Brompton electric bike needs costly £500 repair

In October I bought an electric Brompton bicycle for just under £3,000. Initially all was well but about three months before the two-year warranty expired, it started suffering intermittent power problems.

It would work on the electric assist, and then wouldn’t. I stopped using it as a result.

I was very busy with work, so didn’t get around to dealing with it for several more months – by which point it was out of warranty.

I took it back to Evans, the store I bought it from, which, after doing a £40 inspection, has diagnosed that it needs significant repairs.

Despite its original cost, it has quoted a shade under £500 to fix it – with a 20% discount on parts being offered by Brompton, and a cheaper labour cost from Evans.

Given the problems started during the warranty period, I don’t feel this is a great offer.

JW, Herts

You may not be surprised to learn that you are not the only person who has had problems with their electric Brompton.

The company has admitted that its early models, of which yours is one, had problems with the motors and battery connections, and there are plenty of tales of woe on the internet. Brompton tells me the latest models have had these problems fixed.

Given that, I asked it to take a look at your case, and, after a considerable time gap that we will put down to some miscommunication, it has now agreed to collect your bike from Evans and fix it free of charge. It was set to be delivered back to you two days ago.

Next time, be sure to take it back in the warranty period.

Meanwhile, for other Brompton owners, who have one of its regular models but who fancy going electric, you can buy an aftermarket kit to electrify it.

At just over £1,000, Cytronex Brompton kits are not cheap, but they have been very well reviewed, and are reliable.

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