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Moulton is an English bicycle manufacturer based in Bradford on Avon in Wiltshire. The company was founded in 1962 by Dr Alex Moulton, who designed the "Hydrolastic" and rubber cone suspension systems for the BMC Mini motorcar,〔 and the later "Hydragas" system used by its successor companies. Moulton bicycles are noted for unconventional frame design, small wheels, and front and rear suspension. A misconception about Moultons is that they fold in the manner of more recent designs by manufacturers such as Brompton or Dahon. This is not true, though the Moulton design paved the way for such designs and various Moultons over the years have been made in separable versions allowing relatively easy dismantling for transportation or storage. Mass-appeal versions such as the Standard and Deluxe were complemented by Speed versions used in competition. Thus although Moultons are often included in the folding bicycle category along with small wheel folders, small wheel bicycles would be a more technically correct term covering all such bicycles. In August, 2008, Alex Moulton announced the creation of a new company called Moulton Bicycle, in collaboration with British bicycle manufacturer Pashley Cycles which had manufactured certain Moulton designs under licence since 1992. ==History== In the late 1950s, disillusioned with the design of the classic bicycle, Alex Moulton set about creating a new design. He thought the classic diamond frame was inconvenient to mount, difficult to adjust for size and not suitable for both sexes. That 'Ladies' open frame bicycles without the top tube of the diamond frame were structurally compromised for ease of use. He believed that classic bicycles (especially with small frames and smaller wheels known a 'shopper' bicycles) were uncomfortable to ride without the use of wide, low-pressure tyres which increased rolling resistance. He also thought large wheels made a bicycle slow and cumbersome to store, and did not easily fit emerging societal commuting patterns in the developed world, which often combined more than one form of transport.〔''(The Moulton Bicycle Company: Features )〕 Moulton considered that small wheels with high-pressure tyres would result in less rolling resistance, less inertia and hence greater acceleration. He then went on to develop a range of high-pressure tyres in cooperation with Dunlop. Suspension for the front and rear was developed to give a comfortable ride with the smaller wheels.〔Hadland, Tony, ''The Moulton Bicycle'', Seattle, WA:The Pinkerton Press, ISBN 0-9536174-0-8 (2000): Smaller wheels have shorter, stiffer spokes; this feature, coupled with smaller high-pressure tyres, produced a harsher ride with equivalent rider weights.〕 In this respect, the Moulton bicycle was truly ahead of its time, as bicycle suspension would not become common for another 30 years. The Moulton bicycle also featured a different frame instead of the traditional diamond design. It is often known as an ''F-frame'' or ''Lazy F'' due to its unusual structure. The F-frame had no top tube, as such, and could therefore be easily mounted by those with mobility limitations, whether imposed by physical infirmity or by type of clothing. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Moulton Bicycle」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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