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The intergoogle reveals they are based in the UK and the US at the same time.
They seem to make Cotic/Stanton type frames (Reynolds tubing etc) but for real bargain prices.
Anyone got one/ride one? Experience thoughts etc?
I had the single speed one ages ago (can’t remember what it was called...steel with an EBB).
Still have a Kobe Ti frame which is ace.
Mike used to be on here a lot, I thought they were all about BMX nowadays, but I’m so far out of the loop...
Edit. Love/hate...that’s what it was called. I loved it.
Just rebuilding my Prince Albert Classic right now. Great bike.
Mike used to be active on here - but he moved the business to the US and now focuses on his BMX team I think?
He did launch some Alu frames since being in the US..... but I've lost track of what he's currently up to. Both the Alpine and PA were very well regarded - but we only ever 26" only I believe
I thought they were just US based now.
Depends which version of the website you look at.
The old site with the Mk.2 Alpine and the Love/hate is still live, but they're not for sale anymore.
The new site has the newer Alpine frames for sale from the US, but I'm not sure whether $899 is a bargain?
Good bikes though. I had an Alpine, but sold it for something with more modern Geo. Still got my Love/Hate though.
What is a reasonable fee for an 853 frame these days
Dunno, but i always thought that the Dialled prices were quite low for what he was selling.
Though the Alpine wasn't 853 throughout was it?
Had a couple of PAs many years ago, one with the weird extra tube and a later one without. Didn't really need the later one but I liked the orange colour and nicer dropouts. Were fun, strong and cheaper than a Soul.
Mike seemed to lose interest in the MTB stuff for a while around when other wheel sizes started being a thing, there seemed to be prototypes of a 29er PA but don't think it ever happened. Then Mike moved to the US and while the new 650b Alpine looks nice, the price for one in the UK is nuts.
The old site with the Mk.2 Alpine and the Love/hate is still live, but they’re not for sale anymore.
The new site has the newer Alpine frames for sale from the US, but I’m not sure whether $899 is a bargain?
That explains it. I saw the Prince Albert in 725 for £295 and the Alpine in 853 for 395 and started thinking/dreaming of bargain builds
The US numbers aren't nearly the same bargain.
Maybe should have read 853 sticker then
We had a Prince Albert for a couple of years, is still owned by the friends we sold it to.
Ace old steel frame, wth that certain something I can only call character. Surprisingly quick, amazing in steep stuff. Not a comfy or springy steel though, more like a meat cleaver than carving knife.
For a decade old bike, the (orange) paint is still looking lovely.
Were fun, strong and cheaper than a Soul.
That's what I thought.
Though the Alpine wasn’t 853 throughout was it?
I don't know of any that are. The dialleds are front triangle only but that's true of the cotics and stantons too. Except the bfe, which is downtube only.
I had the single speed one ages ago (can’t remember what it was called…steel with an EBB).
It was a Love/Hate..
Still got mine in the cellar, and really should get the lefty it runs serviced, as I loved mine..
Perfect Delamere bike..
I took mine to Peru 👍
[url= https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3801/9568781109_1e943d32d7_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm4.staticflickr.com/3801/9568781109_1e943d32d7_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/fzyvfD ]August 2nd, Gratuitous bike shot, Peru[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/79912681@N06/ ]kayak23[/url], on Flickr
Wasn't the original idea behind dialled bikes to do Titanium only at a not eye watering price?
Hence they started with the Morning Glory and Kobe Ti, but when it was found that Ti was eye wateringly expensive because it's eye wateringly expensive they went to steel, iirc the Prince Albert was essentially the same geometry as the Morning Glory but in steel, and the Alpine was the equivalent of the Kobe Ti.
I could of course be misremembering as I was mostly drunk in those years
Mike was always primarily interested in BMX and the MTB frames were just a way of making a few bob.
I often wonder what happened to the two Ti Alpines we had commissioned as The Bike Chain and whether they are still in use.
Im friends with Mike on the faceache.
Mike moved to the US and now runs a vegan juice bar with his wife in Chattanooga Tennessee while racing BMX at the weekends.
I don’t think he likes big wheeled bikes anymore.
I bought a PA frame off the classifieds here (RIP). It was my trail hardtail for a while, a good fun and robust bike. Rode some pretty steep tech on it, and a couple of DH tracks. It's now just been rebuilt as a kinda jump/park bike for playing about on since there's little value selling off my old 26" kit.
Never thought I would see vegan juice bar and Tennessee in the same sentence. Unless it is an ultra niche fertility clinic.
I don’t think he likes big wheeled bikes anymore
Does he still make and sell them or is the US website also an internet relic?
My first proper bike was an egg blue 853 PA, took me two weeks of SAT marking to earn the money for it. Ace frame.
I would quite like a Holeshot frame if anybody has one?
shame he does not like large wheeled bikes anymore as it seems he has good local mountains to play on.
I still have a Dialled PA (Mk1 with extra tube) and Love/Hate Frame in my garage.
Bloody brilliant bikes, especially the PA which I took and rode all over Europe and British/Columbia as well as here, there and everywhere in the UK.
I certainly had some of my "best rides ever" on the PA, Chilcotins, Garda, Long Alpine Singletrack Days...
High above Lake Garda:
High above Chamonix
Still have a Kobe Ti frame which is ace.
Used mine two weeks ago 🙂
Couple of friends had them:
love/ hate. it was great similar geo to my 26 inbred but just generally tidier all round - the cable routing worked for a start 😉
Mk1 alpine - was brilliant at the time, I think it would be dated (short) now - i think it;s still in my mates garage near my parents - might have to see...
I would love to upgrade my BMX frame to M20R or FTB steel frame. Also balance bike for the boy!
i loved the idea of a Dialled as everyone raved abut them. I had a cheapo cannondale at the time and 'upgraded' to a Dialled PA.
i rode the dialled for a year but hte cannondale was so much better it was silly so i sold the dialled and went back to teh cannondale. (mainly due to teh BB being over an inch - measured!- lower on the cannondale!)
it looked damn cool though and i really wanted it to rip but meh.
I got a mk3 alpine (853) and love it to bits! Got a -2 works component head set in it great fun bike, with set of lyrkis set at 145.
My PA is still my favourite bike - there was a PA classic frame for sale on retrobike that pops up every now and then
Scotroutes - i'm fairly certain I saw one of the Ti ones in a lift queue in Morzine about 5 or 6 years ago.
still waiting for my frame...
I still occasionally use my old green Alpine, largest of the 4 sizes that year and a great bike with a 160 Bomber coil up front. Brilliant for big days in the hills as well as ragging it in steep woods. Ok, it's not as long as the Solaris 29er but it is a fair bit longer then the Fatty and therefore stable. 853 mainframe tubes but not back end.
Ok, it's a 26" bike and therefore not trendy but a good bike for the mountains then, is till a good bike now. Quite similar to a BFe I guess.
It's for sale on Fleabay by the way, as the 29er and the forked Fatty are out more often..
still waiting for my frame…
Are you perhaps looking for the !sick thread over yonder?
Good news - there are tshirts now!
I ended up with 3! A really early red PA with the "piercing", an Alpine which was a bit silly with a 160mm fork, and a later PA in a lovely orange, which i preferred to my Cotic!
I think my Alpine frame got passed around about 3 STWers over the years too.
They are really nice looking. Love the purple.
I’ve still got my pa classic. Bought new in 2012. It’s short and steep by modern standards but is still a fun bike to ride on most types of trail. Main issue is the 27.2 seat tube limiting dropper choice. I’ve got a 100mm dropper but could use something longer. It still looks good with it’s skinny red tubes.
My dialled PA is probably the bike I regret selling most. I can't really articulate it, it was just so much fun. I have a soul now which I've always wanted and yet I still think back to the old PA.
No lightweight and nothing special at low speed but when riding at pace round tracks I know well just seemed to feel so right. And I pointed it down steep stuff and it always did me right.
Sold it on here. Resprayed Kawasaki green. I wonder if it's still alive?
iirc the Prince Albert was essentially the same geometry as the Morning Glory but in steel, and the Alpine was the equivalent of the Kobe Ti.
I could of course be misremembering as I was mostly drunk in those years
The PA was the same MG, the Kobe ti was the same as a Litespeed Kitsuma and had a very short tt. The Alpine was low and long (well was back then)
Dialled bikes were popular here back in the as there was a huge following for steel hardtails and DB/Mike were good to deal with and cheap prices. I had 2 MK1 PAs, an Alpine and a Kobe Ti.
Still got the Kobe Ti on the shed and have MG built up as a light weight 'gravel' bike