Tag: moulton bicycle company

Moulton and Pashley join forces to grow Moulton business.

Pashley have just posted this Press Release on the MoultonBicycle Yahoo Group, confirming the news previously reported by this blog. The release also appears on the Alex Moulton Bicycles Website

Moulton and Pashley join forces to grow Moulton business.

Alex Moulton Bicycles and Pashley Cycles are to combine their respective
strengths to manufacture, market and distribute the Moulton range of
small wheeled bicycles under a new Company, appropriately called...The
Moulton Bicycle Company.

Dr Moulton will be President of the new company and Shaun Moulton will
be the General Manager with responsibility for worldwide sales and
marketing.

Dr Moulton says:
" I have been seeking a route by which we can increase the manufacturing
and distribution of our bicycles and establish a solid base for the
future growth of the Moulton bicycle business.

This new initiative will allow us to increase our market penetration and
reduce our supply times whilst consolidating our model range. This will
enable us to develop new marketing programmes, strengthen the enviable
reputation of the Moulton brand and ensure our bicycles remain at the
forefront of the small wheel bicycle revolution.

The Moulton Bicycle Company will continue to manufacture and sell
bicycles from its specialist workshops in Bradford-upon-Avon and Pashley
- with whom Moulton's have worked closely for over 15 years - will
provide added manufacturing capability, ongoing operational support, and
be part of a cohesive marketing strategy which focuses totally on the
Moulton brand as a seamless and structured product range. The full range
of Moulton bicycles will be available to order from Pashley's dealers,
in addition to those currently appointed to handle the Marque.

Dr Moulton remains very active in design and innovation, so as to
maintain and foster the Moulton ethos and ensure that Moulton bicycles
remain at the forefront of the small wheel bicycle revolution.

---- * -----
Release date: 20th June 2008

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

Pashley at London Cycle Show 2007

Pashley are at the London Cycle Show (stand E11), as BikeRadar reports. The cycling world is obsessed with city bikes at the moment, and the more retro the better, so most of the coverage is of Pashley's traditional bicycles.

The TSR does get a mention however:

Pashley were showing their TSR Pashley Moulton range including this show special (although you can buy it if your pockets are deep enough) featuring a Campag Centaur rear mech matched up with a Miche Supertype aluminium chainset and HED Jet wheels. Nice.

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...