Intro. Plus, broke my '96 Beast today...

[TAZ]

Greetings! Forum newb Terry Z. here, from Middletown, Delaware.

The story:
I bought my Proflex Beast new back in 1996.  Back then I had only one bike, and I rode several times a week, on weekends with friends, etc.  That same year, I got married, and ended up riding less and less as time went on.  Eventually I got a nice road bike and essentially put the Proflex in storage for a while.

Last fall I got the bike out, rode a few times, and quickly figured out the (original) drivetrain was too worn to be safe/effective; the chain kept jumping under load and it was a bit sketchy to ride.  I dropped some money on a new crank and rings, chain, etc, and right about then, the front brake (the original Magura HS-11(?)) developed a leak that no one locally seemed to know how to fix.  Embarrassingly, neither did I.  I think it's just the end of the hyrdaulic line, but I've never learned how to service 'em.  With no brakes and winter looming, I once again put the bike in the shed and I stopped riding it.  Then this past spring I bought a brand new road bike and started road riding pretty regularly.

As it always does, fall came again this year, and again I got the itch to get on the MTB.  I held my nose and bought some inexpensive V-brakes and levers, and with a tear in my eye, removed the Maguras to install the new brakes.  But the good news was that the bike was once again ridable.  I began riding after work, even leaving earlier than usual to compensate for the days growing shorter.

Today I was about three miles into my ride - the fourth one this week.  I was following a local guy I'd just met on some nice singletrack I'd never ridden before.  Suddenly I felt a pop.  The rear wheel instantly locked up and nearly sent me tumbling.  I looked down at the rear to see the wheel jammed against the non-drive side of the swingarm...and about a second later, I saw the reason - the drive-side dropout/hanger, axle still clamped around it, was newly separated from the rest of the bike. Of course, it's not just the bolt-on portion; part of the swingarm itself broke. Pic attached.

I was a bit crushed; I'd broken my bike, and it occurred to me that I might never ride it again.  The thing is, old as it is, the bike is still a fun and capable cross-country ride.  The suspension isn't even close to what the new bikes have, but there's still a cool factor to the bike, and I've got more than a hint of nostalgia for it.  Even with the V-brakes, it's still a blast to ride.  But I'm at a crossroads.  Do I find another swingarm and keep the 16-year-old Beast alive, or do I part it out and give in to the allure of a new ride?  (I've got my eye on a new Trek Superfly 100 29er...)

So...does anyone have or know of an old box-section aluminum swingarm for sale?   

- Terry

[fyrstormer]

Sorry man, the only one I have is the one on my 756. Good to know about the possible failure mode, though. I wonder if Shovelon could weld the bits back together? He did a great job attaching a disc mount to my swingarm.

If you decide to give up on the frame, I've had a crush on the Santa Cruz Blur for a long time, and I think that would make a good frame to put your parts on.

[Spokes]

Keep a eye on eBay, they come up pretty regularly and are not expensive. Youll probably have to pick up a frame and swingarm and then sell the frame on or keep it as a spare. No more than £30 for both over here. If it is a clean brake I'm sure it could we welded but it would probably be cheaper just to buy a replacement. You can buy spares for your magura's no problem from all the on line bike shops. You can still buy them new. I run HS33's on my OZx an bought them new only a few years ago.

Chris

[shovelon]

For some reason I could not see the pic.

Usually they break nearer to the mainframe.

Terry

[TAZ]

The LBS didn't have a 2012 Superfly 100 in my size. Perhaps not coincidentally, the guy gave me a bit of a razzing about my desire for a dual-suspension bike here on the east coast of the US, where there's isn't much in the way of downhilling (at least not in my area). We mainly have thick woods and cross-country-type singletrack (my thing) and rails-to-trails (not my thing).  He suggested I could save about a grand by going with a hardtail.

They happened to have a leftover 2011 Trek/Gary Fisher X-Cal 29er in my size.  It's a hardtail with a 100mm RockShox Reba RL fork and SRAM 7.0 components.  It was a good deal, at $1250.  So I bought it.  It feels huge, and the rear end is a little more harsh than I've been used to, but it's lighter than my Beast and seems to climb better, and the fork is a big improvement over the Girvin plus SpeedSpring-over-ODS front end.  The Avid Juicy 3.0 hydraulic discs are interesting, but they're definitely not as powerful as the old Magura rim brakes!

I'm looking at an 856 frame and swingarm on eBay; I may get that and rebuild the ProFlex anyway, as I really liked that bike.   

[Spokes]

If you can get the 856 frame set cheap enough go for it. It always pays to have a spare bike anyway.

Chris

[fyrstormer]

For some reason I could not see the pic.

Usually they break nearer to the mainframe.

Terry

In a nutshell: Imagine hiting the derailleur mount from the rear with a hammer, and that's what his failure looks like.

[fyrstormer]

The LBS didn't have a 2012 Superfly 100 in my size. Perhaps not coincidentally, the guy gave me a bit of a razzing about my desire for a dual-suspension bike here on the east coast of the US, where there's isn't much in the way of downhilling (at least not in my area). We mainly have thick woods and cross-country-type singletrack (my thing) and rails-to-trails (not my thing).  He suggested I could save about a grand by going with a hardtail.

They happened to have a leftover 2011 Trek/Gary Fisher X-Cal 29er in my size.  It's a hardtail with a 100mm RockShox Reba RL fork and SRAM 7.0 components.  It was a good deal, at $1250.  So I bought it.  It feels huge, and the rear end is a little more harsh than I've been used to, but it's lighter than my Beast and seems to climb better, and the fork is a big improvement over the Girvin plus SpeedSpring-over-ODS front end.  The Avid Juicy 3.0 hydraulic discs are interesting, but they're definitely not as powerful as the old Magura rim brakes!

I'm looking at an 856 frame and swingarm on eBay; I may get that and rebuild the ProFlex anyway, as I really liked that bike.   

Once the disc brakes wear-in, they'll blow away your old rubber brakes. You'll need to ride it for at least 50 miles before you'll get full stopping power. There will always be a couple-millisecond lag when using disc brakes as the spokes stretch under load, since you're slowing the wheel at the hub instead of the rim, but it's so predictable and so inconsequential that you'll stop noticing it in short order.

Overall, nothing stops as nicely as disc brakes, especially after you've worn them in a bit and you've found a pad compound you like. (I use stock Avid metallic pads on the front and DiscoBrakes Kevlar pads on the back, because DiscoBrakes' kevlar compound uses copper shavings instead of brass shavings, and the softer metal feels better when mixed with what is essentially crushed fabric threads.)

I live on the Right Coast too, and both of my bikes are full suspension. I see no reason to use a hardtail; I'm not racing, so outright performance isn't critically important, and my ass appreciates being saved from hard bumps just as much as my wrists do. Also, in technical sections the rear suspension helps keep my pedaling smooth, which makes my knees feel better. If I want hardtail performance, I can always flip the rear lockout on my new bike; my old 756 doesn't have a rear lockout, but on that bike it's the fork that seems to be the less-efficient of the two shocks, and I do have a lockout on the fork, so it's all good.

[TAZ]

Thanks for the reply, fyrstormer.

I definitely noticed the spoke flex delay you were explaining; that may be part of my initial feelings about the discs.  I'm heavier than the average rider at the moment, at 6' and about 225 lbs, so I imagine the effect is even more exaggerated for me.  I've only ridden the bike about 40 miles so far; I'll see if I notice any difference as everything gets worn in.

I also hear you about the benefits of a DS ride, and I agree.  I may - in a year or two - get a new DS bike, if I continue to do enough off-road riding to justify spending another couple thousand bucks.  In the summertime I tend to do more road riding, as the 'local' trails require putting the bike in the car and driving about 20 miles first, but I can do some nice road riding right out of my neighborhood.

I did buy the 856 frame & swingarm I found on eBay; I got it for $129 (US) with shipping included.  I'll build it up and keep that bike around, for sure.  (I will likely have an 856 or Beast (18") frame to sell cheap if anyone wants one!)

[Thunderchild]

I am planning on selling my 855 for parts on Ebay.  Frame has a crack, but swingarm is fine.  As far as I can tell the swingarms are the same for 1998 855 and the 1996 Beast.  Anyone know otherwise? 

THunderchild