Tag: tsr

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 Cycles pushes into US – Birmingham Post

Pashley Cycles pushes into US - Birmingham Post

Warwickshire-based Pashley Cycles, England's longest established cycle maker, has seen a dramatic increase in export sales to the United States as a result of a bike originally manufactured in the 1930s.

The Stratford-upon-Avon business produces hand-built bicycles using a team of 35 experienced workers who when seeking inspiration for their new model decided to look back instead of forward.

The retro-style Guv'nor, which retails for £795, has now become a big hit in the US and the region has developed into the manufacturer's fastest growing market.

The firm's push into the US has been backed by its business and tax adviser, Horwath Clark Whitehill.

Pashley managing director Adrian Williams said: "Classic cycles are becoming very fashionable in the US and our latest bike is seeing an upturn in demand because of this. Although we sell worldwide, the North American market is growing the quickest, despite the economic downturn."

The Guv'nor is based on a model Pashley first produced in the 1930s when Path Racers were popular with the sportier cyclist.

The company dusted off the original 1930s catalogues produced for the Path Racer in order that it could recapture the classic lines and dynamics of the top end bikes in that era.

"We are selling them with a single speed gear or with the option of having a three-speed Sturmey-Archer gear and every one has a traditional Brooks leather saddle, still made in Smethwick," said Mr Williams.

Pashley, in its drive for authenticity, also agreed a deal with Birmingham-based Reynolds Technology to bring back the legendary Reynolds '531' tube set used to make the frames on many successful Tour de France bicycles from around 1955 to 1975.

Horwath Clark Whitehill partner Ken Bartlett said: "Pashley and our firm share the ethos of representing the best of the old while embracing high technology at its leading edge. This push into the US is not new for Pashley, they've been selling there for many years, but the new demand for classic cycles is exciting for Pashley as they are the only manufacturer of traditional cycles left in the UK. They stuck with what they do best and it is paying off."

Ken Bartlett's original firm, TB Scattergood and Co, acted for William 'Rath' Pashley when he established the company in 1926.

Horwath Clark Whitehill now has a number of operations in the US and Pashley's is able to tap into this network during its dealings.

Since 1926, Pashley's designs have enjoyed a reputation for both style and function. It remained a family company until a management buyout in 1994 and is still privately owned.

Bicycles are built across the range to exacting standards from the exclusive classic traditional models to the new small wheeled, full suspension TSR series.

The range includes contemporary city and commuter bikes, stylish cruisers, and bicycles that hark back to the golden age of cycling in the 1920s and 1930s.

Pashley also supplies steel-framed work bikes and load carrier tricycles for industrial and commercial use, delivering post, packages, food or vital equipment, safely and economically.

The Midlands cycle industry is under-going something of a renaissance, Aston-based Clarks Cycle Systems last month won the Birmingham Post Business Award in recognition of its growing exports to China, as well as its increasing share of the UK and European market.

Bridgestone Prototype Suspension

This picture shows Alex Moulton on a special Bridgestone Moulton. Two things stand out - firstly, the parallel wishbone stem and Mosquito handlebars. Standard issue on the Double Pylon, but I have never seen them on a Bridgestone before.

The second and more interesting feature is the suspension. Instead of the usual telescopic suspension, this bike features a hybrid unit - a flexitor system at the top and leading links at the bottom.

The flexitor assembly looks very similar to that fitted to the New Series / Double Pylon. The leading links are much larger than those fitted to the ATB/APB/TSR, due to the larger distance between the fixed forks.

Will this make it into production? Who knows?!

Picture from: http://moulton.egloos.com/

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.

Rohloff Moulton

The Rohloff Speedhub is an internal hub gear, with 14 evenly spaced gear ratios and an overall range of 526%.


Neither Pashley, nor Alex Moulton bicycles provide a Rohloff equipped model, but options do exist if you want your ultimate bicycle to have the ultimate hub gear.

Avon Valley Cyclery, a Moulton dealer in Bath, produces the Moulton New Series Rohloff, and the Pashley Moulton Rohloff TSR.

The New Series Rohloff features Rohloff rear dropouts instead of the standard dropouts. The Rohloff dropouts allow sufficient fore and aft adjustment to achieve the correct chain tension, without the need for a chain tensioner. This is quite an elegant solution, though it will make it more difficult to retrofit a standard derailleur drivetrain in the future.


Photo: Avon Valley Cyclery

The Avon Valley Cyclery Rohloff TSR uses the standard TSR dropouts, and so a chain tensioner is used. This is not as aesthetically pleasing, but has the practical benefit that any standard drivetrain can be retrofitted, without any modifications to the frame.


Photo: Avon Valley Cyclery

You can, of course, purchase a Rohloff Speedhub, and fit it to your existing Moulton bicycle.

Rohloff have a useful wizard for choosing the correct version of the Speedhub for your particular situation.

There are a couple of downsides to equipping your Moulton with a Rohloff Speedhub. Firstly the high cost can be prohibitive. However, this is a very high quality piece of equipment, and failures have been few and far between. In the rare cases where problem have occurred, the service from the Rohloff factory is reported to be amazing. It is also worth noting that the cost seems more reasonable when compared with the cost of high quality drivetrains such as XTR or Dura Ace from Shimano.

Secondly, the issue of weight. While, again, the weight is not that high compared to a 27 speed drivetrain, but in the case of the Rohloff, all of the weight is unsuspended.