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Astralites
http://www.ducatittandf1.com/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=612		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  williamTT2 [ Sun Aug 21, 2011 2:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Astralites
Hello,
Does anyone know the history between the Astra's and the TT's?
I'm building a TT-repl. (Harris frame) and got two sets of Astra's; 18" gold and 17"-18" black.
Just wondering.

William
Author:  rp84 [ Thu Sep 15, 2011 7:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Astralites
Hi Bill,

I think Astralites were made by a bicycle wheel maker in UK who started making m/c wheels in the early '80s. They were a less-expensive alternative to cast racing wheels such as Marvics but almost just a light-weight. The Astralites other advantage (besides lower cost) were the fact they are very durable. They can take alot of pot-hole bumps without cracking. Mine have lasted over 20 years with no issues. They were sold in the US by Euro-Tech in Florida I believe. I'm not sure of other TT users.
Rich
Author:  Poison [ Thu Nov 03, 2011 1:04 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Astralites
In actual fact there is no per se link between Ducati TT1 & TT2 contructors and Astralites, apart from the fact that, at the time Astralites were often the wheel of choice for those building bikes "from the ground up". The advantage of Astralites were many. They were known to be tough, relatively light, available (with the correct spacers) for most bikes, and not particularly expensive..........however if crashed hard enough (as I know to my cost) it was the devil's own job to get 'em straight again! Additionally there were many second-hand Astralites available. Even nowadays you will find a few 18" versions on eBay occassionally.

Astralites were manufactured in Sheffield by two gentlemen, Messrs Dawson and Harmsworth. They were also the suppliers of the electronic Scitsu rev-counters. Astralite production came to a sudden end when the aircraft-quality alloy plate, used for the main components of the wheels, become unavailable. To my (imperfect) knowledge, Dawson and Harmsworth continued with the Scitsu part of the business for a while, however I would be surprised if they are still in business at the time of writing (2011).
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