Tag: esprit

Moulton and Pashley to merge under Alex Moulton name

Alex Moulton Bicycles and Pashley are expected to announce that they are to combine their capital, administration and brands into a single company for the production of Moulton Bicycles. The combined company will use the Alex Moulton name. This probably means that there will no longer be a distinction between "Pashley Moulton" and "Alex Moulton".

Production of the bicycles will initially remain unchanged, so the TSR will continue to be made in Stratford-upon-Avon, while the Esprit, New Series and Double Pylon models will continue to be made at Bradford-on-Avon.

A single website will feature the combined range.

Many questions remain, such as:

  • does this mean that one can order any Alex Moulton bicycle throughany Pashley dealer.
  • will there be any staff redundancies?
  • will there be a clean split between the company producing the traditional Pashley range, and the new combined Pashley Moulton/Alex Moulton entity?
  • will the premises in Stratford continue to be shared?
  • where will new design and development work be done?

Let's hope the official announcement comes soon and we get lots of answers!

Exciting Moulton Announcement This Week?

Alex Moulton Bicycles and Pashley are being very tight lipped, but both confirmed that they will make a big announcement, probably later this week.

The announcement is expected to define how the two companies will work together in the future.

Frame brazing at Alex Moulton Bicycles in Bradford-on-Avon. Photo by Ben Wilson

It is unclear, at this point, whether this means some kind of merger, a joint venture by both companies, or simply, a manufacture under licence agreement.

The APB was the first bicycle produced in cooperation between the two companies. The bicycle was designed by Alex Moulton, who then sought a manufacturer to produce the bicycle under licence using Moulton's tooling. While Raleigh was considered at first, thankfully it was WR Pashley who eventually manufactured the APB at its premises in Stratford-upon-Avon.


Picture: Pashley

The TSR was designed and manufactured by Pashley.

So what is this new partnership likely to involve?

One possibility is that the Esprit could be manufactured by Pashley. From day one, the Esprit was manufactured in a separate unit to the New Series/Pylons and by separate staff, so this could be moved to a different site relatively easily. Also, the hairpin design is more like the APB/TSR and this lends itself to slightly higher volume, lower cost manufacture. Such a deal would be likely to see the Esprit being marketed more agressively than any Bradford built bike, as we have seen with the TSR since it's introduction.

Whatever the announcement, it is likely that we will see more Moulton bicycles rolling out of Pashley's doors in the near future.


Picture: Pashley

Esprit Review on BikeRadar

BikeRadar.com has a review of the Moulton Esprit.

The review is overwhelmingly positive, describing the Esprit as

a spirited and yet controlled ride

handles like a 700c bike, which is a trait of all Moulton bicycles and part of the reason they are so successful

and

a fine addition to the range, and at the lower price point it also presents a chance to pay sensible money for a great piece of British craftsmanship

Esprit reviewed in Velovision

Issue 28 of Velovision magazine has a Moulton Esprit on the cover and contains a 4 page review inside.

Velovision Issue 28

This review was done by editor Peter Eland. This contrasts with the review of the TSR 8 in Issue 21, which was done by a Moultoneer. Now I'm certainly not saying that the TSR 8 review wasn't a very fine review, but it's always interesting to read about the experiences of a non-Moultoneer on our favourite machines. I also think the reader is likely to be less skeptical of such a review.

The bike reviewed was a separable 9 speed (Capreo rear block and single chainring) with adjustable stem (not a wishbone stem) and Mosquito bars, which Peter described as his favourite position for a town bike.

Non-moultoneers are often unnerved at first by the handling, but Peter describes this well thus

It's a bike which reflects your inputs; ride it with a calm upper body and it'll track straight and true: twitch around and it'll twitch right back.

Some comments were slightly disappointing such as

This isn't the bike to choose for a hilly camping tour.

which is an astonishing comment to make considering some of the epic tours that have been undertaken on essentially the same bike. Maybe the comment was directed more at the gearing of the test bike (33" - 100" with a single chainring).

There were also some slightly negative comments on the position of the gear shifter and the lack of ability to shift and brake at the same time.

Perhaps the factory would have been better supplying the double chainring model with drop bars and STI shifters.

There was also the usual comment about climbing hills out of the saddle, and getting left behind by "roadies". People seem to forget that a certain American multiple Tour de France winner climbed many a col while sitting in the saddle.

In conclusion, the review comments that the Esprit was "light, rigid and responsive"... "like riding a finely-tuned musical instrument", and that it seemed to be a "hedonist's bike".

Elsewhere in issue 28, the Esprit was used to demonstrate the pitlock system, and Alex Moulton bicycles have taken a quarter page advert.

If you're not already a Velovision reader, I thoroughly recommend it. Annual subscriptions cost from £20 from www.velovision.com. Alternatively you can just purchase the current issue.