boy"O"boy's 1990 Serotta Offroad Pro-flex

[boy"O"boy]

@JCS Thanks for the cover pic. That looks like the XL prototype.....which leads me nicely to my other thread here -

https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/boy-o-boys-1989-serotta-off-road-pro-flex-prototype.481990/
This is where I'm at with the 'production' Serotta Off-road Pro-flex at the moment - I've called it production to separate them as I now have 2, This......and the prototype.



Suntour XC pro champagne Pedals, mt Christophe/zefal toe clips and straps added. JCS's Mountain bike action cover has inspired me to also add a white Blackburn bottle cage
Still to complete the cabling up....but the main wait will be for the decals. I'm after replicating the white on clear for authenticity but my source can't produce until September. Happy to wait though as I'm likely to need replacements for the prototype too dependant on the restoration route I take.

Ridgeback 604 SIS likely to catch up with progress in the meantime. Suddenly I've got 3 projects on the go! - 2024 could be a good crop!

Cheers
boy"O"boy
.

 

[boy"O"boy]

Been a while since any updates to this thread.

The Orange Aluminium "O" Iceman Prototype has taken over since it resurfaced back in July after being 'lost' for the last 2 years.

Attention then turned to the Serotta Off-road Pro-flex prototype and trying to get that ready for paint, so this Serotta Off-road Pro-flex has taken a back seat.
Ironically, this was purchased as a project to reignite my enthusiasm after conceeding that the Iceman was probably lost for good and was time to move on!

There's not much to do really - just get in contact with Gil and get the decals sorted and cable up the gears. Best get myself on the case!

One thing I have sorted thanks to @Tomac23 is the copy of Mountain Biker International that features the Serotta Off-road Pro-flex article (mid summer 1990)
As promised the scans on page 2 have now been updated so they are now readable!

I'm also going to add this scan documenting Serotta's involvement with these early Off-road Pro - flexes here -





Updates to the build to come soon!

Cheers
boy"O"boy

 

[27motorhead]

Nice find & scan!

Mike Ducharme’s hair and moustache are pretty spectacular and very of the period!

 

[boy"O"boy]

......and finally the Serotta Off-road Pro-flex is finished!

@gil_m has been amazing with his time and patience in recreating the decals. I wanted to keep as near to the original ones as possible, so specifying white on clear didn't make the job any easier. The final outcome is outstanding....very pleased with how these decals turned out.
They arrived whilst I was away for Christmas, so the 1st day back, I made sure I had the time to finish the build.

A few final tweaks to complete but essentially it's there.
The wheels I'd planned to use went back on the Iceman 'O' when it came back to me. They were always intended for that build anyway.
I felt the Campagnolo Atek on black Bullseye were a little too 'blingy' for this build, so I built myself a pair of Mavic M231CD on some NOS Suntour XC pro grease guard hubs to complete the group set. @nporternz kindly donated the rims to me.... they've ended up suiting this build perfectly.

Pics.....
Hopefully I'll update some more pics before the close of the year. I wanted to make the final BOTM of the year. This one was started 1st in 2024 and finished last










Cheers all.
Just the prototype to complete now.
3 out of 4 finished builds in 2024 is a record for me. Very pleased with the outcome of all of this year's restorations. This one is just in time to mark 35 years since I opened that cover page on the Jan 1990 MBUK and saw the Off-road Pro-flex for the 1st time. It's taken that long to get one but well worth it in the end.

boy"O"boy

 

[7Speed]

Congratulations BoB - that build brings back a lot of memories and is very nicely put together. I know they were not everyone’s cup of tea but I always liked a flexstem on a non-suspension bike.

 

[27motorhead]

Amazing job @boy"O"boy . Saw it appear in BOTM. Some seriously tasty machines to end 2024 on and some tough voting decisions to be made!!!

Never owned a full suspension bike (it took me 25 years of MTBing until I bought a bike with front suspension!!!) but I always liked the look of this Proflex and the Cannondale SE2000 when they first came out. I know neither worked well, but they looked super-cool in my eyes.

What a very proactive year you have had regarding bike builds!

 

[Silverfish]

Stunning build!

I love how the neon flex stem pops against the red and black

 

[boy"O"boy]

No progress today. I'll add the build Build spec instead -


Frame:
1990 Off-road Pro-flex. 18" Medium. True temper construction. Hand built by Serotta for KG engineering. Rear swing arm also True Temper construction.
Bare metal respray in Ford 'Colorado Red' swing arm in gloss black. 2K lacquer finish.
Decals accurately reproduced to originals - white on clear. Massive thanks to @gil_m

Fork:
True Temper straight leg. 1"
Wider clearance. Taken from a slingshot
Bare metal respray in gloss black. 2K lacquer. Reproduction decals.

Headset: NOS Suntour XC pro grease guard 1" threaded

Stem: Off road Flex stem MK2 - donated for free by @MR OX (now looks new!)
Resprayed Neon yellow. New decals. Red skate board replacement elastomer.

Handlebar: True Temper 560mm

Grips: Ritchey true grip (will eventually replace with a nicer pair - these have a split)


Brakes: Suntour XC pro. Front Cantilever/ Rear NOS Self energising.
Brake Pads: Suntour XC pro
Brake Cables: Jagwire
Cantilever cable hangers: Suntour XC pro black
Brake Levers: Suntour XC pro

Shifters: Suntour XC pro 7spd Thumbshifters
Front Derailleur: Suntour XC pro Bottom pull 28.6mm
Rear Derailleur: Suntour XC pro short cage
Derailleur Cables: Jagwire
Cassette: Suntour power flow 7spd 12-28
Chain: Sedis 7spd
Cranks: Suntour XC pro 175mm
Crank Bolts: Suntour
Chainrings: Shimano Power ring 46-36-26
Chainring bolts: Suntour
Bottom Bracket: Suntour XC pro grease guard non-cartridge type. 120mm
Pedals: Suntour XC pro 'champagne' grease guard
Toe clips: Mt. Christophe
Toe straps: Zefal - white

Hub Skewers: Shimano M730XT rubber handle (would like XC pro to complete)
Rims: Mavic M231CD 36 hole ~ massive thanks to @nporternz
Front hub: NOS Suntour XC pro grease guard 100mm 36H
Rear hub: NOS Suntour XC pro grease guard 7spd 135mm 36H
Nipples: Brass 2mm
Spokes: DT Swiss
Tyres: Ritchey Megabite Z-max 2.1" Amberwall ~ eBay bargain. Revived using the oven!
Tubes: Presta

Saddle: Avocet R20 (2nd Gen logo as ad.)
Seatpost: NOS American Classic Titanium 26.6mm
Seatpost Binder. Collar with Allen bolt.
Bottle cage: Blackburn MTN - respray white

Thanks all.
boy"O"boy

 

[27motorhead]

LOVE a spec sheet!!!

Any idea on weight? Were these around 28lbs from memory?

 

[Thogarma]

Beautiful!!!!
Did not know that there was a Proflex build by Serotta!!! Where to find those?
Hard to find for sure?!?
Great project!