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DW & ProflexUSA??

cesar_rojo

Monkey
Feb 29, 2008
175
21
Newbie here... Just wondering if they are using the SW patent or this is a total violation of it?

It looks so identical to me... They just moved bit the points, but don't know if they can do this or not...

Sorry forgot the link
http://www.proflexusa.com/icp.php

Thanks,
Cesar.
 

?????

Turbo Monkey
Jun 20, 2005
1,678
2
San Francisco
Man I thought those guys quit making bikes about 10 years ago. I had no idea they were still around.

Anyways, what's the difference in VPP and DW-link.
 

cesar_rojo

Monkey
Feb 29, 2008
175
21
Their back... But not sure there selling world wide...

VPP and DW? Wheel shapes, anti squat curves, etc... but in the visual side basically on DW links rotate same way, VPP links counter rotate.

But this to me looks like a DW link bike, so not sure if they share patent or what... and that was my question :D

Man I thought those guys quit making bikes about 10 years ago. I had no idea they were still around.

Anyways, what's the difference in VPP and DW-link.
 

syadasti

i heart mac
Apr 15, 2002
12,690
290
VT
Well you do know that Pro-Flex/K2 was bought by Ironhorse's parent company - maybe that's how?
 

Sandro

Terrified of Cucumbers
Nov 12, 2006
3,224
2,537
The old world
Since they mention DW Link by name i would assume that they have their bases covered.
I hope the technology flows both ways, that way we might get to see Sam Hill rocking a Girvin Flexstem.
 

zahgurim

Underwater monkey
Mar 9, 2005
1,100
12
lolAsia
I still have an old elastomir Vector 2 sitting around somewhere in my folk's basement... my first "suspension" fork.
 

CarlE

Monkey
Jan 7, 2008
109
0
Long Island, NY
Well you do know that Pro-Flex/K2 was bought by Ironhorse's parent company - maybe that's how?
As far as I know this has nothing to do with us. Even though the web site says Proflex USA it looks like they're only distributed in Europe.

I always loved those forks back in the day!
 

ire

Turbo Monkey
Aug 6, 2007
6,196
4
Proflex? Man, haven't heard that name in a while. There are still some guys racing XC on the Girven fork around here
 

- seb

Turbo Monkey
Apr 10, 2002
2,924
1
UK
Hahaha, I remember REALLLLY wanting an Animal in 1998, which was basically the same thing. My memory of it is SO different though, much beafier tubes, slacker angles, lower seat, more like a modern DH bike basically.

Honestly, if you'd asked me to draw what I though an Animal/Beast looked like I would have been a million miles off!
 

- seb

Turbo Monkey
Apr 10, 2002
2,924
1
UK
Actually, to be fair, the Animal is a lot nicer - riser bars, no bar ends, triple crown forks etc etc.

 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,030
5,918
borcester rhymes
Pro-flex's original methodology was that everybody should be on FS bikes...odd to see them making hardtails, especially if they're going to resurrect THAT name.

I too expected to see linkage forks, a la Whyte bikes.
 

ChrisRobin

Turbo Monkey
Jan 30, 2002
3,346
190
Vancouver
That's crazy... and awesome! I used to have a proflex 854. Brings back memories. I remember trying a DH run at camp fortune in Ottawa when I had it.

I sold it to a buddy for a $20 + a pint of guinness a few years ago.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,644
1,214
Nilbog
dude the animal is what i wanted i remember now...esp after reading an article in Mountain Biking where there was a guy riding one at vietnam up in MI loved the photos back in the day...

didnt shandro ride for them when the beast was out?
 

xy9ine

Turbo Monkey
Mar 22, 2004
2,940
353
vancouver eastside
dude the animal is what i wanted i remember now...esp after reading an article in Mountain Biking where there was a guy riding one at vietnam up in MI loved the photos back in the day...

didnt shandro ride for them when the beast was out?
shandro rode for k2 for a bit, but was on rebadged m-1's, as the k2's sucked. case in point, the animal:

 

MDJ

Monkey
Dec 15, 2005
669
0
San Jose, CA
To think I raced that bike at the Mt. Snow DH. Just thinking about that scares tha crap out of me. Another guy about 10 riders ahead of me had one of those forks disintegrate right in front of my friends and they all thought it was me.

I think I went through an elastomer stack on a daily basis with those. (edit: I didn't have the Beast but the non-beast version with elastomers).
 

leprechaun

Turbo Monkey
Apr 17, 2004
1,009
0
SLC,Ut
K2 got a little sloppy in the aquisition if Pro Flex and these guys in europe got ahold of the name. That's why 'Pro Flex" is "back" In portugal and spain.
 

bdamschen

Turbo Monkey
Nov 28, 2005
3,377
156
Spreckels, CA
Awesome. One of my riding buddies way back had the beast. The thing I remember most was wanting his Magura hydro rim brakes (since no one had v-brakes yet). I also remember being sketched out by pulling on the front rim brake hard and causing the fork to bow outwards...
 

chriscarleton

Monkey
Aug 4, 2007
366
0
Portland Maine
Awesome. One of my riding buddies way back had the beast. The thing I remember most was wanting his Magura hydro rim brakes (since no one had v-brakes yet). I also remember being sketched out by pulling on the front rim brake hard and causing the fork to bow outwards...
yes I had both raceline d's and tomacs and I had to use those brace things otherwise you would have no braking power. Maguras were sick brakes though in their day.
 

dw

Wiffle Ball ninja
Sep 10, 2001
2,943
0
MV
This is not a licensed design, and not sold in the USA to my knowledge..
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
i rocked a proflex back in the day.

note the homebrew/retrofitted "microcellular elastomer" stack in the double exposure pic, put in place after i split one too many regular skateboard wheels, er, elastomers in half:



other fun facts about the above photo: original Rock Shox Quadra (before the numbers), a sweet-ass 1" quill Syncros stem with the widest bar clamp known to mankind, and what looks to be a Vetta Lite seat.

here it is in original garb, with the non-microcellular elastomers out back, a rigid fork (which i bent in half on a G-out, thus the Quadra), and the Girvin Flexstem with the green elastomer for extra jounce ;)



by the time i traded that frame in for a Cannondale CAAD3 it had about 2" of lateral play at the bottom bracket...
 

Sandro

Terrified of Cucumbers
Nov 12, 2006
3,224
2,537
The old world
Nice, is that a 93 model? I think i had a '94 754 with a Pro Forx in the front when i was 13. To further hinder my downhill career, my dad insisted i get a 20" frame, i raced that tank cross country and downhill for three years...
 

Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,029
7,549
it was a Proflex 550. not sure of what year that makes it. as i recall it, the choice came down to a 17" frame trek 8000 or the 16" proflex for $800 and $750, respectively, and my short self went with the smaller of the two.
 

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,861
4,156
Copenhagen, Denmark
This is not a licensed design, and not sold in the USA to my knowledge..
Is this the best people can do to start a bike company. Take somebody's name and Dave's design. I would just think there would be better ways to start a bike company or any business :disgust1:
 

Sandro

Terrified of Cucumbers
Nov 12, 2006
3,224
2,537
The old world
it was a Proflex 550. not sure of what year that makes it. as i recall it, the choice came down to a 17" frame trek 8000 or the 16" proflex for $800 and $750, respectively, and my short self went with the smaller of the two.
...taking your size into account when buying a bike is always advisable ;) Fourteen years later and I'm riding a 17"
 

Sandro

Terrified of Cucumbers
Nov 12, 2006
3,224
2,537
The old world
This is not a licensed design, and not sold in the USA to my knowledge..
...now that is messed up. They even mention the similarities to DW Link on their website. I don't know how some people sleep at night :plthumbsdown: