SOLD. Thanks to all those who expressed an interest.
Hello all
With great regret I'm putting up for sale my Proflex 955 - I simply don't have any more space for bikes in my tiny yard and there is a downhill rig due to join the stable soon!
Video here: http://youtu.be/CIWZ6BRDG4g
Tons more pics at bottom of this post and also here: http://woody25.pinkbike.com/album/Proflex-955/
History
I've owned the bike from new, it was purchased as a frame and forks from the true mecca of mountain biking in the mid-nineties; Stif in Leeds.
I originally built it up as a light weight XC bike, which it is absolutely perfect for. With lighter rims, 1.8 kevlar tyres and the Vectors back on it weighs around 23-24lbs in this trim.
After a couple of years in that guise, oil forks started to get light enough and reliable enough for XC, so I swapped out the vectors for the Bombers, adding the shorter stem (100mm was considered twitchly short in those days...) and riser bars.
In either guise the 955 is an amazing bike. It doesn't suffer from being overly long or overly steep and as ancient a technology as elastomer suspension seems nowadays the bike did a great job of smoothing off the rough edges and was a revelation when climbing. It was the first bike I remember really making an impact on the XC racing scene. Crazy that it was also the same type of frame that Jez Avery did all that crazy jumping on too - truly a versatile beast!
Right, enough history! As you can see from above the bike has two builds and I'm looking to sell the whole lot together. The spec is:
Specification
Frame: Proflex 955 18" (IIRC that is a Large in proflex sizing and I believe it would be a 19" - 19.5" frame in other manufacturer's sizing. I'm 6'1" and it fits me well). The frame has the sort of scratches and wear you would expect of a bike of this age and a bit of cable rub on the downtube. I've tried to show that in the photos and video. There are no dents at all and as far as I can see there are no cracks. The elastomers have hardened and will need replacing if you want working rear suspension. All the original manuals, paperwork and the original receipt are included.
Fork 1: Girvin Vector 2: This is the fork that was originally fitted to the bike. It comes with all of the mounting kit and a load of spare spacers to allow it to be fitted to another bike if desired. The legs are a bit scuffed and scratched, but nothing that wouldn't polish out. The stem has roughed up the laquer in one area, but it looks like that could be removed and sanded/polished out. The elastomers will need replacing. I stripped the fork yesterday and it is all still moving perfectly once the elastomers are removed. It is a really nice fork to work on, no need for oil levels, just grease and allen keys. It comes with the manual which has all the details on how to maintain, strip and reassemble the fork.
Fork 2: Marzocchi Bomber Z1 BAM: Still the sexiest forks ever made in the best shade of orange ever applied to anything! The legs and crown have a few scuffs, but are otherwise in great condition. The forks haven't been ridden in 10 years so inevitably the seals have perished. I haven't stripped them to check the internals, but they weren't ridden with blown seals so they should be fine.
Stem top cap: X-Lite
Wheels: Azonic black diamond deep section rims, DT Swiss spokes and Hope hubs. The rims are tough, but not too heavy. They haven't had a huge amount of use.
Tyres: The holy grail, white Panaracer Magic Smoke and Dart. These have had very little use... I wanted them to stay white so I didn't like using them in mud... so I very rarely used them! I will also include the Pirahna Pros (black) that I used when it was muddy. They have a lot of tread still too.
Skewers: Ringle Twisters with titanium axles. A little scuffed on the outside edges but otherwise perfect. Supplied with their original packaging.
Saddle: Ti Flite in red.
Seatpost: X-Lite Z.E. 360 Wedge Head. In great condition with a few insertion scratches. It has had about 30mm chopped off the length because of the Pro-Flex's interupted seat tube. I have a 33" inside leg and the post is sized for that.
Cranks: Topline cranks and rings. A few scuffs but no cracks. They are things of beauty.
Pedals: These are not included - I still use them for downhilling and 4X now and again!
BB: There is a titanium BB, but I can't remember what it is. It came pre-fitted to all 955 frames I believe. I think it may be a Syncros, but I just can't remember.
Brakes: Shimano Deore XT M739 (I think?) v brakes
Levers and Shifters: Shimano Deore XT M739
Rear Mech: Shimano Deore XT M739 with blue ano lower jockey wheel
Chain: Sedis. Rusted, needs replacing.
Cassette: M737 with those lovely drilled out cogs.
All of the above parts were purchased between 1995 and 1998.
Price: £390 No swaps or splits at this stage.
Postage/Delivery/CollectionThis is not included in the price. I'm hoping the buyer can collect from Oxford or Banbury. Alternatively, I can travel say an hour to meet up with the buyer for the cost of the fuel.
Pricing all the parts up individually they total to five to six hundred pounds worth. I really don't want to split the bike down though, so hopefully the price above means that even if you don't want some of the parts it will still be a good price. It is a really lovely machine, I very much hope it will find a great new home!
Video here: http://youtu.be/CIWZ6BRDG4g
Tons more pics here: http://woody25.pinkbike.com/album/Proflex-955/
Hello all
With great regret I'm putting up for sale my Proflex 955 - I simply don't have any more space for bikes in my tiny yard and there is a downhill rig due to join the stable soon!
Video here: http://youtu.be/CIWZ6BRDG4g
Tons more pics at bottom of this post and also here: http://woody25.pinkbike.com/album/Proflex-955/
History
I've owned the bike from new, it was purchased as a frame and forks from the true mecca of mountain biking in the mid-nineties; Stif in Leeds.
I originally built it up as a light weight XC bike, which it is absolutely perfect for. With lighter rims, 1.8 kevlar tyres and the Vectors back on it weighs around 23-24lbs in this trim.
After a couple of years in that guise, oil forks started to get light enough and reliable enough for XC, so I swapped out the vectors for the Bombers, adding the shorter stem (100mm was considered twitchly short in those days...) and riser bars.
In either guise the 955 is an amazing bike. It doesn't suffer from being overly long or overly steep and as ancient a technology as elastomer suspension seems nowadays the bike did a great job of smoothing off the rough edges and was a revelation when climbing. It was the first bike I remember really making an impact on the XC racing scene. Crazy that it was also the same type of frame that Jez Avery did all that crazy jumping on too - truly a versatile beast!
Right, enough history! As you can see from above the bike has two builds and I'm looking to sell the whole lot together. The spec is:
Specification
Frame: Proflex 955 18" (IIRC that is a Large in proflex sizing and I believe it would be a 19" - 19.5" frame in other manufacturer's sizing. I'm 6'1" and it fits me well). The frame has the sort of scratches and wear you would expect of a bike of this age and a bit of cable rub on the downtube. I've tried to show that in the photos and video. There are no dents at all and as far as I can see there are no cracks. The elastomers have hardened and will need replacing if you want working rear suspension. All the original manuals, paperwork and the original receipt are included.
Fork 1: Girvin Vector 2: This is the fork that was originally fitted to the bike. It comes with all of the mounting kit and a load of spare spacers to allow it to be fitted to another bike if desired. The legs are a bit scuffed and scratched, but nothing that wouldn't polish out. The stem has roughed up the laquer in one area, but it looks like that could be removed and sanded/polished out. The elastomers will need replacing. I stripped the fork yesterday and it is all still moving perfectly once the elastomers are removed. It is a really nice fork to work on, no need for oil levels, just grease and allen keys. It comes with the manual which has all the details on how to maintain, strip and reassemble the fork.
Fork 2: Marzocchi Bomber Z1 BAM: Still the sexiest forks ever made in the best shade of orange ever applied to anything! The legs and crown have a few scuffs, but are otherwise in great condition. The forks haven't been ridden in 10 years so inevitably the seals have perished. I haven't stripped them to check the internals, but they weren't ridden with blown seals so they should be fine.
Stem top cap: X-Lite
Wheels: Azonic black diamond deep section rims, DT Swiss spokes and Hope hubs. The rims are tough, but not too heavy. They haven't had a huge amount of use.
Tyres: The holy grail, white Panaracer Magic Smoke and Dart. These have had very little use... I wanted them to stay white so I didn't like using them in mud... so I very rarely used them! I will also include the Pirahna Pros (black) that I used when it was muddy. They have a lot of tread still too.
Skewers: Ringle Twisters with titanium axles. A little scuffed on the outside edges but otherwise perfect. Supplied with their original packaging.
Saddle: Ti Flite in red.
Seatpost: X-Lite Z.E. 360 Wedge Head. In great condition with a few insertion scratches. It has had about 30mm chopped off the length because of the Pro-Flex's interupted seat tube. I have a 33" inside leg and the post is sized for that.
Cranks: Topline cranks and rings. A few scuffs but no cracks. They are things of beauty.
Pedals: These are not included - I still use them for downhilling and 4X now and again!
BB: There is a titanium BB, but I can't remember what it is. It came pre-fitted to all 955 frames I believe. I think it may be a Syncros, but I just can't remember.
Brakes: Shimano Deore XT M739 (I think?) v brakes
Levers and Shifters: Shimano Deore XT M739
Rear Mech: Shimano Deore XT M739 with blue ano lower jockey wheel
Chain: Sedis. Rusted, needs replacing.
Cassette: M737 with those lovely drilled out cogs.
All of the above parts were purchased between 1995 and 1998.
Price: £390 No swaps or splits at this stage.
Postage/Delivery/CollectionThis is not included in the price. I'm hoping the buyer can collect from Oxford or Banbury. Alternatively, I can travel say an hour to meet up with the buyer for the cost of the fuel.
Pricing all the parts up individually they total to five to six hundred pounds worth. I really don't want to split the bike down though, so hopefully the price above means that even if you don't want some of the parts it will still be a good price. It is a really lovely machine, I very much hope it will find a great new home!
Video here: http://youtu.be/CIWZ6BRDG4g
Tons more pics here: http://woody25.pinkbike.com/album/Proflex-955/
