RIP Dr Alex Moulton

http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/dr-alex-moulton-rip-1920-2012/014056

We have him to thank for little wheel bikes (with full suspension!) and the suspension on the Mini…

RIP.

I’ve always had a sneaking desire to own a Moulton, endearingly idiosyncratic little bikes.

I went to his manor house in Bradford on Avon once. There are still big, square-edged holes (about 4in deep, the size of a tea-tray) in his driveway where he would test the suspension for the Mini. Lethal if you’re not paying attention on your bike though 🙂

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Only last night I was reading the article about him in the current Cycling Plus mag.

My mum bought me a second hand orange Moulton when I was around twelve and how embarrassed did I feel having to ride that funny looking ‘shopper’ around when my friends all had new, drop bar racers. Then thirty years later I was digging through my parents sheds and loft spaces desperately hoping it would turn up and cursing them for having thrown it away.

He was one of those people like Clive Dunn & Patrick Moore who I was always suprised to hear they were still going. Strange last few weeks it’s been 🙁 RIP.

My first 2 wheeler was a Moulton Mini about 1968. We didn’t have Chopper money.

Another British genius passes away. R.I.P. Sir Alex.

I know they are considerably younger but it’ s a sad world where we lose the likes of Patrick Moore and Alex Moulton and get left with the likes of Cowell and Morgan. C’mon big G, surely Murdoch is in the cross hairs?

I’ve always had a sneaking desire to own a Moulton, endearingly idiosyncratic little bikes.

+1 – they look very cool..

Plus, and people forget this bit, they’re also faster. He was a genius, argumentative whenever I met him, but almost always right. RIP.

A truly engaging and entertaining man to listen to, glad to have met him if only once. He looked at things, said ‘we can do it better/different’ and went and did it. The world will miss people like this, it his type of eccentric inovation that moves it forward by small steps.

I very rarely comment on the RIP threads, but this man was different.

Good grief. I know it’s the time of year, but come on – two in two days is a bit much!

Have a listen to this. [/url]

bencooper – Member
Plus, and people forget this bit, they’re also faster

Really? Is this the better drafting argument?

I had the misfortune to have a Moulton folding bike fold on me when the bolt that joined the two halves together snapped. No warning, face and palm plant at 25 miles an hour. No gloves or helmets back then. I was lucky to save my teeth.

The bike was a favourite up until then.

The Mini suspension was the best ever. My pick up had a 1400cc engine, adjusta-ride cones, spax shocks and Cooper S disc brakes. Uncatchable on B roads, and even four wheel driftable 😯

Really? Is this the better drafting argument?

Not just that – small wheels are more aerodynamic anyway. It also separates suspension and rolling resistance – allowing very high pressure tyres with low rolling resistance, and suspension makes you faster on-road just like off-road.

Left-field, eccentric designer/inventors coming up with ideas that are genuinely alternatives to the preconceived norms of the day were a tremendous British tradition. Moutlon was a great example. I hope there are more in the pipeline.

Just seen this sad news. Dr. Moulton was quite a character, I have heard him lecture and visited his house in Bradford on Avon where I believe the bikes were assembled at one time – the small factory had a track around it. He showed us various incarnations of his ideas which were fascinating – based on the low rolling resistance and fast acceleration of a small diameter tyre at very high pressure. I was a student at the time and those of us who had ridden over to Bradford on Avon were allowed to take one of his bikes for a ride.

At one of his lectures I asked about frame sizes and suggested that his ‘one size fits all’ didn’t quite work for someone of my height. He told the story of a lecture given by Mr Rolls (or Mr Royce I can’t remember which) where someone in the audience complained that the location of the handbrake got in the way of his long legs. The reply from Mr Rolls was “do you know anyone who is a surgeon?”, “yes the man said, my friend is a surgeon”, to which Mr Rolls said, “well there’s your answer”.

Fair enough Ben, any ideas on what difference it makes?

eccentric english gent alas this mortal coil will be poorer for yet another loss

(I have to say that, on initial reading, I did fear for my brother in law.

Then I remembered that, in spite of the same name, he’s unlikely to be able invent his feckless arse out of bed.)

As you were.

Makes me feel i ought to get my finger out and restore (tidy up) the moulton i bought a couple of years ago and is now waiting sadly for some attention. Rode it into town a few times, people openly laughed at me 🙂 Would look great painted bright orange!
RIP Sir Alex

Fair enough Ben, any ideas on what difference it makes?

I’m not really an expert 😉 I know it was pretty significant when they tried the Race Across America. I’ve seen a few BHPC races where a Moulton has stood up well against recumbents on tight, twisty circuits – not as aerodynamic as the ‘bents, but able to accelerate very quickly and weave through.

They’re noticeable faster to accelerate when you try one.

Funnily, Sir Alex didn’t approve of recumbents – I remember seeing him at an event where some people had made recumbent Moultons (it’s a pretty simple conversion) – he just tutted and shook his head and walked off.

Speaking of Rolls-Royce and the like, I was at a talk where someone asked him why he didn’t make his bikes fold up properly, like Bromptons. “We’ll, they fit fine in the boot of my Bentley” was his reply.

bencooper – Member

They’re noticeable faster to accelerate when you try one.

I bet they feel faster…

Nope, really are faster – much less inertia in a small wheel.

Another hero passing, will always remember driving my 1275gt and going round corners with far more speed than was possibly sensible.

Ok i have finally started the winter project (from about 3 winters ago)!
Got the Moulton into the garage stripped off the rack and guards and blasted them at work, the chrome is long gone but should paint up ok.
Stripped the frame last night, wow the seat post came out ok…. bigger wow i managed to wrestle the quill stem out of the fork steerer!
So almost got the frame stripped for blasting and paint.
Just struggling with one crank cotter pin! Remember them??!
Bought a few cables and brake blocks, need to order some new “16 tyres should get it back together in the new year. Quite what I will do with it then who knows, but its nice have a project! 🙂
RIP Sir Alex….

Bit late, but:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01p7hdl

…from 15m34s.

NCB, piccies please!

Not much to see really, took a couple of pics today before blasting. Just need to get that damn cotter pin out!

@bencooper

Plus, and people forget this bit, they’re also faster. He was a genius, argumentative whenever I met him, but almost always right. RIP.

I’ve signed up to this forum just to reply to that. As someone who’s know Dr Moulton my entire life, I absolutely love that quote! A brilliant summation of the man, we’ll miss him terribly.

On the small wheels are faster subject:

World Speed Record and Race Across America

The World Speed Record still stands, since 1986, and if you look at the Heritage Page on the Moulton Bicycles official website, there’s a lot more.

Moulton Bicycles – Heritage

also, a recently posted page:
Quite interesting reading…[/url]

Bit of a progress report.

Got the frame back from the painter today. I had bottled it on the bright orange, and went for a much more subtle gloss grey. It turned out well. Got it part built tonight.
Not sure aboutthe wheels will probably have to buy new rims as the rear is pretty badly rusted. The rest came up ok, trying to use as many origonal parts as possible.

Back from paint

part built