little Citroën C1 needs a service, he always seems to need to be elsewhere, and it falls to me to deliver it to the garage and then make my way the couple of miles to work. I’ve tried running in (boring, flat, and I’ve probably already had to go for a run with the dog), I’ve managed to squeeze my 26in wheel mountain bike in with lots of huffing and puffing and swearing, but the time I borrowed a folding bike it was much easier. Trouble was, I then had to ride the

www.moultonbicycles.co.uk folder and it didn’t really grab me.

It’s coming up to C1 service time again and this, coupled with an office move that’ll increase my commute from about six miles to nearer 20, and might tempt me into taking the train occasionally, has made me think my n+1 bike could do with being foldable. But that 20-mile commute, which I plan to cycle in at least one direction and hopefully in both more often than not, means I’d like something that will not only fit on a busy train and in the boot of a small Citroën but also be a pleasant ride.

I pondered. We’ve had the odd folder in the Cycling Plus office over the years, but the only bike of that ilk that really caught my eye was a Moulton Double Pylon. But Moultons aren’t folders. What I hadn’t realised, though, is that many of them are ‘separable’. A quick turn of a screw, an undo of a cable or three, and voila! a bike in two parts. Get the carry bags (or the backpack that’s currently in development) and in about three minutes (with practice) you have a bike you can carry onto a crowded commuter train without causing too much ire.

Bike chosen, tech ed Warren collected this special ‘Bugatti blue’ 50th anniversary edition Jubilee number for me and – after swapping the uncomfortable-looking Brooks man’s saddle for my favourite Specialized BG one (I won’t be riding it long enough to break in the Brooks) – I was off.

My first concern was the gearing. I live at the top of a long, steep hill (it’s been used for hillclimb competitions and is 20 per cent in places according to MapMyRide plotting), but reassured that because the wheels were small the gears – Campagnolo Chorus, 52/36 chainset and 11-speed 10-28 cassette – would make climbing easy, I set off home. Quick resumé of my homeward commute: busy roundabout in the centre of Bath, short but steep climb up Holloway, through the Two Tunnels Sustrans route, onto the rough farm track when the tarmac runs out, then up the dreaded Hinton Hill.

I avoided the traffic and went under the subway, pretending I was Twiggy (I’m a girl of the Sixties – I belong on this bike! Well, a baby of the Sixties…). Then the first steep hill. Not sure I even needed the bottom gear. This was easy! A little squeaky, but easy. The steering’s a bit more ‘instant’ than my big-wheel bikes. And floaty! Riding the rough farm track-like Colliers Way, NCN 24, the Moulton was a revelation – its suspension, leading link front and fluid-damped rear, makes it incredibly comfortable. There’s a