Folding Bikes - Photos of German WWII Military Bike

A friend brought me this thing claiming it was a German WWII Military Bike... His mother had passed it down to him and thought it may have been a Nazi bike. As you'll see in the photos, the components are mostly english/brittish. while the saddle (which i thought looked original) is of russian design, it was manufactured in the states... i know nothing about the frame. does anyone know what this might be? what era? worth anything? is the frame german?

It looks to be a British Moulton. Don't know much about them, it should have elastomer suspsension. Nice bikes if everything is in good shape. Below is a link to their website.

http://www.alexmoulton.co.uk/

It looks to be a British Moulton. ...

Yep, that's a Moulton all right, with the four-speed hub. Nice find. Re-painted, I guess? They have their enthusiasts:

http://www.moultoneers.info//

It is a brittish made Moulton Deluxe with a four speed S-A hub. It has rubber suspension both front and rear. It is from the mid to late sixties.

It is a brittish made Moulton Deluxe with a four speed S-A hub. It has rubber suspension both front and rear. It is from the mid to late sixties.
The hub appears to have been made in 1965. Check out the date stamp above the rusty patch. Looks like '65'. SA dated their hubs at one time. Not sure when they started or stopped the habit, but they certainly did during a long period. It definitely isn't of WWII era.

Shame it's not as old as you thought but it looks cool in miltary drabs... More bikes that look like surplus please!

as they said above

love the brake pads .... wonder if they squeal ...lol


thor

Your friend was BSing you or someone was BS him about the Nazi WWII bike. It's a Moulton Mk1, manufactured in the 60s. They are worth lots due to collector value. If you want to sell it, do the buyer a favour and don't touch the paintwork. If keeping it, take the greatest care to get the black paintjob off to expose the original paintwork and decals. I don't think they came with those saddles.

I want one. :)

I can't believe no ones made any jokes about this post!!!!!

Mk 1 Moultons are NOT worth a lot of money although they are very nice bikes. They regularly change hands for 10 - 40 pounds on the Moulton owners club sales and wants list. Definitely worth keeping as its a good utility bike with a unique history. Watch out for the rear forks splitting underneath, it's a common fault on the Mk 1 but can be repaired by " Moulton Preservation"

SW

Mk 1 Moultons are NOT worth a lot of money although they are very nice bikes. They regularly change hands for 10 - 40 pounds on the Moulton owners club sales and wants list. Definitely worth keeping as its a good utility bike with a unique history. Watch out for the rear forks splitting underneath, it's a common fault on the Mk 1 but can be repaired by " Moulton Preservation"

SW
:( I still want one. I was outbid recently at Aus$285. They are worth "lots" here - very rare. :D

Wow, Hitler would have been Fuehrerious getting his stealth folder stolen and shipped to the States! Boom-Tish! I thank you! :p
Seriously, mine is an earlier 'rivet-framed' model, I paid over the odds for it at £50, added some lighter bits, use it on some folder rides, rides very nicely for a 3-speed, suspension works well, but it doesn't fold.

I love stories like that, remind me of an antiques roadshow where some kids brought in what they thought was a chinese opium pipe that some old dude at an antique store sold them, it turned out to be a coffee creamer...

Your friend was quite right about the bike’s dubious pedigree - don’t believe the naysayers. The funny looking bike you now have in your possession belonged to Rudolf Hess – he used it when he parachuted into Scotland in May 1941. Whilst Hess was quickly captured and his story is well known, the fate of the remarkable small-wheeled bicycle was never discussed (sketchy reports suggest it was taken to a bicylce laboratory in ‘Bradford on Avon for “tests” - but no one knows for sure). Curiously, in the 1960s, very similar looking bikes appeared under a new brand name…

Roflmao

:d

saddle of russian design manufactured in the US .... that one is just too good to be true .....
wonder what the fine folks in Moscow Tennessee would think about that

thor

Hey! Isn't that an early prototype Roman thinners container that it leaning on, be careful not to scratch it with that Nazi bike of yours, it'll ruin the value! LOL! :eek:

I love stories like that,...

I can't remember meeting any "Prisoner" fans when I was in Scottsdale :-)

Have you ever been to this place?

http://www.portmeirion-village.com/en/features.php?id=24&MID=38

I went to a Folding society weekend in Portmeirion about 8 years ago, I took my (then newish) Birdy & YakBob in the back of my ex-Gestapo bubblecar!
Stayed in one of the houses in the village, very cool! :p

Vorsprung Moulton Technik!

This is what a WWII folding bike would be more likely to look like:
http://www.visualcollector.com/OBLI/BSABike.htm

I'm aware of the BSA ones, were there any other brands/models in use by the allies during WWII?

here's a toy reproduction of a Nazi Bicycle Trooper with a fairly accurate model of the bike used!

http://www.geocities.com/britsatwar/BSA_position_jump_from_Dakota.jpg

Any one want to try this with their WW11 folder?
Edd

" I still want one. I was outbid recently at Aus$285. They are worth "lots" here - very rare. "
Jur hi from Perth.
After being influenced by Littlepixel I was searching for a Raleigh 20 without luck but I came across two Moulton F1s, one a frame only for $80 Aus which you can see below and another complete almost fully restored minus paint work. Littlepixel I am running 355 rims and 14R the bike is Black! 14R inspired me to get my first folder, a Westwood, with all his exploits with his halfway. Some of the choices of wheels etc were based solely on local availability. Perth is supposed to be the worlds most isolated city. I was lucky that there is a very good recumbent bike builder in Perth (Logo Trikes) who was very helpful with parts and work on the frame.The front suspension was rebuilt as parts were missing, I was lucky to have an instrument maker friend come to the rescue with his machining of new parts.
BruceMetras from this forum also provided information on the chain roller to prevent chain drop, I made a wood former the same size as the seat tube and bent the aluminium around it and used a bolt to form a clamp, this could be used for a derailier as well.
I have been very happy with the bike and it is my preferred ride and I only use my Birdy for times when I need a folder. The suspension works very well and the bike is a joy to ride. My wifes bike is set up as a utility bike and with both of its carriers with large baskets can carry 80 lbs of shopping (Family of five). It would have to be the best shopping bike around, it performs well with this load as the weight is low and the step over height is ideal for a short person.

If 'erikinop' anyone else wants to restore a Moulton, yahoo group Moultoncycles and the Moulton restoration society are both very helpful. Thanks to above members of this group for getting me started on this rewarding project.

MM probably stands for Moulton Mini. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moulton_Bicycle.

If it is in the USA I could see it going for $200.

...(sketchy reports suggest it was taken to a bicylce laboratory in ‘Bradford on Avon for “tests” - but no one knows for sure). Curiously, in the 1960s, very similar looking bikes appeared under a new brand name…

Spy photo of the era: Alex Moulton evaluating the Hess prototype (this time in civil colours) before it made its way into final production. :D