At the end of the 1960s the 6-speed gear system was an unusual phenomenon, making the Moulton Speedsix twice as exotic. It was ahead of its time in its gear-shift technology, although in its design it was very contemporary. The Moultons from the first years of production were rather unexciting mass-market goods, but with the leap to high-end, small series production in the 1980s their street credentials went up.

The bicycle featured here is one of only 600 or so produced, and is number K65310046.

1965, GBR
Frame: Steel varnished
Bicycle gearing:
Brakes: Rim Side Pull / Rim Side Pull
Tyres: 17“ Wired Tyre / 17“ Wired Tyre
Weight: 29,32 lbs

Also in the collection, but not included in the book are a Mark 3, an AM-16, a New Series.

The book is published by Thames & Hudson and the ISBNs are 0500515581, 9780500515587.

The official launch of Cyclepedia: A Tour of Iconic Bicycle Designs is in London on Wednesday March 16th 2011 AT 18:30 at Look Mum No Hands! 49 Old Street, London ED1V9HX.

Jack Thurston, presenter of The Bike Show will be in conversation with Michael Embacher, looking and talking through their favourite bicycles in the collection. Given that Jack is a Moultoneer himself, you can expect the conversation will cover at least one of the Moultons.

From EMBACHER/COLLECTION – ALEX MOULTON Speed Six.

The flexitor pivot assemblies are redesigned featuring a narrower middle section on the two side tubes, rather like a double-butted spoke. It also doesn’t appear to have a soft lock-out mechanism.

The New Series also features a threadless headset and a new variation of the Moulton Wishbone stem.

There was of course the shiny belt-drive TSR-2 with 2 speed, Sturmey Archer S2C kickback hub.

Moulton Speed, featuring the redesigned frame, as seen at BoA

And it was nice to see the beautiful original chrome S Deluxe, owned by Mike Woolf of Moulton Preservation on show.

Finally, a fully loaded TSR-30.

Photos from Flickr users tredzweb and Jack999

Further details are available from the Moulton Bicycle Company

There were three of us in the group – one large wheeler, one Moulton TSR and my own Moulton APB.

We wild camped 4 nights, used a campsite 1 night, and stayed in a “Hutte” 1 night.

View more details about the tour here

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

Thanks to Paul Butterfield for these photos from the Moulton Bicycle Club meeting and club ride, at Bradford on Avon, on April 25th. The meeting celebrated Alex Moulton’s recent 90th birthday, and coincided with the exhibition celebrating the engineering career of Dr Alex Moulton, at the West Barn, Bradford on Avon.

More can be seen on flickr

While it had been planned to display Dr Moulton’s new MDev bicycle at the exhibition, this is no longer the case, as the bicycle is still in the final stages of development.

The new Moulton 60 will be displayed instead.

Last Friday marked the 90th Birthday of one of Britain’s most remarkable engineers and although the work of Dr Alex Moulton has been involved for most of those years behind the scenes with suspension in general and cars in particular – most famously on the original and iconic 1959 Mini – it is on bicycles and in cycling that the name of Moulton is most closely associated.

Long before bikes routinely displayed front and rear suspension, Moulton was widely mocked by adherents to the conventional bicycle shape but nonetheless launched his high-pressure-small-wheeled-bikes-with-suspension and proceeded to race them successfully in the early 1960s to prove his point. Time-Trialling legends John Woodburn and David Duffield yes, that David Duffield on the telly won records aplenty on their Moultons to demonstrate that lower rotating mass and smaller aerodynamic profile held benefits for the racing cyclist and some production versions furthermore neatly “demounted” to fit into a Mini boot.

Even in those days the Union Cyclisme International UCI was doing its best to maintain the status quo which put paid to the racing exploits under UCI rules – didn’t stop them winning the US coast-to-coast record, though – but by then the bikes were selling in good enough numbers to sell the concept to Raleigh in Nottingham who took over production and immediately cheapened some of the very things that made the design such a success – not least the high-quality, high-pressure tyres which didn’t handle half as well when replaced with nasty balloon tyres. In any case, general bike sales in the 70s were in decline and it didn’t take long before Raleigh’s version of the bike was stopped altogether.

In the early 1980s Dr Moulton reinstated production at his own artisan facility at Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire where he lives and this time concentrating on top-notch quality soon had enthusiasts drooling at his ever-more outrageous cycling sculptures. Buying a Moulton really is now analogous to buying a piece of art and cyclists travel from all over the world to collect their new Moulton bikes. The Japanese have a particular fascination with the exquisite little machined details.

The garden party to mark the 90th birthday was notable for two bicycles. The first – Project Sixty and shown here with Dr Moulton – is a reworking in silver-soldered, Reynolds 953 stainless steel of the original “F” frame from 1962 with added details including tweaked suspension from the latest “Speed” model. Ostensibly, the Project Sixty is a one-off birthday present and no one’s confirming it but we can’t see why this couldn’t be a production bike and if it is, we want the first one.

The other and more mysterious bike is far from production and designated “M Dev90″. It has the new-style Moulton space-frame but with its elements made from carbon-fibre rods clamped to a central hub. According to Moulton Developments, “The front suspension system is called the ‘slim-line’ and is a patented version of Moulton’s torsional-shear rubber suspension system. It maintains his long experience in damped anti-dive suspension with rider access for control of suspension movement.

“The particularly radical aspect of the M Dev is that its designer intends for it to be supplied to dealers in kit form – to be assembled by the shop in the customer’s presence. M Dev owners will also be able to choose from a range of coloured anodized head and seat tubes. To find out more about what’s under that dust sheet try here.

Dr Moulton is looking for a partner to produce the commercialized M Dev90 but presumably based on past experience isn’t in a rush to get into bed with the wrong one. But it’s fair to say that 50 years down the line from the declining market of the 1960s, there’s a very different attitude now to bicycles and where cycling is going not to mention new materials and the kind of things we can successfuly make in the UK.

Many happy returns, Sir.

via Dr Alex Moulton gets a 90th birthday present | road.cc | The website for pedal powered people: Road cycling, commuting, leisure cycling and racing.

Dr Alex Moulton the owner and founder of Moulton Developments states that his new concept bicycle, codenamed Mdev 90 which he revealed on April 9th, will be on show at the West Barn, Bradford on Avon on April 25th.

The essential features of the Mdev 90 are:

1.Frame of carbon rods clamped to head and seat tubes made from anodized aluminum coloured to the choice of the customer.
2.The frame can be readily assembled by selected dealers in the presence of the customer.
3.The appearance of the Mdev 90 is slim-line.

Dr Moulton is happy with the Mdev 90 representing his ultimate endeavor of 50 years aspiration to make riding more pleasing than on the classic big wheeled bicycle.

Dr Moulton is in the process of negotiations for the licensing of the Mdev 90.