Originally Posted by
MrFriendly
I didn't say European bikes are PITA to service. I said servicing a European bike for me in the U.S. is going to be a PITA, and that's from my own personal experience and my own thinking. I could be wrong, but I don't want to take the risk (anymore).
I don't know if you have noticed, but we are under spammer attack and I accidentally banned you. You may get a system message or PM to that effect. Hopefully I restored everything, let me know if there is a problem.
It's an aluminum frame right? Like all aluminum frames, it doesn't take much damage before it can't be fixed. Most frames are uneconomic to fix after you are hit by a car, even steel frames. The pinion is going to have to go back to Europe for servicing, I think. People with Rohloffs don't have much trouble with sending their hubs back to Germany, and that's a more involved process. If you are really worried about issues like that, derailleur drivetrains can be serviced everywhere in the world without shipping stuff to Germany.
I think your Brompton was a special case. I don't know why the bike shop wouldn't help you, but most shops aren't great about transacting over email. I know this is a broad generalization, but it sure sounds like your Brompton was uneconomic to fix. If it was the other party's insurance paying I would have gotten a new bike.