The Architects Journal website contains a feature on Alex Moulton, including a beautiful series of photographs taken in the Hall, the grounds, the factory and the museum.
Apart from the usual detail that any Moulton fan will be familar with, it contains some interesting insights from an architectural point of view.
Of Norman Foster's Moulton ownership, the article writes:
Foster's enthusiasm is not surprising: Moulton admits that his newest designs have a lot in common with High-Tech architecture, as they allow pure functionality to lead the form. 'With the first model, I was extremely concerned with appearance because I was doing a really brutal thing; I was imposing on the public an enormous change from the classical bicycle,' he explains. 'So, in order not to offend the public, I made the front and back forks nicely curved, and kept the suspension entirely hidden. But very soon, reality punished me – the rear forks bent.
Alex drew attention to the differences between architecture and engineering:
'Architecture has one or two less dimensions than engineering,' adds Moulton. 'I mean, things don't have to fly or go moving about. The things that I'm working on, mechanical things, they've got function. Architecture is more open to styling, to shape.'
And talking about folding bikes:
It is his quest for the most efficient, most technically brilliant ride that has kept Moulton's bicycles from folding. According to Moulton, the Brompton folds exceptionally well because it is designed for folding, whereas his bicycle is designed for exceptional performance on the road. Rather than fold, several of Moulton's models separate into two – an option he claims will not compromise the frame in any way.
'Scores of manufacturers that make a small-wheel bicycle imagine that they're simply folding bicycles,' adds Moulton. 'It hasn't dawned on them that actually, if you do it properly, a small-wheel bicycle is the best bicycle in the world.'
The full sets of photographs are available on Flickr, here, here and here
