Out with 855 in with the 656

[Preflox]

Found this fantastic forum for the second time recently after coming across an 855 frame in need of love, I'll post a photo of it come daylight.
I did stumble through here on Oranges recommendation a few years ago when I had a brief flirtation with this thing



but I reckon you can guess from the seat post how that relationship ended.

So there it is.. back in the proflex camp and thrilled to be finally fiddling with some vectors the out and out sexiest (looking) fork ever made.

Cheers

[Preflox]

Amazing.. turns out there was a large 656 in the shed of a school dad.  Build direction has changed with the frame but I'm already feeling the love.

Thanks to Col for the offer of an 855 main triangle.. appreciate it buddy!

This is the 855 I was toying with.  A ratty old thing but kind of cool in bare dirty aluminium. I was really looking forward to giving it a thrashing but when I got the wheels on and eyed from the stem to the rear wheel I discovered it was a banana. I have stared at it, squinted and suck my tongue out but I can't for the life of me figure out where exactly the bend is. Could be just the main triangle


School dad to the rescue!!



Here's where I'm going with it.. xt 8speed and the original Suginos from the 855. Not sure about the wheels just yet.





Thoughts?

[petes97857]

Hi there
My tuppence worth
Latest bike looking like a good starting point,

Depends on what use you have planned for your bike condition of frame etc and depth of pockets,

I like the period mods from arround my projects age aiming for the sporty race bike look of the mid/late 90s non disc cnc'd stuff nice exotic metals carbon bits all suit that period

Seen some nice full make overs with big changes and heavy mods colour changes etc,
 Newer style forks & rear coil suspension Etc are a common change out but please keep the forks and other original parts you may help a restorer in the future.

Lots of ideas on here and Retro bike and just flicking through google images etc
Photo shop can be a big help and you could ask for comments or start a poll.

Most important enjoy and have fun with your project

Pete

[Preflox]

Hi Pete.

I wouldn't dare upgrade the forks.

No mods planned except maybe a different material for the elastomer replacement. The red rubber is a tad stiff.
Probably a bit like you in my tastes.. I plan to build the thing up with some mid 90's nonsense, take it out and enjoy it for what it is.

Really feeling the 656 now and feeling better about taking the 855 out the back to be put out of it's misery.
You can tell when a bike is worming its way into your heart when you glance at your main ride with cannibalistic thoughts.

Cheers

[fyrstormer]

Drop the seat. It's not a road bike.

I continue to be puzzled by some people's reluctance to replace "vintage" parts on their bikes. If it were a non-functional decorative antique then I could understand, but it's a machine -- keeping old parts that don't work as well as new parts makes no sense. It's wasting your energy.

[Preflox]

Nearly there.. need a longer post and the cheap shifters need to go but a quick blast this morning proved the bike to be a lot of fun.

[petes97857]

Hi again

Bike looking good in your pictures yellow cables go well with the decals i have seen a few other ProFlex bikes with yellow grips pedals saddles etc and it looks good but could get over the top if too many.
Polished and red parts also a good mix
Cranks stem bars seatpost all same colour is best.

Saddle does look a bit high that was why I upped a size in frames to a large it depends on the type of riding you do and your arm length bit to much weight on wrists for my liking.

Bike well posed to,not leaned against garden furniture car bumper etc
good back ground makes a better image.

 Bit envious of the sunshine though
Pete

[Preflox]

Hey Pete.  Thanks for the comment. As you said, plenty of inspiration to be found on this forum.

Yeh the saddle does look high and it'll be going up another 5mm when I get my hands on a longer post. It's a large (20") frame. The 120mm head tube across all sizes is unfortunate.  If I can find some bars with a little more rise I'll swap them out too.

[Spokes]

I like it all. The colours work for me and I especially like the yellow cables and the wheel and tyre combo. What tyres are they?
Tall seat heights rock. Im 6'2" and all my seats are high and I dont care.
Good work fella.

Chris

[spikebender]

Now that my 855 is finished I'm kinda bummed I sold my 656. I don't know If I was just used to it, but it was alot nicer ride than my 855

[Colin]

Yeh, it's almost like they got the pivot point right on the pre-x55 bikes, then moved it back on the x55 and x56 and then went "Oh  yeah, it was the right place to put it after all" and went back to the further forward point for the x57, Two Tube and Carbon bikes.............I'll be interested in the ride of my 962 if and when I ever get  it onto the road!

Col.

[fyrstormer]

I like it all. The colours work for me and I especially like the yellow cables and the wheel and tyre combo. What tyres are they?
Tall seat heights rock. Im 6'2" and all my seats are high and I dont care.
Good work fella.

Chris

The seat shouldn't be so much higher than the handlebars. If the seat needs to be that high to allow proper leg extension, fine, but the handlebars should be raised to compensate; if they can't be raised enough, then what's really needed is a larger bike.

[Spokes]

Sorry I disagree. Unless you have short legs, you look at all bike makes of similar age and most seats are higher than the bars due to frame design.Low head tubes were the norm. All bikes of this age had a much more radical frame geometry than the current more upright design. With Proflex whether you have a m,l or WB all the rear tubes are the same length. The frame size only alters the top tube length so you set the seat height to suit the length of your legs. I ride a medium and large and the seats are set at the same height. The only difference is one is a slightly longer reach so I tailer the bikes to the sort of terrain Im riding. Using your theory anyone with over a 30" leg shouldnt ride a Proflex. If youre 6'3" and ride the biggest frame, a Way Big, youre seat hight is still going to be high but its the correct size frame for you. Thats just the geometry of old bikes.

Chris

[fyrstormer]

I thought it might be frame geometry, but when I compared my 14 year old 756 to my new bike, the top of the headset stack is exactly 1/2" higher and the bottom bracket is exactly 1/2" lower on the new bike. That certainly points to a more upright geometry, but it doesn't account for the significance of the difference on its own. There are other differences on older bikes, such as the use of flat handlebars and longer stems with less upward slope, more vertical headtubes, etc. Those things all combine for a less rear-biased weight distribution and a more road-like ride. So the transition towards a more upright riding position wasn't just a change in frame geometry, which means that even older bikes can be refitted to achieve a more "modern" riding position -- a more comfortable, less twitchy one, in my opinion.

[Preflox]

The saddle on that 656 is set for my height, any lower and It's all knees. spokes is spot on with the oddity of the 120mm head tube through the entire size range. If I'm honest I would like to get the bars up an inch, if I can find suitable risers that don't look ridiculous I'll go that way. For now I'm just happy to have a Proflex in the stable to play with, it's a privilege!
As far as modern geometry goes.. I wouldn't know, I don't care if modern is "better". I have a hard on for 90's mountain bikes and have a blast riding them.. I'm sure I could go faster on a different rig but I wouldn't enjoy it nearly as much and what is that point of life anyway if not to get through it wearing a big stupid grin on your dial for as much of it as possible.

Thanks for the comments chaps.. top forum this.