Tag: am

Korean Saddle And Bag Maker Aiming For Brooks And Carradice | BikeRadar

British saddle maker Brooks has owned the leather saddle category for decades, and now a Korean company called Zimbale is branching out into the lucrative US market via Hyde Park Cyclesports in Boise, Idaho.

"My own interest in Zimbale came about partly out of frustration with the unpredictable availability of similar products from existing suppliers and manufacturers," Hyde Park Cyclesports owner Jim Powers told BikeRadar. "I received an email from Zimbale and asked for some samples. I was impressed enough with the samples to begin a conversation about becoming the US distributor.

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"We were able to come to an agreement, and now I'm working towards meeting their projections for sales in this country. Interbike is the first step."

According to Powers, the Zimbale brand was created by a small group of individuals with backgrounds in textiles, manufacturing and cycling who also saw the need for a more reliable source of fine leather saddles and leather and textile saddlebags. The group is in Korea, and the bags are made in Korea.

Korean Saddle And Bag Maker Aiming For Brooks And Carradice - BikeRadar.

Colin Martin’s Green Bicycle Site

The website of Colin Martin, the legendary Moultoneer, who cycled from England to Australia in 1970, is back online at http://www.moultonbicycle.com.

Colin left England in 1970 on a custom built Moulton Marathon, with the intention of cycling round the world. While in Australia, his bike was stolen and he abandoned the trip and settled there.

Colin Martin's 1970 Ride From England To Australia

In 2002, he continued the trip on a green Moulton New Series, travelling across North America, and visiting England and Japan.

Colin Martin's 2002 Ride Across North America

Finally, in 2008, Colin travelled across Australia from the point where his Moulton Marathon had been stolen, to his home in Queensland, thus completing the round the world trip.

Colin's website, greenbicycle.com, which previously documented the 1970 and 2002 rides, was taken offline in 2009, to facilitate construction of a new site. However, Colin has made the original material available again at the new domain moultonbicycle.com. Read about the 1970 trip from England to Australia and the 2002 Trip Across America.

Colin Martin's Moulton Marathon in Afghanistan

I look forward to reading about the 2008 ride in due course!

Minor British Institutions: The Moulton bicycle

He may not have re-invented the wheel, but Alex Moulton took a lot on when he decided to redesign the bicycle 50 years ago. Like them or loathe them, all the small-wheeled city bikes you see today are a bit of an homage to the original Moulton "F frame" design, though few can be as comfortable as the Moulton, which boasts its own unique suspension system. Dr Moulton's family were "in rubber", you see, and Alex also invented various suspension systems for British cars from the Mini to the Metro.

The Moulton was launched in 1962, and soon became almost as much a symbol of the Sixties as the mini-skirt and The Beatles, though it enjoys less resonance today. Anyway, the small wheels make the machine extremely manoeuvrable in traffic, and the racing version proves you can enjoy quite a turn of speed.

In testament to its enduring appeal, a Moulton bike can still be bought new, but it is priced as what it is - a fine piece of British engineering. Sadly, the ultra-simple and elegant Moulton 50 limited-edition has sold out, but many other exciting variants are just waiting for you to mount them.

via Minor British Institutions: The Moulton bicycle - This Britain, UK - The Independent.

Quality long reach dual pivot caliper brakes… with nuts!!

Tektro Dual Pivot Calipers

Update: Some of the links below no longer work, but Velo Orange have the updated long reach Tektro R559 available in nutted or recessed versions on their website

Velo Orange have announced that they have commissioned Tektro to make some dual pivot caliper brakes with nut mounts. This style of brake has become more difficult to obtain in recent years, since the introduction of the recessed allen key fitting.

Tektro R556 Dual Pivot Caliper Brake with nut mounting
The "extra-long reach" Tektro R556 have a reach of 55-73mm, which will suit F-Frame Moultons with 16inch (349mm) wheels.

The "long reach" Tektro R538 (47 to 57mm) will suit older AM models, with 17 inch (369mm) wheels.

So many of you have been asking for nutted brakes to fit older frames that we asked Tektro to make some for us. This means that you can now easily convert older frames to modern dual pivot brakes without drilling out the fork crown and seat stay bridge.

We ordered the Tektro R538 (with a 47 to 57mm reach) and the Tektro R556 (with a 55 to 73mm reach) in traditional nutted versions. Both brakes are modern dual pivot designs with excellent stopping power. They both include re-fillable cartridge type brake shoes, barrel adjusters with O-rings, and cam type quick-releases. The finish is polished and anodized aluminum. The quality is equal to that on many much more expensive brakes.

Via: The Velo ORANGE Blog

Bicycle Specialties: A memorable ride in the Alps Part one

Moulton at Galibier

While at the Show we had an interesting meeting with Alex Moulton who was there promoting his recently introduced AM series of suspended small wheel bikes. It was an interesting meeting for Mike and I as we had been selling a lot of the AMs and had, up to that point, sold more than any other dealer in the World except one in Germany. We were very enthusiastic about the bikes but had one major criticism, that being that the range of gears available with its single chainring set-up wasn’t suitable for loaded touring, particularly in mountains. We had modified a number of them with brazed-on front derailleurs and double chainwheels and also painted a few in brighter, more appealing colours than the standard grey. In fact Ian Austen was riding a bright yellow AM modified with a wide range of gears. Dr Moulton thought we were ruining his bike design and we got into quite a heated argument. He contended that his standard seven gears were ample for any type of riding. I often wonder if he would have changed his mind if he had seen the terrain we were to ride over in the following few days.

via Bicycle Specialties: A memorable ride in the Alps Part one.