[ceptimus]

In my youth, I had a Moulton bike. These had small wheels (17-inch) and very rigid frames, but compensated for the otherwise harsh ride by having front and rear suspension - one of the first bikes to do this.

Last year, I was privilidged to be invited to invited to Dr Alex Moulton's country estate where he was hosting a large event to celebrate his many years involvment in British Engineering (he is now 87 years old). I flew some of my radio control helicopters and planes to entertain some of his guests.

I got the chance to talk to Alex and see some of his new range of bikes that are being made at premises within his country estate. Some of the bikes have a space frame that is incredibly light and rigid, and also folds for transport.

I would like one - but they are rather pricey. I'm not convinced that small wheels are really a good idea on bikes, but I can't help admiring the quality of the engineering in these machines - even if they are a solution to a problem that doesn't really exist.