Why a Moulton (or why not)?

So they’re old or expensive and they’ve never quite caught on. Why might you want one. Well:

• The suspension beats you up less than a normal bike on a ride with poor quality roads. This really is a thing; you can get off a Moulton after 60 miles and feel far less stiff and sore than on a conventional bike.
• They attract attention, particularly the later spaceframes. Kids and women seem to love them. Men in white vans, on the other hand, shout homophobic slurs, and drunks bellow incoherently at you as their befogged brain tries and fails to process what they see before them. Definitely a bike for those who don’t like to be anonymous.
• The bespoke luggage carrying options – if you can afford them – barely affect the ride and handling, because they are carried only on the main frame, and quite low down.
• The bike is easier to mount than one with a top tube, the early F-frames particularly so. The spaceframes are somewhat taller.
• The small wheels are very strong, assuming a halfway competent build.
• Resale value is very good if you decide a Moulton isn’t for you, or want to trade up.
• They are good fun, especially crashing through potholes and over speed cushions that you would normally try to avoid.
• The spaceframes are reasonably compact and most can be quickly split in two for easier transport by car (or train, if you have two very large bags to put the halves in). F-frames are quite large and only the Stowaway model can be separated.
• There is an owners’ club which is a useful source of parts, information or inspiration.

But there are reasons they haven’t replaced the diamond frame bicycle, and it’s not just about availability and price:

• They are fairly heavy. A TSR with reasonably lightweight road components is a similar weight to a fully-specced touring bike (28lb), substantially above the weight of a modern road racing bike, or even an audax-style bike (which would be a fairer comparison) A series 2 F-frame Moulton deluxe with two racks, lighting and all the chromed steel parts is about 40lb.
• Rolling resistance is higher because of the small wheels, particularly on rough roads. The suspension offsets this to some degree, but expect a Moulton to be 1-2mph slower over a long ride.
• A Moulton doesn’t like to be wrestled up hills, honking out of the saddle. There is no lockout for the front suspension and much of your effort goes into making it pogo up and down. This means you really need low gears to spin up hills, and few Moultons have those gears. In fact, the F-frames have laughably high gearing as standard. The triple chainset spaceframes are most suitable for low gears, but the bicycle industry is killing off triples as quickly as possible. The huge rear cassettes that are now in vogue simply won’t work on a Moulton, because a long-arm rear derailleur is too close to the road. So: they’re good for strong riders who can sit in the saddle and grind.
• The quirky frame design means there is nowhere really good to carry a water bottle. The TSR has bottle mounts, but one is unreachable while riding and the other occupies the same space as your knees when pedalling. Band-on bottle bosses behind the seatpost are a good option, if you are tall enough and eschew a saddlebag.
• The suspension needs very infrequent maintenance but it can be tricky to work on. F-frames are harder than spaceframes in this respect, and overhauling one requires special tools like a pop rivet gun, a drill, two very long screwdrivers, a lockring spanner and a ratchet strap. You’ll see why dealers didn’t like them in the 1960s.
• Parts availability can be poor. Moulton Bicycle Company guarantee to provide parts for anything made in the spaceframe era – or at least an alternative part to keep the bike on the road. You may have to wait a while and enquire direct, as there are very few Moulton retailers. No official new parts for F-frames have been made for decades. Some consumables like suspension bushes, rear pivots and rubber bellows have been remanufactured and were available through Moulton Preservation (an independent venture), but this is closed at the time of writing. Cannibalising another F-frame is often the only option, even though it takes another Moulton off the road. The lower part of the headset and the rear suspension block are not available new at all, and are parts unique to an F-frame.