tsr – Page 6 – Moulton Bicycle Club

Small Wheel Folding Bikes on TreeHugger

Treehugger, which claims to have 4 million page views per month, tried to educate it's readers on the subtleties of the small wheel bicycle today.

Many think that any small wheeled bike is a folder, but it ain’t necessarily so. But it is true that small wheels do help a bicycle collapse into a neater package. That’s not to say these are toy bikes. Some ride theirs everyday to work (for years), others tour whole continents, while yet others have set world records for upright bicycles.

And in the list of featured "folders":
Pashley Moulton TSR 8

What: Pashley-Moulton TSR8
Where: Pashley; in the US, try Angle Lake Cyclery or North Road Bicycles
Why: From the original designer of front and rear suspension small wheel bikes, this eight speed hub geared, British-made spaceframe swiftly separates into two halves.
How much: $2,595
Nice touch: Front and rear carriers carry low, and have very stable centre of gravity.
More: Pashley-Moulton and TreeHugger.

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.

New Brooks Products for 2008

Brooks were at Interbike and had some new products to show along with their existing line up.

Their stand included a Pashley Moulton TSR 30 donned with leather bar tape and a Swift saddle.

New leather grips are available.

Each BROOKS Leather Grip is made with a stack of leather washers held together by 3 bicycle
spokes and 2 aluminium rings. This construction enables each of the 2 grips to be shortened
independently to the desired length.

The BROOKS leather grips fit all standard handlebars with a 22.2 mm diameter. They are
available in 4 colours: black, brown, aged (dark tan) and honey.

Download the grips brochure

Of much interest were the fold-up pannier bags. They are not waterproof and probably not much use on a Moulton. They do look good however...

They also announced a new wire basket...

made
of a metal structure, wooden base and a leather grip.
For the use on modern bikes this basket is equipped
with a modern KLICKfix® handlebar adapter

Also of possible interest was a new "Messenger" style bag. This is a waxed canvas bag...

featuring a shoulder belt which can
be easily secured around the waist while cycling.
The belt is the innovative part of this bag. Once
adjusted to the desired length, depending on the
height and waist of the cyclist, the belt can be
kept loose to carry the bag over or across the
shoulder while walking.
For increased stability during the ride, the belt
can be easily fastened around the waist simply
pulling the two ends of the belt and locking them
at the center with the “Sam Brown” fixing.

Other products to look out for in the near future are a laptop bag, a waterproof tote shopping bag (designed to fit perfectly into the wire basket), new handlebar bags and rear panniers.

The product section on Brooks' website has not yet been updated but the details (along with brochures) are available on the News/Press page.

Brooks 2008 Cycle Bags and Accoutrements Brochure

Brooks Leather Grips Brochure

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.