Early Saracen Lovers Anonymous......
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Very nice. 1992 is my favourite year for Saracens. Easy_Rider has been looking for a Tufftrax Elite.
silverclaws
Senior Retro Guru
After having both a '92 and a '93 Saracen I have to conclude '92 was the better year and that through what I noticed regarding detail as well as appearance.
The '93 I had the powder coating was a little bit thin in places out of the way, say around the rear of the seat stays and under the fork and the tin foil stickers were not very resilient as well as looking a tadge gawdy.
The '92 was far better in these areas and with the white stickering, the bike just looked classy in an understated way, confident but not brash, boring even but what's in a sticker.
There were slight frame construction differences as well like the '92 had a central bridge for the canti on the rear seat stay and the '93 had a brazed on noodle to direct the cable.
I preferred the '92 and with a metallic black Traverse Elite with full XT, I really miss that bike which I had had for twelve years from new before I lost it and it was used every day, testimony to the longevity of XT, it never went wrong, and no part replaced except for the back wheel where the rim finally wore through and exploded one day chucking green slime everywhere.
Pretty messy when a rim goes bang and loud too
The '93 I had the powder coating was a little bit thin in places out of the way, say around the rear of the seat stays and under the fork and the tin foil stickers were not very resilient as well as looking a tadge gawdy.
The '92 was far better in these areas and with the white stickering, the bike just looked classy in an understated way, confident but not brash, boring even but what's in a sticker.
There were slight frame construction differences as well like the '92 had a central bridge for the canti on the rear seat stay and the '93 had a brazed on noodle to direct the cable.
I preferred the '92 and with a metallic black Traverse Elite with full XT, I really miss that bike which I had had for twelve years from new before I lost it and it was used every day, testimony to the longevity of XT, it never went wrong, and no part replaced except for the back wheel where the rim finally wore through and exploded one day chucking green slime everywhere.
Pretty messy when a rim goes bang and loud too
So after having a good look at the bike now, it is an 18" frame. I am however a bit confused. I'm not that up on Saracens but comparing the bike to the '92 catalogue to the actually bike there seems to be a couple of odd differences. So the colour is the same and the spec too, even has the original front tyre. But the cable routing is different ( see the pics above) they run on the outside of the top tube like other models do, not internal like the cat pic. Also the seatpost clamp is different, it has a removable seatpost clamp where as the catalogue has bolt thru one.
Is this just differences from first build prototypes for catalogue pictures to actual production?
Is this just differences from first build prototypes for catalogue pictures to actual production?
silverclaws
Senior Retro Guru
Hoprocker, the frame set up of your Tufftrax is exactly the same as what my '92 Traverse Elite was. The only irritations with that bike was the pulley at the bottom of the seat tube siezing fairly regularly due to the alloy pulley centre corroding and the stickers behind the cables, on both sides those stickers did not last long and judging by your bike, to me it indicates it has not had a lot of use. I do remember the grey Saracens, quite a statement when most bikes of that era went for bright and eye challenging paint jobs.
I still have the memory of walking around Halfords in the summer of '92 trying to work out what bike I would like opposed to what I could afford, I fell in love with the Saracens and remember seeing a yellow e- stay hydrotech, but it was the grey Tufftrax I wanted. So a few weeks later a neighbour told me his son's bike shop is closing down ( Conquest Cycles in Wallasey) and I could do a cash deal if I want, and what bike was I after. I said Saracen Tufftrax and a week later he turns up with a Traverse Elite, more than what I wanted to pay, but I borrowed the extra hundred and bought the bike for £450, it lasted 12 years before I stupidly left it in the care of my ex wife. It might still be around in the Oxford area, very noticeable as I had the seat tube acid etched with a number relating to my North Western post code.
But that day the bike turned up, my pal was around he who got me into mtb's on his Diamond Back Ascent with the lovely smoke and white paint job, he was surprised at the weight of the thing, it being noticeably far lighter than his, think the figures were 26 pounds. but that day straight away it got covered in mud as I hit the local trails and came back with a puncture, for it turned out the rim rapes were not seated properly and the spoke nipples pierced the inner tube.
That bike went everywhere, up the lake district and peak district, i.e. it hit real mountains.
I still have the memory of walking around Halfords in the summer of '92 trying to work out what bike I would like opposed to what I could afford, I fell in love with the Saracens and remember seeing a yellow e- stay hydrotech, but it was the grey Tufftrax I wanted. So a few weeks later a neighbour told me his son's bike shop is closing down ( Conquest Cycles in Wallasey) and I could do a cash deal if I want, and what bike was I after. I said Saracen Tufftrax and a week later he turns up with a Traverse Elite, more than what I wanted to pay, but I borrowed the extra hundred and bought the bike for £450, it lasted 12 years before I stupidly left it in the care of my ex wife. It might still be around in the Oxford area, very noticeable as I had the seat tube acid etched with a number relating to my North Western post code.
But that day the bike turned up, my pal was around he who got me into mtb's on his Diamond Back Ascent with the lovely smoke and white paint job, he was surprised at the weight of the thing, it being noticeably far lighter than his, think the figures were 26 pounds. but that day straight away it got covered in mud as I hit the local trails and came back with a puncture, for it turned out the rim rapes were not seated properly and the spoke nipples pierced the inner tube.
That bike went everywhere, up the lake district and peak district, i.e. it hit real mountains.
silverclaws
Senior Retro Guru
You got a Saracen Fetish ?
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