The following is a brief overview of what has changed, and how it may impact you as a current, future, lapsed or frustrated member.

Club Membership

The website now allows members to join the club and renew their membership online using Paypal. Current Members will be able to update their address details. Another useful feature are Paypal subscriptions, which allow a membership to be automatically renewed each year.

Memberships now run for 1 year from the date on which you join. Previously, all memberships expired on 31st August regardless of the joining date.

These changes should reduce the excessive strain on the Membership Secretary, a position which is voluntary and quite hard work!

Getting Registered

If you had an account on the old members website, these account details will no longer work. Sorry, but this due to technical considerations. You will need to register a new account on this website.

The registration process involves three steps:

1: Register an account

You will be asked for your name, email address, a password (make it a good one) and a unique username. The username should contain no spaces, punctuation or special characters. If your name is Joe Bloggs, then jbloggs or joebloggs would be good usernames.

You will then receive an Activation Email. The activation email will contain a hyperlink, which you will need to click on to activate your account. This verifies that the email address is correct and prevents someone from maliciously using your email address.

If you do not receive the activation email, it may be in your spam folder.

2: Tell us your Membership Number

Ok, so you have now registered, but we may not recognise that you are, or were previously, a member. You have two options:
You can email the webmaster and ask him to do this step for you. The webmaster will link your details to your existing membership details in an instant.

In fact, if you have registered using the email address that you used on the old members site, then the webmaster will probably do this for you automatically!

Alternatively you can select My Account > MBC Membership Details from the Menu at the top of the screen. There are a few things to note:
– Enter your current or old Membership Number (you probably got a letter from the Membership Secretary with a cutout Membership Card containing the number). If you can’t remember the number, email the Webmaster, or the Membership Secretary.
– Enter your first and last names. These will need to match exactly those details that were in the Membership database previously. If you used joint names, or use an initial or an an abbreviation in your name, this may get tricky. Don’t suffer in silence! Email the webmaster or the Membership Secretary.

3: Renewal Details

So now, if everything has gone ok, you should see your Membership Number and Renewal Date on your MBC Membership Details page (under the My Account menu).

There are a number of possibilities here:
– you had already sent your membership renewal and payment to the Membership Secretary (perhaps by cheque, standing order or he sent you a Paypal request for payment). The renewal date should be in the future, and you should see your full address details on the MBC Membership Details page. Everything is in order, go and enjoy the website!
– you may have sent a payment to the Membership Secretary, but the renewal date shown is in the past. Well, the Membership Secretary has been snowed under with renewals, and these are taking some time to process. So your renewal is probably in a big pile waiting to be processed. If you are concerned, send the Membership Secretary an email. We do apologise for the delay. This, however, is a great reason to renew by Paypal next year.
– your membership expired in September 2011, or any year in the past for that matter. No problem at all! You can use the Paypal buttons to bring your membership bang up to date.

New Members

If you have never been a member, then joining the club is a simple 3 step process.

1: Go to the Paypal page and make the relevant payment.
2: Register an account (if you have not done this already)
3: Fill in your address details and get your membership number. Welcome to the Club!

Lapsed Members

As outlined above, you can simply register, enter your old Membership Number and renew using Paypal.

The Community

The Community brings the world of social media to Moultoneering.
Members can update their profile, add friends and interact privately or publicly. Members can join Groups. There is a group limited to MBC Members, and an Open group. Members can ask to create their own groups, for example based on location (city, country, etc) or based on Special Interest.

Groups can be Public (anyone can join), Private (anyone can view but participation is by invitation only), Hidden (only members of the group can see the group). We can also limit groups to current MBC Members, or leave them open to everyone.

Getting in contact

The Membership Secretary can be contacted at mbc.membership.secretary@gmail.com.
The Webmaster can be contacted at webmaster@moultonbuzz.com

You just can’t get enough from Dominic Latham-Koenig on Vimeo.

21 August. Started the day climbing a 18km pass to 14,200 feet, this is the highest pass on my route. A long descent into the next valley, a roller coaster of a ride that was slowed by soft sand, road works and chunks of rock. I had to push my bike through this for over an hour then climb back on and ride 12 km up the other side through more road works, had to walk again, the rocks under the wheels made it impossible to ride. Passing army trucks cover me in dust and dirt. My bike and I are the same, not metal, not flesh, but dirt. Eventually made it to Mulbekh, a small village at 10,839 ft. Leh is now 190 km behind me. I’m now at a home-stay with a traditional Buddhist family. They have no electricity. I’m given a water bucket to wash from, I’m sleeping on the floor with the family’s yak in a room next to me. All is well after, what I’d have to say was, one of the biggest days in my life. I’m tired but happy.

For more details read Colin’s blog. You can also view some video footage at Colin’s Youtube page

The standard specification is as follows:
Moulton ‘F’ frame in stainless-steel, with Columbus XCR seat tube and Reynolds 953 head tube.
Moulton leading-link front fork (all stainless-steel)
Rear fork with Flexitor (rubber) pivot and Hydrolastic fluid-damped rear spring
Campagnolo Record threadless headset (1″)
68mm BSC bottom bracket shell
Brake drop for 57mm drop calipers, recessed bolts
Moulton 17″ wheels (369mm)
Supplied with stainless-steel daybag carrier

Options include: mudguards, large rear carrier, day, weekend and large touring bags, propstand, Moulton bottle cages.

Pictures by flickr user lovely_bicycle and Ken Butterfield

Photos are from flickr users
anglepoise and stevenbrandist

Moulton NS Pylon was stolen on the 12th April from outside Islington Town Hall Upper Street London N1 at 6.30-7.30pm.
The theif cut through the rear triangle to release one of the locks leaving the lock, back wheel, and three 1″ section of the swingarm.

Moulton New Series Stainless Speed (Pylon)
Reg 004902 (the 4th one made)
See photo
Equipped with campagnolo record gear
Day rack, day bag
Black forks
Note – x2 groves worn on the top front flexitor (from cables)
The front hub is a Hope replacement.
Brookes Swift saddle
swing arm upgraded to the 2006 standard (more lattice work)

Stolen APB
Stolen on 15th April, at approx 1pm in Mill Road, Cambridge.

Unique Moulton APB, burgundy colour, with sidepull brakes.
Threadless fork, no V-brake mounts – this is a factory prototype.
No frame number.
Drop bars with Campagnolo 24 speed Ergopower.
Mudguards.
Thomson in-line seatpost (31.6mm)

This is one of my development bikes and a reward is offered for its safe return.

Any information, please contact me (dan AT moultonbicycles DOT co DOT uk) or
contact Cambridge Police quoting crime no. CF0159450411.

Fellow Moultoneers,
On Monday, March 14th, I sent the following e-mail to each club member in Japan for whom we have an e-mail address.

Dear [Member Name],
I am very sorry to hear about the terrible earthquake and tsunami that has destroyed so much of north-eastern Japan.
The television pictures are very shocking.
On behalf of the members of the UK Moulton Bicycle Club, I send sincere sympathy to those who have suffered any family loss or injury.
I hope that you and your family are safe and well.

Best Wishes,
Aynsley Brown
Chairman, Moulton Bicycle Club

These are some of the responses that I have received so far.
I would like to share them with you.
Several have not responded yet.
I sincerely hope it is nothing more serious than communication difficulties.
Aynsley

***

Thank you so much your e-mail.
We are fine,because we live in KANSAI.
But Our many freinds live in KANTO-TOHOKU.
So we sorry for them as you.
Thank you and please pray to our freinds safty too.

***

Thank you for your e-mail.
We are OK, no damage, no injury here.
I think we can return to normal life fairly soon, at least Tokyo.

***

Eastern Japan was swallowed for a big tsunami.
I am safe.
Time may be necessary to enjoy a bicycle.
A rescue party came from the U.K.
I thank for anxiety of all of you.

***

Thank you so much for your thoughtful email. We in Yokohama are fine – very minor damage in the city and none in homes or school where I teach.
Because of the lack of transportation and the nuclear risk many expats have evacuated. The schools have closed all week due to the sporadic power and transportation situation, then into their Spring holidays.
I am retiring in June and hope to make the September BoA meeting. I look forward to meeting you there.

***

Thank you for your message & kindness,
Our family are safe and well,But north eastern people are very very bad situation now.
All people in Japan is me grief,But people will face reconstruction discouraged it.
Please keep that hope away from the sky.

***

I would like to express my gratitude toward your concern about Japanese citizen
as well as myself.
I am living in Osaka where is far away from the disastrous area. What we are most
concerned about at the current moment is the nuclear plant trouble.
Thank you again for your sympathy.

***

Thank you for your message.
Luckily we have not heard of any human casualty or material/physical
damage amongst the J-MBC members and their immediate family.

***

Pacific North Eastern Japan is, to be frank, devastated.
Tokyo is experiencing a shortage of electricity (we have a premeditated ,
rotating partial blackouts) and resultant less-than-normal public
tranportation or other inconveniences, but still going strong.
Obviously the country is in crisis, but Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka and
westward are intact and functioning fairly normally.
Thank you again,

***

Thank you for your message.
We have been ok. We are far from there.
But started seeing indirect influences.

***

Thank you for your kind mail. The eastern half of the country has been severely damaged. We in Tokyo escaped unscathed, except a few flower vases.
My family including four Moultons are fine.
Again thank you very much for your concern, and hope to meet you.

***

It’s really shocking to see such an incredible news pictures of this earthquake and tsunami.
But all my family are safe in Osaka. Thank you for your warm sympathy.

***

Thank you for kindness message.
My area is ok now.
but still unclearplant is fear of the explosion.
I never seen terrible diserster.
It encouraged it from a lot of people.
it is likely to be able to recovere.

***

Thank you very much for your e-mail. It was an unexpected surprise and pleasure to receive such a kind message from my fellow Moultoneers in the U.K.
As you must have seen through the media, thousands of people are either dead or missing. Fortunately, I live just north of Tokyo, where the damage has been minor. My family members and I ( and of course my TSR!) are all fine, although since the quakes are still continuing, one must continue to be vigilant for the time being.
I just hope that the devasted areas would recover as soon as possible, and I am thinking of ways to be of help to the affected people. In the mean time, your concern is very much appreciated.

***

Thanks a lot for your heartfelt concern.
I and my family are safe and well.
As always I have been commuting by bicycle and working in a ward office since Monday.
Operations are getting back on a recovery in my town and eastern Tokyo.

• Moultons in Taiwan, KeReT Moulton project
• Making Moultons at Kirkby in the sixties, an insiders view
• Improving hub gears on Moultons
• Moulton Automatic Restoration
• Moulton rear suspension units – manufacture in the sixties
• Touring in the US on an AM7
• Japanese Hillside Terrace exhibition run down
• New Japanese Moulton book
• Observations by AM
• Another Moulton weekend… April 2011
• One mans meat.. Review of the new breed of bicycle in the early 60s
• Colour sections and more pages than normal!

Twelve of us assembled at Chichester station for a 1030 start of a ride lead by Arthur Smith around the Chichester Plain. The first stop was the café at Fishbourne Roman Palace.

On through the beautiful countryside and villages westward. The old buildings are in harmony with the landscape; timber-framing, tile hanging, mathematical tiles, ragstone, mellow brick, and flint, whichever was available, affordable or fashionable. Roof materials are equally varied: thatch, stone slate and clay tiles.

Several other clubs were out in the fine weather so Arthur decided the pub at Rowland’s Castle wouldn’t be able to fit us all for lunch and revised the route to Boaters Café at Thornham Marina where most of us followed Lynn and Arthur’s lead and had a child’s size portions, which were more than ample. Through the window I could see the Moultons getting lots of attention from people arriving or leaving. It seemed to be approving but I’m no good at lip reading.

Then back to Chichester (via Fishbourne). Along the way I saw my first daffodils of the year – just a single clump in the roadside verge. It was a lovely MBC and “café touring club” ride.

The previous club website will remain in place, mainly to provide access for club members to features such as the members forum, Moultoneer magazine downloads, classifieds, and the events calendar.
You can access the club members website using the link http://members.moultoneers.info

The link http://www.moultoneers.info will direct to this site, although it may take a few days for this to happen.

This site will continue to be available at http://www.moultonbuzz.com

There may be a few teething issues as the changes come into place. If you notice anything amiss, or simply want to make a suggestion or leave feedback, please email webmaster@moultonbuzz.com or by leaving a comment.