Moulton Stowaway 1970's

[mulleady]

Would a bike like this be worth much? Is it a good ride? I know some Moultons have a high reputation, would that apply here? Thanks!

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3175/2636202154_ce09f778cd_o.jpg

[zed4130]

my aunty had 2 of these when i was a kid, she had a house down the coast, i had many hols riding it, im sure they are worth something to someone, she threw hers out in about 1990 , one was red and the other was blue, one of them had drop bars, sweet bikes,

paul

[Diode100]

The stowaway came as single speed, or with a two speed Duomatic hub, no cable to the back end, very clean looking. They ride and handle well, and good ones are in demand, fetching high prices. There is a lot of rubbish around though, the Duomatic hub is no longer avaialable, the connection point in the frame can be a problem, and tou need to make sure you get the key to undo it. The game with F Frame Mouldons, is much the same as with R20's, get rid of all the steel bits and replace with nice alloy parts. The one in the picture doesn't look that well kept, so i'd budget for a total re-build.

[mulleady]

Thanks Diode?

I just won it for £83 on ebay.co.uk!

Must be worth that surely?

Listing below:
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/1970-OVERHAULED-MOULTON-stowaway_W0QQitemZ200234841497QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item200234841497&_trkparms=72%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14#ebayphotohosting

[Diode100]

Ah, congratulations, now you'll need to open an account with Moulton Preservation in Chelsea then ! Check them out on the moulton club website, they have just about everything for F frames.

[mulleady]

Thanks Diode v good advice and much appreciated. I guess if i restored it would cover costs and maybe sell to Japan lol! I believe it is a status symbol there!

[Diode100]

Yes, the Japanese love their Moultons, they are crazy for them. The beauty of the Stowaway is it's clean lines, no cables (other than the front brake) or clutter. Here are a couple of photos I took at the Moulton weekend a couple of years ago.

[mulleady]

Looks so cool the black one Diode. Will have to do a respray on mine.

Tell me would this 3 speed SA hub fit the Stowaway?


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/sturmey-archer-3-speed-AW-hub-moulton-brompton-28-hole_W0QQitemZ250264884840QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item250264884840&_trkparms=72%3A12|39%3A1|65%3A12&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

[Diode100]

I dont know, probably, but to be honest, dont know what the set up is for the Duomatic, although i'd imagine the rear fork is the same on all series 2 models, which yours looks to be. If you did make the swap you would have to put on a rear brake, and if you wanted to retain the ability to seperate frame, some cable splitters. If you're going to do that, why not live a little and stick a 14 speeder & some disks on it !

[LittlePixel]

Nice one - I obsess about getting one of these!
I look forward to seeing it during/post to renovation!

[Sammyboy]

Yep, worth about that, should be a good ride, or a great one with some strategic upgrading. I've got two Minis (3/4 size frames, 14" wheels) that are awaiting upgrades, and I've been Jonesin' for a Stowaway for a while.

[mulleady]

Sold the Downtube 8H BTW :D

[SesameCrunch]

Congratulations on the restoration project. Hope you have lots of fun with it.

I just restored a 1970 Moulton MK3 (well, 95% finished, anyway). It was fun. The tricky bits were 1) restoring the front suspension (buried inside the head tube), and 2) the odd-size BB and cottered cranks. I left the original cranks and BB in because they were in good shape, but sooner or later, they will have to be re-drilled so I can get some modern cranks in place.

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e157/sesamecrunch/Moultonfinish1.jpg

I have an SA 3 speed hub now, but am planning to re-lace with an SA 8 speed. I don't see any clearance issues that would stop me.

The vintage Moulton suspension is a treat. I rode over an old wooden bridge and the suspension just soaked up all the bumps from the boards nicely.

Enjoy your project and let's see the pictures!

[mulleady]

SC one word re. the above bike:

Stunning!

Can I hire you? lol

[zed4130]

good on ya, i saw it on ebay , will make a great project, im thinking of getting one now, bring back those 80's memrories .

paul

[sahadev]

SesameCrunch - The Moulton came out well! Nice paint job, too. What is it like to ride in general? Fast? Slow? Fun? How does the ride compare to your other folders?

[Sammyboy]

Sold the Downtube 8H BTW :D

Good! Felt really bad about that. I really wanted to buy it, but I was down to my last brass for a couple of weeks, and the car decided it wanted its share. I'd have been stuffed if we'd met up on the Thursday and I'd bought it!

[mulleady]

Good! Felt really bad about that. I really wanted to buy it, but I was down to my last brass for a couple of weeks, and the car decided it wanted its share. I'd have been stuffed if we'd met up on the Thursday and I'd bought it!

I haven't forgiven you yet lol :D

Had to outlay a bit on my Peugeot 307 too so know the feeling

[SesameCrunch]

SC one word re. the above bike:
Stunning!
Can I hire you? lol
Thanks! There are some bugs still to be worked out, but I feel good about the bike overall.

SesameCrunch - The Moulton came out well! Nice paint job, too. What is it like to ride in general? Fast? Slow? Fun? How does the ride compare to your other folders?

It's a nice, smooth ride. It's not a fast bike 'cause it's heavy (at least compared to my roadie bikes). But it's a great around town bike. The cockpit is small for me, but I have a plan to work that out. I want to put on the SA 8 speed so that it can be a more versatile bike. Also, the cottered cranks are short for me, so they'll eventually go.

I think I will make this my daily ride and give the Mini a rest for a while....

[arctos]

My 1965 Stowaway remains my favorite bike around town for all errands yet surprises many roadies with it's speed in either the one speed Komet Hub or the Duomatic 2 speed one. Only the engine needs a rebuild!

Check the Moultoneer's technical pages for advice on servicing the front fork mechanism and hopefully the prior owners did not use petroleum or oil based lubricants which breakdown the rubber column inside the long spring.

[stevegor]

my aunty had 2 of these when i was a kid, she had a house down the coast, i had many hols riding it, im sure they are worth something to someone, she threw hers out in about 1990 , one was red and the other was blue, one of them had drop bars, sweet bikes,

paul

That might have been a Speed six....and she threw it out?

[Diode100]

[quote=SesameCrunch;6999424]Congratulations on the restoration project. ...The tricky bits were ...., and 2) the odd-size BB and cottered cranks. /QUOTE]

The MkIII wasn't made by Moulton, it was produced during the period that Raleigh owned the design & rights, (and before Alex Moulton bought them back). It has the same BB set up as the R20, so the upgrade options are the same as for that bike, so when you are ready to give it a go, there is a wealth of information on this site under R20 threads.

[Sammyboy]

So a MkIII has a Raleigh thread BB? What about the others? I don't know what mine are, but when I come to swap out the BB's, it'd be useful to know....

[LittlePixel]

MkIII was made by Raleigh under licence; It has Raleigh Twenty rear dropouts and a lot of other common parts like the BB, headset etc.