Malvern Star SuperMax, Maxi and Speedwell Sting

While researching information for my '81 SuperMax, '83 Speedwell Sting and up-coming '79 5-Hole gusset builds, I got so sick of finding information then losing it again that I started copying images of bikes, parts and advertising material into a single place. To assist others, I have reproduced this information over the following pages .. most of the information can be found on OzBMX and BMXMuseum and I am not pretending that this informtion will replace either of these valuable resources.

Please browse through all of the material I have collected:

If you have any Malvern Star or Speedwell information or photos, please forward them to me and I will add them to the site. I am especially interested in brochures and advertisements as these are most valuable when restoring bikes back to their original glory.


Padsets

What's an '80s bike without a set of pads?


Malvern Star Maxi

One of the differentiators between SuperMaxes and Maxis were the colour schemes the bikes came in. Maxis had 'basic' colour schemes including Blue / White, Yellow / Red and Orange / White.

Malvern Star Maxi (Blue / White)


     
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Malvern Star Maxi (Yellow / Red)

     
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Yellow frame / forks / Tuffs and red outline decals and pads is a very effective colour combination as seen on this example bicycle.
Malvern Star Maxi (Orange / White)
     
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I am note sure whether these pads were originally red or the burnt orange colour shown here.
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Malvern Star SuperMax


SuperMax CrMo

The SuperMax CrMo padsets came in a number of colour combinations similar to the original schemes - red with white writing, blue with white writing, yellow with red writing - and were printed on a nylon material with an outline font. The main pad had five studs and the bar pad only three - there was no stem pad.

SuperMax CrMo (Red / White)


  
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Note how the main pad of this set is single sided whereas the blue one in the example below is two-sided. Both these pad sets are NOS ones and came from the same source.
SuperMax CrMo (Blue / White)
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Clayton's example sports a blue frame colour, blue pads and blue accessories to give a modern and clean look.

This early 5-Hole gusset SuperMax owned by BMXMadDave is sporting the wrong padset but the orange and blue colour scheme really works well.
SuperMax CrMo (Yellow / Red)



     
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The third image shows a padset that appears to be made from a much lighter material than the other CrMo ones shown. Except for the obvious age, I would have guessed that they are reproduction .. presumably they aren't but I have never seen another set made from this material.
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SuperMax Series II

The Series II pad sets consisted of a main and bar pad in vinyl and, like the CrMo pads above, were rendered in an outline font. The main pad and bar pad are similar in size with four studs each with the main pad printed on both sides.

SuperMax Series II (Yellow / Red)



     
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As you can see, the black frame with yellow accessories and padset was a very popular colour scheme in the day and equally as popular today.
Malvern Star SuperMax (Red / White)


     
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The original SuperMax padsets came in a number of colour combinations - red with white writing, blue with white writing, yellow with red writing - and in both a solid colour and outline font.
SuperMax Series II (Blue / White)
     
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Blue and white is an extremely popular colour choice, especially for older 5-Hole gusset SuperMaxes. As with the other colour combinations, these pads were available with a solid and outline font.
SuperMax Series II (Blue / Yellow)

     
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I bought this pad from Peter Ashby a few years ago simply because I had never seen one before and have not seen once since. The blue and yellow combination is actually really nice and I am curious to see what colour framesets they came on.
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SuperMax 5-Hole

Earlier 5-Hole gusset SuperMax pad sets had solid white letters whereas the later Series II versions had an outline font. Note the unfinished edge on the hidden edge of the pad, the one-sided main pad and the similar sizes of the main and bar pad.

SuperMax 5 Hole (Red / White)


     
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Jasbin's rider sports NOS red pads identical to those shown in the pictures to the left. Prior to obtaining these, the bike had the original main pad which had faded to a nondescript pink colour (see additional photos).

Clayton's 24 inch 5 Hole makes the pads look even smaller than they normally do.
SuperMax 5 Hole (Blue / White)

     
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The white and blue 5 Hole SuperMax is by far my favourite colour combination and Jasbin's mint example never fails to remind me why. It is just perfect.

SuperMax 5 Hole (Yellow / Red)

     
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Again, Jasbin's 5-Hole SuperMax sports the definitive example of these pads in the first set of pictures. Clarke's example took at a prize at the SEQ show. A number of the other examples are Series II SuperMaxes which I believe normally wore the outlined version of the pads.

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Malvern Star Freestyle

Maxi Freestyle



     
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Special thanks to Clayton for these images of the Maxi Freestyle pads. Due to the unique double-crossbar handlebars, the Maxi Freestyle pad set consists only of a top and stem pad.

Maxi 500C






     
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Unlike the Maxi Freestyle pads (above), the Maxi 500C was a fullset comprising handlebar, top bar and stem pad. Again, thanks to Clayton for these images.
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Speedwell Sting

Speedwell was a brand that Malvern Star acquired and continued to market using identical frames to the SuperMax / Maxi bikes. I have read online that the brand was sold in the northern states of Australia - where the suburb of Malvern in Victoria is not well known - but I have found nothing to substantiate this.

Speedwell Sting CrMo

I have seen a number of frame sets for the Speedwell Sting CrMo but never a complete one which makes me think they were sold as a frame / fork / pad set package only. I am lucky enough to have scored two NOS frame sets and one came complete with the pads shown below.

Unlike many padsets, the writing on the main tube is single sided leaving the rider to decide whether the writing should be face up or facing right. If the intent is to orientate them face up, the designer should have rotated the text ninety degrees so that the writing ran up and down the top tube as viewed by the rider.

Speedwell Sting CrMo (Blue / White)


     
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The scanned image is from a set of NOS pads that came with a NOS frameset that I obtained from an OZBmx member. Like the Malvern Star padsets, there was only ever a top tube and handlebars pad but never a stem pad. This was probably due to the fact that these bikes came fitted with a beautiful Nitto stem which you would not want to cover!
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Speedwell Sting MK I & MK II

The Speedwell Sting MK I & MK II shared the same frame as the Series II SuperMax and Maxi. The MK I was analogous to the Maxi variant with coaster brakes whereas the MK II came fitted with hand brakes.

Speedwell Sting (Red / White)

     
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As popular a colour as red was back then and still is now, it is amazing that I haven't got a single example bicycle for this section. Anyone out there got one?
Speedwell Sting (Blue / White)


     
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Blue and white was as popular a colour combination in the Speedwell range as it was in the Malvern Star variants. The font used on this padset is quite traditional with the addition of motion marks to indicate 'speed'.
Speedwell Sting (Yellow / Red)

     
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As with the blue and white combination above, the yellow and red combination have the logo printed on one side of the top tube pad only. As such, you will see most images of these bikes taken from the right hand side to show the pads in their correct rotation and to highlight the cranks of the bike.
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To assist in determining which pads are applicable to which models / years, I am seeking scans or originals of catalogues, advertisements and original photos that show the correct combinations. If you have one, please contact me at Blogging a Dead Horse.

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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.

   Re-Rides  Sydney Australia based BMX restoration and photography. Rebuilding retro BMX bikes from 80's old-school, 90's mid-school and 00's new-school era's.

   SDBMX  SDBMX sells a distinctive range of cast alloy BMX rims that will finish of any old-school, mid-school or even new-school build. Styles include the Blizzard, Cyclone, Hurricane, Tornado and Typhoon.

Blizzard Cyclone Hurricane Tornado Typhoon

   Vintage Mongoose  Anyone who is interested in Mongooses (Mongeese?) has probably already found this site. When I was restoring my Motomag, I found this site invaluable for information and reproductions decals and grips. Warren, who is behind this site, is a local who is passionate - no obsessive - about the Mongoose brand and it shows.