Anyone know of a Brompton dealer that’s actually able to replace the rear hinge ?
Based in Nantes, I have BoVelo which sells them but the nice lad in the repair shop didn’t even know they needed to be replaced regularly. I’m not going back to the UK for another 6 months or so and don’t really want to attempt the repair myself (far too specialised)
Ian.
https://brompton.zendesk.com/hc/fr/categories/115000653549-Entretien-et-maintenance
Is this any help - it seems to give advice for DIY maintenance so surely it can’t be too difficult ??
Says that you mustn’t do it yourself!
Pourquoi ne puis-je pas effectuer ce remplacement moi-même?
Cette tâche est raisonnablement complexe, mais elle est surtout très précise et critique pour la sécurité. Un outillage spécifique (et coûteux !) est nécessaire, et si le travail n’est pas effectué correctement, le cadre principal risque d’être irréparable. Il est donc vraiment préférable que la responsabilité de ce remplacement revienne au réseau de revendeurs Brompton.
Have you tried this workshop in Nantes?
Mmm… if this is something that needs replacing regularly, I hope it is not too expensive. 
As Jane says - you could have a word with Cyclable Nantes… see what they recommend.
Thanks for the replies. I normally do all my own bike maintenance and am not phased by any normal repairs but this particular one is special as it requires custom parts and a specific reamer and if you get it wrong trying to get the bearings out it’s very pricey to repair as you’ll probably need a new assembly.
Example of the amount of fuss to get this done yourself http://www.shanecycles.com/brompton-hinge-repair/ - also this https://www.perennialcycle.com/sc/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/brompton_hinge.pdf
Gosh, that does sound complicated - and how “regularly” does this need to be done.
Hope the Nantes shop can help, if not ask the Website Brompton Velos where their nearest technicians are …
Fancy a nice day out in Paris perhaps…?
Yo Ian !
Two of my best friends are Cyclable shop owners, they are not located close to you as I understood you are in Nantes, and they are in Paris and Dijon.
But as mentionned above, you have a Cyclable shop in Nantes
They are really skilled and nice most of the time.