wannabearacer Posted January 21, 2009 Posted January 21, 2009 Sorry excuse the ignorance ive heard about these bikes but only in the triathlon circles do they make road bikes or is it tri specific onlY
Mudsimus Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 On the google I could only find a Tri bike, bike carriers and some motorbikes.
Johan Bornman Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 I think Allen has gone belly-up. If not, they're certainly aren't a mainstream player anymore. In the 1980s Allen gave weight weenies their first bicycle orgasm by producing a carbon bike - one of the first to do so. This was a small diameter tube bicycle that was modelled on a steel bike. It had lugs (aluminium) and the carbon tubes were simply straight-gauge tubes glued into the lugs. The lugs were always shiny alu silver and the carbon black. Cognosenti of the day used to refer to the frame construction as a "bonded lug assembly" but we sommer tuned it "glued plastic pipes." Of course in its day it had amazing magical properties including anti-vibration tuning of the tubes, perpetual motion action that made hills easier and incredible unobtanium bonding agent inside the lugs. Today it is a schlapp bike that's a bit like a Lotus Elan - in retrospect stupid and expensive.
Johan Bornman Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 i thought it was ALAN bikes. You are of course right. I remember in those days I still thought it was the house-brand of a certain Mr van Heerden. Boy was I put in my place by the owner of one of these exotica!
Jules Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 JB, I think the Allen you're refering to was actually Alan. My mate had an alu Alan. Like you describe, it was lugged and the tubes were steel diameter. Ah the good old days. I think wannabearacer is referring to these okes: http://www.allenbikes.com/index.php?pr=Triathlon_Bikes
Johan Bornman Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 l learn something new every day. It reminds me of that great Monty Python skit where the guy walks into a bookshop and asks for a copy of A Tale of Two Cities.... The assistant says yes and gives him a copy of A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens. The customer then says "no, not this one, the one by the great Dutch author Charles Dikkens." On an on it goes until he's made to eat a book or some such violent response. Allen, Alan, Allan?
Groot Lem Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 Willie Engelbrecht gave me his ALAN to ride for the '87 road season as I was a poor army boykie. Went to SA's in Harrismith or somewhere there, survived the climb, and the damn quick release of the rear wheel opened up while we were in the gutter at high speed. I travelled past the bunch on the gravel, into the ambulance. A break went away that included Mark pinder and he won.Willie then told me about a young triathlete that started training with them in Jhb. The guys name was a certain Andrew, he went on to win SA's the following year. In those days SA's were open to amateurs only.
Johan Bornman Posted January 23, 2009 Posted January 23, 2009 I would also remember the spelling of something that drives me right into an ambulance.
wannabearacer Posted January 24, 2009 Author Posted January 24, 2009 thanks for the trip down memory lane i will try look up ALAN and see what i can find.
Pantani Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 Yes, I remember Alan bikes, I had two in the early 90's. They used to also make really beautiful Alu bikes with annodised tubing, mostly black and blue tubing with the silver lugs. Sadly it was that same bonding technique that let them down terribly. My second Alan which I bought (actually my mum bought) for me came unstuck at the down tube! Saw my noguht that day! Nobody was able to successfully bond it again and eventually Tony Pedro at Cycle Logic in Durban managed to join it with a pop rivette. It was never the same... Those days bike insurance was something only Pro's had...
wannabearacer Posted January 24, 2009 Author Posted January 24, 2009 are they even still around?? Doesnt sound to promising if you have one these days.
Pantani Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 I think they are, but I think the company rebranded because back then they use to use a logo that had a globe (like world map) with some sort of sash or banner around it... and some Italian flag in it... Now they don't even show that logo...
Pantani Posted January 24, 2009 Posted January 24, 2009 There you go... My memory isn't that bad... http://kingsleyking.com/Nashua/alan.JPG Pantani2009-01-24 10:13:46
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