Author Topic: ProFlex Animal - Advice needed (Read 5073 times)

drew_r · « **on:** January 31, 2004, 05:38:38 am »

I am relatively new to MTB (rode alot of bmx in my younger years) and have recently started looking for a ride. I have come across and Proflex Animal. I cant find much info on the web about these bikes. I suspect its a 97 from what I can tell. It does not look like the animal that

"dugo" had posted in the gallery section of this site. It has the link style forks and xt front and rear dr's and hubs. Hydraulic rim brakes. Overall it appears in pretty decent shape. Color is blue and yellow if that helps determine year. Asking price is $350. Thinking about buying it. Anybody that can help me out telling me any more info or what to look for in this bike I would appreciate it.

kiwi · « **Reply #1 on:** January 31, 2004, 07:23:45 am »

does it look more like this???

drew_r · « **Reply #2 on:** January 31, 2004, 08:27:51 am »

Colors are different but thats the frame style.

tmaybee · « **Reply #3 on:** January 31, 2004, 08:32:31 am »

Or is it like this?

drew_r · « **Reply #4 on:** January 31, 2004, 08:41:40 am »

That's the bike I looked looked at with the exception of the forks. The forks look like the pic provided in the 1st reply.

kiwi · « **Reply #5 on:** January 31, 2004, 09:45:07 am »

ok well its the same frame type.although it may have been marketed differently you are looking at basicaly a xc type bike.As a now old aluminium frame bike you must look carefully for cracks.If it is well used and abused i would seriously consider passing.If it looks like it has had an easy life it will have a long life in front of iti.the headset bb and main tube huction would be the most likely place for crackswith the swingarm mont area also a candidate.Both shocks may also be tired and the fork bearings and swingarm pivots could also need renewing.,
hth

RED5 · « **Reply #6 on:** January 31, 2004, 05:34:41 pm »

RUN, RUN as fast as you can away form that bike!!!! It's an old bike that is past it's prime. The shocks are almost impossible to upgrade and find spriings for and the bike is definitely not worth spending $300.00 on to upgrade to newer shocks( Stratos Helix). Save your money and look else where. Just my $.02.

FYI, I had a 96 Beast so I speak from experience.

tmaybee · « **Reply #7 on:** February 01, 2004, 02:42:05 am »

If you ride XC, that is an excellent frame. It is the same frame as the 855,856 and 955. I love my 856 and wouldn't trade it for anything. It's close to 22 lbs now.

The shocks are the only drawback, but they do show up on ebay once in a while or you can go the speedspring route... provided you can get/make them

Make sure you take kiwi's advice and carefully inspect the frame for cracks. If you really want that type of frame and the one you are currently looking at just has the yellow elastomer shocks, you could wait until one showed up on ebay with noleen, risse, stratos or speedsprings shocks fitted already.

I love my bike. Some riders tease me about having an older design, but I just smile as I pass them on the climbs. This is the best frame ever for climbing.

Just ask OP. He still regrets selling his.

Trevor [smiley=beer.gif]

Old Proflexer · « **Reply #8 on:** February 01, 2004, 03:04:19 am »

that's krusty - sold it for $600 and it was the dumbist thing i ever did - good Lord i miss that bike.
lightweight, agile, stiff, a lot of things the newer bikes are just getting back to.

for a couple hundred bucks if the bike is set up properly for you, springs etc.
it's a good ride and can last you a long time if properly cared for and if it has been properly cared for.
replacement bushings for the joints aren't all that tough to come by and if the bike is solid at the joints, proper care will make them last.
if it has the hydraulics - i like those magura hydraulics over the v brakes -
very powerful and if you set them properly and maintain them, they are still excellent.
most guys don't take the time to learn how to appreciate them.

it is an older style but very functional, new designs are just that and nothing more, new designs.
newer is not necessarily better, just different - i should have never sold krusty and i doubt that i'll ever get rid of my mono pivots -
they're just as good as the $2-4000 bikes being sold today.
fork technology has change a great deal over the years and even i have started riding a psylo sl -
the crosslink with disc is my backup these days but still fun to ride.

OP

(hi krusty - - - - - - sniff! sniff! - - - i can't take this anymore, i'm signing off)

drew_r · « **Reply #9 on:** February 01, 2004, 03:16:04 am »

Yeah I need to stop back tomorrow and check the bike for cracks. Its at local tire shop and got distracted when I found out all 4 ball joints were bad on my durango. Its does not have the elastomer shock in front there is a spring. Maybe get a pic tomorrow to upload - thanks for all the advice to date.

tmaybee · « **Reply #10 on:** February 01, 2004, 07:03:25 am »

I forgot about the maguras being included with the Animal. I have them on my 856 and I totally agree with OP, they are excellent. They are almost maintainence free. Just make sure you get a few spare parts for them (olives, compression nuts, pads, tubing etc) because they are a bit hard to get... at least here in Canada. Trials shops are the best place to get magura parts. If the bike comes with those, that is even better.

I think if you have a spring on the front, you could take the adapter and use it on the rear with a different spring. That is of course if you wanted to change the fork out.

Trevor

drew_r · « **Reply #11 on:** February 02, 2004, 04:02:23 am »

I found out a little more info on this animal. The bike was originally equipped with elastomer shock on the Girvin forks and has since been changed out to Eibach sping and like wise (an eibach) at the rear. Are these worth while springs or should I still figure on swapping them out.

tmaybee · « **Reply #12 on:** February 02, 2004, 05:11:54 am »

Have a good look at the shocks. If the shock body looks like this

(with a spring in place of the yellow elastomers of course), then it is a friction shock and has no damping. You would find this very bouncy, because you are actually just riding on a spring, and would probably want to swap the shocks out.

If the shocks look like this

Then you should be fine. The gold part (and it has a black plastic preload knob) is the ODS unit. It provides the oil damping that will allow a spring to work correctly. This would be fine to use as it is. If you wanted to upgrade later to Risse shocks, that would be an option, but not a necessity. And if you did want to get new shocks, provided you did not want to keep the old ones as backups, the rear would probably go for $70 USD on ebay and the front $40-50. That would offset the cost of the Risse units quite a bit.

Did you have a chance to get some pics

Trevor

drew_r · « **Reply #13 on:** February 02, 2004, 05:23:26 am »

The rear shock definitely has an adjustment knob as you described in the second pic. Have not got a chance to get any pics yet. Meeting the owner tonight @ 5:30 est so I hope to take a few then.

kiwi · « **Reply #14 on:** February 02, 2004, 05:54:13 pm »

if the shocks are like the shocks in this pic

then they are ods units and can be fitted with springs if you can still find or make the adapters.I dont think the animal had the friction dampers they were fitted to the 855 and 756 only

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Author Topic: ProFlex Animal - Advice needed (Read 5073 times)