Author: Aynsley Brown

The theme of BoA 2022 on 9^th- 11^th September 2022

Venue: The Hall/ Moulton Bicycle Company, Holt Road, Bradford on Avon, BA15 1AH

I wish to draw your attention to a few changes from our 2021 event –

• The club has increased its donation to the Alex Moulton Charitable Trust (AMCT) from £500 to £750 for our weekend activity.
• The Trust's new insurers have insisted we take out separate insurance to cover members for camping activities.
• The old Anthony Best building now belongs to the Moulton group (once again). We have a little more flexibility for our arrival time on Friday afternoon / evening.

The cycling aspect of the weekend is covered under our affiliation to Cycling UK / CTC and has been for many years. Despite our increasing costs we have held the event cost to you at the same level as last year. All adults through the gate need to pay either £10 for the Saturday or £25 for weekend camping, those who are 16 & under it’s all free (when accompanied by an adult).

As ever it’s Members (& immediate family) only, if you are not a member then you can join the club for the weekend at the gate for £5 plus entrance fee either £10 or £25 (it’s because of our members only status with HMRC).

Toilets & showers are available to all.

Provisional schedule for the weekend

Friday – from 4pm (once the Moulton workforce have departed from both the upper & lower facilities) campers/motorhomes can arrive to set up their units.

We then usually head down to the Swan Hotel in the centre of Bradford on Avon to meet up and have something to eat.

As an alternative there is the The Dandy Lion across the road from the Swan and numerous other pubs and restaurants in Bradford on Avon for good food & drink.

Saturday morning– 8am gates open, campers awake……..

10am to 12 noon Bring & Buy Sale of all things Moulton, everything from a rideable bike to a set of frame transfers, those special replacement parts for F frame refurbishments from Moulton Preservation, interesting components & spares from the Moulton factory. NO fees for selling your stuff whether thats a van full of bikes or a few tyres, its all free.

Tea & coffee will be available to purchase. (No rolls this year!)

Saturday afternoon – We are planning to create a time line of Moultons through the decades. Based on their launch years………….

Prototypes from the 50’s,

Mk 1, 2 & Mini “F” frames from the 60’s

Mk 3 from the 70’s,

AM’s & ATB’s from the 80’s,

APB’s & NS from the 90’s,

Bridgestones & TSR’s from the 00’s

FLYTE from the 10’s

And bikes from 20’s

These are the main models produced by the company, limited edition bicycles should be in their respective decade.

We will be having a guided tour of the Moulton bicycle's development over the years along the line up of our bikes. We will be reliant on you, where possible, to bring some original & interesting bikes.

(We can do this in the courtyard; I hope the weather is kind !)

The clubs open forum and news from the Moulton Bicycle Company & the raffle. Your club needs both donations to the raffle AND people to purchase tickets on the day.

Test ride the latest models from the Moulton Bicycle Company.

Saturday evening – Bring your own food & drink to the BBQ in the Hall grounds we will have a meat BBQ & separate vegetarian/vegan BBQ, alternatively eat out in Bradford on Avon or further afield.

Sunday morning– All rides set off from the upper car park by the entrance gate.

3 rides; long ride about 35 miles, middle ride around 25 miles, short 10mile family ride.

Ride departure times will be displayed during the event & on Facebook.

Sunday Afternoon - Clear up all debris, your tents packed away etc. and we all leave before 5pm on Sunday.

Everything may change due to the weather or events outside our control.

As in previous years, we will have security on the gate from Friday evening through to Sunday morning.

Keep checking our web page and Facebook for the latest event news & updates.

I hope you can join us at BoA, it will be good to see you in September, catch up with old friends, make new friends AND ride in a group of Moultons.

In the meantime stay safe, healthy & happy

Mark Taylor, BoA Coordinator.

When: Thursday, 11 August 2022, 11:00 – 16:00hrs

Where: Richmond Park, London: Roehampton Gate Car Park (map)

Description: The ride is at a very leisurely pace of about 12 miles in length, mainly off road, following the park’s Tamsin Trail. It is ideal for those who prefer a gentle amble on their F frames. There is one optional hill! There are plenty of refreshment stops and places of interest, with a picnic close to Pembroke Lodge. Bring food or buy snacks at the Pembroke Lodge Kiosk nearby. The event ends at the Roehampton Gate Tea Room and disperses by about 4pm.

Hello Moultoneers!

Through a stroke of incredible good fortune, I've come to be the owner of a titanium Moulton. It is a rigid, non-folding sibling to the one previously owned by Michael Embacher and featured on your site. As far as I am aware, these are the only two.

Not entirely sure if I'm going to hold on to this bicycle or try and find it a home, but I wanted to share it with y'all!

Best,

Benjamin

Notes about the machine:

It doesn’t have suspension but it is seriously light. The little 1/4 in. tubes have a wall thickness of .016 in., the frame weighs 2 1/2 lbs and the fork 0.9 lb.

Despite the extreme light weight, it is as stiff as a Moulton. The steerer on the fork, the small wheels, and the stem add to inherent rigidity of a Moulton. The harsh, stiff ride is a unique riding experience.

The Moulton Group, owner of The Moulton Bicycle Company Ltd, is pleased to announce the acquisition of the original Moulton Bicycle Works in Bradford on Avon.

The acquired premises were originally built in the early 1960s by Dr Alex Moulton for volume manufacture of the Moulton ‘F-frame’, the world’s fi­rst small-wheeled, full-suspension bicycle that was exceptionally popular upon its release.

By the early 1980s, Moulton’s activities ceased at the site as the company focused on the production of its advanced ‘space-frame’ bicycle design, and the facility was subsequently occupied by automotive engineering company AB Dynamics from 1986 until 2021, when it became available for purchase.

Moulton bicycles are currently manufactured at two production facilities, one in Bradford on Avon and the other in Stratford-upon-Avon. There is a strong order book, particularly from Asia, with over 85% of production exported.

The purchase of the 1,000m2 freehold premises along with further Group investment in R & D and production facilities, will pave the way for all Moulton products to be made in Bradford on Avon.

Adrian Williams, CEO of Moulton Group, comments:

“We are in an industry where demand is growing strongly, both in the UK and overseas. The acquisition of The Bicycle Works will provide a base for innovation and new product development as well as making additional production capacity available for the manufacture of Moulton bicycles. It demonstrates our commitment to British design, engineering, and manufacturing, and to the future of Moulton in the Bradford on Avon area.”

It with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Michael Woolf.

Michael was the key player in the renewed valuing of the Moulton bicycle in the early 1980s. Through his hard work and dedication, the Moulton bicycle became appreciated as a key design concept, appearing in many magazines, museums and art galleries world-wide.

We are all indebted to Michael for his commitment to keeping the F-frame models on the road, through his Moulton Preservation activities. Moulton Preservation was the first port of call if you needed advice or parts, both of which were given with great enthusiasm, dedication and immense friendliness. Nothing was too much for Michael.

Michael’s death is a sad loss to us all and we send our best wishes to his partner Zoë and his brother Dave.

A full obituary will appear in issue number 136 of the Moultoneer.’