Folding Bikes - broken rear-frame on a Brompton

Hi all,
I just got a hold of a well used Brompton. It is in decent shape except for the minor (er um, major) problem of the rear frame having a tube completely broken right at the hinge.

Any thoughts on repair or replace? I did a google search for replacement parts but didn't find anything that looked like the correct part. It is steel rather than titanium. Can this be repaired? The tubing is fairly thin (like most bicycle tubes). I see that http://www.bikefix.co.uk does welding. Any thoughts on what that costs? is it 50 pounds or more like 150?

Is the rear frame available at a reasonable price? I am in London so there are lots of Brompton dealers around. I will start calling some today or tomorrow. Is it common for the dealers to have spares from crashed or parted-out bikes?

Thank you in advance! I'm excited about finally having a Brompton. I've read this forum on and off throughout the last year or so and dreamed of having a Brompton. My old bike (a BSA English 3-speed ie. the Tank) got stolen this weekend and I need something to commute on. Hopefully I can get this Brompton up and running soon.
Thanks! -Jeff

Well, I know nothing about the steel alloys that Brompton uses, but if the frame, is build with steel as you say (please make the magnet test), your only solution is TIG welding with reenforcement of the structure arround the broken part. If you can locate a frame builder, he (or she ) would be the best people to fix your frame.

People have gotten hold of rear triangles in the past. The specialized Brompton dealers are your best bet. But how about contacting the factory directly?

St John Street Cycles (http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/category-Brompton-Frame-parts-619.htm) in the UK sell the biggest range of Brompton parts I know of. Steel and Ti rear frames can be obtained via the link, but be warned that Brompton cannot supply demand at the moment and there appears to be a six+ week waiting list on all brazed parts and 'A La Carte' builds. (This being attributed to a shortage of qualified brazing staff)

I have one and a few other parts. I also have a titanium one if you want to go wild. PM me off-list.

I managed to get a new rear triangle from Kinetics (www.kinetics-online.co.uk). So if you are the UK, they might be your best bet?

Thanks for your replies. I called around to some local bike shops (in London) about getting it repaired versus ordering a new one and also talked to some friends who are professional welders.

Because the old triangle is bent a bit, I decided to order a new one that will possibly come from the factory in about a week. or rather a shop is ordering it, BikeFix. They were not sure about if the current stock triangle would fit my model. I don't the year of the bike because I got it second hand from someone who also got it second hand being broken. Is this likely to be a problem for me? it is not too late to change the order. it will be sent out on Friday. the shop said they would ask Brompton when they order.
-Jeff

*edit*
ps. the bike has few scratches making it look relatively new. I'd be surprised if it were 10 or more years old. I'm not at home now to look for other details or model info.

Brompton don't change their design much - some people here hate that. The last major change was an extension of the top tube. But if the bike shop thinks the triangle makes a difference, you might want to bring the bike in, or bring them the rear triangle, at least, for comparison. Also, you might have the older handlebars which broke on some people. Brompton has a handlebar stabilizer to help those bars.

I don't know if this is any help, but I read on the Velovision site (http://www.velovision.co.uk/cgi-bin/show_comments.pl?storynum=661) that the new rear triangles allow you to put either the Sturmey Archer hub or the SRAM hub in them.
This is the same with the one I bought, so at least the wheel should fit okay? Though whether the front of the triangle fits the pivot, near the bottom bracket, is another thing entirely?