Earliest Alu MTBs? And what year?

jaypee · Apr 16, 2013

I guess there'll be a progressive answer to this.
Presumably someone did it first, a few followed suit slightly later and then decent bigger manufacturers started a bit after that.

It's surprisingly hard to get to the bottom of via a Google search. I know the first Alu bike was 1890 something!

legrandefromage · Apr 17, 2013

welded in a shed or in a factory? ('specialist' or mass-produced)

Cannondale is mentioned on the Mombat site:

And 'specialist' I suppose would have to be Charlie Cunningham.

My favourite Cunningham pic:

Road bikes of various exotic materials had been around a while before but aluminium had mostly been forced together or bonded. There is the 1930's bike on this site that the name escapes me that was welded. This is in the same design as what the clunkers were based on until custom frames were made.

*edit: here it is!

1936 Wards Hawthorne Silver King

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=130985&hilit=aluminum+silver&start=60

legrandefromage · Apr 17, 2013

So, It could be argued '1979' when the first all terrain bicycle constructed of aluminium (or aluminum)..

jaypee · Apr 17, 2013

Thanks Mr Cheese, good info. I have an 87 or 88 diamondback arrival frame (serial starts A7 so I'm hoping 87, first year they did Alu). It's been resprayed and as far as I can see on the catalogues there's no difference in the frame 87 to 88.

jaypee · Apr 17, 2013

Was wondering where it fits in the evolution - knew it
was early for mass-produced. Was their top bike equivalent to the axis.

feetabix · Apr 17, 2013

the cunningham is very 'you' mark......i can see you on that, in front of me on the gates ride!.....

24pouces · Apr 19, 2013

I agree for Cunningham

But in an industrial scale : I would say Klein who made aluminum bike since the 70ies, but its first mountain bike would be around the mid eghties (perhaps I'm wrong).
Cannondale is 1984, and don't forget American in 1985.

In Europe, it was cyclocross, but there were Alan and Vitus, with bounded aluminum.

Earliest Alu MTBs? And what year?

jaypee

Senior Retro Guru

legrandefromage

legrandefromage

jaypee

Senior Retro Guru

jaypee

Senior Retro Guru

feetabix

24pouces

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