boy"O"boy's Alpinestars AL-Mega DX

phew
i must have the only 3 rideable ones left on the planet
thought that was comprimised

Maybe you could still use it for some relaxed excursions on paved roads?

mikee":et87i9ll said:

phew
i must have the only 3 rideable ones left on the planet
thought that was comprimised

Click to expand...

My Cromega is sill very rideable...

GT-Steve":3sdx19fj said:

mikee":3sdx19fj said:

phew
i must have the only 3 rideable ones left on the planet
thought that was comprimised

Click to expand...

My Cromega is still very rideable...

Click to expand...

Likewise...

Have to admit I've never had an aluminium framed bike - too stiff for one, and BITD the life expectancy was only 4-5 years anyway... :shock:

AND I've put on weight since Mayhem...

That looks fantastic, that frame was mine originally and I found the crack before I had the chance to build it up. A welder friend of mine repaired it and told me that in his opinion it was safe to ride but other projects got in the way and it ended up with Steve.

I really can't believe how well its turned out, well worthy of BOTM.

...until the Landshark tandem gets entered that is

GT-Steve":rc2vh6t6 said:

mikee":rc2vh6t6 said:

phew
i must have the only 3 rideable ones left on the planet
thought that was comprimised

Click to expand...

My Cromega is sill very rideable...

Click to expand...

meant alloy ones

bloody fantastic, the stem is a really nice and compliments the chunky tubing

love it

well done

stubbsy

Fantastic work and result; my absolute favourite color-sheme from alpinestars.

One little comment: Maybe a black seatpost suits better and gives more contrast to the white/neon frame!?

We_are_Stevo":3k8uqmeh said:

boy"O"boy":3k8uqmeh said:

At some point in it's life, there had been a small lengthways fracture in the top tube that had been repaired.
Unfortunately, to get to the bare metal, they'd taken an angle grinder to a localised area and had ground several flat spots on the tube. This would have thinned the wall thickness in this area. :cry:

The rest of the frame was sound and straight though so I decided to continue with a full 'original spec' resto, although when finished it would be a garage queen rather than a 'rider'

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Just seems a shame to go to all that effort and expense then just look at it... :?

Each to their own I guess?

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Hi all.

Thanks for all your responses. All critique welcome...

A few points if I may-

The bike is certainly not unridable. I had a late night spin round the block on it when it was done ( didn't need lights! ) and let a couple of the lads at work have a spin round the car park once the studio shots had been done.
I think the confusion here is my definition of 'rider'
Like Raging_Bulls suggests - this would be absolutely fine for a towpath trail for example. The thing is, my definition of a 'rider' would be to turn up at a retrobike meet / national points series / mountain mayhem and earn your 'retrobike rider status' my giving your latest build a bit of punishment. Failure of latest and greatest would not only be potentially dangerous, you'd also get a fair about of ribbing from the other riders. .... Witness my free hub failure at Cannock chase. Mark did a great trail side repair but my ride was over. I knew it was faulty but I thought 'it'll last out".

Frames are different however. I'd be an idiot to ride at an event like that knowing full well there was a massive potential for A+E / facial damage etc..
All of my retrobikes get the same resto treatment. Step one is to strip it back to bare metal and analyse what you've got. I do the same for bars and stems too. This is also why I prefer to buy frames that need a 'bit of work'. It's also the thrill of the chase getting the parts/ sorting the paint/ drawing up and working out the graphic reproductions. Then it's all got to come together 'just right'

With 2 Aluminium 'O's as riders that have proven themselves - especially the orange/White #20 which has done 3 rounds of the points series so far and 3 laps at mayhem - I'll stick with these as my 'riders' to take the punishment.
Even my modern is not immune to damage. I recently had a 'big off' on my five bending the front wheel and bars in the process. My riding mate reckoned I'd be in A+E had I been on the 'O' .... We settled for the hospital arms instead for adnams and crisps ...and a tea towel of ice cubes!!

How do I get a 'retrobike rider status' btw? - I must have qualified now! *Monday Evening edit - pics included!*

Cheers all,
boy"O"boy