So many 1990s mountain bikes are finding new lives through garage tinkerers, building them up as commuters and all-rounders. One such builder is Tilman from Tesuque Bikes, who always delivers such fun builds to our Readers’ Rides segment, so let’s check out his latest project, a Balance AL-450…
While the Balance AL-450 might not immediately ring bells for many, it holds a special place in the story of mid-90s mountain biking, and a nearly forgotten one at that. During a time when major cycling companies were becoming massive and diversified, companies like Balance stood out as attempts to break that mold, supporting real hobbyists and riders with thoughtfully engineered rides, both in function and aesthetic.
When I spotted this bike for sale, it still sported its original GripShifts and Manitou Mach 5 Comp XC suspension fork. Given its fairly standard vintage build, I hesitated for months, and for months it stared back at me as day after day it sat unsold. Eventually, like many of us bike nerds do, I caved, the aggressive geometry of the frame and attention to detail in the finish told me there was a story behind it.
After falling down more than one Reddit hole and scavenging mtbr forums, one post jumped out at me. It detailed a small riding scene in the Mount Snow area of southern Vermont, where owning a Balance was the norm, and the local race team raced Balance bikes. It wasn’t a long post, but rather the tone it was written in that gave away just how excited this one member was to be recounting it. So, if I had nothing else, I had found a small community of folks, that at one point, had been in the know, and had loved these bikes, before the company disappeared, some speculating Balance had sold out.
While what remains of Balance mainly resides on increasingly irrelevant forums and threads that will surely vanish in time, I feel we have a responsibility to carry on what remains, tell what version of the story we can, and let others who were there fill in the details. In tandem with telling the story of this bike, I also wanted to build it in a way that would see it loved and ridden like the day it was new.
I went for an aggressive “stand n shred” style ride, ideal for adventures around the city and ripping through the bosque. I replaced the original 3×8 drivetrain with a 1×11 piece together Shimano group, and set up a sweet tubeless wheel/tire set that was provided by Will over at Two Wheel Drive here in Albuquerque. These specific rims have a ceramic braking surface, a feature not forgotten by Kool-Stop, their Eagle 2 Ceramic Pads did the job here. This was my first time building with the Edsen Steel Craft fork and I must say for the price it absolutely delivers on a budget!
To finish it off and really bring it into the modern era, I added a fresh set of Doom bars. I’d also like to thank Esperanza Bicycle shop for their invaluable support, helping the community get on bikes, including some bits on this one that helped it come together without breaking the bank. As with all my builds when they reach a sort of finality in my hands, I like to give them a name and for this one it needs for nothing more than the original name of the finish….Plum Mirror.
Thanks for your time,
Tilman Conway
Instagram: TesuqueBikes
Build Spec:
- Frame: 1995 Balance AL-450
- Fork: Edsen Steel Craft
- Headset: FSA Orbit
- Stem: Sette Stumpy
- Bars: Doom
- Brake Levers: Avid Speed Dial 7
- Brakes: Deore XT Cantilever
- Brake Pads – Kool Stop Ceramic Eagle 2
- Wheels: Mavic Cross Max – Ceramic
- Tires: S-Works Renegade Tubeless
- Seatpost: RaceFace Evolve XC
- Drivetrain: Shimano Deore/XT 11 Spd
We’d like to thank all of you who submitted Readers Rides builds to be shared here at The Radavist. The response has been incredible and we have so many to share over the next few months. Feel free to submit your bike, listing details, components, and other information. You can also include a portrait of yourself with your bike and your Instagram account! Please, shoot landscape-orientation photos, not portrait. Thanks!