Early Saracen Lovers Anonymous......

what makes it more difficult is that the frames where often way better than the groupset. So the Sahara had a Tange double butted frame with Altus A20 (200GS) parts or the Elevated frames with Altus! There was no real hierarchy until you got to the very high end stuff.

hierarchy - more like a pick and mix sweet shop..

coomber":3qchwvoj said:

Not sure if this should go in a new thread or not but could someone let me know the rough hierarchy of early to mid saracen bikes?

I.e.

Kili range
Terra Trax
Ruff Trax
Hard Trax
Traverse
Sahara

If not possibly just ignore me

Oh, and get some more in Saracen in The Month people!

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Terra Trax, Ruff Trax, Hard Trax These were later models that I don't know much about, but in the old series it was Sahara, Tufftrax (shared same frame as Sahara but Tufftrax had better components) and then the Traverse. The Kili range was above this. E-stays mix all this up!

Didn't the Tufftrax become the highest model in the very new range?

I think once Neill has scanned and uploaded all the catalogues he bagged from Saracen HQ then it will be interesting to make a list.

Anyone know if the hard trax had a good frame?

Here is a picture of the fleet at anchor... my 89/90 Tufftraxen and my son's 95 ish Rufftrax.



Yes, I am farting about taking pictures of my bikes rather than cleaning one up and getting it in the SOTM competition.

But it's very confusing. The bike I love and would want to feature is in the middle, but it is being stripped down for a respray just now and not ready for the harsh glare of the RetroBike massive. The Rufftrax is mint, but lowly. And number 2 Tufftrax is the least lovely, though righteous and pretty much period correct, albeit the Biopace rings are replacement alloy ones, and the stem is an Ahead one on a quill adapter. I'll go and give it a scrub and clean the chain anyway.

As an aside, having run my favourite in expedition mode for years, it is surprising how light the barebones number 2 is.

therealkw15

All 3 look super. I think as legrandfromage says the frame is what makes a saracen. That Rufftrax is a very nice frame with lowly parts, not a lowly bike, just components in my opinion.

Get all three spruced up and enter them all!

Coomber, you are most kind. It's true about the Rufftrax too, in that size it is a beautifully proportioned frame with good forks and dropouts, let down by a cheap chainset and mechs and a bolted on back wheel. I've upgraded the mechs already, and have a better rear wheel lined up, so it'll be a nice bike by the time my son has grown out of it!

In SOTM There Can Only Be One, and Tufftrax 2 scrubbed up better than expected so I've put it in to swell the ranks.

I recall a lovely black Tufftrax earlier on in this thread- that should definitely go in.

Newsflash: Owning a Saracen has been used as an insult in page three of this thread!
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... c&start=30

Shocking :shock:

drystonepaul":1s1w21g6 said:

Newsflash: Owning a Saracen has been used as an insult in page three of this thread!
http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewto ... c&start=30

Shocking :shock:

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I'm selling one Saracen to own another what do I do! what DO I do!!!

Wont someone think of the children!

Hi all,

picked this baby up for 70 notes and are well chuffed. I haven't got my hands on it yet as it has been dropped off at my nans back up in the good old black country. She will be keeping it safe until the snow disappears and I can get time to collect it.

I think it is a 94ish kili. stx, parallax hubs, grip shift, etc etc. got to laugh at how the brake levers are set Sorry about the dodgey pics, courtesy of my sis and her mobile :roll: Bless