-
Posts
-
-
I bought a Diamonback Response in May to ride back and forth to work on…not really into it that much at the time, just thought it would be a good way to get off my ass and not sell out to the yuppie street racer crowd. Anyway…I went to an outdoor festival in Roanoke, VA with a friend last weekend and got my first taste of downhill and single track. I’m in.
Come to find out, I actually don’t live in a bad spot here in Richmond, VA. While there isn’t much downhill, there appears to be a number of respected single track trails and even a spanky new skills park.
So now the question…I have this brand new Diamondback Response XTC but I realized coming off the mountain that I would probably want to be upgrading. I don’t have much money, but I looked around and found a guy selling a Proflex 657 Full Suspension bike. I understand that it is old tech, but the factory issue stuff has been replaced, and now I need to know. Is this bike still worth riding. More importantly, is it worth spending $350 on. I have read so many reviews saying if you ever get one, never let it go…but is it still well regarded in the community?
Any advice will be appreciated. Thanks in advance!
-
NO. Do NOT buy a proflex with the intention of riding it. If you wanted it for a collection, maybe. But your Diamondback is absolutely a better bike.
A proflex isn’t just ‘old’ tech, it’s an antique. It’s likely a ’98 or older model…it’s 14+yrs old. Save your money, look for something from this century.
-
Thanx! Anyone else want to put 2 cents in? Anyone want to recommend a bike that I can abuse moderately that won’t cost a fortune?
-
Hey, welcome to Singletracks from a fellow Richmonder (well, Midlo). I’d say unless you are going to dedicate your time, energy, and $$ strictly to downhill, then buy a XC/trail bike to maxmize the trails that you have quick access to. You can always save up your coin and go out to Snowshoe or similar destination and rent a bike for a day to get your jollies, but my guess is you will not enjoy lugging a heavy DH bike around on the local trails.
And yes, there are a lot of great trail systems right here in the Richmond area and others a short drive away (e.g. W’burg, C’ville).
My $0.02.
-
My advice: ride the bike you have, and enjoy it for a while. Replace stuff as it breaks, but don’t worry with upgrading just for the sake of upgrading. Keep adding to the ‘new bike fund’
Since you’re still new to the sport, you really don’t know what you want or need yet, so give it a little time to figure that out. Take note of what other people are riding in your area, swap bikes with friends every now and then, go to demo days to try out different kinds of bikes. Then, once you’ve got some miles in your legs and have figured out what kind of riding you enjoy and do the most, then start looking for a bike. Maybe new, maybe used, whichever.
And welcome to the site! Post some pics every now and then to add some ride stoke!!
-
"dgaddis" wrote
NO. Do NOT buy a proflex with the intention of riding it. If you wanted it for a collection, maybe. But your Diamondback is absolutely a better bike.
A proflex isn’t just ‘old’ tech, it’s an antique. It’s likely a ’98 or older model…it’s 14+yrs old. Save your money, look for something from this century.
Haha this sounds a little harsh, but the man speaks the truth.
-
+1 .. do NOT buy the sh*tbike .. I mean proflex.
Seriously, it was an experiment that went way wrong. If you try to ride it you will get hurt.
Also as mentioned, ride the crap out of your DB. I spent 3 years on my old Rockhopper hardtail, and when I upgraded, I knew exactly what I wanted.
-
"maddslacker" wrote
+1 .. do NOT buy the sh*tbike .. I mean proflex.
Seriously, it was an experiment that went way wrong. If you try to ride it you will get hurt.
Also as mentioned, ride the crap out of your DB. I spent 3 years on my old Rockhopper hardtail, and when I upgraded, I knew exactly what I wanted.
The sh*tbike was a Softride. ProFlexes were actually the bomb dizzle back in the 90’s. The Softride was never cool 😆
-
My bad, you’re right.
Still, $350 is ridiculous for this relic. Save your pennies for something modern.
-
I think quite a few of us started out on something comparable to the DB.
Like everyone else, I’d recommend riding it as much as possible and just replacing what breaks. There’s no real need to upgrade anything just yet. Take that money and invest in some good riding gear. Shorts, socks, gloves, glasses, a helmet, maybe a few jerseys (although, you can probably pick up "technical tees" for less money and wear them for things beside riding.) You’ll be able to transfer the riding gear to a new bike than any upgrade
Ride the DB for a year or two (or three) and figure out what kind of bike you want. Hit as many demo days as you can and group rides might be a good idea also. Let them know you’re just getting into the sport and they’ll give you all kinds of advice 😆
Finally, I’d recommend Mastering Mountain Bike Skills by Lee McCormack and Brian Lopes. That book helped me out a ton when I was just starting.
-
"Jared13" wrote
Finally, I’d recommend Mastering Mountain Bike Skills by Lee McCormack and Brian Lopes. That book helped me out a ton when I was just starting.
+1 for this book. It is incredibly helpful.
-
The bike is solid enough, but I was bargain shopping and looking for a bike to ride on the street with the occasional curb to hop when I bought it. I ended up buying it new for a used price because it was a store return. Unfortunately it is a 22" frame or XL, which wasn’t a problem with the light duty BS riding I had in mind when I bought it. I am 5’11", with long legs and arms. Plus the Response XCT is an exeptionally handsome bike LOL. IT is matte black and very rugged looking. I have no real complaints other than no lockout and frame size. I guess I went to the dance with a big girl, so I’ll have to dance with her for a bit. Since the original post, I have learned a few things. I slid my seat forward and have ordered a 60mm stem with a 30 degree angle. The seat adjust helped ALOT and I am hopeful the new stem will be even more helpful.
-
I have been riding a Diamond back Response for about a year and a half, it is a great beginner bike and like others have said I have up graded some things to make it better! I have started to test ride other bikes so I can upgrade this spring but, I would stick with the Diamond Back for awhile!
-
although i agree with everyone to chill a little before jumping for your ultimate bike, i do think a full sus will be a much better fit if you’re gung-ho on aggressive riding.
you will need to learn more about bikes, particularly geos, head tube angle and the like, to make a good choice. some nice articles posted some time back here on st. do you want to hit jumps and drops, steeps, features? or more enduro riding? the riding style you want to do, and the trials accessible to you will all dictate the type of bike. it ain’t klunkers anymore. but i think you have the right idea, check the used market. something along the lines of a a db full sus might be ideal.
i’d only consider keeping the hard-tail for any time if you were more an xc guy, liked climbing, distance. that said, i know a guy that is awesome on aggressive trails on his hard-tail. very advanced rider though.
-
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.