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What ever happened to the Alpinestars bikes?

ashleymp777ashleymp777 Posts: 1,212
edited November 2010 in MTB general
I was having a chat with my riding buddy on the way home from a ride yesterday, and we thinking about all those bike brands from about 10 years ago. And one came to my mind immediately, Alpinestars!

I remember that I desperately wanted the Al-Mega DX when I was a kid!
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Posts

  • dave_hilldave_hill Posts: 3,877
    I used to have an MS Racing CR-1, which was the forerunner to the AlpineStars (who still make motorcycling gear BTW)
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  • KonaMikeKonaMike Posts: 805
    My mate Richie still has his old 1990's Alpinestars in Retro lurid colours,I will get some pics next time Im in his garage !
  • davydesigndavydesign Posts: 178
    Oooh, like this one you mean?
    Almega.jpg
    pic nicked from this post at retrobike.co.uk
    Ransom
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    Pha5e
  • dave_hilldave_hill Posts: 3,877
    Blimey that brings back memories! :D
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  • Chaka PingChaka Ping Posts: 1,451
    What happened to them? I think the frames all broke. At least they did on my mate's one.

    He still makes the odd appearance in full team lycra, with that abstract neon yellow splatter effect.
  • Dark LordDark Lord Posts: 1,469
    i had the splatter shoes as well from a-stars.. good times.
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  • flybywireflybywire Posts: 575
    Back in '92 my brother had a Almega XT Alpinestars it was a good bike (white & black) .. it was an insurance buy after his Carrera Quattro comp. was stolen. :( (does anyone remember those!? - smokey marbled paint finish & quite lightweight ).

    I remember borrowing the almega for a shop ride from Cycology lbs in Crowthorne (about 30riders) one Sunday around Swinley Forest it had been raining quit heavily with large puddles on the main fire roads - decided to attempt a jump on a downhill across an 8foot puddle, unfortunately rear landing just short & hit a submersed rock resulting with rear wheel collapsing in half (doh). Walked the bike home ...

    Took some explaining to relatively understanding bro. Lent my Saracen Tufftrax for a couple of weeks so he had transport. Saved up & Lbs rebuilt wheel. Haven't borrowed anyone's bike since!

    Unfortunately a couple of weeks after that my Saracen got stolen from outside a Newsagents whilst I was standing in the shop looking at it through the window - a van pulled up onto the pavement and threw it into open rear doors .. b@s@r5s!! :evil:

    Bike theft was a real problem back then .. I had locked my bike but there wasn't anything to lock it to.
  • Steve KishSteve Kish Posts: 216
    First MTB I owned was a used A-Stars Al-Mega XT, 1991 model, bought in 1992. Very nice - I remember how good it was on the uphills with the curved seat tube allowing the rear wheel nice and close to the bracket - pain for spares, though, as everything was 'EVO' 1-1/4 fit.

    Unfortunately the EOS design was flawed. Without the chain stays to the bottom bracket, there was a helluva lot of flex there. I cracked my seat tube at the join with the EOS - twice! After having it TIG welded once, I was told that it couldn't be re-welded in the same place again. Eventually sold it as a 'fixer-upper' to an enthusiast! :(
    AT MY AGE, I SHOULD KNOW BETTER !!!
  • redveeredvee Posts: 11,922
    Still see an elevated chainstay AlpineStar in my neck of the woods in Bristol, obvioulsy the frame hasn't cracked yet.

    The brand was resurected by Moore Large. The first year they sold the bikes they were traditional frames with nearly full shimano groupsets ganging from XTR up to Alivio. The second year killed the brand off IMO as the frames were a radical design and had very few shimano components, front & rear mech I think. I had one and used it as a singlespeed approx 10 years ago with a Hope SS screw on hub.
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  • jaysonjayson Posts: 4,606
    I had a Cro Mega DX in gray and white, it was a great bike but the problem was the cromoly frame flexed even more than alluminium to the point where the granny ring was almost unusable because it would flex at the BB and prang the front mech into the rear tire with almost no effort going through the pedals.

    It was great for mud plugging though, the clearance was ridiculous at the rear and it never got clogged up even once much to the frustration of my best mate at the time who had an old raleigh he used.

    It was a flawed design but still a great bike and i'd love to get hold of one today to rebuild :)
    Remedy

    Merida

    Austria 2012
  • stevie stevestevie steve Posts: 5
    I've got one and still using it and possibly looking to sell

    Its a red cro mega dx and still in pretty good condition. Considering its from the 90's lol. Replaced a fair bit of the front end. Had a full Dx system from what Iremember.

    Was purchased from Bike up in bristol, which may explain others seeing them in Brizzle area

    I'll upload a pic when I get a chance
  • AndyOgyAndyOgy Posts: 579
    I very nearly bought an Alpinestars bike (can't remember the model but it had a cro-moly frame) about 20 years ago. I'd saved the money from working the summer holidays in the local garden centre to buy a Trek 6000. On the glorious day that I took my savings to the bike shop I saw, for the first time, this Alpinestars bike. It looked so cool that I didn't care about how much research I'd done before choosing the Trek, I wanted that Alpinestars bike. Sadly, they didn't have it in my size so I got the Trek anyway. Turned out to be a good thing since I still have the Trek and still ride it quite regularly. I probably would have killed the Alpinestars bike within a couple of years.

    But talking of elevated chainstay bikes, does anyone remember the Nishiki Alien bikes? I think they were the first example of a composite frame. Aluminium front triangle with a bolted on rear steel sectoin. It was still a hardtail but you could take the frame apart.
  • ASHLEYFASHLEYF Posts: 73
    davydesign wrote:
    Oooh, like this one you mean?
    Almega.jpg
    pic nicked from this post at retrobike.co.uk

    I had one of these back in the day i loved it, unfortunately it was stolen and i had to get the bus back home in my dayglo matching kit.....a sad sad day. Would love to get another one if anyone know of one for sale. Does not matter if frame damaged as i would just hang it on my wall.
  • boogercjboogercj Posts: 316
    Ugh. I think I've just been sick in my mouth a bit. :lol:
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  • billynobatesbillynobates Posts: 89
    ASHLEYF wrote:
    davydesign wrote:
    Oooh, like this one you mean?
    Almega.jpg
    pic nicked from this post at retrobike.co.uk

    I had one of these back in the day i loved it, unfortunately it was stolen and i had to get the bus back home in my dayglo matching kit.....a sad sad day. Would love to get another one if anyone know of one for sale. Does not matter if frame damaged as i would just hang it on my wall.
    I have one of these which i used as a run about town bike till recently. Even though it has the common hairline cracked frame on the seat tube the bike works fine but i wouldn't mind letting it go as i need the space.
  • meesterbondmeesterbond Posts: 1,240
    I remember lusting after the titanium version when I was young!

    Apparently though, if you think the steel one was a little on the flexy side, the titanium one was noodlerific - every time you put the power down, the chainstays flexed so much the chain would come off...

    Still very cool though!

    Ok, while we're on the retro thing, who remembers, or better still, who owned a Kirk Magnesium?? Now they were cool!
  • NatoEDNatoED Posts: 480
    my bro had the kirk revolution mag frame with a , i kid you not , rolls Royce BB (. was very nice till the rear end cracked. I had a Saracen which was that shape.
  • NatoEDNatoED Posts: 480
    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/kirk-revolution-m ... 2a01f6158d

    my bros was purple
  • jaysonjayson Posts: 4,606
    I did think bout buying one of those before i got my alpinestars but when i wrote to the company asking for some more information before i spent my hard earned on one i never heard a word back from them so i sod 'em and went with my original choice of the alpinestars.

    I only wish i'd kept it now after all these years.
    Remedy

    Merida

    Austria 2012
  • dave_hilldave_hill Posts: 3,877
    NatoED wrote:
    my bro had the kirk revolution mag frame with a , i kid you not , rolls Royce BB (. was very nice till the rear end cracked. I had a Saracen which was that shape.

    It was probably a Royce Engineering BB, not Rolls Royce... :roll:

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  • adamrobadamrob Posts: 1
    Still ride my Alpinestars AL-MEGA DX (not elevated chainstay model) today. Bought in 1991, resprayed it in the blue shade once the dayglo yellow strted to flake off with stone chips (back in the day). Still find the frame exceptionally good handling well. Mainly use on the road now as a hybrid, but it does get me up the french pre-alps atleast once a week.
  • sm1thsonsm1thson Posts: 47
    I had a Alpinestars chromega, it wasnt the elevated stays version though. Headset was 1:1/4" which was a pain as it pretty much ruled out getting suspension without silly costs.
    After many years of abuse I sent it to the bike park in the sky, the frame had crack showing on the rear stays and an inch behind the headset.
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