Raleigh M-Trax Reynolds Optima MTB

[ibbz]

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154228137161
It’s a 1996 M-Trax with lovely Reynolds Optima Frame.

 

[Crusader]

Re:

Steel frame, not alloy as advertised.. Lovely? Does anyone really know what it is?

 

[ibbz]

Yes it’s an M Trax Reynolds Optima from around 96.
Same frame as my Mtrax 350 Optima Elite - lovely light double butted steel frame -
If anyone can win this for cheap and pick up it makes a lovely ride.
Raleigh had these frames in their RSP build to order (Along with Ti and 853) and then as part of their high end MTrax Elite range (two were Optima and 2 Titanium)

 

[ibbz]

It’s advertised as a Chromoly Reynolds Optima steel frame and not Alloy.
It says alloy wheels.

 

[Crusader]

Re:

It also says "Alluminium frame"

Anyway, thank you for the brochure spec information - very useful, although low resolution makes it hard to see the numbers - any chance of an image dedicated to the Optima frames?

I had wondered whether the Reynolds K2 tubing with internal profiling had been adapted for TIG welding and called Optima for the MTBs, but I guess not..

 

[ibbz]

Here’s mine
Same frame

And catalogue

 

[ibbz]

Build thread
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=249034

 

[Crusader]

Very nice. Yours is a 1997 300 then. Was there one in 98 and 99?

 

[CrossFred1978]

Nice bikes, I had one back in`96 but it was stickered up as a Dyna Tech Cromo comp. Bit of a parts bin special, Reynolds optima frame with threaded spinner forks and a mix of stx/stx rc and gripshift.
Only available to Raleigh 5* dealers. It was a fair bit lighter than my Mtrax k2.

 

[ibbz]

Nice bikes, I had one back in`96 but it was stickered up as a Dyna Tech Cromo comp. Bit of a parts bin special, Reynolds optima frame with threaded spinner forks and a mix of stx/stx rc and gripshift.
Only available to Raleigh 5* dealers. It was a fair bit lighter than my Mtrax k2.

Yes they are very light frames - I bought my original one in 1997 from Allen’s Cycles in Barnsley. The gold Mtrax Elite 300 as shown in the catalogue but with white Indy forks up front - the one I built up several years ago as pictured above (small frame) I bought frame only from gumtree Ireland. These seems quite rare - maybe it was because they were only sold in 5* dealers and not popular in any case.