Liyang 550 AL

[retro-rich]

Hi

Sorry for the intrusion, I'm normally in the road bit

Wondered if anyone could shed some light on a bike I've been asked about. Belongs to a friend and presumably was in the shed for a while, he wants to get it running again and asking if worthwhile.

It's a Liyang al 550. Frame decals suggest Deore components but the brakes arms are Altus and has gripshift shifters, so presumably been swapped around a bit.

Are the Manitou forks any good?

He says the frame is pitted and the laquer is flaking a bit, any tips for cleaning up an aluminium frame?

I suppose the ultimate question is, is it worth enough to do up? Have googled and found out that they are a generic frame maker in far east.

Cheers

Rich

 

[taffy]

Generic frame maker but pretty decent quality and good spec. the fork though not the top dog Manitous were again good quality. so yes it's worth spending a few quid on to get up and rolling again.

 

[NeilM]

I agree with Taffy.

I had a Llyiang AL550 bitd and rode the shi...erm rode it a lot. It was a really good reliable bike.

The AL550 was one of the first models that Llyiang tried to sell direct. It may have been available as a complete bike, I don't remember, but I bought mine as a frame and forks, complete with headset and bottom bracket.

I would say it was well worth some spit'n'polish, but don't spend a fortune on it.

 

[sj257]

I use to work for the importer way back when and remeber launching that bike range at Bycicle Expo.

The AL550 came with rigid forks and LX group set. A nice light frame. I built one up with top end components for a sponsored rider. Campag, Ritchie Logic. The gear of the day. Even down to 28 spoke front and 32 spoke rear using titanium spokes. Which back then was super cool.

That frame was the 3rd year of Liyang branded bikes that we imported.

I have a super rare AL750 from the previous year that I'm pondering selling. The 550 was LX, the 650 was DX and the 750 is XT. Still a nice bike all these years on.

sj