Moulton TSR leading link

[Mick F]

The problem with front suspension generally, is that if you want to set up the bike EXACTLY the way you want by measuring heights, lengths and angles, the front suspension is uncompressed and the saddle angle looks different to when the bike suspension is under load.

Non-suspended bikes are easy.

To this end, with my Moulton, I made a compressor thingy using a bottle-screw and some bent wires. This system can also be used for stripping down the leading links and cleaning them.
Photos are self explanatory.

First, with the leading links with the suspension uncompressed, followed by them with it compressed by my device.

The rest is showing how I did it.

[simonineaston]

So good they named it twice?

There's been much debate on the origin of the double M design. Not read a convincing answer. Darrell'll know, I expect. He's done a lot of research into such things. One plausible suggestion is that it mirrors the gables of the south aspect of The Hall. see below
re the rotation of images, it seems to happen to the very largest files. One of the moderators (sorry, can't recall their name so will have to generalise, rather impolitely) wrote some code that deals with certain file uploads, so that may be one for them. I generally resize files I upload, when it's pointless having them original size, so mine tend to be smallish eg the file below.

double Ms may follow the gables...

[simonineaston]

PS used to really like the Pashley badge, back when they made the TSRs... they were stamped & had a quality look & feel to them, but aren't available anymore, at least to SST owners as they aren't made by Pashley anymore.

round, stamped Pashley badge

[Mick F]

Not that I'm an expert ............

The Pashley TSRs had a curved top to the rear triangle.
The Moulton TSRs had the pointed corner, like your picture ........ and mine.


Pashley had it like this.
I had to search through Google Images to find one.

[Norman]

I'm sure my TSR has a badge or sticker somewhere saying it was made by Pashley. I'll look tomorrow.

[simonineaston]

I'm fairly clear that the move from the bent tube rear triangle to the triangle with separate tubes and unified bb was the main difference between the APB and the TSR. The change were overseen by Dan Farrell (although he will not tell what "TSR" nor indeed "SST" stands for!) and took place while Pashley still made the models under licence, at Stratford. I'm also fairly sure that all APBs had braze-ons for canti brakes, so that image you found, Mick, is an exceptional hybrid - a view perhaps supported by the rear triangle and front forks being a different colour to the rest of the frame - it's certainly not a stock model, but looks to me like an extensively modified APB.
Top tip: should you need piccies of any partic. Moulton model, the Moulton Buzz Flickr photostream is extensive and readily searchable.

screenshot of Flickr photostream, cropped...

[Mick F]

I'm sure my TSR has a badge or sticker somewhere saying it was made by Pashley. I'll look tomorrow.

Just checked mine.
Moulton badge on the front, and Moulton sticker on the seat tube near the BB.

Nothing saying Pashley at all.

[simonineaston]

Pashley seemed a bit hit or miss about the application of that nice bas relief Pashley badge - of the 6 APBs / TSRs I've owned, only 2 of them had it. The APB probably pre-dates its existance. The TSRs that had it both dated from around the time the TSR model was first launched so may have enjoyed a certain first flush of enthusiasm. Later models may have suffered from penny-pinching due to recession... who knows. Shame - I thought it was rather posh looking - added a small touch of class to them. I did write to Pashley on the subject - twice in fact - but did not receive a reply on either occassion.

[rogerzilla]

TSR and SST are named after British aircraft, specifically the TSR2 and Concorde.

[Norman]

An update; I've just got back from the RSF Autumn Meet in the Chilterns. I was leading a very slow and short ride of which a good bit was rough stuff. The Moulton handled well, I really am pleased with it.
Yet another question. Separating the bike is easy but re-assembling isn't quite so easy. The hard bit was getting the hook joint to engage. It refused to go in properly for ages.
What's the technique? Lots of grease, teflon spray, or beat it with a hammer? (the last is a joke!)

[Mick F]

I agree that it's not easy.
Practice makes perfect maybe.
Rarely separate mine though.

The hard part, for me at least, is that the frame is heavy, and holding the two parts at a high enough angle and steadily enough to hook the hooky bit in, needs a pair of strong arms.

On the same subject of the "join", I found that the knurled screw thingy to hold the hooky thing together, would come undone. I got over the issue by drilling a small hole in the alu knurled thingy, and using a small Allen key of my multitool to use as a tommy bar to get it tight.

[Norman]

This morning I tried separating and re-assembling the TSR again, this time I sprayed the hook joint with teflon spray and it went together quite easily. Of course that might have just been luck!

One incident while out on Saturday, we were riding along a track and met some walkers. One looked at my bike and said 'what sort of bike is it, is it a Bickerton?'
What an insult!

[simonineaston]

One looked at my bike and said 'what sort of bike is it, is it a Bickerton?'

If you keep it, you will have to get used to sundry gents telling you a whole load of stuff about Moultons - and yours in particular. Some may be factually accurate, most will be drivel.

[brumster]

One looked at my bike and said 'what sort of bike is it, is it a Bickerton?'

If you keep it, you will have to get used to sundry gents telling you a whole load of stuff about Moultons - and yours in particular. Some may be factually accurate, most will be drivel.

A guy at a cafe recently asked me "But how fast can you go on those little wheels?"...

[simonineaston]

I've refined my answer to that old chestnut down to two words - "gear ratios". If they've got any sense, they think about it and think it over. If they haven't got any sense, it usually confuses them enough for me to escape...