Month: March 2011

Disaster in Japan

From Club Chairman Aynsley Brown:

Fellow Moultoneers,
On Monday, March 14th, I sent the following e-mail to each club member in Japan for whom we have an e-mail address.

Dear [Member Name],
I am very sorry to hear about the terrible earthquake and tsunami that has destroyed so much of north-eastern Japan.
The television pictures are very shocking.
On behalf of the members of the UK Moulton Bicycle Club, I send sincere sympathy to those who have suffered any family loss or injury.
I hope that you and your family are safe and well.

Best Wishes,
Aynsley Brown
Chairman, Moulton Bicycle Club

These are some of the responses that I have received so far.
I would like to share them with you.
Several have not responded yet.
I sincerely hope it is nothing more serious than communication difficulties.
Aynsley

***

Thank you so much your e-mail.
We are fine,because we live in KANSAI.
But Our many freinds live in KANTO-TOHOKU.
So we sorry for them as you.
Thank you and please pray to our freinds safty too.

***

Thank you for your e-mail.
We are OK, no damage, no injury here.
I think we can return to normal life fairly soon, at least Tokyo.

***

Eastern Japan was swallowed for a big tsunami.
I am safe.
Time may be necessary to enjoy a bicycle.
A rescue party came from the U.K.
I thank for anxiety of all of you.

***

Thank you so much for your thoughtful email. We in Yokohama are fine - very minor damage in the city and none in homes or school where I teach.
Because of the lack of transportation and the nuclear risk many expats have evacuated. The schools have closed all week due to the sporadic power and transportation situation, then into their Spring holidays.
I am retiring in June and hope to make the September BoA meeting. I look forward to meeting you there.

***

Thank you for your message & kindness,
Our family are safe and well,But north eastern people are very very bad situation now.
All people in Japan is me grief,But people will face reconstruction discouraged it.
Please keep that hope away from the sky.

***

I would like to express my gratitude toward your concern about Japanese citizen
as well as myself.
I am living in Osaka where is far away from the disastrous area. What we are most
concerned about at the current moment is the nuclear plant trouble.
Thank you again for your sympathy.

***

Thank you for your message.
Luckily we have not heard of any human casualty or material/physical
damage amongst the J-MBC members and their immediate family.

***

Pacific North Eastern Japan is, to be frank, devastated.
Tokyo is experiencing a shortage of electricity (we have a premeditated ,
rotating partial blackouts) and resultant less-than-normal public
tranportation or other inconveniences, but still going strong.
Obviously the country is in crisis, but Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and
westward are intact and functioning fairly normally.
Thank you again,

***

Thank you for your message.
We have been ok. We are far from there.
But started seeing indirect influences.

***

Thank you for your kind mail. The eastern half of the country has been severely damaged. We in Tokyo escaped unscathed, except a few flower vases.
My family including four Moultons are fine.
Again thank you very much for your concern, and hope to meet you.

***

It's really shocking to see such an incredible news pictures of this earthquake and tsunami.
But all my family are safe in Osaka. Thank you for your warm sympathy.

***

Thank you for kindness message.
My area is ok now.
but still unclearplant is fear of the explosion.
I never seen terrible diserster.
It encouraged it from a lot of people.
it is likely to be able to recovere.

***

Thank you very much for your e-mail. It was an unexpected surprise and pleasure to receive such a kind message from my fellow Moultoneers in the U.K.
As you must have seen through the media, thousands of people are either dead or missing. Fortunately, I live just north of Tokyo, where the damage has been minor. My family members and I ( and of course my TSR!) are all fine, although since the quakes are still continuing, one must continue to be vigilant for the time being.
I just hope that the devasted areas would recover as soon as possible, and I am thinking of ways to be of help to the affected people. In the mean time, your concern is very much appreciated.

***

Thanks a lot for your heartfelt concern.
I and my family are safe and well.
As always I have been commuting by bicycle and working in a ward office since Monday.
Operations are getting back on a recovery in my town and eastern Tokyo.

Embacher Collection – MOULTON Speed Six

I just received my copy of the Michael Embacher book Cyclepedia: A Tour of Iconic Bicycle Designs. As well as the ONE OFF Titanium Moulton Special, the book also features a lovely Moulton Speedsix.


At the end of the 1960s the 6-speed gear system was an unusual phenomenon, making the Moulton Speedsix twice as exotic. It was ahead of its time in its gear-shift technology, although in its design it was very contemporary. The Moultons from the first years of production were rather unexciting mass-market goods, but with the leap to high-end, small series production in the 1980s their street credentials went up.

The bicycle featured here is one of only 600 or so produced, and is number K65310046.

1965, GBR
Frame: Steel varnished
Bicycle gearing:
Brakes: Rim Side Pull / Rim Side Pull
Tyres: 17“ Wired Tyre / 17“ Wired Tyre
Weight: 29,32 lbs

Also in the collection, but not included in the book are a Mark 3, an AM-16, a New Series.

The book is published by Thames & Hudson and the ISBNs are 0500515581, 9780500515587.

The official launch of Cyclepedia: A Tour of Iconic Bicycle Designs is in London on Wednesday March 16th 2011 AT 18:30 at Look Mum No Hands! 49 Old Street, London ED1V9HX.

Jack Thurston, presenter of The Bike Show will be in conversation with Michael Embacher, looking and talking through their favourite bicycles in the collection. Given that Jack is a Moultoneer himself, you can expect the conversation will cover at least one of the Moultons.

From EMBACHER/COLLECTION - ALEX MOULTON Speed Six.

Another Land’s End to John O’Groats on a Moulton bicycle

Frank Burns writes about yet another Land's End to John O'Groats completed on a Moulton.

I wanted to put my Alex Moulton APB21 through its paces and see how it fared on a journey above 1000 miles.

Most people have preconceived notions about small wheeled bikes, and many that I met en route expressed disbelief about its suitability for such a venture, but the reality was that I averaged 85 miles per day (some days were over 100 miles) with a remarkable degree of comfort and speed.

The Moulton’s combination of a well-designed rigid frame, suspension front and rear, and more than adequate gearing, made this a perfect long-distance machine, and one that can be separated into two halves, bagged and carried onto trains as hand-luggage.

From Land’s End to John O’Groats on a Moulton bicycle « Serendipities of life.

ONE OFF Moulton Special

Only one Moulton has even been produced in Titanium, and it is featured in a new book called Cyclepedia: A Tour of Iconic Bicycle Designs by Michael Embacher.

The story of this unique Moulton is told as follows:

A unique piece made of titanium

Mike Augspurger’s company ‘One Off’ in Florence, Massachusetts, specializes in producing unique, made to measure pieces. This includes not only bicycles, for example, but also wheelchairs. The common denominator in these products is the material; One Off favours titanium, thought to be the most promising for future high end bicycles. In 1991 Mike Augspurger made the acquaintance of cyclist Alex Moulton. Their friendship was deepened through cycling trips, and the next One Off idea developed.

Augspurger wanted to produce a Moulton AM from titanium with a frame that could not be separated, and his friend supported the project and supplied special Moulton parts. Only a couple of months later the new frame stood on the weighing scales. It proved to be 500 grams lighter than a Moulton AM Speed stainless steel frame but likewise could not be separated.

Then the project came to a halt. It was only the second owner of One Off who completed the frame and fork to make the bicycle rideable. The Zzipper fairing provides better aerodynamics and the cycle’s frame is just as torsionally rigid as its stainless steel cousins. They produced only one piece, and it is the bicycle featured here. Alex Moulton was rather cautious of allowing others to manufacture frames using his design. He subsequently agreed to no more experiments of this kind.

Cyclepedia: A Tour of Iconic Bicycle Designs will be launched in London on Wednesday March 16th 2011 AT 18:30 at Look Mum No Hands! 49 Old Street, London ED1V9HX.

More photos are available on Michael Embacher's site