Good day, I recently bought two lightly used Tern Link 8 folding bikes so my wife and I can use them when camping and travelling. Today I noticed that the safety lock on the hinges do not work. I emailed Tern and they didn't respond to my email (they didn't reply to my other emails either.) So I called around and the closest bike store with parts is in Montreal!

Is this a common problem and do the locks actually do anything?
Thanks in advance,
Gordon

You are probably refering to Dumoulin in Montreal. Do you have pictures of the hinge lock? It could be Just an adjustment needed. BTW the hinge lock is very important. It’s a safety device.

The locks prevent the latches from opening if the latches are not properly adjusted. If the latches are properly adjusted, they are not likely to open unexpectedly and the safety locks merely provide an extra layer of security. See for information about proper adjustment. The latch mechanism is an "over-center" design which is stable when closed after proper adjustment.
The most likely reason the safety locks don't work is that someone forced them open without sliding the lock lever. This causes a plastic piece (THIS) to break, rendering the lock ineffective. The latch can still be safely closed as long as the latch is properly adjusted. While you're waiting for replacement plastic piece (seen in black HERE), you can wrap a bungee cord around the lever if you don't trust the latch. Once fixed, the lock will work as long as you don't force it. I've had my Tern for 10 years, 12,000+ miles, and have never broken this piece. I understand it was a fairly common problem because of a lot of ham-handed (or maybe just impatient) Tern owners.

Thanks jfouellette for your reply. Yes it was Dumoulin and I will have to visit their store next time I am in Montreal. Next week I will have time to work on the bike and see if adjusting it will fix the problem.

sweeks, thanks for the links, I did hear back from Tern Canada after some prodding and they are kind enough to send me the plastic pieces that will remedy the problem. The gentleman I bought the bikes from was showing me how to adjust the hinges and maybe that caused the safety latches not to work. Once I receive the plastic parts I will see if I can repair both bike and I will give an update.

Thanks guys!