Early Saracen Lovers Anonymous......

[Carlos the Slackal]

Re: Sentimental posting

Twenty years ago today I collected my brand new Saracen Tufftrax from the Edinburgh Bike Co-op, thrilled at the state of art 21 speed Shimano Hyperglide gearing, Deore thumbshifters and Mountain LX mechs, Biopace chainrings, cantilever brakes, full Cromoly fork and double-butted frame and handbuilt wheels with black anodised rims.

£332.95 it cost me, and That Was A Lot Of Money In Those Days.

Still in daily use today though, and the frame, forks, shifters, mechs, seat, seatpost, bars, stem and grips are still original.

A bargain!

This baby has accompanied me down trails in the Rockies, a run from Edinburgh to Orkney, up countless hills/mountains, in a collision on a roundabout in Portobello and to the shops. Here's to the next 20 years!

Get that bike and story in to the BOTM! Go on!

That's really what mountain bikes are all about and deserves an audience outside of this little enclave of love for old Saracens!

 

[Pickle]

Thought I'd better post this here as well.

Picked it up last weekend from Arnold, Nottingham off a chap who'd dry stored it for 20 years. It really is immaculate. Even came with the original frame reflectors and wheel reflectors.

1987 Saracen Tufftrax.

 

[Sidewinder]

That is sooooooooooooooooo nice !

 

[Carlos the Slackal]

That's epic! Another that should be in the BOTM list!

 

[therealkw15]

Anybody wanting to restore an '89 23" Tufftrax?

I recently bought an 89/90 blue Tufftrax off eBay with the intention of stripping it of parts for spares for my own one, and reusing the lovely Tange double butted CroMo frame and forks for my son when he is bigger (than me).

Imagine my dismay to discover that the slightly later incarnation of the Tufftrax does not have the Deore thumbies of my own, but instead gruesome rapidfire shifters integrated with the brake levers. And the classy Mountain LX mechs are replaced by Exage 500 LX mechs, although they at least seem good quality.

Frame and forks are in good order though, but a bit big for me- 22" c-c, 23"c-t.

I'll probably keep it, but as the discerning contributors to this thread appreciate such things I thought I'd offer it up (for a modest price to help recoup my investment, which was £60 by the time I got it sent up- I offered an inducement to forget the local pickup only) as a frame-forks-headset-stem-Kalloy seatpost combo to see if anyone is interested at all.

I'll add pictures if there is a flicker of interest and once I get the brake cable out of the top-tube. The seatpost is free from the seattube, and there are lovely long horizontal dropouts for any single speed fans (and to them I say- get a right bike and just don't change gear).

Cheers
Steven

 

[kaya]

That's epic! Another that should be in the BOTM list!

I second that, Its a nice original bike

 

[brocklanders023]

Re: Anybody wanting to restore an '89 23" Tufftrax?

I recently bought an 89/90 blue Tufftrax off eBay with the intention of stripping it of parts for spares for my own one, and reusing the lovely Tange double butted CroMo frame and forks for my son when he is bigger (than me).

Imagine my dismay to discover that the slightly later incarnation of the Tufftrax does not have the Deore thumbies of my own, but instead gruesome rapidfire shifters integrated with the brake levers. And the classy Mountain LX mechs are replaced by Exage 500 LX mechs, although they at least seem good quality.

Frame and forks are in good order though, but a bit big for me- 22" c-c, 23"c-t.

I'll probably keep it, but as the discerning contributors to this thread appreciate such things I thought I'd offer it up (for a modest price to help recoup my investment, which was £60 by the time I got it sent up- I offered an inducement to forget the local pickup only) as a frame-forks-headset-stem-Kalloy seatpost combo to see if anyone is interested at all.

I'll add pictures if there is a flicker of interest and once I get the brake cable out of the top-tube. The seatpost is free from the seattube, and there are lovely long horizontal dropouts for any single speed fans (and to them I say- get a right bike and just don't change gear).

Cheers
Steven

Might be interested in the gruesome shifters if they're on offer for my Bear Valley re-build.

Infact, might be interested in the frame if you've got some pics. (although I've already got too many and the wallet is screaming for mercy :roll: ).

 

[thedirtyroger]

Pickle that is an amazing bike. You gonna get it dirty??? :twisted:

 

[thedirtyroger]

Well heres mine, it a 1996? Tuff Trax LX 1x7.

I purchased it off here (can't remember who from) about 2 months back and I really love it. The frame is brilliant, very responsive and a nice size (19").

Only things i dont like:

The chain always pops off, so currently in search of a decent chain tensioner.
The cantilever brakes have now been changed to LX v brakes.
Front fork is too heavy so looking to upgrade to carbon or triple butted fork eventually

I really love this bike though and have had a few comments from other riders on the trails and they are always supprised that its a saracen. I'm always on the look out for saracen frames now as they are a bargain and lovely to ride.

 

[Nomad78]

Oh my word, this is an amazing thread. Cant believe ive only just found it!

Saracen are what got me into mountain biking back in 1990, back when they were an awsome bike. Unfortunately they have really gone down hill since, probably something to do with mass production full suss street bikes they released made from crappy parts and weighed a tonne.

I first bought a yellow saracen sahara which some low life pinched not long after, couldnt believe it....cried in my pillow for weeks! This was soon replaced with a brand new 1991 Saracen Limited edition which I still use to this day to commute.

Oh and what a bike, apart from the tyres and back inner tube everything on it are still the original parts. Goes to show the quality of the bike back then which is probably one of the reasons for such a fan base me thinks!

I would love to be able to put some farmer johns nephews back on it but cant find them anywhere. Anyone got any ideas?

I ride a Santa cruz nomad these days but i'll never retire the saracen. To be honest i reckon it will last another 18 years. My wife is using it for work at the moment but when she gets back i'll add some pictures of it (the saracen that is!)

Hope this thread is still going and I havnt missed out.

Carl