90s Saracen help needed!

[Lorenzo24]

Hi there

I found this really nice Saracen bike last summer in my mums old house in France. I’ve managed to get it back to England and intend to bring it back to life. Before I take it to the local repair shop for some help I’ve been trying to identify the bike.

I’ve narrowed it down to a tufftrax from 93/94 but some parts don’t quite match and I can’t find the name anywhere. Any help offered gratefully received! I used all the links for the old catalogues but can’t match it exactly. Thanks in advance

 

[Bobmac892]

What a puzzler! Definitely Saracen. The cable lines on the frame look right for '93-'94' but that stem seems to come from the '90's catalogue. Makes me think the guys at Saracen found a box of old stems, headsets and chucked them on the newer frames and called it a limited edition. I'd say the only non standard bits are the seat clamp, the rack and the rear tyre. The Altus A20 group set is of that period.

 

[Lorenzo24]

Thanks for the reply! Im thinking of following the spec of Saracen tufftrax 94 for the repair job. Is there much difference between the AltusA20 and the STX/Alivio systems? Also if it’s a hybrid “limited” edition I reckon I can use creative license on some of the replacement parts

 

[Bobmac892]

Altus A20 was a budget group set superseded by Acera X, Alivio, STX, LX, XT then XTR... I think that's the order at least. There were lower spec group sets but Altus was the start of the serious about it stuff.

 

[brocklanders023]

Saracen knocked out limited editions every year back then, made up of what they had spare in the factory. It'll be one of those.

 

[Lorenzo24]

Saracen knocked out limited editions every year back then, made up of what they had spare in the factory. It'll be one of those.

I love that! Makes me like the bike even more. Makes it feel more original in a way. I’ve been scouting about the internet looking for parts and second hand bits and pieces. What’s the consensus around best websites/stockists for Saracen parts?

 

[brocklanders023]

Best place is here mate! Put a wanted ad up.

 

[Lorenzo24]

Thanks for the advice everyone. Stripped the bike back and have sent it off to be sandblasted and resprayed! Let the rebuild commence

 

[bikeworkshop]

That's a nicely made frame, lovely dropouts, details, fittings.
If you're getting it resprayed, I think you should build it up with stx or lx.

 

[Lorenzo24]

Quick update on what I'm calling the "slowest rebuild ever of a Saracen MTB from the 90s"

Took all the advice from some of the wiser heads on the site and once I stripped everything back (see previous pics!) sent the bike off to the Hackney Peddler (https://www.thehackneypeddler.co.uk) in trendy east London for a quick sandblast and repaint. The guys in the shop were super helpful, gave me some advice on colours and decals (opted to source my own!) I'm really happy with the finish, its faithful to the original colours and I've found some nice decals on Ebay that have given me something to think about!

Next up, got myself a Shimano Stx Special Edition Groupset that included Crankset, Brake levers/shifters, Cantilever brakes and Front & Rear derailleur. Which sets me up nicely for the next bit. I'm on the lookout for the Deore XT "bear trap" pedals. Loads online, not always in great condition but the hunt continues. I'm obviously also missing a handlebar, some wheels, a saddle and a whole load of bits and bobs but the winter months are long and I wanted a project...

Anyway pics attached. I'm new to the rebuild game, this is my first bike I've worked on myself. I'm going for a bit of a restore project to find as many original parts as possible but baring in mind age and hybrid nature of the original I'm customising where I can. I've had fun watching the clips on YouTube and reading up on the what the experts do and think on here! I'll be using the For Sale section loads and if anyone has any tips or advice I'm all ears!

Thanks for reading!