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  Ironweed Bicycle Products

Is that a Huffy?

4/7/2013

7 Comments

 
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1965 Huffy Moulton 4 speed
Back in December I purchased a 1965 Moulton "F" frame.  I bought it from a women in Houston just a week before the passing of Alex Moulton.  I began my search for the Moulton back in the late summer and finally found one that seemed to have potential.  

My particular Moulton was imported by Huffy back in the 60s.  Apparently, one of the distinguished features of the Huffy imported bikes is the detachable real carrier.  From what I understand this feature came on the Stowaway model.  The Stowaway could be broken down into two pieces and generally came as a single speed.  

My Moulton has a 4 speed Sturmey hub and came with a front carrier, which, despite crappy paint, was very true.  While I was in the market, I noticed several Moultons with front racks that looked like divining rods pointing straight into the dirt.  I'm sure this was the function of an enthusiastic child attempting to hitch a ride.  So finding one with a decent front rack was a plus for me. 

The one thing about the front carrier that you notice straight away is that it doesn’t track the front wheel.  That’s because it is attached to the frame, not the fork.  It does take a bit of getting used.  You have to pay attention when maneuvering the front end through close quarters.

Anyway, I bought this thing sight-unseen and the seller didn’t know much about the bike but she assured me it was totally rideable and all there.  All I had were pictures, a promise, and a reasonable price so I went for it.  Thankfully, it was the right choice.  Below are some before and after pictures.  I really just cleaned, greased, and tuned.  The frame and fenders are straight and the paint is about a 7.5-8.

It rides really well.  This was the first time I’ve ever ridden a bike with a Sturmey 4 speed and I am pleasantly surprised at the range and how well it shifted.  I’m not sure why the 4 speed didn’t become more pervasive.  I stopped by a neighbor's place yesterday.  He has a 1965 Moulton SpeedSix hanging up in his garage.  He jumped on my Moulton and took it out for a spin.  As I was leaving he was talking about getting his out of the rafters and ready to ride.
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Here is the picture sent to me by the seller... a little rough but I could see its potential!
7 Comments
charles link
11/4/2015 06:03:37 pm

Nice job on your 4-speed! I have one of these as well. I put back to rights last year. They are great riding bikes.

I recently came across a Huffy imported Speedsix from a guy in New Mexico. Your friend wouldn't happen to live in New Mexico would he? My bike looks like it's been in the rafters a while. You can see both of them at www.veloscene.net

keep ridin'
charles

Reply
Brian Loring
11/6/2015 07:49:41 am

Charles... thanks for sharing your site! Lots of interesting stuff there.

Reply
Joe Sprague
9/4/2017 12:38:49 pm

By now you have figured out what a great utilitarian bike you have.My wife has one exactly like yours.We have her f frame and a tsr27.These bikes get ridden on loose gravel roads 90% of the time.They are great for that type of road surface despite the small wheels.You must be careful of over loading your f frame or it will crack at the swing arm suspension block.We installed a Schlump Mountain Drive on our f frame to assist in hill climbing Seattle hills.We have both racks also but use a Salvation Army 50 cent basket on the rear and sewed a Klein utility bag on the front rack.By the way Brompton spokes and tires work on this bike.We were riding new Bromptons when we bought the f frame.We sold the Bromptons.The 1965 moulton f frame is a better bike all way round than the Brompton.Also superior to the Bike Friday NWT which we formally owned.Enjoy your Moulton.

Reply
Brian Loring
11/6/2015 07:43:53 am

Hi Charles. Very interesting. I didn't realize that Huffy imported SpeedSix Moultons. What are your plans for it?

--Brian

Reply
Charles link
11/6/2015 12:43:57 pm

Huffy imported many 4-Speeds and number of Safaris. There were only a very few Speedsixes that came into the US via Huffy. They are all this light gray color. According to one very knowledgable source, this Speedsix is one of only three he's ever seen! My plan is to keep it as is (due to its rarity) but clean it up and give it a good service. A fun project bike...

Reply
Jack Finucan link
6/6/2020 11:21:02 am

This page was just posted on the F frame Moulton facebook page. 5,000 Moulton 4 speeds were imported to the USA as complete knock down kits (CKD) in the middle 1960s. All were Dove Grey with white racks. There are photos of piles of crates labeled Azuza/Huffy. The general consensus by USA Moultoneers is that very few of the other models were brought in by Huffy; there is a photo of Nichelle Nichols on Leonard Nimoy's Moulton Stowaway. Huffy built two USA 4 speeds and sent them to Moulton in England for evaluation but they never built any more. One of them still exists. If you want to register your bike with the Moulton Bicycle Club, email me at moulton.registry@gmail.com. Send your name/email/location and the bike's year/serial number/model/color and any interesting info.

Reply
Chris Caunt
7/20/2020 01:54:43 pm

I have two Moultons, an AM-7, and a (Huffy) 4-speed. I used to import spaceframe Moultons, (see page 91 in ‘The Spaceframe Moultons), see Criterium Bike Shop. Both are in pristine condition, although the AM-7 has been updated and ‘improved’ with an old Campy Nuovo Record crankset, and a Shimano Capreo drivetrain. I am curious whether anyone has attempted to obtain any front suspension serrated nylon bearings for the older 4-speed recently, or, perhaps has pursued 3D printing new ones? I would have to disassemble mine to count splines and measure its diameter, but that’s an easy task. Mine is in excellent shape and working beautifully, but as a 40+ years bicycle mechanic, I like to plan ahead, so all of my bikes last as long as I do! So, is there any news out there on serrated nylon bearings?

Reply



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    Brian Loring


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