I managed to get a 2nd hand Dialled Alpine off here to try and as its the 17/23″ version I though it would fit as I am 6’2″, and I was hoping to use it for my all day bike + pissing around on technical trails. I have had a PA for a few years, and get on with it well, so I thought I knew what I was getting.

So I moved everything across from my PA, to the new Alpine and its weird but the bike just doesn’t feel right, for me it doesn’t climb as well as the PA (to be expected) on singletrack its great (but I am not convinced its better than the PA) and on steep techy descents it is very good (may’be better than the PA).

So I’ve pissed around with the setup and regardless of what I do I cannot make it feel nicer than the PA its replacing, which should make the decision about bunging back on the classified easy …. However after taking a week off work and riding on the Peaks every day last week, I did notice one key difference, my back wasn’t hurting at all even though I was riding around 40K+ every day for 7 days. Which even though I really like my PA (mk1) is an issue normally (that I’ve learnt to live with)

So anyone got any tips on what they have done to tweak there Alpine to get it to feel just right? Also any thoughts on why one bike makes my back ache and the other doesn’t?

I have Sunline V1 bars, Thomson inline post, 70mm stem, 175mm cranks and Pikes so its not an unusual setup and a few other people have done the car park test (or short trail) on mine and comment on exactly the same thing, it looks right however when riding it something just feels a bit wrong and its hard to work out what.

I don’t have a picture here put I will bung one up when I get home

If anything, I felt the Alpine had to be moving fast to get the thing to flex and ride nicely. Not that thats a bad thing, its just a bit overbuilt for slower stuff which doen’t push the bike.

How different are the frame angles?

I can’t find the Spec’s for the Mk1 online but assuming they haven’t changed that much

PA
Medium
ST 17″ TT 22.74” (actual)23.64” (effective) HA 70Degrees SA 73.5Degrees CS 16.7”

Alpine
ST 17″ TT 22.43” (actual) 23” (effective) HA 68.5Degrees SA 74Degrees CS 16.7”

So if anything I was expecting to be more cramped, however thats not the case.

Itll be shorter and therefore you wont be bent over as much. have you raised the front at all (new longer forks?) which might make it more ‘sit up’.

Nope, using exactly the same forks (Pikes) at 140mm. Stem spacers in the same configuration as well.

HT is 5mm longer on the Alpine though, so I might try dropping a stem a touch.

Rich i’ll take the bars if you still have them, Cheers

It’s gotta be the longer seatpost surely – more flex.

What spring are you running in the Pikes? I ran a firm (at 68kg) which helped, otherwise the front dived too much.

I sold the Alpine, but should have tried 150mm Marzocchi’s on it first- don’t think the Pikes are the ideal length.

The Prince Albert and Alpine are quite different beasts.

Alpine is stiffer, slacker and stronger than a Prince Albert and is more aimed at people who want to ride hardtail on proper big mountains (e.g. mountain bike guides in the Alps).

Out in the Alps, the Alpine would be the better of the two. But in the UK, the Prince Albert is probably more suitable.

Richc, maybe try a Ti rail saddle on your Prince Albert to help with the back ache.

I am using the 454 so they are air, sag is set so the forks sit on the 110mm mark. They are PUSHed as well so work really really nicely.

Definitely not the longer seatpost, as I have more post in the frame on the Alpine as the ST is actually 1/2″ longer than the PA even though the stated size is 17″.

Mike can you tell me what changes have you made between the Mk1 PA and the current version?

Geometrywise, not a great deal has changed, Rich. The most noteworthy changes from Mk1 to current version are shorter head tubes on the current small and medium frames, change of gussetry and newer style CNC’d dropouts.

Thanks Mike, I reckon I will give a few more goes (including the Dyfi) and if I still don’t get on with it, I will bung it back on the classifieds.

The backache thing is odd though, as the saddle is Ti railed (its a charge spoon) and to tell the truth I have just put up with it as I thought its bound to happen on 5 hour+ rides over rocky terrain on a HT, however I just don’t get the pain on the Alpine.

richc
You didn’t happen to be on a skills day a Sherwood Pines a few weeks ago did you? There was a guy with the same dilema. If so, Hi!

I was with the group of 4, Me (On-One Summer), Jason (On-One 456), Charlotte (Rocky Mountain), Dave (Specialised XC bike).

Yep that was me, we had a jammy week of sunshine in the Peaks 🙂

mike-at-dialledbikes:

…. and is more aimed at people who want to ride hardtail on proper big mountains (e.g. mountain bike guides in the Alps).

There is some big kerbs in East Anglia. That is my excuse and i am sticking to it

Saying that sometimes I think I should get an orange PA as my intended use for the Alpine have changed somewhat.

i moved evrything from a sanderson (similar to, but not quite as beefed up as a PA)onto an Alpine.

i found the cockpit shorter and was toying with the idea of a layback post, but now with wider bars i don’t need it as i don’t feel so cramped anymore.

bars are only 2cm wider at each end but it lets the arms stretch out more and lets me come forward a little on the saddle.

don’t know if that helps. it did me though.

My bars are 711mm wide Sunlines, so I don’t think I can go much wider.

My Alpine felt slightly cramped and it felt like I was sitting forward in its first car park test after coming of a spesh enduro, after that first ride it was fine though.

rotation of the bars? i was reely pised off with my bike till i played arround with them, eneded up rotating about 10-15deg the other way to the way i initialy started toying, i.e. more back less upsweep.

I’ve rotated them forward a few degrees from normal, I guess I need to just keep tweaking until I find the sweet spot.

only nagging doubt is my other bikes (PA, Love/Hate and Iron Horse) felt right after about 2 rides and this one is already about 12 rides old and still feels little odd.

Mike might be right, it needs to go home to the Alps to bed in 🙂