The British folding bike brand, Brompton, is set to issue a recall on its latest G Line gravel bikes.
In a document sent to Brompton retailers and seen by Cyclingnews, the brand says it has received a reported instance of a broken hinge spindle.
Cyclingnews understands that Brompton will not issue a stop-ride notice, but that customers will be advised to bring their G Line bikes into their local dealer for a check, with affected bikes being offered a replacement hinge spindle free of charge.
The document states that:
"Tomorrow we will be implementing a corrective action for all G Line bikes, due to one reported instance of the Hinge Spindle breaking on the bike. Although this did not result in any injury or incident, we have taken the decision to change the Hinge Spindle to one which has increased durability and perform a recall to ensure all current owners can receive this update at no charge."
The Brompton G Line is the latest folding bike from the storied British brand, and represents the brand's first foray into off-road-capable bikes. It differs from the standard Brompton in size and weight (larger in both cases) and features much larger tyres and disc brakes for added off-road capability. In our review, it was noted that it was certainly far more capable off-road than the standard models, and for a folding bike, it could handle some pretty rough terrain.
It is unclear whether identical spindles and hinges were used across both the standard road-going Brompton models and the G Line, or if the G Line had its own hinges and spindles that weren’t up to the task. It is also not clear whether the hinge in question is the fore or aft hinge on the frame, or both.
Cyclingnews has spoken to Brompton, and the brand has confirmed the recall will be announced imminently. The brand provided the following statement:
“The Brompton G Line is a bike that has been designed to be ridden and enjoyed, it’s a Brompton with the feel of a full-size bike and one that has had years of development and testing put behind it. Now that the bikes have been out in the wild, we’ve been able to gain insight from our customers and respond. With this, we have been made aware of one reported instance of the Hinge Spindle breaking on a customer’s G Line bike.
"Although this did not result in any injury or incident, we have performed an investigation and found that there was a potential for corrosion to occur and weaken the spindle. We want to ensure we are constantly working to improve so have taken the decision to change the Hinge Spindle to one which is corrosion proof and has increased durability.
"The G Line uses a different Hinge Spindle to other Brompton models and there have been no reports of other models being affected. We’re asking all current owners to get this part updated free of charge at Brompton Junction and at selected Brompton Accredited Retailer stores as part of a product recall, and customers will receive a £20 voucher to spend on our webshop.”
