Modernscrap
Retro Newbie
Hi to all,
I've been reading and referencing retro bike for a while and after receiving a very positive reaction to the Frenzy the other week, thought I'd better sign up, post some pictures and tell a tale. This is my first post so please excuse any mistakes.
I worked for Saracen back in the late 90's and saw them go from producing good quality bikes to churning out some absolute dross. It was a real shame to see the brand de-valued to chase the cheaper sector of the market and pick up more sales but that's a story for another day. Anyway, back to the Frenzy and a not so quick explanation of why I've built it.
These first landed at Saracen in the summer of 98 and I built the first one up in July ready for the dealer/press launch of the 99 model range. They used full LX, Judy C Hydracoil forks, Mavic rims and some fairly horrible finishing kit which was standard for Saracens around that time (fugly big saddles, cheap nasty bars etc.). After taking the bike for a quick test ride around the estate, I have to admit to not really being all that impressed. The head angle was too steep for my liking and the Shockworks shock wasn't really all that inspiring.
The breakthrough came a couple of months later when I had to build a couple of small frenzy's up as team bikes for dual slalom. These had some proper finishing kit, White brothers DC 110's and most significantly, 6" Stratos Helix Pro rear shocks (the frames were designed for 6.5" shocks). After taking one of these round the estate for a quick test ride my opinion had dramatically changed!! The shorter shock and longer forks slackened out the head angle and the better quality damping made it a real joy to ride, really chuckable whilst still feeling solid and stable. Pretty much as soon as I got back an order was in place for a medium frame and 6.5" Helix Pro destined for an Addiction - my plan was to re-drill the frame to fit in the bigger shock while keeping the geometry nice and slack.
Suffice to say this worked a treat and after some drilling, cutting and getting a disc mount welded on the back, the Frenzy replaced my STS DH frame despite having less than 4" of rear wheel travel. After some more cutting and welding on the frame I'd managed to get over 5" out of the back end but ended up blowing the shock to bits!! At this point my life took a bit of a change and I got out of riding for a while and the frame ended up in the shed.
I got back into riding about 6 years ago and always had it in the back of my mind to get the Frenzy back up and running again but was being put off a little by how much I'd butchered the frame, it's not that I couldn't have got it sorted but it did keep it at the bottom of the project pile. Anyway, a large frame appeared on eBay and was local to me so I grabbed it as a donor, at least I'd have a fresh swingarm to start with when I eventually got round to rebuilding the original frame.
After a couple of years picking up bits here there and everywhere, I decided to dig out the frames and started measuring and planning what I was going to do. It didn't take long to realise that the 19" frame was going to be the way to go - bear in mind I'm 5'6", you might be thinking why would I need a large frame?? This frame gives me the length I like in the top tube and measures up pretty much the same as my 2012 16" Inbred in the front end. The frame inherently has good stand over height and after re-drilling the front shock mount to slacken out the geometry, I've ended up with an old school frame with new school fit and geometry!!! Who needs to spend £3k+ on a new fangled carbon bike with oversized wheels when you can scrape something like this together with a bit of thought and eBay??
Anyway, take a look at the pics to work out the spec and let me know what you think.
I've been reading and referencing retro bike for a while and after receiving a very positive reaction to the Frenzy the other week, thought I'd better sign up, post some pictures and tell a tale. This is my first post so please excuse any mistakes.
I worked for Saracen back in the late 90's and saw them go from producing good quality bikes to churning out some absolute dross. It was a real shame to see the brand de-valued to chase the cheaper sector of the market and pick up more sales but that's a story for another day. Anyway, back to the Frenzy and a not so quick explanation of why I've built it.
These first landed at Saracen in the summer of 98 and I built the first one up in July ready for the dealer/press launch of the 99 model range. They used full LX, Judy C Hydracoil forks, Mavic rims and some fairly horrible finishing kit which was standard for Saracens around that time (fugly big saddles, cheap nasty bars etc.). After taking the bike for a quick test ride around the estate, I have to admit to not really being all that impressed. The head angle was too steep for my liking and the Shockworks shock wasn't really all that inspiring.
The breakthrough came a couple of months later when I had to build a couple of small frenzy's up as team bikes for dual slalom. These had some proper finishing kit, White brothers DC 110's and most significantly, 6" Stratos Helix Pro rear shocks (the frames were designed for 6.5" shocks). After taking one of these round the estate for a quick test ride my opinion had dramatically changed!! The shorter shock and longer forks slackened out the head angle and the better quality damping made it a real joy to ride, really chuckable whilst still feeling solid and stable. Pretty much as soon as I got back an order was in place for a medium frame and 6.5" Helix Pro destined for an Addiction - my plan was to re-drill the frame to fit in the bigger shock while keeping the geometry nice and slack.
Suffice to say this worked a treat and after some drilling, cutting and getting a disc mount welded on the back, the Frenzy replaced my STS DH frame despite having less than 4" of rear wheel travel. After some more cutting and welding on the frame I'd managed to get over 5" out of the back end but ended up blowing the shock to bits!! At this point my life took a bit of a change and I got out of riding for a while and the frame ended up in the shed.
I got back into riding about 6 years ago and always had it in the back of my mind to get the Frenzy back up and running again but was being put off a little by how much I'd butchered the frame, it's not that I couldn't have got it sorted but it did keep it at the bottom of the project pile. Anyway, a large frame appeared on eBay and was local to me so I grabbed it as a donor, at least I'd have a fresh swingarm to start with when I eventually got round to rebuilding the original frame.
After a couple of years picking up bits here there and everywhere, I decided to dig out the frames and started measuring and planning what I was going to do. It didn't take long to realise that the 19" frame was going to be the way to go - bear in mind I'm 5'6", you might be thinking why would I need a large frame?? This frame gives me the length I like in the top tube and measures up pretty much the same as my 2012 16" Inbred in the front end. The frame inherently has good stand over height and after re-drilling the front shock mount to slacken out the geometry, I've ended up with an old school frame with new school fit and geometry!!! Who needs to spend £3k+ on a new fangled carbon bike with oversized wheels when you can scrape something like this together with a bit of thought and eBay??
Anyway, take a look at the pics to work out the spec and let me know what you think.
