Proflex 955,855, 856 frames

[Andy T]

Folks,
I have an 855 and an 856 in the stash and at the moment one of them is to be refurbished/rebuilt.
Question is are there any physical differences in the frames - I can't see any, perhaps I'm not looking in the right areas?

Looking at the brochures both seem to be identical with only the component build up of the bikes being different in each year.

Is a 955 frame the same as an 855?

which would be the better to restore an 855, or an 855 to 955 spec or the 856?

Thanks
Andy

[w2zero]

There might be a gusset under the down tube behind the head tube on the *56.  The *56 swing arm may have a rounded off area to clear the front derailleur as well.  No particular difference beyond that I know of.

[Spokes]

There's been a lot talked about this in the past. As far as I know the 855 was a bit fragile and had a tendency to crack. The 856 was a development of the 855 which addressed its weaknesses. I believe the swing arm and head stock areas were the weak areas that were strengthened up. The 856 obviously had Vector 2s as well.

The 955/956 were the top of the range frames in their year. It's said that all the 9'' series frames were made in house (USA) as opposed to all the others that were made under licence in Taiwan. The 9'' series frames are said to be a different grade of aluminium to the others.

As far as which is the best... They're all good. As long as there are no cracks they'll all ride the same.

Chris