BMX Bikes


1981 Malvern Star SuperMax

Another Australian classic .. the lugged and pinned Malvern Star SuperMax was a higher specced version of its brother the Maxi.

I am currently building a lugged and pinned Malvern Star SuperMax in black and gold. Despite looking like they were constructed from old plumbers pipe, these have a reasonably light frame but are not in the same class as the later chrom-moly versions.

The colour scheme of black and gold really dates this model especially compared to the clean white frame of the Redlines of the time. I decided to keep this scheme as it was really common and contrasts nicely with the other bikes I have built.


Tuff Version

When I started planning this bike, I wanted to use Tuffs as most of my other bikes had normal spoked wheels. I liked the way my Hotfoot turned out but was disappointed with the final result of the SuperMax. Classic black and white works well however the bright yellow plastic detracts from the gold annodised accessories on the black.

   
   

Classic Wheel Version

After the disappointment of the Tuffs, I decided to fit a classic set of spoked rims. I choose black rims rather than gold to provide more contrast and to minimise the variations in colour of the gold anodising. Gold nipples provides a colour highlight to the rims.

   
   

So.. which looks better? I would love to hear your feedback but it better be quick as one wheelset will end up on eBay soon!

The build ..

  • Malvern Star SuperMax Frame
  • Tange TX-1200 Champion Forks
  • Gold Alloy Handlebars
  • Takagi Tourney Cranks / Spider
  • Shimano Tourney Brakes
  • Shimano DX Tourney Levers
  • Nitto MX-2 Stem
  • Tioga Beartrap 2 Headset
  • MKS BM-7 Pedals
  • Kashimax MX Seat
  • NOS Malvern Star SuperMax Pads
  • NOS Shimano DX Hubs

The beautifully applied paint was done by Paconi Race frames. I could almost hear them groan when I brought this frame in - it is a long way from the high end road bikes they are used to. The frame was pretty ordinary to begin with and had been metal blasted by its former owner and thus was treated to a couple of coats of filler paint that was rubbed back between coats to produce the smooth finish.

I have never seen the film BMX Bandits but I do know that when completed my bike will be all but identical to the one ridden by Nicole Kidman. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing ..

Comments?

27th Jun 2011 08:24pm, CamMax wrote :  
Have seen its twin? (Hiding behind the Quickie)
   
27th Jun 2011 08:21am, CamMax wrote :  
My vote is for the tuffs but I'd love to see it with Gold Araya's rather than black or OG tuffs..
That is a fantastic build dude.... cheers all round
27th Jun 2011 08:02am, Simon replied :  
Cheers Clayton .. you fence sitter! How are all your bikes coming along? What's the collective term for Malvern Stars? A gaggle of Malvern Stars??
26th Jun 2011 11:38pm, uiw814 wrote :  
Build quality is fantastic and I'm all for the tuffs but after seeing it with the black rims I'm sitting on the fence.
Cheers, Clayton.
26th Jun 2011 10:25pm, shaker wrote :  
i'm another for the tuffs................................
great build though.....very nice......................................... :)
26th Jun 2011 09:21pm, Sprmax wrote :  
Tuffs all the way. Looking nice mate
26th Jun 2011 09:08pm, pepe wrote :  
Go tuffs mate!
26th Jun 2011 08:36pm, Simon replied :  
That's a fantastic looking 5-hole .. I would love to build one of those but at the moment I am collecting parts for a SuperMax CrMo in white / blue accessories.
With your build, the Tuff's look great. In my opinion, Tuffs look great when they are a darker colour than the frame and therefore do not over-power the frame's colour. Having said that, I have a white HotFoot with black seat / tyres / brakes / other accessories which has white Tuffs this looks great. Damn the exception to the rule!
26th Jun 2011 07:16pm, Pecker1 wrote :  
Yup, TUFFS.
Nice build by the way. :D
26th Jun 2011 07:14pm, OXBMXBandit wrote :  
Freaking cool!
26th Jun 2011 06:54pm, pig304 wrote :  
Nice 1, tuffs for me, just looks more like bitd, good work
26th Jun 2011 06:50pm, bear trap wrote :  
Supermaxs and tuffs go together like pees and carrots !!!!!
   
26th Jun 2011 06:15pm, O.S. Criple wrote :  
I like it with the tuffs, seems to really make it pop,looks just the way they came out in the shops BITD. Nicely done.
26th Jun 2011 06:04pm, Rod wrote :  
Tuffs with black gumwalls all the way!
26th Jun 2011 05:51pm, Simon replied :  
Yeah, I was thinking of that combo too. I have some black skinwalls here .. I might sit on the black rims for a while and see if they grow on me otherwise I might give the Tuffs another go.
26th Jun 2011 05:48pm, dragster wrote :  
I'm a spoked wheel guy but a black skinwall with the tuffs might be right.
26th Jun 2011 05:40pm, revcore wrote :  
Tuffs....Gotta be the Tuffs I reckon mate
26th Jun 2011 05:39pm, reddevil wrote :  
I am usually tuffs all the way but the spoked version on this build compared to the tuffs is a much better finish.. so its spokes for me on this one ... nice bike by the way too
26th Jun 2011 05:38pm, JMC Jason wrote :  
Tuff for me but alloys do look good as well nice build
26th Jun 2011 05:36pm, B (OzBMX Admin) wrote :  
Well done, you have done that well.....
great pics too!
B
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Extra Info / Links

   OldSchoolMags.com  Have you ever wished that you could go back in time to the late 70's and early 80's when you could walk into a newsagency and see the latest issues of BMX Action, BMX Plus, Super BMX and Freestylin' in the racks as crisp and clean as the day they were printed? If you said yes to any of these questions, this is the site for you ..

   BMX Works  This site has everything you will ever need to restore an old school bmx from loose parts - nuts, bolts and bearings - through to complete brake sets, cranks sets and finishing parts, such as pad sets and decals.

   Madman's BMX Painting Services  Pete's work is second to none. I have two frames painted by him - a Hotfoot Freestyle in white and a Hotfoot 24" Cruiser in Hazard Yellow - and both have come out beautifully. Pete can also handle the stripping of paint and chrome and other prep work.

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