101 Things can Fail on a Brompton. These are the Ones that usually do

"When something fails on your bike at home, it is no drama at all. You pack it up, call a cab, hop on a bus, and you are home for dinner. Do the same thing in a foreign country, out on a trail with no bike shop in sight, and a small failure can suddenly shape your whole day. This is why we take mechanical support so seriously."

Peace of mind is part and parcel of enjoying a ride. You already have plenty to think about, what to wear, where to eat afterwards, which sights to tick off your list. The state of your bike should not be one of those worries. That is exactly why, on every one of our Brompton cycling tours, our ride guides are cross-trained to provide essential bike mechanic support. There is always a Brompton mechanic on tour with you.

Here is the honest list of what actually goes wrong out there. Our Tour Guides carry a generous stock of spare parts, and we have noticed a funny truth over the years. When we are prepared for something to fail, it seldom does. It is when we are caught unprepared that trouble arrives. So we prepare for all of it.

The Usual Suspects

1.      Punctured inner tubes. By far the most common. A thorny branch, a crack in the road, and boom, a flat, almost always the harder-to-reach rear tyre. Tubolito tubes tend to be the first to go, and yes, T Line riders, we are looking at you. A fifteen-minute fix, and a good excuse for an extra water break.

2.     Torn tyres. Less common, but it happens, especially to riders who love the slick Schwalbe Kojak or Schwalbe One tyres with their very thin walls. These can rupture. There is a clever roadside hack using a folded banknote, but if the tear is too wide you simply need a new tyre, which is why we pack them.

3.     Loose fender bolts and stays. All that day-to-day vibration works even thread-locked bolts loose until they drop out. A quick fix if we have the right spare bolt, and a moment of creativity if the bolt is an unusual one.

4.     A missing pedal. It sounds unlikely, but it is common to lose a pedal if you ride detachable MKS pedals, or on some P Line and T Line bikes. Keep it fastened, and check your equipment is secure before and after every ride.

5.     Broken Eazy Wheels. On tours like our Shimanami Kaido route you do a fair bit of pushing the folded bike around train stations, and cheaper Eazy Wheels are the first thing to give way.

6.     Faulty rim tape. If your Brompton is older and the rim tape is worn, you can get an internal puncture that a fresh inner tube will not fix. We carry spares, and it is well worth a check before you tour.

7.     Missing master links. A tiny part that holds your chain together, and a big problem if it wanders off. We keep plenty.

8.     Broken spokes. A guide's nightmare. It is very hard to break a spoke on a standard Brompton, but far more likely on modified carbon rims with a lighter spoke pattern. There are fixes, though the wheel never feels quite the same, so we may switch you to a spare wheelset or a spare bike.

Your bike will take a beating, and that's fine

Ride daily over 50km through unfamiliar terrain and your bike is going to take some punishment. That's normal, and it's nothing to fear. The difference on tour with us is that you are never alone with the problem. You get to take a break, enjoy the view, and let someone else put things right before you roll on. That is the quiet luxury behind all our Brompton overseas tours.

We prepare you before you even start

Every participant receives a complimentary bike and equipment check before the tour begins, so we catch the small things before they become big ones. If any part of your bike is unusual or hard to source, we will advise you to bring your own spares, and we will tell you exactly which ones. Thorough Brompton parts and support is not an add-on for us. It is the foundation of a relaxed holiday.

And if you are the independent sort, we also run comprehensive touring workshop for solo travellers who would rather handle their own bike, perhaps alongside a spouse. You learn to look after your Brompton with confidence, wherever the road takes you.

The Moral of the Story

Be prepared for anything, and almost nothing will happen. That has been true for us tour after tour. So pack sensibly, trust your guides, and spend your energy on the scenery rather than the spanners. Because in the end a tour is about the places you see and the people you ride with, and our job is to make sure a dropped bolt never gets in the way of either.

Ride safe, and enjoy your Brompton.

Read more on our Servicing here.