My new project....

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
peetee
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My new project....

Post by peetee »

Is a Moulton.
I’ve always had a hankering for one, not necessarily this model, but it was local, so...
FEA0E5F7-FA4F-4400-99FF-B680434D4582.jpeg
It was until recently a show bike but has suffered the ravages of the Cornish weather. Stored inside an outhouse it was protected from wind and rain assault but the near 8 months of salty dampness we suffer here has done its evil thing to the paint and chrome.
I’m working my way through it to see if it all functions and the only truculent part so far is the front suspension which refuses to compress.
Do we have any owners here that could advise me as I go along?
Last edited by peetee on 8 May 2023, 8:20am, edited 1 time in total.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
iandusud
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Re: My new project....

Post by iandusud »

I suggest you get on the Moulton Club forum https://www.moultonbuzz.com/community/forums/
I'm not that familiar with the original Moultons although I ride an AM. However the Deluxe is a great machine with the SA 4 speed FW hub gear. I have ridden one and they're a lovely little bike. A great project.
rogerzilla
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Re: My new project....

Post by rogerzilla »

https://moultoneer.wordpress.com/2021/1 ... a-moulton/

https://moultoneer.wordpress.com/2021/1 ... -assembly/

You will need a very long Philips no.2 screwdriver and a lockring spanner. Chances are the spring has rusted to the inside of the inner steerer, and the rebound spring stop may also be rusted in place. Buy a can of Plus Gas and take your time. It WILL come apart without damage if you are careful.

Ask if you need any help. I have stripped and rebuilt a lot of these in the last six months and never been defeated.
peetee
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Re: My new project....

Post by peetee »

Thanks folks.
Rogerzilla, Plusgas already applied. I liberally coat any project like this and wait a week before applying any tools. :)
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
rogerzilla
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Re: My new project....

Post by rogerzilla »

Make sure the Plus Gas is thoroughly washed off the rubber parts as soon as you have it in bits. These parts are just about impossible to replace and nothing oil-based is good for them.
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simonineaston
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Re: My new project....

Post by simonineaston »

Looks like an early model, to judge by the billiard cue paint design, the rivets at the tube flanges, the series one forks and lastly, though it's hard to see, the single boss where the front rack would be, if it was present - it's higher up the steerer tube than on later models. The age doesn't materially affect the way you need to deal with the bike to refurbish it, but there are a couple of checks that it might be wise to carry out to do with safety and longevity.
More info. will follow tomorrow.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
peetee
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Re: My new project....

Post by peetee »

rogerzilla wrote: 19 May 2022, 9:23pm Make sure the Plus Gas is thoroughly washed off the rubber parts as soon as you have it in bits. These parts are just about impossible to replace and nothing oil-based is good for them.
Cheers. I was aware of its issues. What I should have said was liberally coated the relevant areas rather than imply it was lying in a bath of Plusgas. :wink:
Simonineaston, it is indeed early; a Mk1 from 1962.
One feature which I have yet to see on another example is outer cable stops. Others have location rings to guide a ‘front to back’ full outer cable.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
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simonineaston
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Re: My new project....

Post by simonineaston »

Simonineaston, it is indeed early; a Mk1 from 1962.
Nice & elegant. And made at Bradford on Avon. A farely rare example of the original Alex Moulton design, before is was improved by beefing up some of the components that were too light to cope with use and abuse from the Great British cycling public.
The two issues relate to the forks. One is easy to spot, the other, not so. A visual check of the underside of the rear fork is usually all that's required to rule out the problem that could affect the rear fork, which if abused by kerb jumping and so on, would develop a crack on each arm of the fork around the area where the suspension block is mounted.
The other issue affected a batch of front forks and as far as I recall, was to do with the brazing that joined the components at the fork crown. The check is to ensure that a complete ring of braze is seen around the join, which of course is only possible if the paint is removed.
I have a queasy feeling that the front fork issue affected an entire early run of BoA made cycles, so yours might be a model of concern, however brighter bunnies than I may be able to advise.
I think both issues are described in the F frame "bible" - Tony Hadland's book, titled unsurprisingly The F frame Moultons. Out of print now, it crops up second-hand, often at around twenty quid and is a must-read for anyone who owns one of the iconic early Moultons. I have a copy and will peruse later for further info on the fork issues described above.
The other feature that marks the cycle out as early is the use of one only strut for the rear rack. AM would stick to his guns re mechanical design and he insisted one would be enough, but did not take customers' inclination to use and abuse his cycles into account and reports started to come back of users overloading the rear rack and banging up and down kerbs - Moulton law has it that these riders were teenagers using his bikes to deliver newspapers - and slowly but surely overloading the rear rack and its single strut.
Quite early on the history of the design, the factory moved to adding a second strut under the rack, as well as the original strut from above. But you probably know all that already :-)
Last edited by simonineaston on 20 May 2022, 10:38am, edited 1 time in total.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
peetee
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Re: My new project....

Post by peetee »

Simon, thank you. :)
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
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simonineaston
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Re: My new project....

Post by simonineaston »

A quick skwizz at TH's book, referred to earlier, reminds me that the front fork issue affected cycles only during the time they were assembled at Kirkby, however, I've snapped the footnote that's part of chapter 3 - Launch and Success. I think you're in the clear!
picture of text from Moulton book
picture of text from Moulton book
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
rogerzilla
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Re: My new project....

Post by rogerzilla »

IIRC the lower rack strut was called the "Timmy strut" or "Timmy stay" after the employee who suggested it.
iandusud
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Re: My new project....

Post by iandusud »

rogerzilla wrote: 20 May 2022, 2:19pm IIRC the lower rack strut was called the "Timmy strut" or "Timmy stay" after the employee who suggested it.
Tim Bigwood. Supposedly retired but apparently he still goes in a few days a week.
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simonineaston
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Re: My new project....

Post by simonineaston »

he still goes in a few days a week.
That's so cool! Recently retired from my longest job, I recognise that I didn't really do much of value... :-( Tim can think otherwise! Hat's off.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
rogerzilla
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Re: My new project....

Post by rogerzilla »

The bike is in between some notable changes: the bare cable runs and lack of a Timmy strut were only on very early bikes, but those usually had narrower bellows on the front fork.

The pool cue paintjob went on a bit longer, and the higher front rack boss went on until well into 1964, almost the end of series 1.

Series 1 Deluxes were pretty good, with lots of alloy parts (no rust). Series 2 Deluxes are de-specced and much less nice - basically Standards with chrome mudguards, lighting and a front rack. Even the dynamo lighting on them was a cheaper bottle rather than a Dynohub.
peetee
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Re: My new project....

Post by peetee »

rogerzilla wrote: 20 May 2022, 6:29pm The bike is in between some notable changes: the bare cable runs and lack of a Timmy strut were only on very early bikes, but those usually had narrower bellows on the front fork.
I think the bellows might be a replacement as it’s in top condition. The second to last owner had it as an award winning show bike so some of the contributors on here may be familiar with this particular bike. Unfortunately the chap I bought it from has let the cosmetic condition deteriorate.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
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