Moulton bikes

[JackE]

Phil,
Thanks for your very interesting replies to my questions. Sadly, I will not make it to Bradford this weekend, will try again....... next year. Very interested in your load carrying solutions, especially the Brompton fitting. Next month I'm meeting up with a couple from the CTC forum who have a TSR 27 and 30. That will be my first view of these bikes "in the flesh" and I'm looking forward to it.
I'm quietly determined to follow my gut feeling about Moulton bikes and see what happens.
Jack

 

[willem]

Well, I did ride one, and might one day get one as a nimble city bike. I like rough road touring, however, and for that I think the Moulton is less than ideal. All I wanted to do is show you the range of possibilities with a recumbent and with a more classic bike. You did mention your back problems at the start, after all, and no suspension is faster responding than a fat tyre.
Willem

 

[Amanda P]

As the owner and rider of a Moulton, a recumbent and a fat-tyred bike (albeit 26", not 650B), I think all three have their place.

If I'm touring on the road,it's hilly or there's traffic, and I want to cover the ground briskly, the Moulton's the best tool for the job.

If I might encounter rough, muddy, loose or lumpy surfaces, something with fat tyres, or at least capable of taking a tyre with tread, is the tool to use (only slick tyres are available to suit 369-wheeled Moultons) - so a 26"-wheeled tourer or mountain bike.

If it's on the road and flat or only gently rolling, and any companions will also be on 'bents, I'll choose the recumbent.

 

[Monika]

Hi I'm not sure if I have posted this in the right bit but here goes. A friend of mine is selling a Vintage 1951 Moulton bike on eBay. It is due tomorrow afternoon. It is in very good condition and has a lot of history with it. I think she should have done a little research before putting t on eBay as it was valued at a Antiques Roadshow in the 1970 at £600. She has proof of this in form of a letter.
This is the history!
Own by Earnest Mapels, Minister of Transport. There is a typed letter and also a original hand written letter of history, it gives a little more information,plus the valuation given at the antique road show.
It is selling at the moment at £155. Could someone please tell me if she is making a mistake selling it and is it worth a lot more then £155.
Thank you

 

[Amanda P]

Monika, the right place to get expert advice is the Moultoneers' Yahoo group. This is allied to the Moulton Bicycle Club, but you don't have to be a member to join and post on the forum. You'll get all the advice you could want if you post there, and you may get offers to buy too. The MBC also has channels for selling Moultons, although to be honest they're trading among friends and prices tend to be a bit lower than on the open market.

Depending on the exact model of the bike, its condition and how well documented its provenance is, £155 sounds a bit low to me, but they often go for that sort of money, particularly if they're 'collection only'. Be willing to ship (including to the far east - that's where a lot of Moultons are going these days) and it could go for a lot more than that.

 

[Amanda P]

Oh, and to the best of my knowledge, the first Moulton bikes were sold in 1962, so is it possible you have dates wrong? If your provenance documents say 1951, or you've said that they do, then bidders are probably ignoring the history as fictional - there may have been prototypes around in 1951, but no production bikes.

I've found the listing now, and it's a nice bike. Collection only will seriously limit the price, as the keen buyers of bikes like this are in the far east.

 

[Monika]

Thanks for your reply!