Proflex 5500 Re-review in MBA this month

[willem]

The back spread in this months Mountain Bike Action is a rehash of the 1998 review of the 5500.

Great picture of a great bike, but of course they grumbled about the price (Yikes!), the electric shocks, and the seat tube sleeve came loose. They said the 5500 represented ProFlex "jumping the shark." Cold.

MBA said they always get lots of letters whenever they bring up ProFlex since there are so many still on the road. If they could only see what you guys have done with these bikes! I'll see if I can get it scanned and into the gallery. In the meantime, maybe I'll just send 'em a letter!

Cheers,
Will

[Thunderchild]

Has anyone replied to MBA re: this re-review.  I read it for the first time recently.  Last part of ending sentence reads, "...gone and forgotten."  I will be replying.  The email is mbaction@hi-torque.com. 

Thunderchild

[jeffgothro]

I may need to send an email myself.

[dcarr1971]

+1 to the idea of reminding MBA that there are still a lot of out here riding Proflex bikes.

Like most mags, MBA is only interested in the new products and has no respect for anything else...not even if the bikes were really high end technology at the time.  They're just in it for their advertisers...

Interestingly, someone is selling a 5500 on eBay now...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=120283206376

[shovelon]

Interestingly, someone is selling a 5500 on eBay now...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&item=120283206376

$1700,

[Old Proflexer]

i'm not sure what 'jumping the shark' means -

i haven't seen the article but youth and ignorance always seems to have a way of letting itself be known

not sure i'd care what they'd be writing about 10 year old technology - it's always easy to find fault with 20/20 hindsight

simple minds probably think the same type of thing about the '67 Corvette Stingray

someone there must have looked back and seen the beauty and innovation otherwise - no article

ok, i'm done -

OP


(how about one of you guys email the kid and ask him to stick his nose in here - perhaps we can chat with him a bit)

[Colin]

Anyone got (or can do) a scan of the MBA article?

Thanks
Col.

[willem]

I've got the article and will scan it. Tired of fussing with the gallery, so I'll mail it to Terry or someone...

Would love to see a "blind test" of the Oz with modern shocks and drivetrain.

"Jumping the shark" refers to the Happy Days sitcom episode where Fonzi literally jumped over a shark to save the day somehow. (Didn't see it!) In any case, that was the moment at which the TV show went from creative and funny to just flogging the same old characters to perform in ridiculous scenarios. It was cancelled shortly after that.

Other famous shark jumps were:
John Kerry's "First I voted for the war and then I voted against the war."
Moonlighting when Bruce Willis started talking to the camera.
J. Geils Band when they produced "Freeze Frame"
The Cadillac Cimmaron
Mercedes Benz C-Class
Clint Eastwood and the Bridges of something or other...

I believe the Oz didn't jump the shark, it was just ahead of the available technology. What if it had launched with X0 drivetrain, Juicy 7's, an RP23, and a 3 pound mega air fork?
Sweeeet.

Cheers,
Will

[Thunderchild]

I submitted an email to MB Action with pictures, links to this site, forum, gallery, ability to add disc brakes bigger rear shocks, etc., miles on my Oz (9183), how to fix a slipping seat tube, how simple and inexpensive it was to fix my broken seat tube, etc.  I asked them to print a correction or something.  "...gone and forgotten." is so opposite reality, for us anyway.  If you own a 5500 or an Oz, send them an email.  mbaction@hi-torque.com


Thunderchild

[purple gerbil]

I've got the article and will scan it. Tired of fussing with the gallery, so I'll mail it to Terry or someone...

Would love to see a "blind test" of the Oz with modern shocks and drivetrain.

"Jumping the shark" refers to the Happy Days sitcom episode where Fonzi literally jumped over a shark to save the day somehow. (Didn't see it!) In any case, that was the moment at which the TV show went from creative and funny to just flogging the same old characters to perform in ridiculous scenarios. It was cancelled shortly after that.

Other famous shark jumps were:
John Kerry's "First I voted for the war and then I voted against the war."
Moonlighting when Bruce Willis started talking to the camera.
J. Geils Band when they produced "Freeze Frame"
The Cadillac Cimmaron
Mercedes Benz C-Class
Clint Eastwood and the Bridges of something or other...

I believe the Oz didn't jump the shark, it was just ahead of the available technology. What if it had launched with X0 drivetrain, Juicy 7's, an RP23, and a 3 pound mega air fork?
Sweeeet.

Cheers,
Will

yeah what if they got there hand's on a bang up to date oz or similar and test ride it not as an oldie but as a contender for today's xc bike's..
wonder how it would fair?? and if they started selling these bike's as a ltd edition i wonder how many would sell???

[Thunderchild]

So far no response from MB Action.  I re-submitted my email (minus pictures) to Ask RC on the MBAction home page.  http://www.mbaction.com/Me2/Default.asp

Time to stand and be counted. 

Go ask RC (Richard Cunningham).

Thunderchild 

[Tel]

Richard Cunningham, jumping the shark, fonzi. Is it just me or have I fallen asleep in a happy days loop?
 Tel, confused..... sit on it!