Category: BoA 2007

Alex Moulton: A Lifetime in Engineering

A new book on Alex Moulton has just been published, and it was unveiled at Bradford-on-Avon last weekend.

It is based on an interview by John Pinkerton in 1998 at The Hall in Bradford on Avon. Some people might remember the VHS video of the same name based on the same interview.

In it Alex Moulton talks about his life growing up in Bradford on Avon, the family business and how he developed a love for cycling and engineering. It contains fascinating insights into the development of the original Moulton bicycle, the involvement with Raleigh, the AM era, as well as his automotive career and life outside engineering.

The list price is €14.99, and the ISBN is 978-3-8258-0755-9. A big box was delivered to the Moulton Bicycle Club at the weekend, and many of these were sold for £5. If you contact Moulton Preservation you may be able to get a copy.
It's published by LIT Verlag in Berlin, Germany, and distributed in the UK by Global Book Marketing, 99B Wallis Rd, London, E9 5LN. It's not yet listed in their catalogue at http://www.centralbooks.co.uk/.

Distribution in the US is by Transaction Publishers, orders@transactionpub.com.

BoA 2007: Demo bikes

After the meeting, members could try out any of the Moulton models.

There were three samples of the Esprit, a Bridgestone, a Double Pylon and an older New Series...

The test track was just too small for the Metro...

This NS had nice narrow flat bars and indexed trigger shifters...

The Double Pylon looks even more exquisite in real life than in any photo you've ever seen...

Two Double Pylons in a corner...

New Style Flexitor unit of the Double Pylon. Having the forks outside the Flexitor unit (instead of inside as with earlier New Series models) gives more steering rake for a more stable ride.

The Demo bike had the softest of the available rubber compounds, so the soft lockout was engaged for demo riders...

BoA 2007: Alex Moulton's greatest hits

Alex Moulton and the MBC experts called for examples of each model from the first Standard to the present day from which they judged the best example of each - usually the most original and well maintained. They scrutinised each model in such detail, that they ran out of time at the AM-GT.

Below are a few shots that took my fancy.

The need for speed...

Paul Grogan's Speedsix skips into view...

These gorgeous Speedsixes lost out because their mudguards weren't original...

This one had the original alloy guards...

A lovely blue Moulton S Safari...

And an S Stowaway...

But winner of the S-class was this immaculate chrome S Safari, owned by Ken Butterfield

Lovely rear end...

The crowed oohed and ahhed at the sight of shiny chrome...

Mike Woolf's completely original Moulton S Deluxe was not eligible, due to being a Moulton Preservation bike...

Alex Moulton told some of the history of the S-Works, and the work of Jack Lauterwasser...

Can't read the decals from here, but I think this was a Series 2 Deluxe...

Mike Woolf described the Raleigh era of this Mark 3 as a "mixed blessing...

On to the Alex Moulton era and the AM 7...

Alex Moulton described how the F-frame evolved into the Y-frame prototype, which eventually led to the X-frame - the basic shape of the spaceframe AM.

He recounted feeling distraught when some French club racers told him the Y-frame was wonderful, but too heavy. This led him to develop a frame structure that was entirely different to anything that went before.

Here is a lovely AM2...

Checking a serial number on an AM Speed...

Finally, the AM-GT... the first stainless steel model. Alex Moulton talked about how wonderful a material stainless steel was, and alluded to the skill of the silver brazers at Bradford on Avon. He told the owner of this AM-GT that stainless steel lasts forever, and he would pass the bike on to his great grandchildren.

BoA 2007: More details on the Esprit

The wider frame and narrower tubing give a frame that's lighter, yet stiffer...

HED aero wheels only 2 ozs heavier than standard wheels...

Shimano 105 chainring and rear mech, Capreo freehub and cassette, Ultegra front mech (except on the model with the Mosquito bars which had a single chainring)...

Mosquito bars, Shimano Dura Ace downtube shifer (used as a thumb shifer), Cane Creek reverse action brake levers and a newly blackened stem...

Tapered forks, but not like the 1980s...

The fixed frame frame was not on show... all three demo bikes were separable...