Hi Martyn,
Just a bit more info on Moultons (in a nut shell) to give you some background/ perspective on your bike.
Alex Moulton (founder) worked on the original mini and was so impressed with the idea of making a great car in small he considered doing the same with bikes. After some engineering/ research etc he discovered that there was no reason why small wheel bikes would be any worse than large wheelers and if anything there were advantages to the small wheels. The only issue being that small wheels are so strong you feel every vibration in the road so he engineered dual suspension. His f-frame design (aka ‘lazy f-frame’ –because it looks like the letter F lying down), with small wheels, dual suspension and luggage capacity was a huge hit and became a 60s icon.
Essentially there are four main types of f-frame.
The series one
The series two (almost the same apart from the rear forks which are sturdier)
The Mk3 which has a rear triangle as opposed to rear forks
And the mini which was slightly smaller with 14” wheels for children and shorter adults.
Within these different types there were different models which just had slightly different specs. The safari, standard, speed (slightly sportier version), stowaway (split in two so that you could stow it away!) etc.
The rarest are the Speedsix and s-works models. I understand that both these have the series two rear forks (the studier one). Otherwise the differences in these models really made them stand out from the others.
They were made of better (stronger/ lighter) materials.
Built by better builders
Had higher spec equipment on them.
Had 6 gear derailleur system – this was particularly unique as no other model has this –all others had internal hub gears. I also understand that these models were one of the first to adopt the derailleur system when it arrived making the bikes cutting edge.
A rear rack that could be removed completely. Most f-frames you can remove some part of the rear rack but not all of it (apart from the Mk3, though it is a slightly different design having a rear triangle and not the rear forks). This meant that a speedsix could be used as a tourer/ commuter (with luggage capacity) and then you could remove all racks and mudguards and it would turn in to a racer.
They also had rear suspension friction dampers. This is to stiffen up the rear suspension to make it sportier. They are adjustable so that you can dial in how much stiffness you want. There is some debate as to whether they actually make any difference… These are very unique to speedsix’ and s-works. They are also found on some other very early models but only on one side. They are the piece of metal that sits just infront the rear suspension block and is connected to the pivot bolt. One either side of the main tube. You have two on yours, one on each side.
They also had 17” wheels, again making them sportier.
I can’t explain well the difference between the speedsix and s-works though I understand they are very similar. I think the s-works were bespoke in that you could decide on various options like colour, handlebars, etc. Moulton employed Olympic cyclist Jack Lauterwasser to manage the s-work bikes. These are the very rarest and the most sought after. However, the speedsix is right up there. The way to identify an s-works is that there is a letter S in a box just after the word Moulton on the main tube.
I have looked on the other Moulton forum (yahoo website) in the archives quickly but could not see how to identify the year of make of the bike from the serial number. There seems to be a bit of debate with regards to the speedsix. The main part of the debate being whether it was made at the Kirby factory or the Bradford on Avon factory. The Bradford are generally considered better as those builders were better, however, there is generally nothing wrong with the Kirby ones.
If you do sell, I would suggest that you do not try to ‘improve’ the bike by getting any work done on it, like new wheels, tyres, handlebars, servicing etc. Definitely no new paint. Vintage Moultons that get the best price are the untouched ones that are in original condition. Unless you want to keep it for yourself I would not bother doing any work on it. Perhaps a light clean but that’s about it.
If you are curious there is a white Mk3 currently on ebay. The auction ends this evening. The bike is in excellent condition. Official numbers say that only 5000 of these were made (though most people think many more than this were actually built). Due to the low numbers of Mk3s they get a higher price than most vintage Moultons. This seller states that it is for collection only. If they were willing/ able to send it abroad I would guess that they would look to get around £400. It will be interesting to see what it actually sells for as it is in such great condition. Yours is much much rarer than this… As was said earlier, only around 600 were made. Your granddad clearly had good taste!
Hope this was of some interest.
Best regards
Anwar
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