is a moulton good for long commute

scottgeniusltd2005

hi guys,

my new commute in september to uni (training to be a nurse) will be 27 miles each way. my current commuter, my beloved scott genius carbon won't be up to the job as it will be too uncomfortable to carry all my books / laptop / change of clothes on my back for that type of distance. i am considering the moulton tsr 30 as it splits and be taken on to trains easier if i have long distance placements and has very nice rack system. will it be up to the job and comfortable? any one use one for long distance commuting.

cheers

Steve Kish

Sounds well suited for dragging around but with the small wheels, may be less cumfy that you hope for. Nice cumfy saddle and thicker grips may help. 8)

roger_merriman

scottgeniusltd2005 wrote:

hi guys,

my new commute in september to uni (training to be a nurse) will be 27 miles each way. my current commuter, my beloved scott genius carbon won't be up to the job as it will be too uncomfortable to carry all my books / laptop / change of clothes on my back for that type of distance. i am considering the moulton tsr 30 as it splits and be taken on to trains easier if i have long distance placements and has very nice rack system. will it be up to the job and comfortable? any one use one for long distance commuting.

cheers

i'd thought it would be fine as it has suspention it should cope with lumps better than the scott, the Moulton's are susposed to be quick bikes before the UCI out lawed them i believe they set some rapid TT and race times.

stuaff

TSR30....nice. You can also get custom-built versions from certain dealers (eg Villiers Velo) if the stock spec isn't quite to your liking. Good review of it here. http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=350543

ris

moulton's are lovely bikes, and the rear elastomer will help a bit with the roads. you could also consider the airnimal range (joey and chameleon in particular), they fold down - not as small as the moulton - and use 24" wheels.

the chameleon in particular is a nice bike, i've seen quite a few turned into tourers and apparently one was used in world champ triathlons with some success.

scottgeniusltd2005

hi guys,

forgot to mention that unfortunately i will have have to get up / down some 6% long hills, just the way it is in rossendale, will the ,moulton climb these ok as i have read reports that no standing and dancing can be done on these. mind my full susser doesn't like standing and dancing much either even when fully locked out.

ride_whenever

If you're planning on doing some serious miles, look at getting a birdy. It is basically a touring folder. Really nice to ride as well, particularly the ones with the monococce (sp) frames.

Cunobelin

You need to decide - fold or perform....

The Birdy / Brompton / Dahon type bikes are folders that fold quickly to a (variably) small package, but compromise on handling

The Moulton / Joey /Airnimals are performance bikes that fold.... the packages are bigger and slower to achieve

I toured and commuted with a Moulton for a number of years, but it takes several minutes to dismantle and pack the machine and you end up with two large packages - just for the bike!

This Youtube video will give you an idea of the process and size of the "folded" bike.

I would suggest that you need to get "hands on" to see what suits you best, bearing in mind the compromise you are going to be forced to make.

Also have a look at A2B magazine

Avon Valley Cyclery in Bath has one ofthe widest ranges of cycles available - and their website gives a fair idea of what is available onthe market.

tardington

Also - heavy books; Any nursing course has a library of the most important ones at the central bit! Please don't tell me you were going tote Roper Tierney and Logan about? :shock:

biondino

If you're going to be doing a long 6% hill you'll be much happier choosing a nice low gear and spinning than standing and mashing!

cougie

Thats a hell of a lot of miles I reckon - 250 miles a week ? Are you up to those kind of mileages ? Maybe you can cycle and alternate with a lift or something ?

baldbee

Last year I used a tsr27 for a fully laden, 3 week, camping tour. I found it very, very comfortable once I had fitted a saddle and handle bars that suited my own peculiarities and very stable with or without loads. Hands and backside were well isolated from the road. The rear rack/bag can carry a lot if you want it to, but the largest bag is expensive. I dont see why the tsr30 should be any different comfort and load-wise. The SRAM dual drive was brilliant on the tsr27. I found that splitting the bike for the journey home was not a great advantage. It was still unwieldy, and there were 'ordinary' bikes on the train. Once I learned to pedal smoothly (getting out of the saddle was not a good idea) I could go like the wind in comfort.
On the negative side. The chain and gears are very near the ground so going off firm and clean surfaces is not a good idea (even so I did do this without mishap) and the front suspension sometimes squeaked (very annoying after a while).
Hope this helps.