1998 Saracen Havoc Full Suspension Bike Mavic D521 Deore LX

[saracenhavoc]

A rare gem from way back when Saracen made 'proper' bikes!

Uberdog magazine march 1998 said: "The Havoc has to be one of the best value for money bikes in the whole world, what is basically a ready to race bike straight out off the box for little under £600, Perfect for beginners or as a second bike for a cross country fanatic who fancies a bit of madness without wrecking their trusty rigid."

Dave O’Hara (Senior DH Champion) after riding the Havoc described it as: “A very responsive little bike. It’s well balanced, the back travel really suits the front, yea it’s well worth the money”

You can check out the full article of it by clicking on the following link (adobe .PDF): www.uberdogmagazine.co.uk/PDF_folder_IS ... nWoods.pdf


I've had it from new and has always been well looked after and regularly serviced, no damage or dents although there are a couple of small scratches/marks to the frame/forks but nothing major as I only ever used it to commute (95% road with the odd shortcut across the fields where possible) - the only things that do need doing on it are that the forks could do with a service (they work absolutely fine but aren't as smooth as they should be/used to be/I would like them to be) and the computer and wireless wheel sensor need batteries as they are both dead but I assume they still work fine. There is also some light surface rust on the headset, the seat rails and on a couple of the bolts etc. due to its age but nothing major and theres no rust on any of the major components - the rust is hardly worth mentioning as its just on the surface and nothing for a bike of this age but want to be as accurate as possible.

It has been in storage for the best part of 5 years (cleaned and lubed before I stored it) and I recently got it out, cleaned it and re-lubed it all and apart from the forks everything seems spot on. I only did about 10 miles on it since getting it out of storage as wanted to get it professionally serviced before pushing it too hard but I've since seen another bike I want instead!


I have upgraded the brakes, wheels, and a few other bits since purchase - the full spec is below:


Frame: Saracen Epoxy Powder Coated Y-Frame 6084 Series Chromoly Aero Custom Main Tube (dark blue frame/yellow rear triangle)

Rear Shock: Shock Works Fully Adjustable Coil Shock ~3.5" Travel (was on bikes twice the price at the time)

Suspension Fork: RST 281 ~2.5" Travel (Yellow)

Rear Mech: Shimano Acera-X

Front Mech: Shimano Acera-X

Brake Levers/Shifters: Shimano Alloy adjustable V-Brake Levers with integrated Shimano EZ Fire 7x3 rapid fire shifters (21 speed)

Front Brake (upgraded): Shimano Deore LX V-Brake with teflon coated cables

Rear Brake (upgraded): Shimano Deore LX V-Brake with teflon coated cables

Wheels (upgraded): Mavic D521 SUP Double Wall Rims with DT double butted stainless spokes & kevlar rim tape

Hubs: Shimano HB-RM40 Quick release off road hubs

Tyres (upgraded): Panaracer Dart Front and WTB Velociraptor Rear with Specialized self-sealing inner tubes

Chainset: Team Saracen Polished Alloy Cranks & Alloy Chain Rings

Headset: GeForce A-Headset

Stem: Team Saracen Yellow Powder Coated front loading A-Head stem

Handle Bars: Team Saracen riser bars with removable brace

Saddle: Ritchey Vector Plus Rail with yellow Kevlar corners (so seat doesn't get damaged when leaning against walls)

Seat Post: Team Saracen Alloy Micro Adjust

Pedals (upgraded): Red anodised alloy pedals with ultra smooth bearings (the only reason I settled for red pedals was because the bearings were so smooth!)

Grips (upgraded): MaxPro yellow with forward facing knobs on the ends (keeps hands from slipping off)

Computer: CatEye Cordless 2 with stem mount and wireless speed sensor

Mud Guards: Black Front & Rear Crud Catcher/Crud Race Guard


After asking on here it seems the wheels & brakes alone are currently worth over £100 so why not grab yourself a bargain @ £160 ONO for the lot - Cash on Collection from Bedfordshire. Could possibly post but would have to find out prices etc. although I have managed to source a proper bike box so packing won't be a problem, contact me if you want me to find out a postage price for you.

I have lots more HI-Res photo's I can email on request.

I'm sure there's stuff i've missed off so if you have any questions or want any further details please drop me an email.

 

[saracenhavoc]

 

[Bike Hoarder]

:shock:

Rare - Only cause the majority of them got skipped once the frame was out of warranty!

I sold them 'back in the day', and they truly were awful - when the forks did move (before they snapped....!), the bike rode like 2 pogo sticks joined together with a saddle.

The components were rubbish, plastic and pressed steel, that broke once the bike was ridden.

Rims are good, rear tyre is worth a few pound (amberwall is like gold dust), brakes are also worth a little - sell the bits, make £50 - and weigh in the remainder!

Oh, and you've got it in the wrong section - should be in the post 1998 For Sale.

Maybe i've been harsh - sorry.

Space reserved below for those that disagree!!!

 

[Faghetaboutit]

:shock:

Rare - Only cause the majority of them got skipped once the frame was out of warranty!

I sold them 'back in the day', and they truly were awful - when the forks did move (before they snapped....!), the bike rode like 2 pogo sticks joined together with a saddle.

The components were rubbish, plastic and pressed steel, that broke once the bike was ridden.

Rims are good, rear tyre is worth a few pound (amberwall is like gold dust), brakes are also worth a little - sell the bits, make £50 - and weigh in the remainder!

Oh, and you've got it in the wrong section - should be in the post 1998 For Sale.

Maybe i've been harsh - sorry.

Space reserved below for those that disagree!!!

say what you mean why dont ya

 

[Bike Hoarder]

Umm'd and argh'd before i hit the submit button. I do appreciate that one man's **** is another man's gold, but honestly.....

 

[saracenhavoc]

:shock:

Rare - Only cause the majority of them got skipped once the frame was out of warranty!

I sold them 'back in the day', and they truly were awful - when the forks did move (before they snapped....!), the bike rode like 2 pogo sticks joined together with a saddle.

The components were rubbish, plastic and pressed steel, that broke once the bike was ridden.

Rims are good, rear tyre is worth a few pound (amberwall is like gold dust), brakes are also worth a little - sell the bits, make £50 - and weigh in the remainder!

Oh, and you've got it in the wrong section - should be in the post 1998 For Sale.

Maybe i've been harsh - sorry.

Space reserved below for those that disagree!!!

No need to apologise for what is only your subjective opinion - everyones entitled to their own no matter how innacurate it may be in reality All the reviews at the time (including those MBR and MBI mags which I have somewhere) all said pretty much the same as the uberdog article I linked to, which is why I went for it in the first place as I wasn't new to mountain biking when I purchased it and did my research.

From everything you've said I think you are referring to the later havocs in which case what you said would be about right... As for mine though my frame has been out of warranty for over a decade, has no rust and works as sweet as it always did so won't be seeing a skip for a very long time.

I don't know what havoc's you were selling and what forks they had, but I know at least 3 people who have had RST 281's and none ever had any snap, and one had them on his jump bike at one time!

none of the components on it were ever made from plastic (not even when it was factory standard) which again leads me to beleive you are talking about another havoc as there were many (more budget 'supermarket special' versions) after mine.

as for the wrong section, thats my mistake and if a mod would be kind enough to move it for me I would be grateful

 

[superstu]

Slightly off topic but I've seen rsts snap from a 1 foot 'jump'...and they were 461's which were higher end.

 

[Bike Hoarder]

Nope, definitely i was selling the very same you are here today.

It was the cheapest 'full suspension' bike available on the market at that time - bar Raleigh with their Activator 2.

Sure Saracen went on and built more complete abominations that pass for mountain bikes, yours was the start of a slippery slope that led them to the world of DH wannabes and jump bike disasters.

Take a look at the rear mech - plastic and steel, chainset - pressed steel rings. I'm sure your is in tip top condition because it never saw the use (abuse) that the majority received.

Now, you like your bike, and that i understand - but rare gem it is not.

 

[legrandefromage]

It is always a bit unfair to put down somebody's pride and joy but on this occasion be prepared for some blunt responses.

This was a very low end bicycle when new (I dont know where they got the £600 price tag from!) and even dressing it in 'upgrades' doesnt change that fact. The chainset is made of press steel chainrings spot welded together. If any of the rings wear or get damaged, the chainset is junk.

The rear mech is a nylon plastic and pressed steel affair, well know for snapping at the pivots if it gets a big knock

A little research on ebay would throw up the exact same bike for a buy it now of £70:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Saracen-Havoc ... 500wt_1287

So, apologies but thats how it is

 

[DegsUk]

:shock:

Rare - Only cause the majority of them got skipped once the frame was out of warranty!

I sold them 'back in the day', and they truly were awful - when the forks did move (before they snapped....!), the bike rode like 2 pogo sticks joined together with a saddle.

The components were rubbish, plastic and pressed steel, that broke once the bike was ridden.

Rims are good, rear tyre is worth a few pound (amberwall is like gold dust), brakes are also worth a little - sell the bits, make £50 - and weigh in the remainder!

Oh, and you've got it in the wrong section - should be in the post 1998 For Sale.

Maybe i've been harsh - sorry.

Space reserved below for those that disagree!!!

I had one a Blitz if I remember rightly Rock shox indy c long travel forks black and red in colour.. bent the frame on a small bump and ended up with the pedals embeded in my shin ...it was lost on the return to saracen by the courier (thankfully) so I claimed on there insurance and got a Scott Boulder