onionbagblog
Chapeau!
That can't be healthy, not only for the household storage space, but also the patience of the fragrant mrs onionbagblogger. Each to their own; I reckon her two softball bats are a bit excessive.
But this 'aint no ordinary bicycle, No Siree. I've gone back to the future and bought a totally beautiful Moulton Deluxe model from 1965. As ever, I blame Jack Thurston and the brilliant @thebikeshow.
Halfway into the Bike Show two-parter on the social history of the Moulton, and I knew I would somehow be owning one within the week. Jack puts across a genuine feeling of warmth and affection for the Moulton, correctly identifying it as both practical and stylish, yet never eulogising the Moulton machine.
You can listen to the shows over HERE and HERE, but be warned: the genuine love for all things Moulton that Jack puts across in a couple of pieces of audio is likely to have you on the hunt for a Moulton as well. I got lucky. I liked the show so much, I bought the bike off the broadcaster. I am the Victor Kiam of bicycling.
'You've just got your hands on the Vespa of bicycles,' the good Jack told me as I rolled back to base on my new machine. He wasn't joking; my Moulton started to turn heads before I even had chance to change gear for the first time.
Cycling along the Albert Embankment and I started to balance the comfort with speed. Moultons were actually used for track racing - Tom Simpson is captured on camera putting in the laps at Herne Hill.
I soon realised why the UCI decided to outlaw the unique design from competing at track meetings. I cycled along with pride, unintentionally burning off a racer boy with his latest ultra light carbon frame before we hit Vauxhall Cross. Whoops.
It's all about the physics and having a low centre of gravity and highly pressurised tyres, which make for a most pleasant ride. Apparently. I'm just the purchaser of bike Pr0n.
Here's the helpful science lesson from the (soon to joined) Moulton Bicycle Club:
'With a much smaller rotating mass of the wheels on a 'conventional' bicycle, it is possible to accelerate and brake faster.
They offer a lower rolling resistance to large diameter wheels, due partly to a smaller contact point with the road.
They are extremely stiff and much stronger than larger wheels because of the short spokes.
The aerodynamic drag is lower; there is less frontal area and less spoke area causing turbulence to slow you down.
The centre of gravity is lowered, resulting in improved stability.
The small wheels free up space normally occupied by large wheels, allowing luggage to be carried lower.'
Plus the rear luggage rack makes a Moulton the perfect ride for bicycle touring.
I've pimped my ride with the addition of a bicycle bell. Blimey. My man over at Bob's Bicycles (that will be Bob, then) is equally as excited as me. He's just finished a custom gold spray job of a Moulton Deluxe. Yer man tells me he is looking forward to getting his hands dirty poking around within. Aren't we all, Bob?
And so that's two bikes this year, and we're not even a third into 2009. Whoops. I blew my bike budget on technology last year, so I'm playing pedal catch up. Nope, mrs obb isn't buying it either, although I am slowly winning her over with the argument that the Moulton would make for an ideal ride for her about town - assuming she can ever get me off it. You can't decide if you want to ride it or look at it. Or maybe that's just me...
You can track how my Moulton and me are getting along via daytum.
Now then - following the fragrant mrs obb's strictly one in, one out bicycle household policy, anyone want to buy a Fuji fixie?
Chapeau!
technorati: moulton deluxe
reply via twitter
| Friday 20 March, 2009 |
That can't be healthy, not only for the household storage space, but also the patience of the fragrant mrs onionbagblogger. Each to their own; I reckon her two softball bats are a bit excessive.
But this 'aint no ordinary bicycle, No Siree. I've gone back to the future and bought a totally beautiful Moulton Deluxe model from 1965. As ever, I blame Jack Thurston and the brilliant @thebikeshow.
Halfway into the Bike Show two-parter on the social history of the Moulton, and I knew I would somehow be owning one within the week. Jack puts across a genuine feeling of warmth and affection for the Moulton, correctly identifying it as both practical and stylish, yet never eulogising the Moulton machine.
You can listen to the shows over HERE and HERE, but be warned: the genuine love for all things Moulton that Jack puts across in a couple of pieces of audio is likely to have you on the hunt for a Moulton as well. I got lucky. I liked the show so much, I bought the bike off the broadcaster. I am the Victor Kiam of bicycling.
'You've just got your hands on the Vespa of bicycles,' the good Jack told me as I rolled back to base on my new machine. He wasn't joking; my Moulton started to turn heads before I even had chance to change gear for the first time.
Cycling along the Albert Embankment and I started to balance the comfort with speed. Moultons were actually used for track racing - Tom Simpson is captured on camera putting in the laps at Herne Hill.
I soon realised why the UCI decided to outlaw the unique design from competing at track meetings. I cycled along with pride, unintentionally burning off a racer boy with his latest ultra light carbon frame before we hit Vauxhall Cross. Whoops.
It's all about the physics and having a low centre of gravity and highly pressurised tyres, which make for a most pleasant ride. Apparently. I'm just the purchaser of bike Pr0n.
Here's the helpful science lesson from the (soon to joined) Moulton Bicycle Club:
'With a much smaller rotating mass of the wheels on a 'conventional' bicycle, it is possible to accelerate and brake faster.
They offer a lower rolling resistance to large diameter wheels, due partly to a smaller contact point with the road.
They are extremely stiff and much stronger than larger wheels because of the short spokes.
The aerodynamic drag is lower; there is less frontal area and less spoke area causing turbulence to slow you down.
The centre of gravity is lowered, resulting in improved stability.
The small wheels free up space normally occupied by large wheels, allowing luggage to be carried lower.'
Plus the rear luggage rack makes a Moulton the perfect ride for bicycle touring.
I've pimped my ride with the addition of a bicycle bell. Blimey. My man over at Bob's Bicycles (that will be Bob, then) is equally as excited as me. He's just finished a custom gold spray job of a Moulton Deluxe. Yer man tells me he is looking forward to getting his hands dirty poking around within. Aren't we all, Bob?
And so that's two bikes this year, and we're not even a third into 2009. Whoops. I blew my bike budget on technology last year, so I'm playing pedal catch up. Nope, mrs obb isn't buying it either, although I am slowly winning her over with the argument that the Moulton would make for an ideal ride for her about town - assuming she can ever get me off it. You can't decide if you want to ride it or look at it. Or maybe that's just me...
You can track how my Moulton and me are getting along via daytum.
Now then - following the fragrant mrs obb's strictly one in, one out bicycle household policy, anyone want to buy a Fuji fixie?
Chapeau!
technorati: moulton deluxe
reply via twitter
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