Mini

By Alan Johnston

A feature of the Mark 1 and 2 is that the lazy F frame is on the long side. It can therefore be a stretch for many women, children and smaller men. Enter the Moulton Mini Moulton designed around the 1960s average-sized woman.

[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/anglepoise/3631305505/[/flickr]

Minis are first-class Moultons, made to a good standard and they deserve to be cherished. They are smaller but fully formed. If you dismantle a Mini you will find that the bike is a perfect reproduction of the full-size F frame Moulton. All parts are identical in the front suspension but in 7/8ths scale.

The rear forks do not have the curved rubber “sandwich”,
but a simpler “clapperbox” suspension which was also used on the top-of-the-range Moulton Speed ‘S’ models.

And, of course, Minis have the distinctive 14 inch wheels rather than the 16 inch on the full sized model.

Some Minis were designed for adult use and some for children.

The Super 4 and the Minx were designed for adults; the former has aluminium alloy rims, a four-speed hub, full-sized bars, levers, saddlepost and cranks. Both provide a good ride; they are quite light and the small wheels provide a heightened sensation of speed. If you live in a flat they can be more readily carried upstairs.

Avoid buying a Mini with no front suspension. (This was a cost-cutting idea that Raleigh introduced. It led to cracks developing in the frame). They are less comfortable to ride and you will feel every bump. Also a Mini without gears is frankly not a good idea but a single speed can be readily upgraded to a 3 speed.

The Mini was a considerable success and Moulton sold around 10,000 by the end of the 1960s. Increasingly Moultoneers are recognising their importance in the pantheon of vintage Moulton bicycles.

Please refer to ‘The Marvellous Moulton Mini’ by Paul Grogan and the Bicycle Hub website created by Brian Perkins. Brian is also responsible for the Moulton Bicycle Club’s Mini
Rescue initiative.

Related Pages

  • F Frame: Series 1 and 2
  • The S Range
  • Mini
  • Moulton Mk III
  • Y Frame
  • AM
  • APB
  • New Series
  • Bridgestone
  • Moulton TSR
  • MDev 90
  • 5 thoughts on “Mini”

    1. Hi There i have seen Moulton Midi is this the same as the Mini?
      Also if you have a moulton without front suspension can you convert it?
      kind regards

      1. Hello John, probably the best person to contact in the first instance would be Michael Woolf of Moulton Preservation.
        Michael doesn’t ‘do’ email, but he’s very good at replying to a letter. Please enclose a stamped, self-addressed, envelope.
        His address is: ‘Landalls’, 37 Ferring Street, Ferring Village, West Sussex, BN12 5JN.
        Another person to try is Paul Lancaster, our Moulton Technical Advisor. I’ll forward your query to him with your email address.
        Please let me know how you get on. Aynsley Brown. aynsley.m.brown@gmail.com

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