Brompton Durability

Den 2007-02-18 22:14:20 skrev Sam Salt
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

When I came to replace the rear guard the crosspiece that separates the
rear triangle that the end of the guard rests on was flaking with rust
as well as small patches elsewhere including the drop-outs.Out with the
Hammerite again ( green this time ).

All this on a bike that is not yet three years old and does not get a
high usage and is well maintained.

Things can rust even when you don't use them. And mudguards and stays are
not subject to maintenance, so that's irrelevant.

It might be because of the tight clearance between wheel and mudguard,
meaning that things don't dry out, especially if covered in snow, leaves
and muck.

The Brompton is quite unique. If mudguard rust is a problem, I suggest
getting new mudguards and treating them before putting them on.

Erik Sandblom

--
Oil is for sissies

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

When I came to replace the rear guard the crosspiece that separates
the rear triangle that the end of the guard rests on was flaking with
rust as well as small patches elsewhere including the drop-outs.Out
with the Hammerite again ( green this time ).

All this on a bike that is not yet three years old and does not get a
high usage and is well maintained.

Got to admit I find my B. quite expensive to run & I don't use it all
that much - it does most of its mileage in the luggage rack of various
trains. On the other hand it saves my employers quite a lot of money in
taxi fares - which is why I've persuaded them to buy a pool folding bike
for employees to use at their expense, doh!

Simon

Sam Salt said:

I am in the process of replacing the rear mudguard on the Brommie which
virtually from new has had milky white patches on it, presumably from
where water has got in.When I removed the stays ( front & rear) they
were seriously rusty under the guards and in patches elsewhere so two
coats of black Hammerite saw to that.

When I came to replace the rear guard the crosspiece that separates the
rear triangle that the end of the guard rests on was flaking with rust
as well as small patches elsewhere including the drop-outs.Out with the
Hammerite again ( green this time ).

All this on a bike that is not yet three years old and does not get a
high usage and is well maintained.

The concept and fold of the Brommie is wonderful but the durability of
the components and finish leaves something to be desired.

I've recently carried out a similar replacement, changing both front and
rear guards. My Brommie is a fair bit older than yours (about 10 year),
yet I didn't find any rust, although I did have the mudguard
discolouration.
When I went on the famous Brommie tour in late 2005 [1], ISTR it being
mentioned that some of the recent finishing was not up to the usual
standards and taht the company was looking into it.
Perhaps they went through a bad patch that your purchase coincided with.

[1] http://www.velotree.co.uk/brommiefactoryto.html

Quoted message said:

For what it's worth I don't think I would purchase one again.

I am unlikely to get a new Brommie for some time as mine seems to be going
on forever.

John B

Sam Salt said:

I am in the process of replacing the rear mudguard on the Brommie which
virtually from new has had milky white patches on it, presumably from
where water has got in.When I removed the stays ( front & rear) they
were seriously rusty under the guards and in patches elsewhere so two
coats of black Hammerite saw to that.

When I came to replace the rear guard the crosspiece that separates the
rear triangle that the end of the guard rests on was flaking with rust
as well as small patches elsewhere including the drop-outs.Out with the
Hammerite again ( green this time ).

All this on a bike that is not yet three years old and does not get a
high usage and is well maintained.

Mine has odd patches of rust on it... but not any more so than any other
steel bike I've ever had (probably excepting the Streetmachine, which
doesn't go out so much and when it does not in so much clag).

I've seen discoloured chromoplastic mudguards on other bikes too: as
long as they keep the mud off I'm not too bothered.

Quoted message said:

The concept and fold of the Brommie is wonderful but the durability of
the components and finish leaves something to be desired.

The main frame finish on mine is, I think, pretty good. Component-wise,
I've replaced both the guards but the rear one went due to some
seriously over-hasty stunt-parking and the front one was due to a rather
unconventional lighting setup I used to have that pushed down the
clearances to practically nothing (no longer the case). Aside from
that, brake blocks, chain and sprocket. I use my Brom more than any of
my other bikes and though it's not Good As New it's weathering the
ravages of use quite acceptably.

Quoted message said:

For what it's worth I don't think I would purchase one again.

I would. A pal did wear one out pretty much completely with daily
commutes and minimal maintenance over a few years. The replacement
was... another Brompton!

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email hidden] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/