Re: [CR]Alenax

(Example: Racing:Jean Robic)

From: First Flight Bicycles <jeff@firstflightbikes.com>
To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
References: <17e.20cdc51f.2cac2bf9@aol.com>
Subject: Re: [CR]Alenax
Date: Wed, 1 Oct 2003 10:08:52 -0400


We have the one road model which was $100 and have been offered a bunch of them at different time for $100-$200 each including some boxed ones.

They are pretty neat to ride and you can actually gather a fair amount of speed. The quality of the parts is pretty modest but functional.

We keep in an the sales floor and often send people out on it for a "test ride". If nothing else, it is a good conversation starter.

We also have a bike called an Alien (not the Nishiki) which looks like a conventional mid-priced mountain bike except if has a front drive hand crank as well. The front cranks are in phase which gets your nose pretty close to the drive sprocket. The front also has 5 gears with its own shifter. Let's see 5 gears on the front drive, 3 on the crank, 6 in the rear........blows the Campy 3 x 10 stuff away!!! If anyone is interested, I could snap a couple of pictures of it. Jeff Archer First Flight Bicycles 216 S. Center St. Statesville, NC 28677 704.878.9683 phone 704.878.9689 FAX jeff@firstflightbikes.com http://www.firstflightbikes.com Always looking for old or unusual mountain bikes and parts


----- Original Message -----
From: OROBOYZ@aol.com
To: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Sent: Wednesday, October 01, 2003 9:09 AM
Subject: [CR]Alenax



> In a message dated 10/1/2003 12:19:25 AM Eastern Daylight Time, CYDYN@aol.com
> writes:
>
> << ax about a year, then had the
> opportunity to head Trek's growing bike building. I remember looking at the
> Alenax machines at the Long Beach show >>
>
> Whoever was behind Alenax, they had tons of venture capital to play with.
>
> I recall maybe at least three years worth of very extravagant promotions at
> bike shows before the first production bike was available. I remember at one of
> the last NYC shows, they had a huge center aisle space with many beautiful
> women (models) posing on rotating platforms, and giant transparency photo panels
> showing Alenax bikes revolutionizing the world of cycling. Road Alenax,
> mountain Alenax, commuting Alenax. At that time, they also hired a top group of
> bike industry management people away from other companies & all were paid very
> well indeed (Tim Isaac included.)
>
> Yet year after year, no product to sell.
>
> When bikes finally were being produced, it was almost an anticlimax. The
> bikes were made in Taiwan (few companies were doing that yet, Japan was the
> quality supplier then) and of indifferent quality. Plus the Transbar drive gimmick
> was quick to wear thin in real use. Few were sold and the Alenax company went
> down like a stone.
>
> I DID hear that a dealer in northern Virginia is sitting on a huge pile of
> these. Dubious distinction. All are lower priced model, mountain bike
> configuration.
>
> Collectibilty? I think everyone needs one of these on display with their
> Facet BioCam, Houdaille PowerCam, Rise-In-Go, Auto-bike and whatever other
> eccentric drive bikes have emerged (and disappeared!)
>
> Dale Brown
> cycles de ORO, Inc.
> 1410 Mill Street
> Greensboro, North Carolina 27408
> 336-274-5959
> fax 336-274-6360
> <A HREF="http://www.cyclesdeoro.com">cyclesdeORO.com</A>
> <A HREF="http://www.classicrendezvous.com./main.htm">ClassicRendezvous.com</A>
>
> _______________________________________________
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