Table of Contents

Kettler

In 1949, Heinz Kettler started an exercise equipment company in the attic of a sawmill in Ense-Parsit, Germany. Kettler soon branched out into cookware, cake plates, children's bikes, carts, camping supplies, stationary bikes, treadmills, folding chairs and many other things involving steel and aluminum tubing. Heinz Kettler first bicycles appeared in 1968 and then introduced aluminum bicycles in 1977, all made in Germany. Kettler's first MTB appeared in 1984 1). Kettler finally closed shop in January 2020 after selling their bicycle division to ZEG which continues the Kettler brand as KETTLER Alu-Rad GmbH.

Heinz Kettler made a pioneering contribution to the area of bicycle development in 1977. Instead of using the conventional, heavy steel that was the industry standard, he was the first manufacturer to launch an aluminium bicycle onto the market. With the Kettler Alu Rad 2600, Heinz Kettler revolutionised the bicycle sector. https://www.kettler-alu-rad.de/gb-en/about-us/history

This ignores other bike makers who used aluminum tubing, such as:

Or early MTBs which pioneered using aluminum:

And many more. Perhaps Kettler was the first to launch an all-new Al frame in 1977. Kettler aluminum bikes were heavy, sort of like their patio furniture, which were probably made with the same tubing.

The Kettler head tube badge is HKS 2) , which stands for Heinz Kettler Sport.

Resources:

Heinz Kettler
Heinz Kettler wp.de

1984 Edition Alu-Rad

Aluminum frame, non-original Shimano Deore MT-60 (1987-8), SR quick release seat (1983 only), SR MTS-100 handlebars (1982-84), red only. One size only - which may explain the sliding seat. Large custom red cog on rear. Color matched frame, fork, bars, rack, bottle cage and granny gear.

1984 Edition Alu-Rad
1984 Edition Alu-Rad retrobike

1985 Safari

Aluminum frame, Shimano M700 v2 (1985), SR MTS-100 slingshot stem (1982-87), faux biplane forks, no derailleur braze ons - guides are either drilled or strapped.

1985 Safari
1985 Safari mtb-news.de

1986 Safari Street

Same as their standard MTB with fenders and a rack. The derailleur doesn't match the catalog. Red granny gear. Many cables are strapped and not guided with braze ons.

1986 Safari Street
1986 Safari Street retrobike

1987 Safari Adventure S

Shimano RD-M531 GS (1987-88), Biopace rings, strapped on full cable housing, red granny gear. Doesn't match any catalog.

1987 Safari Adventure S
1987 Safari Adventure S mtb-news.de

1988 Adventure SL

Matches 1988 catalog: Shimano XT M730 (1986-88), u-brakes rear, original semi-clock tires, HKS bars, ITM stem.

1988 Adventure SL
1988 Adventure SL mtb-news.de

1989 Edition

Drop frame (damenmodell), Shimano Deore RD-MT62 (1989), rear u-brake, elaborate derailleur protector.

1989 Edition
1989 Edition mtb-news.de

1990 Adventure

Suntour XC Expert v1 (1990), frame gusset, u-brake rear

1990 Adventure
1990 Adventure mtb-news.de

1991 Selection

Shimano M735 (1990-92), Italmanubri stem, Panaracer Khartoum tires (1990-91), Alesa rims from Belgium, frame gusset, chainstay shelf

1991 Selection
1991 Selection mtb-news.de

1992 Adventure XR

Shimano Deore LX (1990-92) gruppo, HKS logo, shark fin with spare spokes, frame gusset with chainstay shelf, internal cabling.

1992 Adventure XR
1992 Adventure XR mountainbikemuseum.nl

1993 Selection

Shimano XT M737 group (1989-93), frame gusset, chainstay shelf, updated logo. Designed in Virginia Beach, USA decals. These decals are not unique to this Kettler. Virginia Beach is home to Kettler, USA - and is also very far from any hill. The closest open space is the Great Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge. It's possible that this is a 1992.

1993 Selection
1993 Selection kleinanzeigen.de

1)
The 1983 Kettler catalog has no MTBs - but some have claimed to see Safaris introduced in 1983.
2)
Which can also be read as HSK, if you're used to reading left to right. It's confusing.