Moulton MkIII question
 

Hello folder riders, this is my first post in this sub-forum! I've just (sort of) joined your ranks after finding a Moulton Mk. III on craigslist that needs a bit of work.

Among other minor problems, the seat post is not original (looks like it came from a exercise bike,) and probably slightly oversized. A previous owner addressed this by inserting it only to the bottom of the slot in the seat tube, but fortunately did not deform the tube significantly. The entire post is less than 8" long :twitchy:

Because the opening is a bit stretched out, I can't accurately measure it with my calipers, but I think it should be about 27mm. Can someone confirm what size post this bike will take? I believe the bike is a Raleigh-made version from 1968 or 69.

** edit: after digging around for Moulton history, I realize that this one can be no earlier than 1970...

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_TIeBxBH6dXI/TB...moulton_01.jpg

The offending post (and offensive saddle,) when I spoke to the owner on the phone, he suggested the bike may be a Schwinn because of the saddle...

http://lh5.ggpht.com/_TIeBxBH6dXI/TB...moulton_03.jpg

I can't answer your question. I have an earlier pre Raleigh Moulton and Raleigh used its own standards and often proprietary sizings. There is a forum on Yahoo devoted to Moulton's and your's is a popular one for restoration. There are also good photo's and some files there too.

Nice find.

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/moultonbicycle/messages

Congrats on a great find. I did an MK3 restoration a while back and am delighted with the results.

Before:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...Moulton1sm.jpg

After:

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...omatichub1.jpg

Full story here: http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=404689

The seatpost is 28.6mm. Hope you find a replacement.

The Yahoo Groups is a great place for questions and answers. Lots of Moulton fanatics out there. Mostly in the UK, best I can tell.

Thanks for the link, I've signed up. I'm no stranger to the ways of Raleigh, having four others in my garage at the moment. :thumb:

Thanks for the answer on the seat post, I was beginning to think it was 27.2mm (which is easy enough to find.)

I read your thread from start to finish a few months ago, before finding this one. Yours looks superb! I'm not going to do a full-fledged restoration on this one yet, I've got a few other bikes in the queue. Eventually it will go to the powder coater that took care of my Santana tandem, I've already started daydreaming about the color scheme...