1988 Saracen Kili Flyer

1988 Saracen Kili Flyer

I picked this up as a complete and nearly completely original bike a couple of months ago. As you can see from the first photo it had been adapted to have a 'more comfortable' riding position.
The previous owner had bought it from a friend about twenty years ago and had been using it as her bike for going to the shops since then.
As such it was in pretty good condition, a bit grubby but mechanically sound apart from a dry and rattly bottom bracket.


As it arrived, complete with massive steerer tube extender and back swept bar ends.

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And after a full service, a refurbished BB, and new cables throughout.
The wheels and tyres have been borrowed from another bike in preparation for the Retrobike 'Day in the Peaks' ride. I'm rebuilding the originals.

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The first job was to fix the bottom bracket.


A selection of appropriate tools.


BB removed.


BB shell threads cleaned and chased with a BB tap.


Nice clean threads.


BB disassembled cleaned and inspected. One of the seals was missing, the source of the problem. Fortunately I had a spare one.


Ball bearings replaced and packed with high quality teflon based grease.


Reassembled, adjusted and tightened up properly.


Chainset all cleaned and refitted.


Drivetrain treated to a new chain in preparation for the Retrobike 'Day in the Peaks' ride. The bike came fitted with Deore MT-60 pedals but I've fitted some M737 SPDs for the ride.


Kili Flyer top tube decal detail. Nice bit of patina.


Tange Prestige double butted frame tubing.


Head tube badge decal.


Fastback stays and the original Saracen branded seat QR.


Shimano Deore MT-60 rear mech.


Shimano Deore MT-60 chainset with more or less intact decal.


Shimano Deore XT M730 u-brake. Original equipment on an otherwise fully Deore equipped bike. Shame it's hidden under the chainstays.


Limited edition black Deore MT-60 cantilever brake on the front.


Original bars, stem and I suspect the grips are too. The four finger MT-60 brake levers still have their original hoods.
The bar ends fitted for the Peaks ride and to help secure the grips a bit.


Shimano Deore MT-60 six speed thumbshifters. Just ace.


Saracen 'Mountain' saddle. The perfect finishing touch to any late 1980's Saracen.

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Finally, here is a scan from issue one of MBUK showing the 1988 Saracen range and pricing.



We still need to track down a copy of the 1988 catalogue for the archive.

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And here are a couple of shots from the Retrobike 'Day in the Peaks' ride - September 2015






This image courtesy of marc two tone

Nice find and great seeing it up n running at the peaks ..
You forgot to memention the shark Fin and tooth ..

I used to have a Tuff Trax of a similar vintage - until some scrote swiped it.

How did Biopace feel after all these years?

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Cool bike!

I like the neat seat cluster .

Why did you run your special tools through the bb shell? Was it a pita to get out?
How do U brakes compare to cantis in use ?
Mike

I really loved using u's bitd and wouldn't mind another set again some day ..

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Firstly, Biopace is horrible. It turns your nice smooth pedalling style, crafted over nearly three decades of serious riding, into a lumpy choppy mess.
Funny how Biopace 2 chainrings were less ovalised than the original Biopace, and even funnier how Shimano hailed their 'Super Glide' round rings as a huge step forward a couple of years later.
I've a few bikes with Biopace rings. It's mostly noticeable in the granny ring.

The BB wasn't too difficult to remove. I chased the threads out as a matter of course plus their was a fair bit of gunk and corrosion in the BB shell too.
Having clean threads just makes reinstallation a whole lot easier. You can fine tune the bearing tension much more readily.

The braking was fine. U brakes are powerful but a bit 'on or off'. No so much modulation as you get with cantis. The older non low profile cantis, like the one on the front, are generally easier to set up to gain more leverage and thus more power too.
The only thing I didn't really like was the four finger brake levers. When braking you can't hold onto the grips as easily as you can with two finger levers.
My grips were spinning on the bars all day too, which wasn't ideal.

And yes, the combination of a 'Shark Fin' and a 'Shark Tooth' is pretty cool I suppose.

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Love it. A realy nice bike. Takes me back to school days.

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Makes me feel like an amateur, using an old toothbrush and white spirit on my bb shells!

Did you have any bar end/top tube introductions? :roll:

Mike

Great work Paul. I was watching that bike on eBay - really glad you got it and brought it back to life.

Tell me though - how was that 'more comfortable' setup? You must have had a spin before sorting it out