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.
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The main features of the new AM20-2 include... shorter seat tube, similar to the New Series, Reynolds 953 seat post...
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...threadless headset...
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... rear rack and attachment similar to the New Series, custom rear light bracket with a variety of bolt spacings...
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... Campagnolo 11 speed drivetrain, with a custom Moulton 11 speed rear cassette, with 10 tooth small sprocket...
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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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

TOUR SR and TSR9 SE on show at BOA | MOULTON Bicycle Company

TOUR SR and TSR9 SE on show at BOA 21st Sept 2009

Over September 12th-13th, Moultoneers from across Britain, Europe and the world gathered in Bradford on Avon for the annual Moulton Bicycle Club weekend. In the picturesque surroundings of The Hall, the Moultoneers enjoyed bright September sunshine and a procession of bicycles old and new including some lovingly-restored examples of Moulton history which were discussed by a panel headed by Dr. Alex Moulton.

Moulton Tour SR
Moulton Tour SR

Amongst the many interesting bicycles, Moultoneers were able to view the new TOUR SR and Special Edition TSR-9 Moultons, on display for the first time. The TOUR SR shares a similar specification to the TSR-30, with additional comfort provided by the Brooks Swift titanium leather saddle, Brooks leather handlebar tape and mudguards fitted as standard. There's also a light tubular stainless steel water bottle cage.

TSR9_Special_Edition_Zoom

The Special Edition TSR-9 is based on a model produced this year for Moulton's Japanese distributor, Dynavector Systems. It features chrome plated front and rear forks, Brooks leather saddle and handlebar grips, and a quill-type handlebar stem from Nitto.

via MOULTON Bicycle Company.

BoA 2009 Concours

After the Saturday morning Bring & Buy sale, during which the club marquee overflowed with both buyers and sellers, Saturday afternoon was spent in typical fashion - sunshine, sitting in the courtyard, listening to Alex Moulton and others talk about the past, present and future of the Moulton bicycle, as well as looking at some superb F-Frames.
Some highlights included:
- an ex Reg Randall racing machine
- a newly built Moulton Mark 4
- Moulton Speedsix
- Moulton Automatic with Duomatic hub.
- Andy Forey's Milliken inspired, fully faired, racing deluxe.
- a Vic Nicholson inspired Mark 3 replica

As usual, some new models were shown
- TSR Tour SR, which is a high spec version of the TSR 30 with Brooks saddle and bar tape
- A high spec TSR 27, with Brooks bar grips, chromed front and rear forks, threaded headset and Nitto stem and flat handlebar.

It was also announced that German publisher Lit Verlag has re-published "The Spaceframe Moultons" by Tony Hadland in hardback, paperback and miniature paperback.

New Moulton Mk4 in the Moulton Museum

At the Moulton Bicycle Club weekend in Bradford on Avon in September, a newly built Moulton Mark 4 was shown, which is now in the Moulton Museum.

The Mark 4 was an evolution of the Mark 3 which had been produced by Raleigh from 1970 to 1974. The Mark 4 nearly went into production, before Raleigh pulled the plug on the Moulton line altogether.

There were previously only 3 known examples of the Mark 4 in existence, and each has a different spec. This new Mark 4 was built by Arthur Smith, using a frameset found at Bradford on Avon. This new Mark 4 also has a unique spec, but does boast authentic components from the relevant era.

Also featured in the pictures is another of the Mark 4 models in purple.

The Mark 4 was similar to the Mark 3, with additional features such as a stowaway joint for separability, and a swan neck stem.