Tag: classic

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'.

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

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

Sturmey Archer S3X Fixed Gear 3 Speed Hub

Sunrace Sturmey Archer have published details of a new fixed-gear 3-speed hub, which is currently at the prototype stage.

The details are as follows:

  • Overall gear range is 160%.
  • Direct drive is 3rd gear, with reductions of 25% and 37.5%. This translates as gear steps of 20% and 33%.
  • This The hub will feature a "much stronger aluminium hubshell".
  • No details are given about shifters, but a "bar-end style shifter" looks a possibility.

The new S3X is a new interpretation of the Sturmey Archer ASC hub, which was a Fixed Gear 3-speed hub produced from 1946 to the late 1950s.

The S3X has a wider ratio than the ASC, which had an overall ratio of 133% (-25%, -10%, Direct).

Some links for information on the ASC hub:


The Sturmey Archer ASC 3-Speed Fixed-Gear Hub, from Sturmey Archer Heritage

The full Sunrace Sturmey Archer blog post is below.

Tuesday, September 2, 2008
S3X Fixed Gear 3 Speed
So I know there are many of you out there that are very interested in the little bit of info I recently got my paws on.

The first batch of prototype Fixed Gear 3 speeds is finished. The new hub will be called the S3X. The hub will be made using a much stronger aluminum hubshell. Overall gear range will be 160%.

* 1st Gear -37.5%

* 2nd Gear - -25%

* 3rd Gear - Direct Drive

* Gear step gear 1 to gear 2: 20%

* Gear step gear two to gear 3: 33%

Shifters are still up in the air but we have had many requests for a bar end style shifter. Also we are still planning on the possibility of doing some anodized colors with laser etching instead of screen printed graphics. Please comment on what you would like to see in the way of shifters or color choices.

Rusty old bicycle!

From Times Online

A rusty old bicycle expected to raise just £1 for charity was sold on eBay for more than £500 to a collector in Japan who identified it as a rare British classic.

The yellow bicycle was given to Bruce Symes to raise money for Dart Sailability, a charity for disabled sailors. Mr Bruce, of Galmpton, Devon, gave it a guide price of £1 but bids were soon placed from the Far East – including Taiwan and Korea.

Collectors noticed that the bicycle was a Moulton Speedsix – the first six-speed bicycle made in Britain, with only 600 produced in the 1960s. It was sold for £537.