Congratulations on your purchase. My Brompton is 19 years old (bought in October 2005), and the gear shifter on yours is older than mine (which still works perfectly). So it’s at least 20 years old, probably even a bit more. However, what I would strongly recommend for safety reasons is to urgently replace the handlebar, because it seems to be the original, and several of these have broken, causing accidents. In fact, handlebars should be replaced from time to time. The good news is that you can also gradually upgrade it. On mine, I’ve replaced the brake levers with the current ones, the folding system with one that locks new tires (these also seem to be the original ones, and they were dangerous when wet), a new crank that allows multiple chainrings (a 44-tooth chainring is recommended for the three-speed version), new grips (much more comfortable), and the current Brompton saddle (the regular one from years ago, also very comfortable and durable). I also highly recommend the rear rack with Eazy Wheels, which makes it very convenient to roll the bike on the ground without having to carry it.
Congratulations on your purchase. My Brompton is 19 years old (bought in October 2005), and the gear shifter on yours is older than mine (which still works perfectly). So it’s at least 20 years old, probably even a bit more.
However, what I would strongly recommend for safety reasons is to urgently replace the handlebar, because it seems to be the original, and several of these have broken, causing accidents. In fact, handlebars should be replaced from time to time.
The good news is that you can also gradually upgrade it. On mine, I’ve replaced the brake levers with the current ones, the folding system with one that locks new tires (these also seem to be the original ones, and they were dangerous when wet), a new crank that allows multiple chainrings (a 44-tooth chainring is recommended for the three-speed version), new grips (much more comfortable), and the current Brompton saddle (the regular one from years ago, also very comfortable and durable).
I also highly recommend the rear rack with Eazy Wheels, which makes it very convenient to roll the bike on the ground without having to carry it.
The numbers are year first month second