yangmusa

I hear you! I've had an expensive mountain bike and a very fast lowracer recumbent. But I sold them (and I DIDN'T need the money either thank you ) My favourite bike now is my 1964 Moulton Deluxe 4 speed that I bought for £26 (about $50). It doesn't look much, but it's so comfy and practical and I'm unafraid to leave it anywhere. My "nice" bikes stopped being practical transport because I was unable to leave so much money locked up unattended..



So go forth and enjoy you art bike, beater, city bike or w.h.y. and don't care what others think!

mike

- because your old classmate is an idiot.

mike

Wow, cool old Moulton! Those are really collectors items. Do you know that their is a BIG Moulton owners club? You should check it out. Everybody I know who has a Moulton associates with the international Moulton owners club.

Take care of it. Nearly every part is impossible to replace. I rebuilt a Sturmey Archer hub for a Moulton once. Even that was unique and different from the typical Sturmey Archer 3-speed hubs I had seen (and I have seen a lot of them). Is that an original Brooks white saddle? I know an LBS here who managed to get some parts like tires and I think even the dust cover for the front forks (I think those are spring loaded shocks, aren't they?).

Even though it only cost you 26 pounds sterling, it is almost certainly worth more than that and worth more than the mountain bike and recumbent bikes it replaced. Don't think that because you got it cheap means it isn't valuable. Most old Moultons are worth several thousand dollars to collectors. The four-speed Sturmey Archer hub and shifter alone is worth money. I wouldn't leave it locked unattended. Probably the only thing that has kept the bike from being stolen is lack of knowledge by thieves and the wicker basket you have strapped on the back.

There is an old lady in the neighborhood who rides her Moulton everywhere and I mean EVERYWHERE. She asked me to do some work on it. Some parts were litterally worn out and I had a dickens of a time replacing them. I checked the value of the bike with some collectors. Her bike was a particularly unique Moulton and it was worth about $6,000 at the time!

Anyway, neat bike. Everybody I know who owns a Moulton is in love with them. I have ridden them and they are a cool ride.

yangmusa

There's a club here in England, but I'm not a member. I think it functions like a mutual support group for hard to find parts, and so far mine has been totally reliable


I have no idea who made it. It's just a plastic saddle (though original, I think) so I doubt it's anything as fancy as a Brooks.


I've found internet dealers here in the UK that stock pretty much all internal parts for any Sturmey-Archer hub. If you ever needed parts again you should check it out - they are available and not expensive.


yes!


I think a quick eBay search will prove that these old bikes are NOT worth thousands of dollars! Even US auctions I've followed have barely been into triple figures.. (ie. hundred $) And even if it were thousands, it definitely wouldn't be more than the 2 bikes I sold

My Moulton looks ok at a distance, but up close it's a little ratty. Here in the UK it's just a cheap old bike, although the useability value for me is far greater than £26!

Ellie

But that was what I always aspired to be! Otherwise I'm just one of those irritating over-achievers.

I had a similar thing. My mum told her cousin I cycle to work, and she asked if I could afford a car. Its reactions like that that spur me to cycle more.

mike

[QUOTE=yangmusa]QUOTE]

I have no idea who made it. It's just a plastic saddle (though original, I think) so I doubt it's anything as fancy as a Brooks. Brooks also made plastic saddles in the 1960's

I've found internet dealers here in the UK that stock pretty much all internal parts for any Sturmey-Archer hub. If you ever needed parts again you should check it out - they are available and not expensive. The bike I worked on had a very unique SA hub, The gear pin was different from anything I had in my whole collection which at the time was about 9 S/A hubs. I ended up having a jewler fix the chain on the pin because I couldn't find a replacement.

I think a quick eBay search will prove that these old bikes are NOT worth thousands of dollars! Even US auctions I've followed have barely been into triple figures.. (ie. hundred $) And even if it were thousands, it definitely wouldn't be more than the 2 bikes I sold Most Moulton's maintain a good collectible value, especially here in the States. Obviously, they are not all worth thousands, but THIS one apparently was. The collector asked me to offer the owner $6,000 for it which I did. The AMAIZING thing was that the woman would NOT take the money. She wanted to keep her Moulton!

My Moulton looks ok at a distance, but up close it's a little ratty. Here in the UK it's just a cheap old bike, although the useability value for me is far greater than £26! That seems to be the right idea. Enjoy!

yangmusa

Mike, I don't know if it'll be any help to you, but Sheldon Brown carries quite a wide range of Sturmey Archer parts:
https://sheldonbrown.com/harris/sturmey.html

david.l.k

First off I would like to say that I sympathise. But since we had the first real day of winter, i.e. snow and ice in the T.O. all my school mates (I'm 18 last year HS) look up to me in awe at my hardcoreness (or edge slowly from the room).

Just one point I would like to raise. People always seem to pin **** on our econmic system. Granted there are a lot of f'ed up things with capitolism, but I find it kind of anoying how it is the catchal for general angst and disatisfaction. An econmic system doesn't make people think anything.
The real problem is consciousness. The level of it. People are brought up watching TV and learn quickly to crave the convinient. Our econmic system is one of supply and demand. The convenient life is the easiest, but arguably the least satisfying. So our economic system has adapted to what people want. Comfort convenience and luxury. Where does the ultimate blame lie. It lies with us. People are simply so darn unconsicouse that they don't ever stop and think about alternatives. People far too willing to drift through life without filling thier minds with anything of substance. If you want to know where the problems are it is the this lack of consciousness.
It amazes me with how few people actually read books on a regular basis these day's. Whenever I meet someone new one of the first things I ask them is "so what do you read?" this tends to either start an interesting conversation or filter out people not worth talking to. Generally you can't read too many books without expanding your mind and that's what I find when I talk to people. Even if I don't agree with their views I enjoy talking with well read people.
End Miss-spelled rant

Bekologist

Let those people know, "It really must SUCK to have to drive everywhere, eh?"