Category: Moulton

The bike that attracted a man from Japan

The bike that attracted a man from Japan >> South Devon Herald Express
Tuesday, September 09, 2008, 08:07

JAPANESE businessman Tetsuya Shiomi spent £2,000 travelling to Torbay to collect a rare but rusty British bike initially offered on eBay for £1.

The bill was for a 6,000 mile round trip for himself and his wife Atsuk including flights and hotels.

Original owner Bruce Symes, 75, of Galmpton couldn't believe the world-wide interest in the rusty Moulton Speedsix, especially from the Far East.

It was given to him by a friend and only put on the internet auction site at the last minute after being saved from a chuck-it trip to Yalberton tip.

Eventually the Japanese collector topped the bidding at £537 and decided to make it a personal collection trip to Europe — to add to his other six Moultons.

Mr Symes thought it was practically worthless, hence the low starting price on eBay.

The charity supporter says all the money is now going to the Dart Sailability scheme for the disabled, based at Kingswear.

Mr Shiomi revealed: "I have six Moulton bikes already and I saw this one and wanted to add it to my collection.

"It is not a businesses venture but a hobby of mine.

"I love the frames and the shape and they are very popular in my country. I also like Mini Coopers and have one of them too.

"I wanted to collect the bicycle myself and meet Mr Symes and thank him. It was a nice holiday for me and my wife."

Mr Symes said he was delighted to raise any money from it at all. "It was lovely to see it go to a good home.

''The bike was covered in rust and I nearly took it to the scrap heap but now it is travelling to the other side of the world.

''When I saw the winning bid was from Japan obviously I thought I'd be shipping it over there.

''I never thought for a second the new owner would come so far to pick it up." A bidding war developed when beady-eyed collectors had noticed the yellow bike was a rarity the first six-speed bike made in Britain in the 1960s.

Only 600 were ever manufactured.

Furniture dealer Mr Shiomi travelled from his home in Saku-Shi near Nagano to Bruce's house in Galmpton, turning it into a European holiday with his wife.

Experts say there is currently a boom in Japan and China in the trade of English antiques, curios and vehicles such as cars and bikes.

Built in Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire, the Speedsix was designed for both touring and competition and was billed as a 'lean, mean, speed machine'.

Moulton Article in the Financial Times

Saturdays' Financial Times featured an interview with Alex Moulton.

The interviewer spent two half-days in conversation with Alex and described some of his daily routine.

He enters his adjoining workroom, where he pores over papers, manuals and books piled on long tables. For the next few hours, or “as long as I feel inspired and interested”, he works on the designs for his latest engineering creation

It explores in a fair amount of detail, Alex's career, from the family business, through BMC and the Moulton Bicycle.

The Mini’s suspension was a crude compromise – which Lord demanded for reasons of economy and speed of production – compared with the advanced hydroelastic system that Moulton devised for Issigonis’s 1962 1100. That four-wheel independent system used fluid under pressure to connect the front suspension with the rear, providing a smoothness of ride which had never been known in a family car. The 1100 and its successor, the 1300, were Britain’s best-selling family cars throughout the 1960s, consistently beating their leading rival, the Ford Cortina.

Most interestingly, there were hints of a new bicycle under development

a machine “more radical than anything I have ever done”.

...

Moulton has never yet designed a bicycle made from carbon fibre – immensely strong but expensive, and impossible to repair when damaged – but he dropped a few hints in our interviews that carbon composite materials might be included in the new, radical bicycle he is presently designing. “Watch this space,” he twinkled.

Alex Moulton featured in The Architects Journal

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

4-Speed Moulton TSR Prototype

A prototype 4-speed TSR was shown at Bradford on Avon on saturday, as part of the annual Moulton Bicycle Club event.

The gearing combines a Schlumpf Speed Drive and Fichtel & Sachs Duomatic. This means that gear-shifting and rear braking is done without cables, allowing the bike to be separated, without the need for cable splitters.

Gear changes for both Speed-drive and Duomatic are activated by the feet. Gear change in the Duomatic is effected by pedalling backwards about 1/4 turn. Changing gears on the speed-drive is done by tapping a button on the pedal crank with the heel.

The Fichtel & Sachs Duomatic contains a coaster brake, activated by back-pedalling.

The 4-speed TSR was visually stunning. The bright white paintjob contrasted beautifully with the new Moulton Bicycle Company headbadge, and a Union Jack on the seat tube. It was very similar to Team GB's Olympic colours.

The new headbadge, which will adorn all Moultons in future, depicts a cyclist on a Moulton (probably a TSR) infront of The Hall. Colours are traditional AM Red, with the new blue, on a shiny silver background. A Union Jack silhouette appears underneath, along with the words "Made in England".

The prototype also sported Moustache-style handlebars, and a reverse-action brake lever to operate the front brake.

The Sachs Duomatic has been out of production for many years, but a large number of "New Old Stock" seems to be available from various sources.

Moulton with child seat

My Moulton APB and Mk3 at the beach. The Mk3 is fitted with a Kangaroo Weeride, centre-mounted child seat.

Being centre mounted, it is exceptionally stable, and balance is not affected at all. The WeeRide features a padded headrest, which protects against the child hitting their face/head against the stem, and allows the child to rest their head if they get tired. My daughter derives great amusement from ringing the bell, which she can easily reach.


The Mk3 has a relatively short top-tube length (distance from head tube to seat tube). Riding the Mk3 with the WeeRide fitted, long-legged riders can find their knees need to move outwards a little to clear the child seat. This can be reduced by mounting the Wee Ride at the forward-most extreme of it's range of adjustment. This might become uncomfortable on longer ride - though I find it quite acceptable on leisurely rides of 5 or 6 miles.

I purchased the WeeRide from Seats For Kids in the UK