Re: Raleigh m-trax ti 1000
The MT5 looked pretty much the same (or identical?) as the other MT frames, but had metal matrix tubes, and I believe was the frameset the Raleigh Team raced on for one or two seasons in the early 90s.
The MT3 had only the top and down tubes in Ti, the rest being cromo, apart from the head tube, which was aluminium. I've always assumed the MT3 and the M Trax Duo Tech frames are, for all intents and purposes, the same frame.
The MT4 differed from the MT3 on that it had Ti chain stays and a Ti seat tube, and a Mang-Moly fork and seat stays.
Reynolds supplied the steel tubing for these RSP frames, but Raleigh almost never told Reynolds which models used which of their steels. The MT3 almost certainly used Reynolds 501 steel (the same material as the later K2 and Optima branded tubesets).
I've never found out any difference between the MT3 and M Trax / Dynatech Duo Tech frames. Some small details changed between 1992, 1993 and 1994, most notably how the seat stays join the seat tube lug (bolted in 1992 and earlier, welded (or brazed?)) from 1993 onwards, and also the rack / mudguard mounting points get cleaner as the years go on.
What I really like about the M Trax Ti range is that the bikes all had exactly the same frame, from Ti 1000 right up to the Ti 4000. And I used to look at the catalogue back in the day and wonder who on earth would opt for an M Trax 2000 (all 501 / K2 cromo, lugged and brazed) over the Ti 1000 which, despite its inferior groupset, had the far superior Duo Tech frame?
