Tag: moulton bicycle club

BOA 2007: Esprit details and demo

The new Esprit was finally unveiled to the MBC, and there were no major surprises.

Photo: Flickr user Group51uk

Most of it was reported previously here on Moultonbuzz, so much of the following is a recap:

  • It is lighter than previous AM models, due to the lighter Kasei tubing. It has the narrowest tubing of any non-stainless steel AM.
  • It is stiffer than older AM models due to a slightly wider construction.
  • Hairpin construction (as on the ATB and APB), where the narrow tubes wrap around the headtube and seattube.
  • The Esprit will be available in a variety of headtube lengths and seat tube lengths, and a choice of either standard (27.2mm) seat post diameter, or the larger diameter Moulton 31.4mm seat post.
  • Choice of headsets - threaded for quill stems, threadless / Ahead or the Moulton wishbone as per the New Series.
  • The separable model looks quite familiar, but the fixed frame model has a straight bottom tube, similar to the TSR / FX8 / Pylon, etc. Shaun indicated to me that the separable model is more torsionally stiff (due to the angled bottom tube).
  • The wishbone stem is now available in black.
  • Frame skins are available, so you can dress your bike, and change it's dress if you don't like it! Alex Moulton's words, not mine!
  • The HED wheels weigh only 2 ozs (which is about 50g) more than a standard wheel.
  • The Esprit will be available as a frameset at around £1200.
  • Three grades of front suspension are available: soft, medium and hard. The hard is equivalent to a New Series with the soft lockout engaged.
  • A number of racks will be available - if I remember correctly a large platform rack, a day rack and a front rack. The existing AM racks will not fit due to the hairpin construction.
  • The "standard" colour is a the commonly photographed grey, but a choice of colours will be available.
  • Orders are being taken now, and they expect to deliver in around 2-3 months. New manufacturing capacity has been added to facilitate the Esprit, so that Esprit production won't impact on New Series production.

Alex Moulton said that he was pleased that the availability of HED wheels and frame skins would improve the aerodynamics of the bike.

Photo: Dynavector

Shaun mentioned that the reason for the revamped AM was a request from several overseas Moulton distributors. I can guess that these are Japan, Germany and possibly Switzerland. This seems to indicate that the AM is still very popular in these areas, perhaps more so than in Britain.

Three demo bikes were available for testing, and I had a go on all three around the new test track.One demo had the wishbone stem and Mosquito bars. Shifting was via a Shimano Dura-Ace 9 speed bar end-shifter down-tube shifer used as a thumb shifter on the flat of the mosquito bar. I really like this setup. The friction option of bar end shifters is an excellent feature to have when indexing becomes less than perfect on the road. Incidentally, the indexing on one of the New Series demo bikes was terrible!The drop bar models were both equipped with Shimano 105 Sti shifters, double chainrings and Capreo cassette hub.All three models seemed fast, comfortable and light. The suspension was extremely smooth, but plenty firm. Logic was telling me that I should like the New Series more, but the Esprit always felt better. The Double Pylon demo bike was using the softest of the available rubber compounds, so it felt spongier and bouncier than the Esprit, and perhaps with a harder compound I might feel differently.I rode a TSR 27 just afterwards and it felt heavy and sluggish by comparison to the Esprit, though I think it's perhaps an unfair comparison. The TSR was on Marathon Plus tyres, while the Esprit was on Stelvios, and tyres have a huge effect on how fast a bike feels.Also, the flat bars were wider on the TSR, and made it feel less stable. Alex Moulton believes that narrower bars are better on Moultons and I tend to agree.

One of the New Series demo bikes was set up with flat bars, but with a slight angle backwards and felt like a perfect setup for town. Though in what town could you lock up a New Series!

The test track is quite lovely - every garden should have one. There are a number of short sharp inclines and declines, and tight corners. Though a bike cannot be fully evaluated on a short test track, it does give plenty of opportunity to see how a bike feels climbing, descending and handling in tight spaces.

Bradford on Avon 2007

I have seen well over a thousand pictures of the BoA event in previous years, and studied them in great detail. So when I arrived for the first time on Saturday, it looked somewhat familiar. But nothing could have prepared me for the magic of actually being there.

Firstly, the sheer scale of the place is massive. Secondly, how many 17th century mansions will one get to camp outside? Fewer still, where the owner will encourage the campers to move further into the garden!

Photo from BOA 2005, by David Sanders

The weather was fantastic - beautiful sunshine for most of Saturday. And it was great to meet lots of people, all of whom shared a passion for Moultons.

Saturday morning was the bring and buy sale. Lots of bargains to be had, and a few bikes changing hands.

The highlight of the weekend was the Saturday afternoon assembly. The organisers called owners of all the models from the very beginning to line up and show off their bikes. Each model was called individually, and most had 3 or 4 examples for show.

Photo from Flickr user Group51uk

The experts, including Alex Moulton himself scrutinised the bikes in great detail and awarded a certificate for the best example of each model. The parade was cut short due to lack of time, so they never got beyond the AM-GT.

New product announcements followed. Highlights include:
- the new Esprit, the new version of the AM.
- framesets available for the Esprit and the Bridgestone
- frameskins and HED wheels.
- Pashley were showing off a few custom colours and finishes
- The superb new large bag for the TSR.
- Two new Moulton books

There was also a few words from a Moultoneer who had just completed Paris Brest Paris on a Pashley Moulton TSR 30.

I will write in much more detail over the next day or two, and post a few pictures.

Until then, there are lots of pictures on the Moulton Bicycle Pool on Flickr

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.

New Edition of the Moultoneer

It's been a bumper couple of weeks... firstly Velovision Magazine arrived on the door, and as always it was an excellent read for bike lovers.

A few days later it was A to B Magazine.

And finally today, the issue 81 of the Moultoneer arrived. The Moultoneer is the quarterly magazine produced by the Moulton Bicycle Club. Membership of the club for 2007-2008 costs £15 for UK members, £17 if you live in Europe, and £20 for the rest of the world.

This latest issue is full of the usual Moulton goodies...

  • customised Pashley Moulton TSR30
  • the latest in a series of articles by Alex Moulton
  • an article on metal fatigue and stresses by Mike Woolf of Moulton Preservation
  • an article on the "S" range from the 1960s which is very rare and collectible these days.

The Moultoneer also has bikes for sale (at a fraction of eBay prices), product reviews, directory of products and services for old and new Moultons, events list, etc.

If you own one or more Moulton bicycles, or would like to get into Moultons, it's well worth the subscription and I'd highly recommend it. For more info see the following links:

New Alex Moulton bicycle from BOA??

Rumours have begun circulating that a new model in the Moulton range is due to be announced.

Details are very sketchy at this point, but it seems that this new bicycle will be of spaceframe construction and with ETRTRO 369 /
17 inch wheels. It is to be built at the Moulton factory in Bradford on Avon.

All the signs are that this new model is designed to replace the AM. The AM is the classic spaceframe Moulton. In continuous production since 1982, the AM is a high-end high-performance bicycle and over the years it has benefited from technology trickle down from the New Series. For example, the flexitor in the rear pivot, the hydrolastic, and the adjustable wishbone stem are features that first appeared in the New Series, but were later introduced to the AM.

However, since the introduction of the TSR, many have questioned the AM's right to exist. The buyer with lots of money can spend a little more and get a New Series, or spend a little less and get a similar specification and weight with the TSR. Plus the AM hasn't really been pushed (at least outside of Japan) in recent years. The framesets have been available to dealers for custom building.

Furthermore, the geometry of the AM is a little outdated. It is the only spaceframe moulton in production without a unified rear triangle. It is also the only Moulton in production with the old style "knuckle shaped" bottom tube, which looked naff on the (separable) APBs and separable New Series', but look rather charming on the AM.

I would be very sorry to see the AM go out of production, especially before I can afford to purchase one! However, I can see the wisdom in updating and evolving the AM concept. I would welcome a straight bottom tube and unified rear triangle at a more affordable price.

Finally, it has been suggested that this new model will be priced below the TSR range. Now this is intriguing, especially as the new bicycle is to be produced at BOA. One has always paid a premium for a Bradford built bicycle. One wonders if they can produce a high quality bicycle in low numbers at a mass production price, but in low quantity. Seems unlikely!

As with many previous models, the new model may be unveiled at the annual Moulton Bicycle Club event at The Hall in Bradford on Avon in September.