F.W. Evans ATB (1984) Milton Keynes

[BsidetheCside]

Hi Brian,
Great to have you on the site. Here’s my 1985? Evans/Saracen in 531 with the Deerhead. It has Evans decal on the downtube and Evans engraved seat stay but also a Saracen head decal. I’ve seen a couple similar. Do you remember how these came to be?

 

[Brian S]

Again certainly not a genuine saracen made Evans ATB
The engraving Evans name on a the seat stays is not ours too untidy not a genuine Saracen
Like I said only ever made touring frames for Evans
I still have our promotional DVD that was used fee shows in the uk and America
Apart fro the Crane brothers up Kilimanjaro we
had a young couple journey across China on
Saracen mountain bikes
If I could find away I’d like to get the DVD
uploaded onto YouTube
Any way anything I can help you with just ask
Good luck regards Brian

 

[BsidetheCside]

Again certainly not a genuine saracen made Evans ATB
The engraving Evans name on a the seat stays is not ours too untidy not a genuine Saracen
Like I said only ever made touring frames for Evans
I still have our promotional DVD that was used fee shows in the uk and America
Apart fro the Crane brothers up Kilimanjaro we
had a young couple journey across China on
Saracen mountain bikes
If I could find away I’d like to get the DVD
uploaded onto YouTube
Any way anything I can help you with just ask
Good luck regards Brian

That’s very interesting thanks Brian. Here’s a scan of an Evans advert showing a conquest with a Saracen head and seat tube decal. The stays also looks engraved too

 

[legrandefromage]

You do understand that this is the Brian that set up Saracen?

 

[greencat]

Again certainly not a genuine saracen made Evans ATB
The engraving Evans name on a the seat stays is not ours too untidy not a genuine Saracen
Like I said only ever made touring frames for Evans
I still have our promotional DVD that was used fee shows in the uk and America
Apart fro the Crane brothers up Kilimanjaro we
had a young couple journey across China on
Saracen mountain bikes
If I could find away I’d like to get the DVD
uploaded onto YouTube
Any way anything I can help you with just ask
Good luck regards Brian

Handbrake should be able to rip the DVD for you - and then it's just case of uploading the resulting file up to YouTube:

https://handbrake.fr/

 

[BsidetheCside]

You do understand that this is the Brian that set up Saracen?

Yes LGF. Just always curious about the Conquests and why some have just Evans decal, some just Saracen and some have mixed decals. That’s all.

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Yes LGF. Just always curious about the Conquests and why some have just Evans decal, some just Saracen and some have mixed decals. That’s all.

And this FW Evans MTB that has a Built by Saracen sticker?

Could this have been made after Saracen was sold to the Stanforth Brothers in early 1985?

 

[Joe_Rides]

Just posted a Saracen "touring" bike in the Road ebay / marketplace section, which might be of interest to early Saracen fans.

 

[Synthiaks]

Again certainly not a genuine saracen made Evans ATB
The engraving Evans name on a the seat stays is not ours too untidy not a genuine Saracen
Like I said only ever made touring frames for Evans
I still have our promotional DVD that was used fee shows in the uk and America
Apart fro the Crane brothers up Kilimanjaro we
had a young couple journey across China on
Saracen mountain bikes
If I could find away I’d like to get the DVD
uploaded onto YouTube
Any way anything I can help you with just ask
Good luck regards Brian

So Brian @Brian S .....do you know what this is...I did post on another thread (so sorry to anyone who's already seen the pics) but not had a response, just curious as bought it as a Saracen Conquest that had been drum brake converted from new, but since (ages ago...) been suggested its maybe something called a Saracen Citybike, so originally came with drums as standard.

 

[GrahamJohnWallace]

Sorry to disappoint you there never was an FW Evans Saracen ATB
Saracen was my company yes we used to supply Gary Smith with 531 touring frames which he built into cycles
But never Conquest ATBs
Regards Brian Staples

This is the earliest dated photo of a Saracen ATB (Not the later Conquest) I can find.
It was taken on Sunday the 27th of May 1984 whilst taking part in the 'Eastway' 'Fat Tyre Five' XC event and later published in Bicycle Action magazine.



Another Bicycle Action article from the time confirms that Muddy Fox, Gecko and Saracen provided bikes to people who did not have their own MTBs and wanted to enter the event.

The first FW Evans ATB that I first saw in May 1984 had exactly the same Reynolds 501ATB frame as the early Saracen ATB with the same uniquely distinctive rear brake hanger.

The listed specifications for both bikes was also identical using mostly Suntour components including the small-flange hubs that can be seen in the above photo. (The later Saracen Conquest bikes mostly used Shimano componentry which included large-flange hubs)

Could it be that the identical (apart from the frame colours, decals and seat-stay stamps), mid 1984 FW Evans ATB and Saracen ATB were not made by Brian Staples but by Knight Fabrications/Knight Cycles?

I have evidence that 'Knight' made the original Evans ATB so it seems likely they also made the early Saracen ATBs that appeared around the same time.