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10 Brompton "Problems" that are Actually Normal | Brompton FAQs

At this point we can all agree that the design of the Brompton is unlike anything else in the market. And because of that, even avid cyclists often wonder if certain aspects of the Brompton are normal, or something to be concerned about. Today, I’ll cover the 10 most asked questions by new Brompton owners, regardless of cycling experience. Let me know if any of these are concerns that YOU had, or if anyone ever asked YOU about any of these things. And we’ll start, with the most common. The play on the rear triangle latch.
Because the rear triangle of the Brompton swings underneath the bike when folding, it has two attachment points. One pivot point near the bottom bracket, and a latch close to the seat post clamp. If you raise the bike off the ground, you will see that there is a little bit of play here. That is not only normal, but exactly how it was supposed to be. When riding the bike, this portion of the bike is always under compression, and the only reason for this latching system to exist is so you can carry your Brompton, say… going upstairs, without the rear triangle swinging down. Some people even prefer to leave the latch disengaged at all times, to make folding faster. You can do that by releasing the rear triangle and gently rotating the suspension block. That way, it will no longer lock to the rear triangle. Bromptons worked exactly this way, without a latching system, until 2007. To go back to normal, just rotate the suspension block until you hear a click.
Next, one of the features of the Brompton is the so-called kickstand mode, where you swing the rear wheel under and you’re able to keep the bike standing up by itself. When in kickstand mode, you cannot align the handlebars straight, because the front wheel will hit the rear wheel. That is normal. In fact, be careful not to crush the fender when putting the bike in kickstand mode. Gently rotate the handlebars do the left.
When in kickstand mode, or even when folded, the rear wheel will press against the shell of the bottom bracket. That’s normal. In fact, some people like to protect that area with tape or other types of protectors.
Next, hinges are one of the most stressed components of any folding bike. When looking closely at the inside of a Brompton hinge, you may notice that the paint came off one or two of the contact points, and this is totally normal. Happens to every Brompton after the first few rides.
Next, stem is the component of the bike that holds the handlebar. While in regular bikes the stem is very short and stiff, the stem on the Brompton can be as long as 40 cm. That means you will notice the stem flexing when going uphill and pulling hard on the handlebars. That is totally normal, and it’s something that most people quickly get used to. Because the stem flexes, it also helps to absorb vibrations and make your ride smoother!
Next, internally geared hubs are unfamiliar to many cyclists, and to this day I still think of it as a complex system with weird behaviors. See this for example. Sometimes, when pushing the bike forward, it won’t make any noise at all. You may even be able to push the bike backwards without the crankset rotating. Depending on the gear you are at, pushing the bike backwards will cause the crankset to rotate in steps, it’s all normal, and it doesn’t even stop there.
On the third gear, you’ll hear a clicking noise coming from the hub even while pedaling. That is normal. You will also notice that the internal gears in the hub are hard to shift under pressure, like going up a hill, for example. That’s also a characteristic of internally geared hubs, and you just need to let go of the pedals while shifting.
You think we’re done talking about the hub? We’re not. Internally geared hubs have several components inside, and when riding over bumpy roads you may be able to hear a rattle coming from the rear wheel. This is a well-known downside of Sturmey-Archer hubs, kindly called the Sturmey-Archer rattle. It’s kind of annoying, but it’s normal, and it doesn’t mean that your rear hub is coming apart. You’ll notice that the rattle stops when you put pressure on the pedals, and that’s because you’re engaging the internal components of the hub.
The last funny aspect of the hub is that the noise that it makes when coasting on the third gear is different than when coasting on the other gears. See if you can hear it for yourself. That is also normal.
Finally, the seat post needs to be fully (or close to fully) extended before you swing the rear wheel back. If you only do it halfway, it will only unlock the bike halfway and that can be rather confusing.
Well guys, that was it for this video.