While I personally agree that Moultons are "over-engineered" (Birdies too) I realise it's all very subjective.
In 2009 I was offered a Moulton for little money from a bike shop in Ireland. I don't know which model it was exactly, but it looked like a suspension bridge with small bike wheels. The economy was in freefall at the time with the Irish banks going bust and the owner of the shop decided he wanted rid of it. I was tempted (I think he wanted €450 for it) but I was just as skint as everyone else at the time and couldn't justify the expense even though I knew it was a crazyily low price for such a machine. I can't comment much from personal experience about whether or not I liked the bike. I only rode it very briefly outside the shop.
More recently though I've been riding Swift Folders which I love dearly and are an example (in my subjective opinion) of an excellent bike frame design that's patently NOT "over-engineered". The Swift frame is very simple and in my opinion more elegant than the more complicated bike designs. I bought my first one as a fully assembled bike for far less than a thousand dollars. As soon as I got the bars lower than the seat the thing became a speed machine. I race fast lycra boys on carbon road bikes up big mountains on it. The frame is extremely stiff and it climbs like a dream. So I guess that in a way I'm glad I didn't get the Moulton back in the day as that might've become my small wheeled bike and I doubt that even a Double Pylon could out-class my Swift at what I enjoy doing, which is riding hard and long in the hills. Simplicity is bliss! The Swift is Zen. Form follows function, as it's said.
