Winter 2016 Project - 1991 Alpinestars Al-Mega XT - DONE!

[M-Power]

Re: Winter 2016 Project - 1991 Alpinestars Al-Mega XT

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I'm not a garage queen hater (or rider hater) so I don't blame you for not wanting to scuff up the DX. It's so pretty.

Its sorta like the motorcycle/sport-bike crowd, where there's always the few who are on $50,000.00 ultra-exotic/blinged out track machines; are dressed in $10k worth of Italian riding gear and leathers ... yet only ride a few blocks, to then go park and sit in front of a Starbucks all afternoon, and 'look fast' (an art otherwise known as 'posing').

Same in the car mod world They rock up in something already tasty with an additional £50k's worth of mental upgrades. Just buy a frikin Supercar and loose the depreciation for starters. Of course they have no idea how to drive it and the car is usually dangerously overpowered. Scary !

Love these AS Megas. We had one as a shop bike bitd, that thing got absolutely hammered but was a solid as a rock. Awesome bikes.

 

[jimi911]

Re:

I don't think too much about it ... Outside of "hey that's a cool bike and a great build". Past that it's all up to the owner. Ride it or look at it. I've got bikes I ride a lot, bikes that have less than 50km on them, and some I'll never ride. It's just whatever you want to do with your bike.

Anyhoooo ... This one is in real nice shape for an original bike so it's sort of the perfect rider for me. It will see a lot of use as long as it holds up

 

[jimi911]

Re: Winter 2016 Project - 1991 Alpinestars Al-Mega XT

Sort of funny this worked so well. Faded parts on the neon decals look near new again ...

 

[jimi911]

Re:

I finally got to take this for a ride. It's been done for a long, but my house has been under renovation for the past 8 weeks and she got buried in the basement with all our other worldly possessions.

I honestly didn't go in with high expectations for this bike. It was one of those bikes I loved when I was 14 and couldn't afford, but my taste and bike IQ was as low as my musical taste (bought "To the Extreme" in 91 I think). I must say - this thing really rides well. Very stable and agile. Not too stiff (pressures low) and it stops like a champ. Definitely toss this in the underrated column. On the downside - she's a bit heavy IMO. My low end gear setup is weak sauce and those clips are gonzo. I'm a spud guy.










Frame: 1991 Alpinestars Almega XT

Fork: Aluminum "Blades"

Headset: Gary Fisher Evolution
Stem: Answer A-Tac (re-conditioned by Quy)
Handlebar: NOS Answer Hyperlite
Grips: ODI

Brakes: XT 734
Brake Pads: Koolstop
Brake Cables: Shimano
Cantilever cable hangers: Onza Chill Pills
Brake Levers: XT-M095

Shifters: XT-M095
Front Derailleur: XT 732 with cnc hardware from Rampage
Rear Derailleur: XT 732
Derailleur Cables: Shimano
Cassette: Shimano XT
Chain: Shimano
Cranks: Grafton Speedstix (re-conditioned by Quy)
Crank Bolts: Titanium
Chainrings: NOS Blackspire
Chainring bolts: Titanium
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN71
Pedals: Shimano XT

Hub Skewers: NOS T-Gear Titanium
Rims: Araya
Hubs: Pulstar
Nipples: DT
Spokes: DT
Tyres: Panaracer Smoke and Dart Classics
Tubes: MEC

Saddle: NOS Avocet (dated 1991)
Seatpost: Syncros (re-conditioned by Quy)
Seatpost Binder: Precision Billet

 

[regan_ev]

As you know I have a lot of love for this bike and the tweaks you've made to it. For me, it's a perfect example of a 91 AM XT and it will get my vote in BoTM this (next) month.

The stem and bars are my standout favourite parts on this.

Love it

 

[jimi911]

Thanks! This is totally one of those bikes that brings me back to when I first started riding. Good times