getting on an Easyjet plane this afternoon. Will report.

Contact them and get them to reimburse you. Just because you couldn't wait for them to pull finger out, shouldn't mean you should be out of pocket for it..
Going to check mine as soon I get back from lunch..

Cheers Corny. Apart from the initial phone conversation, it's all been discussed via email. Have sent them the question, not holding my breath.

To be honest, I'm just glad that nothing serious happened to myself.