Discussion
Yep, had several. I started with an "APB 14+" which was one of the Pashley built ones in the '90's. It was fine, good for tarmac and mild off-road (I used it on trails in the South Downs and the Trossachs with no problems, 'gnarly' BMX tyres were the things to have) but it was heavy and I never really fell in love with it TBH.
After some years on that one I found an ad for a 1965 series 1 which I bought for £40. I popped some alloy rims on it and some almost decent brakes and immediately discovered that it was a much nicer bike than the APB (though with 16" wheels only really suitable for the road). In fact I sold the APB a couple of days later. The early bikes are great value and give a real 'magic carpet' sensation when riding on broken tarmac, quite unlike anything else I have ridden. With decent tyres they are quite fast (though still heavy, about 30-35lbs) and have fantastic racks (fnarr fnarr). They handle very well indeed but it is always tricky to get decent braking performance - mostly due to the long cables and funny routing required.
I now have two series ones, both 1965. One is with the original 4 speed Sturmey Archer hub and the other now has a 3-speed coaster brake and nice nitto bars, brooks saddle etc. They are great and still good value. I wouldn't pay more than about £150 quid for one in good condition but some collectors are inflating prices on Ebay. The real weakness is the rear fork, which can often split on series 1's. The Moulton Bicycle Club or 'Moulton Preservation' can give all the technical support you are ever likely to need and parts are easy to source from them.
The others (AM's, New Series, TSR) I have no experience of. I am sure they are very nice but not thousands of quid nicer than the early ones.
After some years on that one I found an ad for a 1965 series 1 which I bought for £40. I popped some alloy rims on it and some almost decent brakes and immediately discovered that it was a much nicer bike than the APB (though with 16" wheels only really suitable for the road). In fact I sold the APB a couple of days later. The early bikes are great value and give a real 'magic carpet' sensation when riding on broken tarmac, quite unlike anything else I have ridden. With decent tyres they are quite fast (though still heavy, about 30-35lbs) and have fantastic racks (fnarr fnarr). They handle very well indeed but it is always tricky to get decent braking performance - mostly due to the long cables and funny routing required.
I now have two series ones, both 1965. One is with the original 4 speed Sturmey Archer hub and the other now has a 3-speed coaster brake and nice nitto bars, brooks saddle etc. They are great and still good value. I wouldn't pay more than about £150 quid for one in good condition but some collectors are inflating prices on Ebay. The real weakness is the rear fork, which can often split on series 1's. The Moulton Bicycle Club or 'Moulton Preservation' can give all the technical support you are ever likely to need and parts are easy to source from them.
The others (AM's, New Series, TSR) I have no experience of. I am sure they are very nice but not thousands of quid nicer than the early ones.
well I've just gone for this
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
for 30 quid plus 20 quid p&p
I'm going to give it a service and stick a brooks saddle on it.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&am...
for 30 quid plus 20 quid p&p
I'm going to give it a service and stick a brooks saddle on it.
Oooh, a 'Mini' - the one with 14" wheels. It will be a bit trickier to source decent tyres but still an interesting (and pretty rare) ride. I think they were basically 7/8ths size model for people of slightly smaller stature. Having said that, all of them have a pretty huge range of adjustability for size. It might just get you hooked!
AnotherClarkey said:
Oooh, a 'Mini' - the one with 14" wheels. It will be a bit trickier to source decent tyres but still an interesting (and pretty rare) ride. I think they were basically 7/8ths size model for people of slightly smaller stature. Having said that, all of them have a pretty huge range of adjustability for size. It might just get you hooked!
Christ. I hope not. I've now got 3 folding/clown type bikes.
Still, s'only money. And Moulton are a minor British institution.
AnotherClarkey said:
I wouldn't worry about the money, when you come to sell it you will probably have some crazed collector from Japan offering you hundreds for it . Moultons are something of a cult out there just like Minis.
Interesting we have one in my mothers cellar, I may have to go around and get it back into working order! My dad bought it new in the 60's, I used to ride in the pannier! cjs said:
AnotherClarkey said:
I wouldn't worry about the money, when you come to sell it you will probably have some crazed collector from Japan offering you hundreds for it . Moultons are something of a cult out there just like Minis.
Interesting we have one in my mothers cellar, I may have to go around and get it back into working order! My dad bought it new in the 60's, I used to ride in the pannier! Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff