Tag: classic

Reaction to Pashley at Interbike

Pashley are at Interbike, showing off the TSR to the US market. BikeHugger has mentioned it twice so far, and Urbanvelo has posted a couple pictures.


Pashley had their super-cool folders on site as well. I'll try to get a few laps on one of those tomorrow.

...and then...


I posted yesterday about the Pashley travel bike. I got to take it out for a spin today. The bike is setup with full racks, and is still quite light. The whole thing is built by hand by a bunch of tradesmen in Strattford-Uon-Avon, England. I quizzed the guys at the booth on the "welder shots" in the catalog and they told me who each guy was and what they do - classic! You're hard pressed to find many manufacturers who can say that these days. Anyway, the bike was surprisingly solid. The low center of gravity was noticeable when swooping downhill, but the suspended fork make for some REALLY solid cornering. That same fork resulted in some goofy feelings every time I got out of the saddle, but I guess thats the trade off. Pashley has their travel bikes in range from ~$2400 - $3500 depending on the package you go for. Pretty cool option for a full-rideable travel bike.

I thought it was a pretty positive report. Pity about calling it a folder and missing the word Moulton though!

Urbanvelo posted a couple pictures too...

BoA 2007: Alex Moulton's greatest hits

Alex Moulton and the MBC experts called for examples of each model from the first Standard to the present day from which they judged the best example of each - usually the most original and well maintained. They scrutinised each model in such detail, that they ran out of time at the AM-GT.

Below are a few shots that took my fancy.

The need for speed...

Paul Grogan's Speedsix skips into view...

These gorgeous Speedsixes lost out because their mudguards weren't original...

This one had the original alloy guards...

A lovely blue Moulton S Safari...

And an S Stowaway...

But winner of the S-class was this immaculate chrome S Safari, owned by Ken Butterfield

Lovely rear end...

The crowed oohed and ahhed at the sight of shiny chrome...

Mike Woolf's completely original Moulton S Deluxe was not eligible, due to being a Moulton Preservation bike...

Alex Moulton told some of the history of the S-Works, and the work of Jack Lauterwasser...

Can't read the decals from here, but I think this was a Series 2 Deluxe...

Mike Woolf described the Raleigh era of this Mark 3 as a "mixed blessing...

On to the Alex Moulton era and the AM 7...

Alex Moulton described how the F-frame evolved into the Y-frame prototype, which eventually led to the X-frame - the basic shape of the spaceframe AM.

He recounted feeling distraught when some French club racers told him the Y-frame was wonderful, but too heavy. This led him to develop a frame structure that was entirely different to anything that went before.

Here is a lovely AM2...

Checking a serial number on an AM Speed...

Finally, the AM-GT... the first stainless steel model. Alex Moulton talked about how wonderful a material stainless steel was, and alluded to the skill of the silver brazers at Bradford on Avon. He told the owner of this AM-GT that stainless steel lasts forever, and he would pass the bike on to his great grandchildren.

Unique Moulton Speedsix

The story of Peter Lea is quite an amazing one. During his cycling career, he averaged over 17,000 miles per year and over 187,000 miles in total.

Peter ordered a Moulton S Safari in 1965, with a massive 68t chainring, close ratio block and completed a hugely impressive mileage on it.

The photo above shows Peter on the record breaking S Safari.

Peter completed over 75,000 miles on the S Safari, including a record breaking 30,108 in one year, all while holding down a full time job. When Alex Moulton heard of the record, he put the S Safari in his museum, and gave Peter a custom Moulton Speedsix as a replacement.

Ken Butterfield has since acquired the tangerine Speedsix for his collection.

Ken says...

I knew that in exchange for their new high mileage exhibit, Moulton bicycles had built Peter Lea a replacement and that this was a tangerine orange speedsix which was assembled at Bradford on Avon in 1970. This is remarkably late for a series two, as the Mk3 was in full production over in Nottingham and development work at the Hall was taken up with this latest frameset. Other speedsix specials are known to have been built in this period though, including ones built by Jack Lauterwasser himself. Peter Lea’s experience must have been considered valuable, as Alex Moulton wrote to him asking if he had any advice for a young rider who was going to ride to Australia on a cycle that he was making for him. This was of course the Marathon, and the young man was Colin Martin!

The pictures show Alex Moulton studying the unique Speedsix, at the Moulton Bicycle Club weekend at Bradforn on Avon in September 2006.

You can read more about Peter's unique history in issues 48 and 78 of the Moultoneer, which is the magazine of the Moulton Bicycle Club, and in Tony Hadland's excellent book, The Moulton Bicycle.

This is a stunning and unique bike, as the pictures show. Thanks to Ken for sharing.