Early MTB identity puzzle

gerryattrick · May 10, 2016

This bike was donated to the community bike workshop I volunteer at today. Looks to be original kit, possibly re-painted with no name, but Reynolds all-terrain 531 butted tubes, stays & fork. Suntour gears, cranks etc. Lugged frame and fork.

Underneath the BB it has a mark that looks a bit like a postcode starting CF2 5 then two letters. Possibly security marked rather than a makers number.

Hopefully I'll get to rebuild it next week, and it would be nice to know what it is.

Ghosty · May 10, 2016

Could be another one of those Saracens?

gerryattrick · May 10, 2016

I'm not sure that I've seen forks with lugged crowns on the early saracens, although I am certainly no expert.

Also, my picture doesn't show it clearly but the rear dropouts are a bit like road dropouts with the long depth adjustment bolts through the rear.

Leighcal · May 10, 2016

Didn't the early killis have a crowned fork? There was others also I'm sure.

legrandefromage · May 10, 2016

Dont get too hung up on Saracen, there were plenty of builders but not much in the Mountain Bike Builders Box of Frame Bits.

Could be anyone but little things like the cable stops/ guides will give more clues.

You'll be looking at 1984 to 1986

Here is what it isnt:

legrandefromage · May 10, 2016

The rear uses the same dropouts as my old Dawes Cougar. I did look at a Raleigh SBDU but thats got Shimano horizontal dropouts.

Cougar

Its not an early Eagle either

Shares a bit with my old mystery bike

legrandefromage · May 10, 2016

Ooh, close match, same drop-outs and 'diver's helmet' cable stop

legrandefromage · May 10, 2016

You even have Claud Butler to look at

Nigel Dean

Its looking very similar to a Bluemels built F. W. Evans pre Saracen

gerryattrick · May 10, 2016

Re:

Wow! Lots of detective work there LGF.

There are some that look very similar. Our bike has the little nodule on the back of the head tube to clip a bike pump on as in some of your bikes.

That F W Evans Conquest does look very similar.

One difference between ours and the stuff in the F W Evans info is that ours is all Suntour gear and chainset rather than Shimano, but it does have the same Tange Seiki? headset (in brilliant condition) and Mavic Oxygen rims with large flange Suntour hubs.

Do you know if any of the most likely suspects had any code numbers on them?

It looks if the previous owner may have used it as a tourer.

legrandefromage · May 10, 2016

I would ignore the components as they look to be lifted entirely from a muddy fox courier except for the rims, even down to the Sansin hubs

Early MTB identity puzzle

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