The Life and Works of Alex Moulton

We were pleased to attend this seminar, "The Life and Works of Alex Moulton", in March 2015.

Alex Moulton reinvented the bicycle as the Moulton Bicycle in 1962, designed and produced numerous vehicle suspension systems, including the patented Hydrolastic and Hydragas systems which were fitted to British Leyland/Rover vehicles over a period of 40 years, and contributed the unique rubber-cone suspension to Alec Issigonis's Mini (1959-2000).

Dr Alex Moulton 90th Present from road.cc

A Royal Designer for Industry, member of the Fellowship of Engineering and Doctor of the Royal College of Art, Moulton was celebrated during his lifetime and his legacy continues today in the continuing work of the Moulton Bicycle Company, and in his influence on young engineers and designers.

The seminar included presentations and a panel discussion involving prominent figures from the field of design. Guest speakers included Sir Christopher Frayling (an educationalist, writer, and former Rector of the Royal College of Art and Chairman of Arts Council England) and Sebastian Conran (designer and member of the outstanding Conran family of designers and design writers). The event put Moulton’s achievements into context and discussed the future of design and invention in the UK.

Alex Moulton AM20-2

The AM was the first spaceframe Moulton and has been in continuous production for over 25 years. The latest incarnation was on show at BoA 2010.
[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4993014170/[/flickr]
The main features of the new AM20-2 include... shorter seat tube, similar to the New Series, Reynolds 953 seat post...
[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4993014732/[/flickr]
...threadless headset...
[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4993014448/[/flickr]
... rear rack and attachment similar to the New Series, custom rear light bracket with a variety of bolt spacings...
[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4992407267/[/flickr]
... Campagnolo 11 speed drivetrain, with a custom Moulton 11 speed rear cassette, with 10 tooth small sprocket...
[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4992411197/[/flickr]

Further details are available from the Moulton Bicycle Company

Moulton Weekend at BoA 2010

The annual Moulton Bicycle Club weekend at Bradford on Avon, hosted by Alex Moulton and the Moulton Bicycle Company was held on September 10th to 12th 2010. I arrived around 11PM on Friday evening and there was already a large contingent of tents erected on the grounds of the Hall. I set up my tent in limited light and went for a walk around, and met a few friends from previous outings.

I woke early and walked into Bradford on Avon to purchase some items for breakfast. When I returned the place was buzzing with activity. The Bring and Buy sale was packed with club members hoping to find spare parts, wheels, racks, tyres, books and even whole bicycles. I needed to travel light, so I resisted temptation and only bought some spare tyres at the Moulton Bicycle Company table.

Haggling over an F-Frame

Outside, members mingled and chatted about their purchases, discussed bikes, modifications and accessories. The Moulton Bicycle Company opened up the shop, and put many models on display. Club members were treated to the TSR2, the new Moulton Speed, the AM20-2 with lighter, more compact frame, as well as many more established models.

In the afternoon, the crowd gathered round for the expert discussion in glorious sunshine. Alex Moulton arrived on his New Series Pylon, and to everyone's delight, he circled the courtyard several time on his Pylon, before taking his seat. Tony Hadland welcomed everyone, and introduced the first guest, Jim Glover, who famously set a speed record of over 51mph on a Moulton in 1986, which has never been broken.

Jim entertainingly told the story of how he got involved with the record breaking attempts and some of the problems and incidents along the way. One such problem during testing was with steering stability at high speed - Moultons are designed to be maneuverable - which was temporarily solved by attaching a bungee cord to the front forks to act as a steering damper. Alex interrupted to inisist that this was not a proper solution, and that reversing the forks to create a large trail was the correct solution.

Several members brought along examples of the S range of Moulton bicycles from the 1960s. The S range was built by Jack Lauterwasser in a separate premises in Bradford on Avon. The S range was built to a higher specification than the normal range, and were built to order, so many variations occur. The experts estimated that "hundreds rather than thousands" were made, and probably as few as "low hundreds".

An S Deluxe, several S safaris and an S Stowaway were shown by members, and tales of their acquisitions were told. Only one was bought for a high price on ebay, and several were bought in poor condition including one that had it's original chrome covered with black paint, which probably served to protect the chrome for years before Nitromors helped reveal it's original glory.

[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4985818721/[/flickr]

The subject of friction dampers - which were fitted to the S range - came up, and Alex said they were not necessarily a good idea... "but we fitted them anyway". He said that there was built in damping in the hysteresis of the rear suspension rubber, and with the friction of the front suspension. Suspension engineers were concerned with additional damping only to deal with the problem of riders moving about excessively, instead of "doing what they are supposed to be doing, which is sitting down and pedalling".

Several members also displayed examples of the Land Rover APB, which was launched 15 years previously.

[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4986431866/[/flickr]

Alex was asked whether "docking the tail" of an F-frame adversely affected the structure of the bicycle - a topic of frequent debate among Moultoneers. He started by telling how he was annoyed with John Woodburn, when John removed the rack and cut off the tail of the London-Brighton record breaking Moulton, in order to save weight. Alex had wanted the record to be broken on a standard specification bicycle. He finished by discouraging owners from modifying their frames... "my advice is don't do it!".

Later in the evening, while other members enjoyed silver service at the club dinner, I decided to stay in the sunshine, and enjoyed a relaxing barbecue on the lawn.

[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4991382640/[/flickr]

On Sunday morning, Dan Farrell led our group of 19 on one of the three organised rides. The route was spectacular, taking in country lanes with sweeping views, charming villages, a couple of tough hills and a nice stop for tea and cake along the way in Lacock.

[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4991464126/[/flickr]

We arrived back at the Riverside Inn in Bradford on Avon in time for a lunchtime pint, and I got chatting to Jim Glover. Jim regaled us with anecdotes about the record breaking rides, and about his current role as a cycling coach in Ottawa, Canada. All too soon, it was time to walk back to the Hall, pack up the camping gear, say lots of goodbyes and head for the train station to start the long journey home.

[flickr]http://www.flickr.com/photos/moultonbuzz/4990875315/[/flickr]

Every Moulton weekend at Bradford on Avon is special, but I think I enjoyed this one most of all.

Alex Moulton Bicycles Exhibition

To celebrate Dr. Alex Moulton's 90th birthday and his great work on bicycles, Japan's Moulton bicycle enthusiasts and the importer Dynavector are going to hold an exhibition specialized for Moulton bicycles.

There will be over 50 Moultons from the very early models, rarities such as a Moulton Marathon and examples from the S-range, and the latest models including a SUPER SPEED, as well as many specially built Moultons.

A very rare occasion to see the whole history of the development of Moulton bicycles.

The Alex Moulton Bicycles Exhibition
Hillside Terrace (Hall F)
Sarugaku-cho 18-8
Shibuya-ku
Tokyo
JAPAN

Open 29 June to 4 July 11:00 to 19:00

Contact: Dynavector Systems Ltd. (+81) 3-3861-4341
info@dynavector.co.jp

Designers are toast of Bradford on Avon

From This Is Wiltshire

A huge crowd – including former TV presenter Roger Cook – descended on Bradford on Avon on Sunday to celebrate the birthdays of two of the town’s most respected residents with exhibitions on their working lives.

Bradford on Avon Museum’s trustees planned the event to coincide with the landmark birthdays of Marcos founder Jem Marsh, who marked his 80th birthday on April 15, and engineer Dr Alex Moulton, who turned 90 on April 9.

...

To honour the achievements of Dr Moulton, who invented the Moulton bicycle and designed the suspension for the original Mini, an exhibition looking at his engineering career was opened at the West Barn on Sunday, and will be moved to the library foyer this week where it will remain until May 7.

Dr Moulton, who still lives in Bradford on Avon, said: “This was an extremely important event. The exhibition will interest the young people. The future lies with the young people. They must learn to make things.

“It’s a fantastic way to celebrate our birthdays, but it’s more important for the younger people.”

The exhibitions were organised by Bradford on Avon Town Council, the preservation trust and museum.

Read the full article at Designers are toast of Bradford on Avon (From This Is Wiltshire).