1990 Alex Moulton AM14 Separable

1990 Alex Moulton AM14 Separable

Frame no 903001

Campagnolo Chainset, Gears, Brake Levers, etc 

Shimano Brakes

17″ Wheels

Bridgestone Moulton 17 x 1 1/4 Tyres

Ovation Saddle

Pump in Seatpost

(Now sold)

I contacted the manufacturers and, according to Moulton company records, this AM14 was built by them on 26th July 1990, and sold to Swift Cycles of London.

A friend bought this Moulton six years ago from its first owner because he had always wanted one. The first owner had purchased it in 1990 from Swift Cycles of Tower Hamlets, London, as a present for his son in Australia, with the Campag upgrade fitted from new. But the son didn’t want it, so it remained unused until 2006.

After buying it, my friend rode it regularly, but he also had many other classic bicycles to ride, so it did not have constant use. He always used it for summer holidays – it’s very convenient to dismantle and put in the car. Apart from a few scratches to the paintwork, it’s in excellent condition. The tyres are good, it has recently been serviced, and it’s ready to ride.

This Moulton is only 22 years old. But, being built in Alex Mouton’s own Bradford-on-Avon factory to the highest standard – ie before Pashley took over and built Moultons cheaply – this AM14 Separable was a design classic when new …nowadays, of course, this is a very desirable bicycle, both for investment and riding.

I specialize in worldwide delivery, so a fellow enthusiast anywhere in the world may purchase this beautiful machine: within two weeks after payment, it will have been partly dismantled, professionally boxed, and delivered by fedex air courier to the lucky new owner’s front door, ready to provide faithful service for many years to come.

Dr Alex Moulton pioneered the small wheeled bicycle revolution nearly 50 years ago. All of today’s small wheeled cycles owe a debt of gratitude to the original Moulton ‘F’ frame design which not only introduced and proved the concept of full-size bicycles with small wheels, but also, right from launch in 1962, have utilised front and rear suspension systems for improved comfort and performance. The Moulton bicycle has been developed and refined constantly ever since and is held in high regard throughout the world.

Dr Alex Moulton CBE RDI FEng (born April 9th 1920) is a highly respected English engineer and inventor, renowned worldwide for his expertise in suspension design.

The great-grandson of the rubber pioneer Stephen Moulton, he was educated at Marlborough and later at King’s College, Cambridge where he graduated in Engineering.

During the Second World War he was employed in the Engine Research Department of the Bristol Aeroplane Company where for two years he was personal assistant to Sir Roy Fedden, the Chief Engineer.

After the War he joined the family rubber company, Spencer Moulton and Co., where he became technical director and established a research department specialising in rubber suspension systems for vehicles.

In the late 1950s the family business was sold to the Avon Rubber Co. and Dr. Moulton founded Moulton Developments Limited to concentrate on creative design and suspension systems for vehicles. One of Moulton’s notable achievements from this period was the design, development and production of the suspension system for the iconic Mini, designed by his friend Sir Alec Issigonis. The combination of conical rubber springs and small wheels was one of the many innovative developments which allowed Issigonis to achieve the Mini’s overall small size.

In 1956, inspired by his automotive developments and prompted by the oil shock caused by the Suez Crisis, Dr. Moulton started work on the small wheeled bicycle and eventually in 1962, at the Earls Court Cycle Show, the first Moulton Bicycle was launched.

Given Alex Moulton’s background in aeronautical and automotive engineering, it is perhaps unsurprising that his bicycle design ethos was, in the late 1950s, completely at odds with the accepted norms of the cycle industry. His development activities extended to construction methods and, whilst many of these are commonplace nowadays, the large section tube, extensive use of pressings and lugless construction of the original Moulton bicycles were quite revolutionary in 1962.

Whilst Moulton bicycles of today are of different appearance and construction to the original models, the ethos of improved ride comfort, high performance, convenience and practicality in use is still the same. It is noteworthy that the space-frame Moulton, some twenty-five years after initial launch, is still regarded as a novel and interesting design and its performance compares favourably with modern diamond frame bicycles. Of course, the latest Moulton models have considerably evolved since then and offer improvements in every area of performance and comfort.

Strong parallels can be drawn between the evolution of the Moulton bicycle and research undertaken by Moulton Developments Ltd. in other fields. The rubber suspension systems used on the bicycle owe much to the Moulton automotive suspension systems used on the Mini, the MGF and over fifteen million British motor cars built between 1959 and 2000. This pioneering work in independent suspension placed greater demands upon chassis stiffness and these new design requirements eventually led to the space-frame construction of the Moulton coach.

OVATION SADDLE