Re:
I also had the same black/blue Alpina 5.5 a few years ago. I scored the frame and forks as a freebie, then built up as a 1x8 with parts bin fodder. Ended up selling for a reasonable price, so a win at the time
I seem to remember that the frame did ride well. It didn't seem heavy either.
As for top end exotica, they were one of the few manufacturers to offer metal matrix frames (Boralyn) in the form of the Boralite. In fact, there is one for sale on Ebay at the moment...
I also had the same black/blue Alpina 5.5 a few years ago. I scored the frame and forks as a freebie, then built up as a 1x8 with parts bin fodder. Ended up selling for a reasonable price, so a win at the time
I seem to remember that the frame did ride well. It didn't seem heavy either.
As for top end exotica, they were one of the few manufacturers to offer metal matrix frames (Boralyn) in the form of the Boralite. In fact, there is one for sale on Ebay at the moment...