Does elderly Brompton with issues have value?

Quoted message said:

Can anyone advise how I can get
in touch with an enthusiast that might be interested in acquiring my
old Brompton, even if the going rate is next to nothing? It seems a
shame for it to be gathering dust.

Well I'd like it but to be honest I doubt that I could afford it. You
could stick it on ebay and get more than I have spare. It's certainly still
worth money even with a dodgy hub and a none working dynamo. If you don't
like to use ebay, I'll open the bidding at £50 :-)

Tom
--
Return address is dead. Real address is at
http://www.happy-penguin.info/address.jpg

Quoted message said:

Will not stay in first gear (slips to freewheeling and your man
declared it a death trap as a result);

If you're planning on selling it then this is a bit of a non-starter,
but for your own use you can work around it (possibly) by avoiding
first! Perhaps a smaller chainwheel to down-gear everything so you have
a 4 speed rather than a 5.

Otherwise a new hub. The 5s no longer exist, you'd need a 3 or some
fettling of the rear triangle. Not sure of the cost.

Quoted message said:

Rear wheel has been badly rebuild e.g. the spokes have been bent by
design and this is wrong (I paid good money for it to be done at a
reputable Brompton shop);

If the rim's okay a rebuild shouldn't set you back that much, and you'll
have to do it anyway if you get a new hub.

Quoted message said:

Some 'idiot' has rewired the dynamo with speaker wire (I'd confessed to
this particular sin in when I dropped the bike off);

Wire is wire... rewire it with something else if it isn't working well.
I don't know what you used, but the reason I wouldn't use speaker wire
like the stuff I use is it costs a lot and doesn't bend very well!

Quoted message said:

Saddle is uncomfortable.

As with all saddles, fit is a personal thing. I don't like the standard
Brompton saddle and replaced mine with a Brooks. Much better for me,
but my wife is not impressed!

Quoted message said:

Is he right, is this bike worthless? Can anyone advise how I can get in
touch with an enthusiast that might be interested in acquiring my old
Brompton, even if the going rate is next to nothing? It seems a shame
for it to be gathering dust.

It could well be worthless to *him*, but that's not the same as
worthless, period. If the frame is in good order I doubt you'll have
that much trouble finding someone willing to take it on.

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/

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

The 5s no longer exist, you'd need a 3 or some fettling of the rear
triangle. Not sure of the cost.

Fives are still made - there's even a new aluminium-shelled model:

http://www.sturmey-archer.com/hubs_5spd_S5.php

http://www.sturmey-archer.com/hubs_5spd_XRF5.php

Brompton no longer supply them as they developed their six-speed system
while Sturmey were out of production. It may be possible to simply fit a new
mechanism into the old shell, depending on the model the OP has, though that
may not be worthwhile if the wheel has other problems.

Quoted message said:

It could well be worthless to *him*, but that's not the same
as worthless, period. If the frame is in good order I doubt
you'll have that much trouble finding someone willing to take
it on.

At the time my Brompton was stolen, I'd replaced almost everything that
could be replaced, and had plans to upgrade the few remaining original
parts. I'd think a Brompton frameset or fixer-upper would be in demand by
tinkerers.

James Thomson

James Thomson said:

Fives are still made - there's even a new aluminium-shelled model:

Quoted message said:

Brompton no longer supply them as they developed their six-speed system
while Sturmey were out of production.

Didn't realise that... shame they don't combine the 2 for a ten speed,
really (or, indeed, start supplying bikes with the 8 speed).

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/

James Thomson wrote on 03/01/2007 15:31 +0100:

Quoted message said:

Brompton no longer supply them as they developed their six-speed system
while Sturmey were out of production. It may be possible to simply fit a new
mechanism into the old shell, depending on the model the OP has, though that
may not be worthwhile if the wheel has other problems.

You can still get them and all the spare parts though from
http://www.oldbiketrader.co.uk

--
Tony

"...has many omissions and contains much that is apocryphal, or at least
wildly inaccurate..."
Douglas Adams; The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Quoting <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I have an elderly Brompton T5 but how elderly I'm not exactly sure.
Will not stay in first gear (slips to freewheeling and your man
declared it a death trap as a result);
Rear wheel has been badly rebuild e.g. the spokes have been bent by
design and this is wrong (I paid good money for it to be done at a
reputable Brompton shop);

Obviously the rear wheel has got to go, but since the value of a 2h
Brompton is rather more than a new 3-speed rear wheel and shifter would
be, I don't see that the bike is worthless. The T5 doesn't have
rear-triangle stuff specific to the 5s hub, does it?

Quoted message said:

Some 'idiot' has rewired the dynamo with speaker wire (I'd confessed to
this particular sin in when I dropped the bike off);

All my dynamos are wired up with cheap speaker wire. It's moderately thick
copper. What's not to like?
--
David Damerell <[email hidden]> Distortion Field!
Today is First Teleute, January.

Quoted message said:

Is he right, is this bike worthless? Can anyone advise how I can get in
touch with an enthusiast that might be interested in acquiring my old
Brompton, even if the going rate is next to nothing? It seems a shame
for it to be gathering dust.

It certainly isn't useless. I'd be tempted to buy it off you (I'd like
a second one so I'm not relegated to public transport when friends come
to visit).

eBay sounds like you best bet to me. Post here if you advertise it!

--
Graham

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Quoting <[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I have an elderly Brompton T5 but how elderly I'm not exactly sure.
Will not stay in first gear (slips to freewheeling and your man
declared it a death trap as a result);
Rear wheel has been badly rebuild e.g. the spokes have been bent by
design and this is wrong (I paid good money for it to be done at a
reputable Brompton shop);

Obviously the rear wheel has got to go,

Why? There's probably nothing wrong with the hub that half a dozen
small parts won't fix, and I suspect there's nothing much wrong with the
build quality of the wheel.

James Thomson said:

"Peter Clinch" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

The 5s no longer exist, you'd need a 3 or some fettling of the rear
triangle. Not sure of the cost.

Fives are still made - there's even a new aluminium-shelled model:
http://www.sturmey-archer.com/hubs_5spd_S5.php
http://www.sturmey-archer.com/hubs_5spd_XRF5.php

Brompton no longer supply them as they developed their six-speed system
while Sturmey were out of production.

I thought the new alloy models wouldn't fit a Brompton?
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Sturmey-Archer-36-hole-Sturmey-Archer-5-Speed-SPRINTER-S5-Alloy-Hub-with-Gear-Control-HSJ539-7710.htm
says "CAUTION the larger flanges of this hub precludes the fitting to a
brompton, use the steel version for this".

But you can still get the old steel ones (SJS have one "Made in July 92",
http://oldbiketrader.co.uk has new ones, used ones, and internals for
repairing an existing one, and they turn up on eBay from time to time - can't
see one at the moment, though there's a four speed in a Moulton wheel, and
some 5-speed bell cranks, and Sheldon claims it's fairly easy to convert
a four to a five if you can find a bell crank....)

"Alan Braggins" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

I thought the new alloy models wouldn't fit a Brompton?

[snip]

I didn't intend to imply that they did.

Quoted message said:

But you can still get the old steel ones

and (as you note, and I noted) the new steel ones.

James Thomson

"Alan Braggins" <[email hidden]> a écrit:

Quoted message said:

But you can still get the old steel ones (SJS have one "Made in July 92",

Incidentally, just in case you were tempted, that's not a Sprinter 5 (though
they also stock the Sprinter) but a Five *StAr*. They were known to be weak
and particularly inefficient (the planet gears are only supported at one
end). They make good paperweights.The price is a bad joke.

Quoted message said:

they turn up on eBay from time to time - can't see one at the moment,
though there's a four speed in a Moulton wheel, and some 5-speed
bell cranks, and Sheldon claims it's fairly easy to convert a four to a
five if you can find a bell crank....)

It is, but it requires a second cable run and a second gear control, and on
a Brompton would leave the fragile bell crank protruding to the left of the
folded package. Probably better simply to run it as a four.

James Thomson

The bike is worth a lot more than you think. Perhaps a max of 50 quid to
fix it and you will get 250 min for it. Try contacting Peter Read (PM and I
will give you his address)
for hub gear repairs and wheel building. Not expensive and good.

SW

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have an elderly Brompton T5 but how elderly I'm not exactly sure. It
appeared elderly when I acquired it four years ago and it has been
gathering dust in my garage for the last three years, when I stopped
being a train-bike commuter.

Having been well used it has 'issues' so a while back I took it to a
local bike shop for an assessment. When I picked it up, among the
problems he catalogued were:

Will not stay in first gear (slips to freewheeling and your man
declared it a death trap as a result);

Rear wheel has been badly rebuild e.g. the spokes have been bent by
design and this is wrong (I paid good money for it to be done at a
reputable Brompton shop);

Some 'idiot' has rewired the dynamo with speaker wire (I'd confessed to
this particular sin in when I dropped the bike off);

Saddle is uncomfortable.

Your man wouldn't have taken the bike for nothing, considering it a
liability based on the cost and trouble of replacing the gear hub alone
(apparently Brompton had precisely one left and required the old one in
part-exchange).

Is he right, is this bike worthless? Can anyone advise how I can get in
touch with an enthusiast that might be interested in acquiring my old
Brompton, even if the going rate is next to nothing? It seems a shame
for it to be gathering dust.

Thanks.

On Jan 4, 8:37 am, "Steve Watkin" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

The bike is worth a lot more than you think. Perhaps a max of 50 quid to
fix it and you will get 250 min for it.

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I'm beginning to think that a certain
bike shop owner in a certain Devon seaside town was a bit of an idiot
himself...

I wondered if it might be easier to sell in original (but compromised)
condition for an enthusiast to carry out their own repairs to their own
specifications, rather than make the choices myself and sell it in a
fixed but potentially compromised condition.

As regards eBay, the completed listings gave me the impression it may
be the place to sell Bromptons in excellent condition but not a
fixer-upper nor a 'non-standard fixed' item. Worth a punt, I suppose,
and seems to be the place that gets most coverage.

What do you guys think: fix first or sell as is?

Quoted message said:

Try contacting Peter Read (PM and I
will give you his address)
for hub gear repairs and wheel building. Not expensive and good.

Thanks, I'll email you right now (2pm GMT).

Peter Clinch said:

James Thomson said:

Fives are still made - there's even a new aluminium-shelled model:

Quoted message said:

Brompton no longer supply them as they developed their six-speed
system while Sturmey were out of production.

Didn't realise that... shame they don't combine the 2 for a ten speed,
really (or, indeed, start supplying bikes with the 8 speed).

As discussed in an article in AtoB magazine (by chance the one which was
mentioned here and is on a free download site as a taster).

- Nigel

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/

Nigel Cliffe said:

As discussed in an article in AtoB magazine (by chance the one which was
mentioned here and is on a free download site as a taster).

Googily challenged this morning... can you give me a link please?

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/

In article <[email hidden]>,

Peter Clinch said:

Nigel Cliffe said:

As discussed in an article in AtoB magazine (by chance the one which was
mentioned here and is on a free download site as a taster).

Googily challenged this morning... can you give me a link please?

http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/392/428/1755/2/17/0/

I *think* this is the one.

--
Bob Cox. Stoke Gifford, near Bristol, UK.
http://pippin.co.uk/

Bob Cox said:

http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/392/428/1755/2/17/0/

I *think* this is the one.

Thanks Bob!

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/

David Damerell said:

All my dynamos are wired up with cheap speaker wire. It's moderately thick
copper. What's not to like?

"moderately thick" definitely depends on the "cheap speaker wire".

Some "cheap speaker wire" is very thin indeed.

BugBear

Bob Cox said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Peter Clinch said:

Nigel Cliffe said:

As discussed in an article in AtoB magazine (by chance the one
which was mentioned here and is on a free download site as a
taster).

Googily challenged this morning... can you give me a link please?

http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/browse/392/428/1755/2/17/0/

I *think* this is the one.

It is. Thanks Bob for saving me the trouble of gnilgoog it.

(reverse googling for those still with new year hangovers).

--
Nigel Cliffe,
Webmaster at http://www.2mm.org.uk/