Balance AL-450 build

[AudiSport44]

I've decided on the steerer length and got some spacers. Saddle, front derailleur, chain and pedals are on.

 

[novocaine]

Not much of a picture.

 

[AudiSport44]

Not much of a picture.
View attachment 619556

I see, you have the one with the older (I think) graphics. Do you know what year yours is? I'm trying to find out which graphics were first.

What's your plan for it when you build it?

 

[novocaine]

I see, you have the one with the older (I think) graphics. Do you know what year yours is? I'm trying to find out which graphics were first.

What's your plan for it when you build it?

No idea. It came to me in a round about manner.

As to ideas, none right now. It's on the thinking bench along with an FSR that has moved from the healing bench.

 

[FluffyChicken]

I would say the red above is later as it has a fancy mech hanger, the ones without are earlier.

Serial numbers on these will probably tell you years etc.


Seems quite a short stem on your bike for this age of bike.
Hope it works nicely though.

Loving the build and bike

 

[novocaine]

serial number for mine is in this thread (note, not my thread, same bike though).

https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/balance-450al-advice-welcome.299815/
no idea how it would have been coded.

nothing about mine was original as far as I could tell it was a parts built rather than off the shelf. 1998 z3 forks, STX RC for the most part (mismatched crank), xlites bits and bobs etc. I'd put it around 1999 for the build but that doesn't mean much.
rear mech hanger tallies with this era, it was used on many many bikes (mainly cheap ones) around that time, hence I have a far few of them in the bottom of the tool box.

 

[FluffyChicken]

M411... Could be M doesn't matter, but normal coding puts them as 1995 model (1994 Nov made).

Doesn't mean it does use that coding.

 

[novocaine]

M411... Could be M doesn't matter, but normal coding puts them as 1995 model (1994 Nov made).

Doesn't mean it does use that coding.

95 could fit, be more likely that the bike was bought as a whole and upgraded rather than as a parts build so 3 years before a fork upgrade (original would have been a manitou comp I beleive).

 

[AudiSport44]

I would say the red above is later as it has a fancy mech hanger, the ones without are earlier.

Serial numbers on these will probably tell you years etc.


Seems quite a short stem on your bike for this age of bike.
Hope it works nicely though.

Loving the build and bike

Thank you!

I did some digging and found some info that dates these frames. So apparently there were 3 variations in the graphics. Mine is the middle iteration and yours is the last. I'm going off the information in this thread:

https://www.mtbr.com/threads/balance-bikes-1995-catalogue-scans.339251/page-4
If you scroll down to post #79 you'll see what I mean.

**Oh and the short stem is there because it's a large frame and I need a medium. I wish I had the choice to pick sizes but when you buy new old stock it's not like you have a say in the matter

 

[joglo]

Thanks for sharing the link to the 1995 catalog.
Documentation about Balance is hard to find.

Please find below a picture of the EU premier in 1994 at a Bike show.


I do have also 97 and 98 catalogs (below), but both are pretty boring in terms of portfolio and brochuere.
The glory dates seem to been over already at this time.