British folding bike brand Brompton has issued a recall notice on its G Line gravel bikes; based on a report of a hinge spindle failing, it will swap the part on all existing bikes. Customers are being notified directly by the brand from today.
The affected part is the spindle in the primary front hinge that enables the main frame tube to fold. Brompton says that it has identified that corrosion is the cause of the failure and will be swapping out the original spindle with a more durable version.
In a customer information release, Brompton tells customers: "If your G Line bike was produced before December 2024 then then [sic] it will likely need the fix."
The information page includes a serial number checker, which can identify if a bike is affected; those bought in December are said to be "likely" to already have the fix, identifed by a blue marker on the head of the hinge spindle.
The front hinge is integral to the structural integrity of the bike
(Image credit: Future/Simon Fellows)
“We understand that there has been one incident of a spindle failure in the field, which did not result in any incident or injury,” said Will Butler-Adams, CEO, Brompton. “While the G Line had over five years of development and rigorous testing, after this incident was reported we decided to increase the durability further. We have been around for nearly 50 years, founded on quality and trust, and customers have always been our priority. We will always look to improve our products where we can, and this update to the G Line continues this commitment.”
Brompton has not issued a stop-ride notice, but is advising G-Line owners to contact their local Brompton Junction or Brompton Accredited Retailer to have the part swapped out. Brompton Customers will also receive a £20 voucher to spend in the brand’s webshop.
Brompton has not disclosed when it first learned of the issue or how many bikes are affected.
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I reviewed the Brompton G Line on launch back in September and was impressed with its performance both on- and off-road. I praised it for its secure and stable ride on everything from finely groomed gravel to mildly technical trails. It was also amazing fun to ride. However, the spindle is an integral structural part of the bike, and failure could lead to the frame collapsing.
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Tech Editor, Andy Carr came to cycling journalism after ten years in the cycle trade, writing blogs and content whilst designing award winning bikes, for his own custom bike brand.
A life long cycling fan and rider, he left the City life in 2015, moving away to the Alps, where he worked as a ride guide, running pro-camps, and eventually started designing and building custom bikes.
Over a decade, that escape grew into a business, and Andy’s bike designs became well known in the industry.
He has always used his platform to champion higher standards in fit, design, and fabrication and his own products won awards and five star reviews in most of the major magazines.
Having run a bike shop, workshop, and award winning paint shop, producing custom bikes in metal and composite for customers all over the world, Andy has real life experience of the processes and work that go into producing great bikes and components; from desk work like FEA and CFD to physically testing products in wind tunnels, opening moulds for composite work, and getting products out of his head and into stores - alongside some of the insider processes few get to see.
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