Mid 90s Saracen

[MatthewMawson]

Can anyone identify this Saracen from the really bad photo. First mountain bike, bought new in the mid 90s from Wheelbase in Staveley on cheque spread.
I remember it was about £400. Can't remember the model. No suspension, and I can't see any decals on the frame, maybe i removed them?
Also remember blinging it up with purple anodised wheels.

 

[retrobikeguy]

Could be a Saracen Dirt trax ..... or even a special edition as they made a lot of those to use up old stock.

Catalogues here >

Catalogues | Saracen | Retrobike

www.retrobike.co.uk

 

[MatthewMawson]

Thanks for the link. I think it was a 1997 Powertrax from the catalogue description.

 

[Bobmac892]

I'd say Power Trax but the cables are in the wrong placement across the top tube. I did notice though your photo is a mirror image so I flipped it.

 

[MatthewMawson]

Scanned from an old negative which is why it was the wrong way round. Catalogue shows the Powertrax cables on top and this seems to be consistent with all Saracen's aluminium frames from that era. All other Powertrax spec and price sounds familiar but the memory could be mixed up with dozens of bikes since then!

 

[Bobmac892]

The logo on the saddle and stem seem definitely make me think Ritchey. The amount of stem clamp protrusion and even the line of the seat post clamp into the straight post seems to match the Power Trax but those cables???

The Steel framed bikes of the era has two cable along the side of the top tube but the glint and size of the tubes make me think Aluminium frame. Looking again at the 1997 Limited/Special Editions, the cable positions match the Limited Edition but that's photographed in the catalogue with quill stem. Then looking at the Special Edition it fits everything except the cable positions again. Puzzler indeed. Although Saracen were forever chopping and changing the delivered specs. I remember having to advise a Halfords customer BITD that the STX-SE Hubs on his wheels were actually and up spec from the rest of the Acera X he had and how they had gotten on there we never knew.

 

[MatthewMawson]

I'm sure i paid £400 and I'm sure it was aluminium frame so that would fit the PowerTrax. Next model with an Al frame is the MaxTrax but the
tubing looks thinner and it's £600. It's possible Wheelbase built it up and put different bits on it but the cable routing is weird. Regardless of that it was a great first Mountain Bike, my mate got a GT, same place same time and we hammered the mountains without a thought for suspension or stopping power. I'll have a look at other models on the web and see if any are similar.

 

[gemodubz]

I'm sure i paid £400 and I'm sure it was aluminium frame so that would fit the PowerTrax. Next model with an Al frame is the MaxTrax but the
tubing looks thinner and it's £600. It's possible Wheelbase built it up and put different bits on it but the cable routing is weird. Regardless of that it was a great first Mountain Bike, my mate got a GT, same place same time and we hammered the mountains without a thought for suspension or stopping power. I'll have a look at other models on the web and see if any are similar.

Hi, I think I have the same frame.. I'm stuck between either the Special Edition or MaxTrax.
From what I can see in the catalogues the Limited Edition and PowerTrax both have rear cantilever hangers (which mine does not)
I'm struggling to make out your photo but I think yours also lacks this?

 

[gemodubz]

Photos

 

[baldyonabike]

Cable routing and other braze ons ) often varied from frame batch to batch, if that's any help.