If riding a Moulton is too mainstream for you, try the sideways bike.
I had seen these on TV but I was on my way home from work the other day, when I saw one of these being ridden by the inventor. I think he lives near my work place on Dublin's northside. He just seemed to glide along the footpath, moving through gaps in traffic, and managing to chat with enquisative kids with ease. Couldn't imagine doing Paris Brest Paris on it though...
When I ride my 1964 Moulton Deluxe or my Mark 3s from 1970 and 1973, I can sense the stares from people who have never seen such bikes before. It makes me feel like I'm riding something quite rare.
But in reality, over 100,000 Moulton deluxes were made and over 3,000 Moulton Mk 3's. They are not that difficult to find. However, over the years, many very special Moultons have been made. While the BMC factory in Kirkby and later the Raleigh factory in Nottingham were churning out Moultons, the factory in Bradford On Avon was often producing limited edition or one off specials.
Below are a few examples from Ken Butterfields photos...
This Moulton S Safari had been overpainted black. The black paint was removed using Nitromors, exposing the original chrome finish.
This Mark 3 was built by Jack Lauterwasser for his own use. It features a unique 10 speed drivetrain with 3 levers. The Sturmey Archer hub (I presume originally a 4 speed) was converted to 5 speed, with 2 rear sprockets and a custom derailleur. It's got lots of special features - 531 forks with Campagnolo ends, narrow bottom bracket, Mafac cantilever brakes
Another black Mark 3 this time, but very different. This one has derailleur gearing, and a prototype rear triangle with pump mounts.
Ken has lots more photos which are worth checking out, such as this gorgeous Speedsix
Twenty years before the first spaceframe Moulton bicycle, the original F-frame Moulton bicycle was launched. Alex Moulton, an engineer with experience in the automotive industry, and a recreational cyclist, decided to go back to first principles and question every aspect of the design of bicycles.
Questions such as :
Why had the design of the bicycle not changed in any fundamental sense since the "safety bicycle" was developed, replacing the Penny Farthing in the 1880s.
Why, when the wheel sizes of most road going vehicles had reduced with the improvement in road surfaces, had the bicycle wheel remained so large?
After 5 years of development, the original Moulton Bicycle was launched and it was a revolutionary design. The concept consisted of a number of key principles :
Additionally, the following features are common to the Moulton bicycle range:
The new bicycle was a revolutionary design, and for a while Moulton was the largest bicycle manufacturer in Britain. The following video dates from the time of the launch of the Moulton bicycle.
These principles are the core of the Moulton concept, and have remained so through to the very latest spaceframe models.
Continental – the cheapest Moulton with a single speed hub and back pedal brake.
Automatic – replaced the Continental, had a two speed hub and back pedal brake.
Standard – the basic model, 4 speed hub.
Deluxe – a higher spec model, 4 speed hub
Speed – similar to a standard but with a sportier riding position, 4 speed hub
Stowaway – the first separable moulton, 2 speed hub with back pedal brake.
Safari – a fully equipped model for touring. 4 speed hub with optional 2 speed derailleur.
Speedsix – a racing model with 6 speed derailleur gears.
The Standard and Deluxe are the most common models by far, and are quite inexpensive to buy. The other models vary in terms of rarity, desirability, and price.
The S range is very rare, and very collectable. Each model is a higher spec version of the original Deluxe, Safari and Stowaway with slightly larger 17inch wheels, lighter components, and optional chrome finish.
The picture below is a Moulton S Safari in chrome finish, from Ken Butterfield's photos on Flickr
Only around 10 S Speeds were produced and the location of most of them is known. However, it looks like there may be a few still unaccounted for. Most F-frame collectors dream of finding an S Speed in a skip or a garage somewhere!
After the Raleigh takeover the following models were produced:
Moulton Major – an updated Standard
Moulton Major Deluxe – an updated Deluxe
The Mark 3 / Mark III / Mk 3
This was a new departure in design, with the most recognisable feature being the rear triangle and squashball suspension. This model has a shorter wheelbase than the older Series 1 and 2 models and was fitted with a 3 speed hub with drum brake.
There were also a number of other models produced - smaller wheel versions for children/teenagers, export models, and models made abroad under licence. These will be the subject of a post on another day!
One small detail of the new Alex Moulton AM Esprit has thus far escaped my attention.
The trend in Moulton frame design in recent years has seemed to be move to a straight bottom tube, instead of the older style "knuckle shaped" bottom tube, as seen on the old AM and many other models. In recent years, the non-separable versions of the APB (fx8), New Series (pylon, speed) and the new Pashley Moulton TSR have had this straight bottom tube. More recently, separable Moultons (including the New Series Double Pylon and the Pashley Moulton TSR) have also had a straight bottom tube.
I expected that the new Moulton AM Esprit would also have this feature in the separable version, but as the photo below (from Dynavector) shows, the separable version looks very like the old AM.
Contrast this with the more elegant design of the non-separable frame shown below (again from Dynavector)
