Old Moulton

[bobb]

I don't know a great deal about Moultons. Anyway, there is one for sale in a second hand shop around the corner for £70.



Any idea what it is? It's age etc? It says something like "The Moulton Bicycle Company, Nottingham, England" on the head tube.

Waste of time or something worth doing up for a laugh?

[Canardly]

Didnt Raleigh own the company and manufacture the bike for a short while but lost interest quickly after the success of the chopper? Mark 3?

Current listing on ebay of earlier model starting at a tenner

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/RARE-VINTAGE-1965-MOULTON-SPEED-4-SPEED-SUSPENSION-BIKE-/281066567831?pt=UK_Bikes_GL&hash=item4170df7897

[LittleWheelsandBig]

That looks like a Moulton Mini; too small for you. Minis had 14" wheels and were aimed at woman and children; being somewhat smaller than the 16" wheeled F-frame bikes. There aren't any high pressure/ quality 14" tyres available.

[Biggsy]

Moulton Minis in decent condition recently sold on eBay for £51 and £56.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=Moulton+Mini&_in_kw=1&_ex_kw=&_sacat=0&_okw=&_oexkw=&_adv=1&LH_Complete=1&_udlo=&_udhi=&_samilow=&_samihi=&_sadis=200&_fpos=&LH_SALE_CURRENCY=0&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50

[bobb]

OK, ta. Think I'll give it a miss 

[clarion]

In Re:Cycling at Elephant & Castle, they have three Moulton Fs in slightly shabby condition, but perfectly rideable by the looks of things.  But the Standards are £180 apiece, and the Deluxe £185.

[robgul]

That looks like a Moulton Mini; too small for you. Minis had 14" wheels and were aimed at woman and children; being somewhat smaller than the 16" wheeled F-frame bikes. There aren't any high pressure/ quality 14" tyres available.

Yep - it is a Mini - the integral rear rack as part of the frame is the giveaway (unless you see it in the flesh and can see it's much smaller than a normal F-frame.)

Rob

[Ian H]

That looks like a Moulton Mini; too small for you. Minis had 14" wheels and were aimed at woman and children; being somewhat smaller than the 16" wheeled F-frame bikes. There aren't any high pressure/ quality 14" tyres available.

Interesting that 16" wheels were thought to be too large for smaller physiques.

[Wobbly John]

My De-Luxe 4 speed 'F' frame Moulton (1965, I think) cost me £15 (all original, but now has a new tyre & tube) and my single speed Mini Moulton was £5. 

[LittleWheelsandBig]

More a case that the frame dimensions of the 14" Moultons were about 7/8 the size of the 16" Moultons, which were designed for adults.

[andygates]

Typical engineer thinking: rescale the whole thing rather than change any angles.

[PeteB99]

If you're interested in Moulton restoration then this site is worth looking through

http://www.bicyclehub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=123

Even better are the two Moulton books by Paul Grogan which give specs for each model

Unless you have a lucky skip find Ebay or similar are your best sources. The one Bobb linked to looks very expensive for a mini in not desperately good condition.

[bobb]

The one Bobb linked to looks very expensive for a mini in not desperately good condition.

Yeah, the thing is I often walk past that shop when I'm up here and he always has a bunch of bikes outside. They are always £70 no matter what they are! More often than not they are just BSOs that shouldn't really change hands for anything more than 20 quid! The Moulton caught my eye as it was something a bit different to what is usually outside the shop. I didn't even notice it was a smaller size than normal - probably because all small wheeled bikes look ridiculous to me, so I had no idea if it was normal model or not 

Thanks for the info though!

[Wowbagger]

They were all the rage in the early 1960s. My best pal at primary school, now sadly deceased, was given one by his parents when he was about 11 (1964/5). I don't think that was the Mini though.

[Flynn]

Looks like a Moulton Mini Super 4. Highly priced though. I'd offer £30 or £40 then give it a clean up. It looks complete, and under the bad spray job it looks to be in quite good condition. I reckon for a couple of days in the shed that'd be a great little runaround. Here's someone who restored a few:

http://www.bicyclehub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=123

That looks like a Moulton Mini; too small for you. Minis had 14" wheels and were aimed at woman and children; being somewhat smaller than the 16" wheeled F-frame bikes. There aren't any high pressure/ quality 14" tyres available.

Schwalbe were making a 14"x1 3/8 tyre. Available from Evans.

[Ningishzidda]

That looks like a Moulton Mini; too small for you. Minis had 14" wheels and were aimed at woman and children; being somewhat smaller than the 16" wheeled F-frame bikes. There aren't any high pressure/ quality 14" tyres available.

M Mini's had 5 1/2" crank length.

If its got 'Bradford on Avon' on the head badge, it ain't a Triang version.

I got 14" tyres quite easily. They pump up to 60 psi.
The seat post is quite long and a 5'9" bloke can ride it.
Some of the BoA models had a Sachs Torpedo coaster hub.
52 ring, 15 sprocket.
Middlemore matress saddle that's NOT comfortable.
NO reflectors in pedals.

[Ningishzidda]

That looks like a Moulton Mini; too small for you. Minis had 14" wheels and were aimed at woman and children; being somewhat smaller than the 16" wheeled F-frame bikes. There aren't any high pressure/ quality 14" tyres available.

Yep - it is a Mini - the integral rear rack as part of the frame is the giveaway (unless you see it in the flesh and can see it's much smaller than a normal F-frame.)

Rob

The vast majority of Mini's got bent rear rack beams, due to passengers.

[Ningishzidda]

If you're interested in Moulton restoration then this site is worth looking through

http://www.bicyclehub.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=62&Itemid=123

Even better are the two Moulton books by Paul Grogan which give specs for each model

Unless you have a lucky skip find Ebay or similar are your best sources. The one Bobb linked to looks very expensive for a mini in not desperately good condition.

Try here.
http://www.moultonbuzz.com/moulton-bicycle-club/moultoneer-magazine/

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Moultons need worthwhile tyre pressures and decent tyre construction, otherwise they are crap to ride. Cheap 60psi Schwalbe tyres don't cut it.

5'9" is short; shorter than bobb.

[Flynn]

I doubt the original 1960s tyres were super high-quality high-pressure tyres. The Schwalbe HS 140 tyres would be ideal for a Moulton Mini.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Agreed but crap tyres were standard back then. Tyres have improved dramatically. Unless Moultons have low rolling resistance tyres, they show little advantage over cheaper, lighter and simpler bikes.

[Flynn]

For the use I'd put it to, shopping locally, any old tyre would do.

[Ningishzidda]

I doubt the original 1960s tyres were super high-quality high-pressure tyres. The Schwalbe HS 140 tyres would be ideal for a Moulton Mini.

They were Dunlop 'Junior'. 60 psi.

[matthew]

Agreed but crap tyres were standard back then. Tyres have improved dramatically. Unless Moultons have low rolling resistance tyres, they show little advantage over cheaper, lighter and simpler bikes.

As my father proved by splitting the tyre on the 20" APB wheel whilst on tour and having to replace it with a 20" tyre appropriate to a shopper.

He got so much slower that at lunch each day the panniers disappeared from his bike and appeared on the front carrier of my bike.

[Ningishzidda]

Agreed but crap tyres were standard back then. Tyres have improved dramatically. Unless Moultons have low rolling resistance tyres, they show little advantage over cheaper, lighter and simpler bikes.

As my father proved by splitting the tyre on the 20" APB wheel whilst on tour and having to replace it with a 20" tyre appropriate to a shopper.

He got so much slower that at lunch each day the panniers disappeared from his bike and appeared on the front carrier of my bike.

Must have been defective. The Dunlop Juniors on my MM lasted from my birthday in 1964 to 2003.