Folding Bikes - Is the Moulton actually being marketed in the US?

I was thinking of a 20" non-folder to go with my Swift, or maybe a take apart like some of the Moulton models are, I believe. It's tremendously expensive though, isn't it? I heard something about a rider weight limit too. The places in the US listed as Moulton dealers seem pretty coy about offering any info on their websites, particularly the one in Phoenix, Arizona. I was also considering the La Suprema (http://edsbikes.us/) custom made bikes here in Tucson. The man said he'd be interested in custom building a 20" non-folder. I think he said the frame would cost a little over $1,000.

Bruce Metras has them for sale last I heard.

From http://www.alexmoulton.co.uk/index.html

Dealer Name: Angle Lake Cyclery
Dealer Address: Seatle
WA
Contact Name: Dale Clark
Telephone: 001 206-878 7457
Fax: 001 206-824 3038

Dealer Name: Belmont Distribution
Dealer Address: Phoenix
AZ
Contact Name: Loring Kohrt
Telephone: 001 602 903 7852
Email: loring@belmontdistribution.com
Website: www.belmontdistribution.com

Dealer Name: Bfold Bicycles
Dealer Address: 224 E 13th ST #1
New York
NY 10003
Contact Name: David Lam
Telephone: 212-529-7247 or 646-644-4501
Email: info@bfold.com
Website: http://www.bfold.com/

Dealer Name: Doug Milliken
Dealer Address: Buffalo
NY
Contact Name: Doug Milliken
Telephone: 001 716-632 6710
Fax: 001 716-633 9283
Email: Doug.Milliken@gmail.com
Comment: Moultoneer and good friend of Dr Moulton. Responsible for speed record fairing and wind tunnel testing.

Dealer Name: Hed Cycling Products
Dealer Address: White Bear
MN
Contact Name: Steve & Anne Hed
Telephone: 001 651 653 0202
Fax: 001 651 653 0275
Email: hed@iswest.com
Website: http://www.hedcycling.com/

Dealer Name: North Road Bicycle Company
Dealer Address: PO Box 840
166 Court Square
Yanceyville
NC 27379
Contact Name: Gilbert Anderson
Telephone: +336-421-4054
Email: cyclestore@aol.com
Website: http://www.northroadbicycle.com/
Comment: Toll Free Triangle, NC area 919-828-8999
Toll free Nationwide 800-321-5511

Yeah, I found all that too - but there's zero info on any of those individual websites about Moulton models, specs, prices, etc. For that matter I didn't see much useful info on the Moulton website either.

Bruce Metras has them for sale last I heard.


Yes, he does. He PM'd me.

Did you look at this website for specs? It doesn't have prices, but it does a good job with specs.

http://www.tsr.uk.com/index.php

Bruce Metras will also take care of you.

For a few years back in the mid-1980s Alex Moulton bikes were actually marketed in the USA, but since then not really. As you've found, today's handful of individual dealers don't even go out of their way to promote the bikes. If you know you want one and snoop around you can figure out how to get one, but actual marketing, no.

tcs

Dale Clark at Angle Lake Cyclery is a Moulton owner and huge fan. I visited his store recently and saw several in for repair. I don't know anything about Moulton's but if I wanted to know more I'd beat a path to Dale.

I bought my Moulton ATB from Angle Lake Cyclery in 1989 via phone order and was pleased with how they handled things.

Gilbert Andersen of North Road Bicycles in North Carolina is also a great guy to deal with about Moultons. He has a good stock of bikes and rides them on tour in Europe often. Give him a call at 1-800-321-5511. [That is the Eastern US time zone.]

Yeah, I found all that too - but there's zero info on any of those individual websites about Moulton models, specs, prices, etc. For that matter I didn't see much useful info on the Moulton website either.

Not everybody does the web thing. Try a phone call occasionally.

Not everybody does the web thing. Try a phone call occasionally.

+1

Cycling culture tends to be behind the times. Historic appeal I guess.

Try a phone call occasionally.

A customer initiating a contact and inquiry is so not marketing a product.

tcs

I bought my Moulton ATB from Angle Lake Cyclery in 1989 via phone order and was pleased with how they handled things.

Gilbert Andersen of North Road Bicycles in North Carolina is also a great guy to deal with about Moultons. He has a good stock of bikes and rides them on tour in Europe often. Give him a call at 1-800-321-5511. [That is the Eastern US time zone.]


How is the ride quality of the Moulton, say compared to the Bike Friday or Swift? Are you able to make a comparison? Bruce? Are Moulton parts breaking and getting replacements a problem? 17" tires and tubes won't be easy to find in a pinch.

How is the ride quality of the Moulton, say compared to the Bike Friday or Swift? Are you able to make a comparison? Bruce? Are Moulton parts breaking and getting replacements a problem? 17" tires and tubes won't be easy to find in a pinch.

Not that I've ridden a Moulton, but Bike Fridays and Swifts are often criticized for being harsh rides whereas Moultons are praised as some of the most comfortable, plushest riding bicycles in existence.

The ride quality and comfort astonishes new Moulton riders. When I loan my 1965 F Frame Moulton to visitors they often ask to take it home or how to find one. A recent bike store mechanic initially laughed at the 1965 Moulton until he rode it. He said that it felt like his road bike without the bumps in the road. This 44 year old bike is in the stone age compared to the suspension of newer ones.

My 1 speed coaster brake 1965 Moulton Stowaway cruises along on the flats easily at 15mph and with a faster cadence over 20mph. It has a 45 inch wheel base on 16 inch(349)x1 3/8ths (37mm) Primo Comet tires at pressures of 90 to100#. The suspension takes the harshness out of the high pressure tires.

My early 70's Moulton Mark III improved the suspension, ride and build quality as did my 1989 ATB and 1995 APB. Yes, people point, laugh and joke about the Moulton as a different/ funny bike. But I think that I have the last laugh every time as I ride away in comfort that they only can wish for in their dreams.

The ride is a revelation. Mine was extraordinary. It was also quite fast with the TSR's quite aggressive ride position with drop bars. The top gear was about 105" as I recall and even though no kind of athlete, I made frequent use of it.

17" tires and tubes won't be easy to find in a pinch.

The TSR and NS bikes use 20" (ISO406) size tires. The Bridgestones and AMs do use the 17" (ISO369) size which is available online and, because tires that size are carried by Quality Bicycle Products, through any bike shop in the USA.

If you want a Moulton that you can find tires for "in a pinch", definitely get a TSR 9 or TSR27, since you can get tires to fit those models at any 24/7 Walmart Superstore or even in a small town hardware store - far better availability than 700C, actually.

Best,
tcs

How is the ride quality of the Moulton, say compared to the Bike Friday or Swift? Are you able to make a comparison? Bruce? Are Moulton parts breaking and getting replacements a problem? 17" tires and tubes won't be easy to find in a pinch.

I have a Moulton TSR30 (that I bought from EvilV) and a 1970 MK3 (completely rebuilt with parts from various sources). I second the comments that have been made about the comfort of the ride. My first ride on the TSR was quite eye-opening. It was like riding a Cadillac suspension, gliding over bumps in the road. The TSR also has a long wheelbase, providing smooth control. I can ride hands free very easily on it. The space frame also provides a rigidity that's incredible.

I think the TSR would make a GREAT touring bike. It does weigh about 25lbs, so it's not so much a racing or climbing machine.

With apologies to those who have already seen these pictures, but I just love showing them :p:

Lovely!

I like to keep up with her travels.

One of the very nicest features of that TSR 30 is the way the pivot of the rear suspension works.

Firstly, the pivot is a hard steel rod in phosphor bronze bushes AND it is lubricated with light grease through a grease nipple. I mixed oil and grease when I did it so it is nice and 'slurpicious'.

Secondly, the pivot point is in front of the bottom bracket, so that none of your pedal effort goes into winding up the rear suspension and compressing the rubber ball. Those kinds of details add a touch of class, but the main thing is that it really works nicely and is achieved without the kind of weight penalties that my telescopic suspension fork type bikes incur. Moulton is a master of this stuff. This generation of bikes achieve outstanding road holding and comfort with small wheels and hard tyres, so there is no compromise between speed and comfort.

JUST LOOK AT THIS DETAILED DESIGN WORK HERE:




http://www.tsr.uk.com/gallery/index.php?cursor=0&gallery-id=1


There is an old thread here about my early days with that bike:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=350543&highlight=review+moulton

Pieces of art.

What's the front dropout dimension?

A customer initiating a contact and inquiry is so not marketing a product.

tcs

So what! Either the OP will buy a bike that he has already found out the existence of or not. No skin off my nose or his.

Do you think the OP should have marketing foist a bike upon him that he doesn't actually want? It looks like word of mouth has done a lot of marketing already...

Evil - But the Moulton, some of their models anyway, looks so complex. Do all those joints require a lot of maintenance? Do they tend to wear out and break - and then with few people in the US knowing how to fix them and parts difficult or impossible to find?

I always thought that the enduring beauty of the bicycle is its inherent simplicity - yet the Moulton has its mystique.

Sesame - I like that TSR30! I'll trade you my Swift for it! :)

Some impressive reviews here. But are all the Moulton models equally great? Some look as complex as an erector set and some look relatively simple, and some come apart.

I just read your interesting 2007 Moulton review, Evil.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=350543&highlight=review+moulton

When you sold that bike to Sesame you shipped it from the UK to the US? How much did that cost?

Evil - But the Moulton, some of their models anyway, looks so complex. Do all those joints require a lot of maintenance? Do they tend to wear out and break - and then with few people in the US knowing how to fix them and parts difficult or impossible to find?

I always thought that the enduring beauty of the bicycle is its inherent simplicity - yet the Moulton has its mystique.

Yes I agree about simplicity being attractive, but the Moulton was a special possession. When people mock my 'cheapskate' reputation vis a vis knock offs, I can quietly laugh, that I did own that bike that Sesamecrunch now has. LOL.

As far as I know the bike is rather well engineered and doesn't need much maintenance. If by 'joints' you mean the suspension joints, the rear frame pivot, needs a squirt of oil or grease from a grease gun maybe once a year. The front system is said to be maintenance free, although, I did apply the odd drop of oil to the small pivots in the leading link - I'm just made that way - If I see a moving part, I oil it every once in a while. That bike I had will need no more service than any other does.

As for breaking, the leading link has a very low unsprung weight, it's just a light weight wheel on a pivot and all the hammer is taken by an adjustable spring. I only rode it about 360 miles, but it was totally solid and it just worked in a most unfussy way. I spent some time that year layed up with a ruptured calf after hurting myself trying to kick start a single cylinder motor cycle and I couldn't justify to myself having that moulton as a peice of artwork, so I let it be known I was thinking of selling it and Sesamecrunch came over here to buy it in person. We had a nice little meet and stayed with Mullleady, who most hospitably put us both up at his house.

I still look at those pictures and think how beautiful a bike it is.

I just read your interesting 2007 Moulton review, Evil.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=350543&highlight=review+moulton

When you sold that bike to Sesame you shipped it from the UK to the US? How much did that cost?

Better ask him - he flew over from SF and came to London. I drove the 300 miles from here to there and we did the deal in person. LOL. Quite a laugh that was.

There's a whole thread on the weekend:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=445448&highlight=adventure

Better ask him - he flew over from SF and came to London. I drove the 300 miles from here to there and we did the deal in person. LOL. Quite a laugh that was.

There's a whole thread on the weekend:

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=445448&highlight=adventure

:D:D

I just re-read that thread. What a riot that whole adventure was!!!

What's the front dropout dimension?

TSR range uses standard 100mm front hubs.

I have a Pashley Moulton APB in my sights. :innocent:

I wasn't looking, but this chap who has a whole shed full of Moultons is not riding it so he's only asking $750, for a bike in excellent nick (except I will probably have the frame powdercoated, am not liking the greenish paint job ). For $750 aus I would be an idiot to let it pass by. (Of course looking at the number of bikes I have, I am already an idiot.)

So I am already imagining how the finished bike might look. It might be my first bike with drop bars. Currently it is original with flat bar.

Some pics:

Jur:

Congratulations! Let us know if you decide to make the leap.

I look forward to your thoughts on the bike.

Also, who is this chap with a whole shed full of Moultons?! We need to know more!

I have a Pashley Moulton APB in my sights. :innocent:

I wasn't looking, but this chap who has a whole shed full of Moultons is not riding it so he's only asking $750, for a bike in excellent nick (except I will probably have the frame powdercoated, am not liking the greenish paint job ). For $750 aus I would be an idiot to let it pass by. (Of course looking at the number of bikes I have, I am already an idiot.)


Here, I'll try to help... let's see... you only go 'round once ... it's only money... SWMBO already has a Pacific Reach while sporting a permanent Cheshire grin ... gotta' be a no-brainer!!

I have a Pashley Moulton APB in my sights. :innocent:

I wasn't looking, but this chap who has a whole shed full of Moultons is not riding it so he's only asking $750, for a bike in excellent nick (except I will probably have the frame powdercoated, am not liking the greenish paint job

Snap up that offer NOW!! That's only £350, and if I'm not mistaken that bike was made in Moulton's own workshops. I don't think they were built elsewhere under license like the TSR.

That's a steal of a price Jur. Good luck.

Jur:

Congratulations! Let us know if you decide to make the leap.

I look forward to your thoughts on the bike.

Also, who is this chap with a whole shed full of Moultons?! We need to know more!

You'll be off to Victoria next then SesameCrunch? Nice time of year there.
:lol:

You'll be off to Victoria next then SesameCrunch? Nice time of year there.
:lol:

There could be worse places to visit :thumb:

I have a Pashley Moulton APB in my sights. :innocent:

I wasn't looking, but this chap who has a whole shed full of Moultons is not riding it so he's only asking $750, for a bike in excellent nick (except I will probably have the frame powdercoated, am not liking the greenish paint job ). For $750 aus I would be an idiot to let it pass by. (Of course looking at the number of bikes I have, I am already an idiot.)

So I am already imagining how the finished bike might look. It might be my first bike with drop bars. Currently it is original with flat bar.

Some pics:






Very cool....:thumb: I'd settle for a test ride on one, but I'd love own a Moulton and see for myself what they are like to ride...:)

Very cool....:thumb: I'd settle for a test ride on one, but I'd love own a Moulton and see for myself what they are like to ride...:)


Yeah, you'd like to test ride something as expensive as this first. I'll call that place in Phoenix that's listed on the Moulton website and see what they have, if anything.