Separating a Moulton - anyone know how it's done?

another jacko
another jacko Posts: 891
edited June 2007 in Workshop
I've got a Moulton, which I believe to be a Stowaway model from the mid 60s. On the top of the downtube there is a hole with an allen nut inside and opposite it on the underside of the tube is a spring loaded button, which I guess is mainly for locating the tubes in the right place while you put it back together. About an inch or so in front of those are two bumps, which I guess are caps covering other holes, but in case they are not meant to come off, I haven't tried to take them off to see what's inside.

Amazingly, the allen nut still turns and if I unscrew it the join between the two halves of the frame loosens, but it doesn't come apart with gentle pulling. The Allen nut does not unscrew far enough to be withdrawn completely, but stays inside the hole in the frame. Should it come right out?

Do I just need to be more brutal in trying to prise them apart for the first time in many years, or is there something else I need to do to break the connection. It has the F&S Duomatic hub, so there are no cables between front and rear, it is only the frame that needs to come apart.

Any Moultoneers out there who can advise? All help appreciated.

Comments

  • Two sheds
    Two sheds Posts: 446
    Pull the bolt right out. But first undo the cable splitters, so that the bike isn't left held tenuously together by brake and gear cables when you pull out the bolt.

    Put a hump in your back
    Shake your sacroiliac
    And ride on
    Put a hump in your back
    Shake your sacroiliac
    And ride on
  • abm
    abm Posts: 74
    I have a Series 1 Stowaway as my pub bike. Obviously there won't be any cable splitters as you have the duomatic hub. In my experience it takes about 5 minutes of wiggling both parts of the bike and it will eventually come apart - probably easier if there are 2 of you. The significant weight of the bike doesn't make this any easier - especially if you are doing it on your own.

    The Mark 1 is not an easy bike to separate and in my opinion they only got this feature right with the spaceframe series (which is what I think Two Sheds is referring to). That's why it is my pub bike.
  • Uranus
    Uranus Posts: 887
    as abm says . . it might be rusted up (all steel construction and bare metal inside the joint), but one person on each end of the bike pulling with a little bit of wiggling (not much, don't want to bend it) and it should come apart. clean and grease before you put it back together?

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