mmmm, purple, steel mmmm

no, not just you.

that is strangely arousing

better without big decals .

strangely arousing

crikey.

I look at it and think ‘I do like thin steel tubes with a nice paintjob’ but I wouldn’t want to go into a hotel room with it.

It does look sweet!

IZ UR NU BYK SARICIN?

I rather like that, so thought I’d just had a look to see if they did it as a frameset… they do, but it’s £750!!!

I almost fell off my chair…

As much as I like the rebranded Saracens they are still saracens.

Why relaunch a broken brand when you could launch an exciting new name without the bad rep of being crap.

crikey.

I look at it and think ‘I do like thin steel tubes with a nice paintjob’ but I wouldn’t want to go into a hotel room with it.

I owned the old “deep purple” Kili which I believe must have inspired this.

It’s like seeing an old flame again, and she’s even hotter than you remembered.

I think it looks great, I like the new lineup of Saracens and am considering an Ariel when I have the money. I actually have fond memories of Saracen, always wanted one when I was younger!

Why relaunch a broken brand when you could launch an exciting new name without the bad rep of being crap.

It worked out OK for Skoda.

Maybe the brand is not as broken as STW users think?

I hope not – cos they are great looking bikes. It seems these days every thing is a rebrand or remake..

Great to see the Saracen name back on some nice bikes.

Fillet brazed 853. Mmm……

Why relaunch a broken brand when you could launch an exciting new name without the bad rep of being crap.

Do you know about the history of this brand? One of the pioneer ‘British’ MTB brands. Early Saracens went up Kilimanjaro, before most folk realised you could take a bicycle onto terrain more demanding than a tow path. My first ‘proper’ MTB was a Saracen Tufftrax, 20 odd years ago, and quite a few on here would’ve cut their MTB teeth on a Saracen.

The travesty was that the brand fell into disrepute, and became associated with cheap bikes. I for one am glad to see them ‘back’. Best of luck to ’em. Might not be the same Saracen as back then, but I’d definitely ride one of these new bikes. Don’t underestimate the power of nostalgia.

I have to say I really like these new steel Saracens. Pity they seem to be pricy though.

If they’re really asking £750 for an off-the-peg steel frame then they clearly don’t expect to actually sell any.

An attempt to change perceptions of the brand?

Do you know about the history of this brand? One of the pioneer ‘British’ MTB brands. Early Saracens went up Kilimanjaro, before most folk realised you could take a bicycle onto terrain more demanding than a tow path. My first ‘proper’ MTB was a Saracen Tufftrax, 20 odd years ago, and quite a few on here would’ve cut their MTB teeth on a Saracen.

The travesty was that the brand fell into disrepute, and became associated with cheap bikes. I for one am glad to see them ‘back’. Best of luck to ’em. Might not be the same Saracen as back then, but I’d definitely ride one of these new bikes. Don’t underestimate the power of nostalgia.

What’s the world coming to, I agree entirely with ElfinFred!

He’s right, I remmeber reviews of Saracens in MBUK and MTB Pro which always raved about them. I’ve still got a titanium Saracen and it’s an incredible bike, a proper race rocket. My first MTB was a Saracen Sahara Elite. Back then it was one of THE brands to go for.

Yes, they went downmarket and became associated with cheapo full sussers but it’s great to see the brand back and doing what it did best.

Do you know about the history of this brand? One of the pioneer ‘British’ MTB brands. Early Saracens went up Kilimanjaro, before most folk realised you could take a bicycle onto terrain more demanding than a tow path. My first ‘proper’ MTB was a Saracen Tufftrax, 20 odd years ago, and quite a few on here would’ve cut their MTB teeth on a Saracen.

The travesty was that the brand fell into disrepute, and became associated with cheap bikes. I for one am glad to see them ‘back’. Best of luck to ’em. Might not be the same Saracen as back then, but I’d definitely ride one of these new bikes. Don’t underestimate the power of nostalgia.

Yes I do. It is a travesty the way the brand was treated, but a rep is a very easy thing to lose, but they are definitely going in the right direction.

I’ve had my eye on the Kili Cromo 2. It’s looking like it’ll be that, or a Genesis Latitude 10 (which is cheaper, but it’s Black, what is it with Black/White bikes, gimme colour). Used to have a Purple Protrax s.e. with White Judy XCs on, which was probably my favourite bike of any I’ve had.

Anybody wanna by a Giant XTC 😀

they should of changed the name!
a lot happened between the time they were an ok brand (never great) and now. all i think of when somebody mentions saracen are those horrible jump bikes, that every kid on my estate had.

as for the skoda comparison, it’s still a skoda…

they were an ok brand (never great)

You know absolutely nothing.

Someone tell ’em. I’m too angry…

Elfinsafety – Member
they were an ok brand (never great)
You know absolutely nothing.

Someone tell ’em. I’m too angry…

i know a lot of things, not all of it useful…

maybe you need to take those rose tinted glasses off 😳

as for the skoda comparison, it’s still a skoda…

Nope, it’s a VW or an Audi.

Some of their old fillet-brazed steel frames from back in the day were things of beauty. My first ‘proper’ MTB was a Saracen Eiger competition. Which, by the way I’d dearly like to have back after some fecker half-inched it back in ’91. It was a lovely shade of lilac….ah, those were the days.

miketually – Member
as for the skoda comparison, it’s still a skoda…
Nope, it’s a VW or an Audi.

yes, i know but i don’t care who makes them i can’t get past that there still skodas.
datson=nissan. worked for them.

new dh team too
http://www.southerndownhill.com/news/press-releases/madison-saracen-team-2011.html

and the myst looks nice in red

My tuppence worth, I have a 2004 magnesium Saracen Killi HT.
2.9LBs, bought as new old stock in 2006 for £40.
Fantastic bike, love it. Even been to a European Champs on it.
Painted it myself, hence no decals and it’s a funny shape so no-one knows what it is, get a few people asking though.

I too had a Saracen, a tufftrax I think, back in the day when it was a cutting edge British brand. It was my first proper mountain bike after a rather strange Claud Butler! It featured rear brakes on the chain stays. I forget what the justification for this was but as you will probably realise it provided a lovely mud trap.

£2500 for a steel Saracen.

I’ll take two please.

It featured rear brakes on the chain stays. I forget what the justification for this was

Aerodynamics. Ask any time-trialer. It’s only in recent years that TT bike designers have cottoned onto the fact.

those new saracens look lush. Bloody pricey though. I’m sorting out a Saracen Andes for a workmate, it’s all LX, 7 speed. Nowt special, but must be from just before when they went rubbish. Got some 7speed acera bits for free from Mieszko on classifieds, Thanks Mieszko 🙂

chakaping
crikey.
I look at it and think ‘I do like thin steel tubes with a nice paintjob’ but I wouldn’t want to go into a hotel room with it.

I owned the old “deep purple” Kili which I believe must have inspired this.

It’s like seeing an old flame again, and she’s even hotter than you remembered.

chakaping – The beer may of helped but that just made me genuinely laugh out loud.

I’m liking the look of the new Saracens

saw this bike today at my lbs looks fantastic and very well finished also had a dh saracen and it too looked great but they were parked next to a carbon nomad so i left dreaming of that.

Bit pricey for the frame though, innit? I mean, it’s a lovely frame, and one of the nicest 853 frames out there, but £750??

Say’s ‘handcrafted’ in the blurb. Isn’t fillet-brazing done by hand? That would change things a fair bit I’d imagine. Lot more work involved, surely.

I’d buy a saracen again. My first proper mtb was a traverse, in purple! in 1989, they were pretty cool then, up there with specialized and orange IMO

When a brand reinvents it’s self it gives itself the opportunity to appeal to the people that once valued it and a new set of customers. If they’d rebranded they’d have only got the second bit

Skoda comparison works for me, I bought an octavia after owning 4 golfs in a row!

Some things’ll have to change though.

I do believe your quality bicycle, with a praiseworthy MTB history, to be a Saracen my esteemed and informed jey man.

I do believe your quality dandyhorse, with a praiseworthy MTB history, to be a Saracen my esteemed and informed jey man.

FTFY

ahh! dandyhorse indeed! oldschool.

Fillet brazed by hand by Enigma.

who is Enigma? sounds like a sexy female superhero to me. That welds.

Enigma

http://www.enigmabikes.com/

£2500 for a steel Saracen.
I’ll take two please.

Deadly honest, I’d buy that before I’d buy a Salsa, an IF, a Surly etc. Thats British bling is that.
I have a real hankering for these new Saracens, and the more blinkered people are about them, the more I like them. 🙂