BruceMetras

Been awhile since there's been any Moulton love on the board, so thought I'd put up my latest compilation of parts.. this older main frame started life, pink, then I had it stripped and nickel plated a few years ago (which was a mistake I won't make again) and then had it recently powder coated yellow.. the rear triangle off of a custom TSR-2 project that never materialized, and the front fork from my nickel bike...

So this time around, rather than the 27 speed dual drive setup that was on the bike, I wanted to go relatively simple with the drivetrain with the main use as a training vehicle to get me in better condition for the longer rides requiring more gearing ... so looked in some boxes and came out with a vintage Sachs Torpedo 3 speed coaster and laced it to a Velocity 451 rim .. had a S/A bar end shifter, so used that.. laced a NOS Shimano Ultegra front hub that's been buried in a box for years to another 451 rim.. stole some extra tires from my Reach Road stash.. using Lauterwasser shallow drop bars which I really like, a Tektro SL750 because I like the minimalistic look and it works well, some Paul arms to reach up to the 451 rim, and voila, my TSR-3.

Riding an English Moulton 3spd coaster is taking me back memory lane to the joys of riding the first bike I ever purchased , a new English Racer 3 speed coaster at the age of 12..

jur

Another "wow" build! You have such great taste and style...

Did the frame rust under the nickel-plating?

BruceMetras

Thanks! rides really well .. old Sachs hub seems so efficient... the TSR frame, as you know, just has so many little tubes and places, that I guess, can't be prepped well enough for a plating process to be successful .. very reputable, long established plater swore up and down he could do the job.. by the time I started seeing rusty areas in the hard to reach places, he was out of business ..

tds101 

Sir,...that is just BEAUTIFUL!!! A wonderful creation,...

invisiblehand

Sweet bike.

But you have to get ride of that adjustable stem.

BruceMetras

I know, I know, it's just there to dial in what I eventually want :-) .. I have an idea for something much more aesthetically pleasing.. meanwhile, I'm riding the heck out of it .. almost daily..

LittlePixel

Love it - super clean build (apart from the stock stem - which I know are pretty hard to replace - 1" Aheads are lick rocking-horse pøø.)
I was thinking about the same Paul extender / 451 combo for my TSR 27 so thought I'd ask if you notice an appreciable reduction in braking power with the longer distance between load and pivot on the v-brake arms?

BruceMetras

I haven't noticed any reduction in front braking.. the Paul arms are pretty nice, and stiff .. if anything, seems like I have a powerbrake up front.. they came supplied with thin-line Koolstop Salmon which squealed pretty good, but I didn't spend much time trying to correct that.... I switched out to some Tektros I had in the drawer, quiet, and I was riding immediately.. the Paul arms require some futzing to get adjusted correctly, but they've held their adjustment for a few months now..

Clownbike

Nice little runabout Bruce. Usually don't like yellow, but it works in this case.

onbike 1939

That is a pity as it was a pretty bike, but I would imagine like chrome, nickel plating would add a bit of weight as well to the bike.

I do like my TSR 27 but I find the added weight at the back an irritant. I keep wondering how much different a TSR 30 would be though if I ever convert it I'd use a 9 speed set-up rather than the 10.

I'm really very grateful for your threads as Dahon et al dominate these forums while in the UK it's Brompton.

BruceMetras

Actually, the nickel frame weighed less than the powdercoat.. not a lot, but there was a noticeable difference.. you could actually read the serial number clearly with the plating, as opposed to barely legible under the powdercoat.. I know what you mean about the extra rear wheel weight with the Dual Drive.. as much as I love the system (and I ran it for a few years), I found I wasn't using near the range that it offered for my normal riding, so the simplicity of this three speed Sachs conversion and the 451 wheels actually works just fine for me ...

BruceMetras

So last week I put into action my idea for a more pleasing stem on my TSR-3 .. probably been done before, but I haven't seen it, and definitely not on a Moulton.. I like the look of a road quill stem, but the Moulton 1" steerer is threadless and designed for an Ahead stem .. so I cut the threads out of some old school BMX 1" headset lock nuts, drilled for set screws, and assembled.. I could set the bearing tension with the stock expansion plug, set the locknuts, remove the plug, insert the quill stem, and I have what I wanted.. no adjustment required riding it over the weekend, but will keep an eye on it.. really happy with the result..

tds101 

Very nice indeed,...

onbike 1939

That looks really good.

Now I know that I'm old-fashioned but to my eye a good quality Quill stem has an elegance which enhances the look of the frame, which is something a threadless stem conspicuously fails to do. I used to buy Cinneli stems for all my bikes but now Nitto with it's "Technomic" is my favourite.

Like the Handle-bars Bruce....what are they exactly?

BruceMetras

I'm really pleased with the aesthetic result.. especially from the saddle perspective when riding the bike down the road.. the bars are SOMA Lauterwasser bars, copied from bars used by famed racing cyclist Jack Lauterwasser .. they are a favorite of mine.. work well with bar ends ... and comfortable, natural hand position.. I'm going to duplicate this arrangement on my TSR-20 ..

invisiblehand

Nice job Bruce.

chaunceygardner

Hi Bruce, I asked a similar question on an old post of yours but just found this update. I was wondering why powdercoating was easier on the spaceframe than the nickel plating, surely there are exactly the same problems with the nooks and crannies?

I'm really after a shiny finish on my TSR frame so I'm split between a 'chrome effect' powdercoat (which a lot of firms now seem to do) or nickel plating. Any advice would be much appreciated.

BruceMetras

Well, as you've found, my shiny TSR-27 became a TSR-3 with 451 wheels.. I tried the 'chrome effect' powdercoat on a frame and it was nowhere near what chrome or nickel plating is .. it's a nice shiny silver to be sure but doesn't substitute for chrome in my estimation.. nickel requires a fair amount of maintenance if you want it to always look good through the seasons ..

There is a lot of work to be done with a successful plating project .. preparation is everything and being able to get the polisher in the nooks and crannies will be a lot of work for the plater.. fork and rear triangle have pretty broad surfaces, so are easier to polish.. gets pretty busy in the bottom bracket area and main space frame.. powdercoat is an electrostatic process where charged media is attracted to the frame, and doesn't require surface polishing for it's shininess .. it's also thicker than plating and extremely durable..

So, you have a few things to weigh.. whether or not you can trust your plater, whether or not he will stand behind what he thinks he can accomplish, and if you want to subject the frame to the rigors of acid etching the metal and further prep work .. I'd go look at some finished results of the 'chrome effect' powdercoat jobs and see if you like them (they could be better than what I experienced a few years back) .. and I'd talk to chrome platers that have successfully done bicycle frames (bring your bike with you so they can see exactly what needs to be done) .. good luck with your project ..

onbike 1939

Having had a fully chromed bike (Thorn Nemesis) I'm not convinced that chroming is as resistant to corrosion as a good powder-coated job.

I found breaches of the chrome under the front and rear forks and would not consider repeating the experience.

That said, I do like the look of the stainless steel Moultons and am seriously considering selling my wife......would have to make up the balance of course.

jur

Bruce, I just noticed the rear fork ends were changed as well. How did you do those?

BruceMetras

That's a spare TSR-2 rear triangle that I had.. 120mm spacing, no cable stops or brake mounts... so limited hub gear options, but I can use a 1, 2, 3, or 5 speed with coaster.. I like the 3 speed a lot .. can use a bar end shifter and no click box... easy to swap in the Automatix 2 speed wheel pretty quickly if I'm trying to show someone what the auto shifting 2 speed is all about ...

Violinfish

sweet bike. very nice indeed.

chaunceygardner

Scary... but lots of useful advice there Bruce, many thanks.

One other process I've recently seen advertised is electroplating, which can also be done with a nickel finish (hence less shiny that chrome). I'm not entirely clear if I've grasped exactly how the process works - even from a brief read on Wikipedia - but it seems as though this combines the magnetising process of powdercoating with a 'true' nickel plate, which would reach into every nook and crannie.

I was wondering whether anyone here understood the process more clearly or had any experience of the technique?

Sorry Bruce, I'm slightly off-topic with these questions - I probably should have started a separate thread.

dezzie

check out spectrachrome on youtube, its very tough and durable and looks great, its sprayed on and looks better than any chrome finish powdercoat and can be coloured too!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itHzjYN_L3M

ttakata73

Dang it, I was taking a few years away from bikes to concentrate on other hobbies but seeing this makes me want a Moulton again.
I loved your old full nickle plated bike; too bad it didn't work out.

The Spectrachrome video look promising.
I recall a pro painter trying to use Alsa's chrome paint on a truck and he couldn't get it to a mirror finish so I just gave up on the idea of spray on chrome.
Guess I need a Moulton before I start thinking of pimping it out.