A few weeks ago I took my older Brompton (10 years old, maybe 11) along to Phoenix Cycles in Battersea because the seatpost was rocking forwards and backwards a little. I thought it might need the bush replacing.
"Leave it with us, we'll try and do it this afternoon"
A couple of hours later my phone rang (and despite me not having their number stored it said "Phoenix Cycles" and displayed a picture of the shop front) and they told me "It's bad news I'm afraid, the reason for the rocking is that the frame is cracked inside, it's unrepairable. But leave it with us and we'll talk to Brompton next week and see what they say because although it's well out of warranty they may still replace it"
A week and a bit later they called again, would I like to come and collect my re-framed Brompton.
When I went in to pick it up, they showed me on the old frame what had happened. Where the seat tube joins the main spine of the frame there's a vertical slot. On my old frame that slot was too long and instead of the seatpost stopping undearneath it when it was fully extended, it had been up in the slot and pushing the edges forward until it failed eventually.
But, as it was a manufacturing fault which had affected a small batch of frames Brompton replaced the frame.
I don't think even Rolls-Royce would provide that level of after care!
Thank you Phoenix Cycles for your knowledge and Brompton.
