Age/Era of Alpine Fox 18 Speed MTB?

I just received a vintage Alpine Fox 18 speed MTB.

Really interesting in that the cable anchor bolts on the front and rear Deore derailleurs, the cantilever mounting bolts. the dual bolts on the mounts of the friction thumbshifters are all 6 mm allen bolts.

The seat post is a 25.4 mm American Classic that has 2 saddle adjusting bolts of different Allen head sizes behind the seat post. one bolt is 5 mm and the other is 3 mm.

The front brakes are cantilever but that fork may have been a replacement one. The rear brak is an under the chainstays mounted Suntour Roller Cam brake with a heavy duty nylon cover over the cams and the yoke.

Crankset is a Sugino GP something.

Anyone have any idea as to where and when this bicycle was built?

Thanks and cheers.

Sir Ridesalot writes:

I just received a vintage Alpine Fox 18 speed MTB.

Really interesting in that the cable anchor bolts on the front and rear Deore derailleurs, the cantilever mounting bolts. the dual bolts on the mounts of the friction thumbshifters are all 6 mm allen bolts.

The seat post is a 25.4 mm American Classic that has 2 saddle adjusting bolts of different Allen head sizes behind the seat post. one bolt is 5 mm and the other is 3 mm.

The front brakes are cantilever but that fork may have been a replacement one. The rear brak is an under the chainstays mounted Suntour Roller Cam brake with a heavy duty nylon cover over the cams and the yoke.


Dunno much, but I've got a Fuji Sundance with the roller cam
brakes (rear under the chainstay), and I think it's about an
'85 or so.

My '87 Stumpjumper has rear brake under the chainstays, too.
That configuration seems to have disappeared and moved back
up to the seat stays on later MTB's. (Something about mud,
I think.)

Both have six-speed freewheels. I think the earliest MTB's
probably had five-speed (early Miyata touring triples did).

Crankset is a Sugino GP something.

Anyone have any idea as to where and when this bicycle was built?

On 7/20/2013 1:38 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:
I just received a vintage Alpine Fox 18 speed MTB.

Really interesting in that the cable anchor bolts on the front and rear Deore derailleurs, the cantilever mounting bolts. the dual bolts on the mounts of the friction thumbshifters are all 6 mm allen bolts.

The seat post is a 25.4 mm American Classic that has 2 saddle adjusting bolts of different Allen head sizes behind the seat post. one bolt is 5 mm and the other is 3 mm.

The front brakes are cantilever but that fork may have been a replacement one. The rear brak is an under the chainstays mounted Suntour Roller Cam brake with a heavy duty nylon cover over the cams and the yoke.

Crankset is a Sugino GP something.

Anyone have any idea as to where and when this bicycle was built?

Thanks and cheers.


Japanese, middle 1980s
Cantilever front with U Brake or Rollercam rear was popular
then.
First Deore incorporated 6mm head hardware all over which
was quite handy as you probably deduced already.
Sugino GP is a good mid quality crank for which chainrings
are readily available and cheap.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On Saturday, July 20, 2013 3:08:38 PM UTC-4, AMuzi wrote:
On 7/20/2013 1:38 PM, Sir Ridesalot wrote:

I just received a vintage Alpine Fox 18 speed MTB.



Really interesting in that the cable anchor bolts on the front and rear Deore derailleurs, the cantilever mounting bolts. the dual bolts on the mounts of the friction thumbshifters are all 6 mm allen bolts.



The seat post is a 25.4 mm American Classic that has 2 saddle adjusting bolts of different Allen head sizes behind the seat post. one bolt is 5 mm and the other is 3 mm.



The front brakes are cantilever but that fork may have been a replacement one. The rear brak is an under the chainstays mounted Suntour Roller Cam brake with a heavy duty nylon cover over the cams and the yoke.



Crankset is a Sugino GP something.



Anyone have any idea as to where and when this bicycle was built?



Thanks and cheers.





Japanese, middle 1980s

Cantilever front with U Brake or Rollercam rear was popular

then.

First Deore incorporated 6mm head hardware all over which

was quite handy as you probably deduced already.

Sugino GP is a good mid quality crank for which chainrings

are readily available and cheap.



--

Andrew Muzi

www.yellowjersey.org/

Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Thanks all for the information.

Do any of you have any idea what kind of tubing was likely to have been used for the frame? From the fairly light weight of the bike I'm guessing it's a chro-moly tubeset possible dubble butted. Does that sound reasonable to you experts?

Thanks again and cheers

On Sunday, July 21, 2013 12:56:57 AM UTC-4, Dan wrote:
[MUCH trimmed:]

Whoa... stop the presses! What's this I found while

looking for the secret sauce that is Miyata steel:



http://www.miyatabike.com/project/ja...intention.html

The only thing he seems to have left out is "Stiff, yet compliant."

- Frank Krygowski

Frank Krygowski writes:

Frank wrote:
[MUCH trimmed:]


"MUCH"? Makes me wonder how you'd indicate trimming much
*more* than ~300 words.

Dan wrote:

Whoa... stop the presses! What's this I found while
looking for the secret sauce that is Miyata steel:

http://www.miyatabike.com/project/ja...intention.html

The only thing he seems to have left out is "Stiff, yet compliant."


Perhaps a new column, "Frank 'n' Kazuhiro-san"... (?)