Five Star History

"The preliminaries were in hand, Hollywood showed interest and American and United Kingdom investment was available to launch against the local dreadnoughts, a lightweight bicycle, proven by performance to be equally strong, and more sensible to ride."
Hubert Opperman,
Pedals Politics and People

In 1939 Malvern Star radically reshaped their product line as they prepared for an assault on the United States market. "Oppy" was planning a ride across continental America to promote the new range. Ginger Rogers and Deanna Durbin were engaged to lend "Star Quality" to the new products.

The "Utility" and "Roadster" models became "One Stars" and "Two Stars". The sports bike became One, Two ,Three, Four or Five Star Racers.

The majority of the new range featured traditional B.S.A components which were regarded in Australia, at the time, as the "World's Finest Fittings". The Five Star broke the mould and introduced to Australian production bikes new lightweight duralumin components. The first Five Stars were the 1939 Five Star Dural Track Racer weighing in at 14lbs 14oz and the Five Star Dural Road Racer at 17lbs 5oz.

The war prevented the well prepared and brave marketing plan from being put into action and robbed the US of an early opportunity to discover lightweight bicycle technology on a mass production scale. The needs of war production meant that molybdemum steel tubing was not available for bicycles and the Four and Five Stars disappeared from Malvern Star's wartime catalogues.

When production recommenced after the war top line racing bikes returned, the "Five Star" re-emerged at the top of the Malvern Star range and remained there for the next 30 years. "Oppy", world champions and many of Australia’s top post war racing cyclists were seen riding a Five Star.

Opperman and Lawrence 2.GIF (37919 bytes)

The earliest known photograph (left) of a Five Star. Probably in early 1939, features the opera singer Marjory Lawrence and Hubert Opperman leaning on an early Five Star

Five Stars are out and out racing bikes. Having been produced over more than 30 years they vary in construction but are primarily from the highest quality Chrome Molybdenum or Manganese Molybdenum steel tubing either double butted in the "racer" variety or plain gauge in the "semi-racer" variety.

Many of the Five Stars that remain were one off machines hand built for top racers. They remain as a tribute to Australia’s ability to build "State of the Art" lightweight racing bikes from the best internationally available tube and components.

In January 1940 Hubert Opperman set 101 records in a 24 hour period on the track at the Sydney Arena riding his Five Star. This picture, taken on that day represents:

Birth of the Five Star