Saracen are back with something for everyone. Of particular interest is the return of the Kili Flyer, Simon Wild aka Mr Saracen, gives us the skinny…
“We felt the Kili bike was an Iconic part of Saracen history so just had to make the new generation bikes a fitting tribute to the past.
The Kili Flyer is hand made in the UK, fillet brazed using Tange Prestige – just like the original Prestige model but with all new geometry built around a 120mm fork. Light enough to race, comfortable enough to ride all day. The aquamarine paint job with polished details is a nod to the original Kili while still looking very on-trend.
We’ll be offering the Kili Flyer Cr-Mo in 2 spec levels, an ‘affordable’ SLX/Fox F120 RL version at around £2K and Premium version with XT/XTR.
The other new bike is a made in the UK Kili Flyer Ti bike. First frame samples have arrived and are looking good, testing is proving they ride pretty well too, we’ll send some pictures over soon.
To complete the range will be an off-shore built model that retails around the £850 mark and will feature a Deore/Recon spec.”
We’ll be hassling Simon for a test ride starting, well, about now, but more details on the Saracen range can be found here www.saracen.co.uk
Comments (33)
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Looks gorgeous but will people get over the name and pay £2k+ for a Saracen?
UR Kili Flyer are saracing
Good lord, that is a nice surprise!
My pal had the 1992 Kili Comp that bike is based on – same colour and same lovely fillet-brazed prestige. I had the Deore-kitted Kili in “Deep Purple”.
Wish them every success!
Urrgh the old school look is nasty
like the frame and the details but the new Corp Id is a big no no! not a fan at all, looks like a copy of a whole bunch of others done badly?
Drool inverymuchdeed.
unless its just the picture the geometry looks a bit odd? what is it mean to be? seat angle looks too relaxed for the fork travel? or is it just my eyes?
i do however also wish them sucess, the 90’s bikes were lovely
£2k is a lot to pay for a Saracen but it’s not too much to stump out for an Enigma – and that’s who’s building the frames.
i too lusted after one in the 90s. they should have kept the signiture top tube/seat tube configuration though. to me that seems obvious given that they want to rekindle the spirit of the old one.
That looks nice, the graphics are too saricen either. A frame only model would do well i guess. People who spend £2k on a steel hardtail tend to want them how they like them!
The headset gives it away it’s a rebadged Enigma.
Nice to see Saracen taking steps in the right direction.
I can see the offshore £850 bike being more popular than the “affordable” £2k UK built bike. People don’t tend to buy £2k hardtails off the peg.
I’ve still got a Kili (853 frame) with ‘massive’ 63mm forks up front – a lovely Jaycore ride…
I’m sure I remember the original Kili’s having nice wishbone rear stays and external butting on the down tube??
Still, can we have an SS one with slidey drop-outs please?
My mate at Uni had a red Kili something-or-other (Comp maybe) with E-stays!
I remember the red one with E-stays, it rode pretty well, if a bit heavy. Looked great.
If you bought an 853 oversea built frame (Cotic etc) and fitted it with a Fox F120 fork, full SLX and wheels and other finishing kit at a similar “spec level” to what the Killi has how much less do you really think that you’d get it. The only doubt I have with £2k steel HT off the shelf is that most of us want to fit our own bits (even though in general it’s almost all the same stuff).
Fillet brazing now that is cooler than cool,the way the tubes melt into each other .Frame building heaven.
Time to get the anorak on and put some facts straight 🙂
The fillet brazed Kili Flyer was “deep purple” (a dark pinky purple). I know because it was my second ever mtb in 1990 and is still in the attic! Was originally only the front triangle that was prestige (whole frame prestige in 1991).
The Kili Flyer Comp was full prestige and more like the colour of the new one.
http://www.retrobike.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=17747&sid=032293af84a360c967ffa4ee0f58a131
The Trekker was the model with wishbone stays and U brakes in various places over the years.
That is possible the best saracen i’ve seen! looks amazing and wish them good look with their revival!
Hope to see more decent products from them in the future!
I hope these ones get decent geometry – the original ones were built with really short top tubes – ideeal for people with long legs and short torso’s. Add in the saracen standard 150mm stem and you got some quality handling issues. Always good value bits for your cash though…
Mmmm, nice. I had a 1990 Trekker comp – in a tasteful orange with e-stays & Magura hydros. And funky Switchblade forks. I was tempted to rebuild it a few years back til i saw the number of cracks up and down the headtube lol!
Still, great memories – good luck to em with the new (er, retro) stuff
mick_r – 1990 was it? I had that purple Kili as my first new MTB, thought it was ’92 but memory probably playing tricks.
I know I got a discount as it was last year’s model, £800 down to £650 or something.
Going to look for pix later.
Hi Chakaping
We could both be sort of right! I think they carried almost the same bikes across 2 years. Mine was a discounted end of season model with thumbshifters. But they then sold another batch of the same bikes with rapidfire.
Another trawl of Retrobike shows 1992 range was completely different so would fit in with your guess at it being old stock.
http://www.koedjoinery.com/Saracen92Catalogue.pdf
I’ve got the catalogue somewhere in the attic but think it sort of went fillet brazed 89-90
Some E stays, maguras and hideous swirly graphics 90-91
Some E stays and regular graphics 91-92
Farmer John tyres, wolber rims, jumpers for goalposts…..sigh.
looks really good to me – although as mike_at_dialledbikes says, if i was spending £2k on a steel hardtail it probably wouldn’t be off the peg. perhaps they’ll sell the frame separately?
hopefully this means Saracen going to stop making those horrific £60 halfords full sussers!
Not going to stop, have already stopped.
Just to set the record straight – this is our first Cr-Mo prototype.
Its hand made by Mark Reily of Enigma, in the UK, to our geoemtry and frame spec. So its not “just a rebadged” Enigma. We went to Enigma because they build first class frames and are trying to keep UK building skills alive.
Frames or bikes? Good question. We’re looking at both options + different colour options! The purple one looks very very nice but for me its the mint colour attached – How much did I want that bike when I was a nipper??!!? The colour of this one is from the 1988-89 catalog, all of which I am lucky to have on my desk lol.
Saracen never did a £60 full-susser for Halfords. And under Madsion the 2010 range will not be sold through Halfords.
Right, I guess I better get over to retrobike and get the saracen catalogs up.
Cheers
Simon
I didn’t mean to offend. Certainly nothing “just” about an Enigma. Like you said some of the best UK built frames going.
What would the frame cost? I could do with a modern version of my original
Here’s mine