Tag: am

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.

In gear for a new challenge

In gear for a new challenge - Coventry Telegraph

ONE of the UK's oldest bicycle manufacturers has started a new venture which could boost an iconic bike brand.

Stratford-based Pashley Cycles has joined forces with Alex Moulton Bicycles to create The Moulton Bicycle Company.

It will manufacture, market and distribute the Moulton and Pashley TSR ranges of bikes.

Pashley Cycles and Alex Moulton Bicycles have collaborated for the past 12 years, with Pashley manufacturing the Pashley-Moulton TSR range.

Together, the two companies employ more than 50 people.

Pashley Cycles, set up in 1926, is England's longest-established cycle manufacturer, producing more than 150 models of handmade specialist bikes.

Moulton Bicycles, based in Bradford-upon-Avon, was set up by Dr Alex Moulton in 1958, leading the world in design and manufacture of full suspension small-wheeled, high-performance bikes.

More than half of the company's output is exported, with the brand particularly sought after in Japan and the Far East.

Adrian Williams, managing director of Pashley Cycles, said: "The Moulton Bicycle Company has a substantial order book and a waiting list of some 15 months for particular models.

"So, the task will be to increase production output and at the same time open up new markets which should not be difficult as these superbly engineered cycles are much admired worldwide."

Dr Moulton, who becomes president of the new company, said: "This new initiative will allow us to increase our market penetration and reduce our supply times.

"This will enable us to develop new marketing programmes, strengthen the enviable reputation of the Moulton brand and ensure our bicycles remain at the forefront of the small wheel bicycle revolution."

Paul Bennett, corporate partner at Black Country law firm George Green, who advised on the new venture, said: "Pashley and Moulton are two legendary brands in UK manufacturing.

"What is more, they are two of the very few remaining true bicycle manufacturers left in the country, as they genuinely hand-make the cycles here, rather than just being an assembly or import-distribution-only operation.

"Their focus on quality, design and engineering shows that, done properly, there is still a worldwide market for British hand-made goods."

Storms Cause Culvert Collapse (from Wiltshire Times)

Storms Cause Culvert Collapse (from Wiltshire Times)

BICYLCE manufacturers Alex Moulton Bicycles have been left with a hole the size of a Mini at their site after a culvert burst during Monday's storms.
The incident happened at the company's base in Holt Road, Bradford on Avon, at about 4pm following a spell of torrential rain.

An overflow of water caused a drain, which runs underneath the Moulton site and into the river Avon, to burst, causing a wave of sewage and debris to surge towards the firm's offices and workshops.

Shaun Moulton, 40, is general manager of Moulton and the great nephew of Dr Alex Moulton, 88, who formed the company in 1962 and designed the suspension for the Mini car in the 1950s.

He said: "It just all piled out of the hole like a mini-tidal wave. I was in a meeting with our accountant at the time and I tried to shut the doors but the water just came hurtling through and straight into the office. It was about four inches deep at one stage.

"It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't sewage but I've been told that the pumping station hasn't got a filter system. The town is built on a drainage system that is so old it cannot cope."

Mr Moulton said even his great uncle helped to mop out the flood, which also affected their home.

He added: "Wessex Water came down and they basically stood around the hole and said it wasn't their responsibility, but West Wiltshire District Council said they were going to investigate the situation."

Ian Drury, a spokesman for Wessex Water, said: "When there is extreme rainfall Wessex Water is able to discharge wastewater into the water course, a process which is strictly monitored by the Environment Agency.

"However, following the intense rainfall on Monday the underground watercourse, which carries surface water and highway drainage for a large area of Bradford on Avon, struggled to cope with the flow and became defective. This resulted in some flooding around a property.

"Work will need to take place to identify who is responsible for the water course to ensure it is maintained and repaired to prevent future flooding.