What's the difference ....

[yoav]

Between the various Moulton ranges? Apart from price, obvs.

I'm looking at the Moulton website and I'm confused about their various models. As far as I can tell, there are:
NS range - stainless steel frames, very, very, very expensive
TSR range - described as 'entry level'
A variety of models in between, some with 20" and some with 17" wheels, priced somewhere between the two other ranges.

What are the differences in the frames (apart from the stainless bit)?
What is there to justify the difference between a TSR with Shimano 105 at £2500 and a Jubilee similarly equipped with 105 at £5500?
Also 17" vs 20" wheels? Which is better

I'm not in the market for a new one but I am interested in buying second-hand space frame Moulton and trying to understand what I might be buying.
Thanks

[LittleWheelsandBig]

The ride qualities of 17" vs. 20" would be an ecumenical matter. There is a much better selection of 20" tyres, both in quality and width. That alone is enough to avoid 17" IMHO. The bigger 20" also makes it easier to get big enough gears without needing expensive tiny-cog cassettes.

There are some frame weight differences between the various levels. TSR is standard bronze brazed Cr-Mo with thick enough walls to not actually need the zigzag reinforcement. The NS often uses silver fillet-brazed stainless steel with 0.5mm wall thickness, which takes a lot of pre-braze preparation, brazing skill and post-braze polishing. That all costs real money. If the zigzags aren't there, the longitudinal tubing is highly likely to crack. The Jubilee uses silver fillet-brazed thin-wall non-stainless steel, which requires the same skill to braze but less clean up.

[orienteer]

In summary, the TSR is the optimum buy. Avoid its predecessor, the APB, which had a heavy, somewhat crudely made frame. made during the 1990s.

Strictly speaking they are not folders, but separable into two halves, though some TSRs are built without the separable feature.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

HK completed PBP11 on the 20" Jubilee prototype. I have completed 2xPBP on a lightly modified TSR30 and didn't feel at a disadvantage because of it.

[rogerzilla]

The SST is the optimum buy IMO if you can afford the extra.  It fixes the design and materials flaws in the TSR.  The Cone is similar.

None of them are "worth it" really, as you are paying for UK manufacture and they are both heavier and slower than a 700c road bike.  Cycling isn't economics, though.

[orienteer]

The main benefit of a Moulton is the suspension, which reduces fatigue by insulating the rider from vibration and rough road surfaces without absorbing as much energy as an MTB suspension.