Folding Bikes - New Moulton website

Despite the fact Alex Moultons has never built a folding bike, nearly all of the discussion about Moulton bikes is on this sub-list. (Well, OK, they do have a long history of separable bikes.)

So anyway, in celebration of 50 years of Moulton bikes, the company has rolled out a new website featuring both the Alex Moulton and Pashley TSR model ranges:

http://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/index.html

Be sure to watch the "Features" animation. Schweet.

tcs

What are the advantages of Moultons compared to other high end folders?

Kam

Moultons are basically top-notch. Excellent frames, high level of component quality, suspension, lots of R&D. Probably not a huge difference vs an Air Friday, which afaik is in a similar price range anyway.

The new web design isn't all that snazzy, but is a *huge* improvement over the old one.

This bike just totally rocks my world:

http://www.moultonbicycles.co.uk/models/Moulton50.html

Any idea how much these go for? ...right. (http://road.cc/content/news/625-moulton-tsr-50) OK, so that TSR 9 looks pretty interesting...

I set up a folding bike with that identical gearing.... Schlumpf at the front, Torpedo Duomatic at the back.

I hated it. For most riding the roads are flattish, and I set it up to use the middle 2 gears for that, and of course the lowest for uphills and the highest for downhills. The problem was, I had to do 2 gear changes ALL the time - shift the Schlumpf, shift the Duomatic. And due to the brakes relying on kickback and pedal position not choosable, I couldn't install clipless pedals; even with normal pedals I had the uncomfortable feeling of wanting to fall over all the time.

So great concept, not so great in use.

I got a UK 2009 price list at the Bike Show in London, back in October. The Pashley-built TSRs start at £1k, up to £1750 for the TSR30 (as owned by SesameCrunch and EvilV before that). For the Bradford-on-Avon Alex Moulton models, all built to customer requirements so these are examples: Esprit's £2800 for a Shimano 105 spec fixed model, AM Speed £3500 (105, fixed), New Series High Tensile Steel £4950 (Dura-Ace ,separable), NS Speed Stainless Steel £6900 (Dura-Ace, fixed), and £7950 for the NS Double Pylon Stainless Steel (Dura-Ace, Separable).
They would like to make the AMs cheaper, honest.....
When I win the lottery :)

The Moulton 50 is a limited edition model. Only fifty were made. Japanese importers bought 41 of the 50 at the 2008 Las Vegas Bike Show. The US list price is around $3000 if you can find one. Don't hold your breath too long.

What are the advantages of Moultons compared to other high end folders?

Well, of course, Moultons aren't folding bikes, and the majority of bikes Moultons has turned out over the decades haven't been particularly high end.

As one can read on the web site or in several books and a great many magazine articles, Alex Moulton has spent 50 years building bikes with:
1) Small wheels
2) Front and rear suspension
3) Open frames

Advantages compared to other bicycles include strong&light wheels, silky-supple ride, superior road holding and handling, quick acceleration, easy and prodigious load carrying and unisex/multi-age use.

tcs