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In this guide we’ll look at the basics of folding bike maintenance, focusing on the straightforward and easily repeatable tasks that you can do at home with a few tools and no fuss. We’ll also give you a steer on how often you should do these tasks to keep your Brompton ticking over.

Discover how to confidently clean and maintain your Brompton, so it can go on simplifying your life for many years.

Essential tools for folding bike maintenance

For bike maintenance at home, you’ll need a multi-tool or set of hex keys, a track pump, a garden hose or bucket for carrying water, a set of cleaning brushes or a chain cleaner tool and some clean cloths or rags. 

Of course, there are a lot more tools you could use for bike maintenance, which we’ll cover in the nice-to-haves section below. 

Screws, nuts and bolts

A multi-tool or set of hex keys are really handy when doing bike maintenance. 

Whether you need to replace your brake pads because they have worn down or tighten up a bolt that has worked its way loose over time, most parts on a modern bike are tightened with a hexagonal bolt. Occasionally, you might need a pozi or flat head screwdriver. 

You can purchase a Brompton Toolkit which contains all the different tools you need, and stores within the front frame tube such  

To remove the wheels if you have a flat or are replacing worn-out tyres, you will need a 15 mm spanner. You can source this directly or find one included in the toolkit we sell.

Pumps and CO2

When it comes to checking and setting the correct tyre pressure, a track pump with a pressure gauge is a valuable investment to keep at home. 

While hand pumps and CO2 dispensers are brilliant tools for getting your tyre pumped enough for you to ride on it – particularly after a puncture away from home – there’s nothing as effective as a track pump for reliably getting your tyres to the right pressure. 

We sell a Brompton hand pump with mounting brackets for attaching to your frame, so you’ll never get caught out by forgetting your pump at home.

Water

Washing your bike is an important part of maintenance, so you will need a way to get the frame, wheels and drivetrain wet. If you have access to a hose outdoors, this will work well – but be sure to only use a low-pressure stream of water, as high-pressure jets can do more harm than good. 

If you don’t have a hose, a good old-fashioned bucket of hot water and a sponge will get the job done just as well. If you have chosen an electric bike, make sure to remove the battery before you start spraying water around.

For hard-to-reach areas of the frame or the drivetrain where most of the grime and gunk accumulates, we recommend a dedicated set of bike cleaning brushes. Old toothbrushes are often repurposed for the task, or you can also invest in a specific chain cleaner tool.

Essential bike cleaning products

It might be tempting to just use fairy liquid and a bucket of hot water, but a small investment in bike-specific cleaning products will pay off over time. Bike-specific products have been formulated to clean your bike without damaging it, whereas not all generic cleaning supplies are safe to use on your bike’s components. 

Bike wash

For cleaning your bike you’ll need some bike-specific wash. Most bike washes are applied to the frame once it is already wet, then washed off again after being left to sit for a while. 

However, there are some that go onto a dry bike and are wiped off again once they’ve done the business. These are particularly handy for people living in places where they don’t have access to an outside area for bike washing. 

The reason we say your wash product should be bike-specific is to avoid any damage to the paint, frame or mechanical parts which might be caused by using a cleaning product that is too corrosive or otherwise chemically powerful.

Drivetrain degreaser

You will also need a drivetrain degreaser. This is applied to the chain and cassette to break down and remove the tough, sticky, grimy paste that accrues on these parts of your bike. 

Apply it once you’ve washed the whole bike with bike wash, then leave it to sit for a while. As mentioned above, you can get the degreaser into the workings of your drivetrain with a dedicated bike cleaning brush, a toothbrush or a chain cleaner tool. 

Which parts of my folding bike need maintenance?

The key areas that need maintenance on your bike are the brakes, the drivetrain, the tyres and – in the case of Brompton folding bikes – the hinges used to fold up the bike. Paying regular attention to these key bits of the bike will save you time and money in the long run.

Most of the bike maintenance and care you need to do can be covered all at once when you wash your bike, but there are some tasks that ought to be done more frequently than that. And some that needn’t be done so often. 

 

To replace your brake blocks on a Brompton, 

1. First, loosen and remove the 5 mm hex nut on the outside of the brake calliper. The brake pad should then drop out. 
2. You’ll see another smaller 1mm hex nut on the non-braking side. Undo this and the old brake pad should slide out of the holder sideways. 
3. You can then slide in a fresh brake pad. 
4. Re-tighten the small screw to hold the new pad in place. 
5. Position the brake pad back next to the rim and re-insert the 5 mm bolt you took out. 
6. Be sure to line the brake pad up with the rim as you tighten the bolt – you do not want the brake pad rubbing against your tyre!

If you ride an electric bike, we recommend using a specialised brake pad, as the forces involved in stopping an e-bike can be significantly greater than their conventional equivalent. 

Try these brake pad inserts for electric bikes, which we developed alongside the masters of deceleration, Swiss Stop.

 

Disc brakes

If you have a Brompton G Line, your bike has disc brakes, which require a different cleaning and maintenance method. Do not get bike wash on your disc brake rotors, it can contaminate them and make them work less well. Instead, clean them with isopropyl alcohol. 

While you are washing the rest of the frame, try not to get any spray on the rotors. You can employ disc brake covers for this purpose if you like. 

Hydraulic disc brakes also need to be bled to get air out of the braking fluid roughly every six months. This is a more advanced maintenance task and there’s no shame in asking your local bike shop to do it. Check out our store finder for Brompton service centres.

If you want to do it yourself, attach a bleed syringe filled with brake fluid to the calliper and another empty syringe to the lever. Open the bleed port and push fluid through the system, removing air bubbles. Close the ports, clean any spilled fluid, and reinstall components. Test the brakes to ensure firm lever feel.

 

Drivetrain (chain, cassette and cranks)

These parts of your bike are particularly predisposed to the build-up of grease, grit and grime. 

This accumulated muck can combine with your chain lube and create a kind of ‘grinding paste’ which wears down the parts and reduces their efficiency. That’s why it’s crucial to keep your drivetrain clean and lubricated. 

If your chain is clean but dry, maintenance is as simple as applying new chain lube to each link of the chain, rotating the cranks a few times, and wiping off any excess lube from the chain. 

You should never apply more lube to a dirty chain, it can cause bigger problems down the line. Instead, spray on a concentrated chain degreaser, give it a chance to do its dirty work, and then remove the degreaser – either by washing it off, or wiping with a clean rag. 

If you want to get more of the dirt off, a chain cleaner tool is the best option. If your bike has been left a bit too long between cleans, grime will accumulate on the cassette as well as your chain – which may necessitate more of a deep clean, with those specialist brushes we mentioned earlier.

Once your chain is clean, you can reapply lube which will protect it and the other parts of the drivetrain. When it comes to drivetrain maintenance, little and often is best – saving time and money in the long run.

How often should you do folding bike maintenance?

The timing varies based on the task. You should do very simple maintenance tasks like checking your tyre pressure before every ride. You should clean your bike every one to two weeks, depending on how much you ride it. 

If you commute in the city or on muddy paths, washing your bike more often is advised. If you are riding through the winter months, you will need to clean your bike more often than in summer. 

You should use penetrating lubricant on the hinges of your folding bike if they get stiff, but this will occur at greatly varying intervals, depending on frequency of use, and how often you fold and unfold your bike

A pair of robust and good quality tyres should last around 4,000 miles, but it’s good practice to check them for wear once a month or so after the first 1,000.

Brakes are a vital part of your bike and so it’s best to err on the side of caution – you can check rim brakes for wear whenever you wash your bike, but you’ll also notice their performance starting to wane while you are riding. 

Hydraulic disc brakes should not need to be bled more often than every six months, while the brake pads will last you around 1,000 miles. 

If, for whatever reason, you let the maintenance get away from you and your bike needs an all-around glow-up, we also offer a premium service option. We’ll send you a cardboard shipping box to put your beleaguered bike in, you tell us when it’s ready for pickup and we will come and collect. It’ll be returned to you once it’s back to its beautiful best. 

 

Keeping your Brompton in top condition is easy with regular maintenance and the right tools. 

By staying on top of simple tasks like cleaning, lubricating, and checking key components, you can extend the life of your bike and ensure a smooth, reliable ride. 

Good maintenance is also important for your overall safety when cycling, a subject we’ve delved into deeper in our cycling essentials for safety guide.

Whether you prefer to handle maintenance yourself or seek professional assistance when needed, a well-maintained Brompton will continue to simplify your journeys for years to come. If you haven’t yet purchased your own Brompton, explore our guide to folding bikes, designed to help you decide which of our lines is best for you.

For more information and video guides to Brompton folding bike maintenance, visit our YouTube channel. If your bike has broken or been damaged in a way that can’t be remedied by basic maintenance, contact a Brompton retailer that offers servicing.