| 1991 Saracen Traverse Competition Hydrotech |
| This is a backburner project. I owned this bike from new, paid £600 for it back in 1991. Then I gave it away. 12 years later I got it back and it is destined to be turned into a Singlespeed with a controversial 'RetroMod' mixture of old and new parts which is bound to cause a stink at RetroBike. |
| Back then it was Shimano DX mechs and thumbies, DX cranks, LX hubs on Wolber rims, DT Swiss spokes, Panaracer Smoke Lites, Saracen Gen saddle (Selle Italia badged), Kalloy seapost. Ringle H20, Ringle Cam Twist, Magura HS-11 brakes, Answer Hyperlites, Syncros Cattleprod. Removed from the factory spec were Specialised Ground Control tyres, Shimano QR, Saracen OS bars and massively long stem. The frame is Tange MTB Cromoly steel and is very heavy (but strong!!). The tubes are ovalised and the ovalisation 'changes' from end to end. The top tube is vertically ovalised at the headtube but horizontally ovalised where it pierces the seatube and the seatube is round at the top but ovalises across the bottom bracket shell. Cable guides are 'drilled out' for Magura hoses and rack mounts feature throughout. The seatstay brace on the 1991 Saracens is a very crude lump of box section steel with the Saracen logo stamped into it (these became more elegant on the 1992 models). Cable routing is a little unusual as there is a seat tube cable stop and a pulley wheel to drive the bottom pull Front Mech.....I guess TP mechs hadn't been invented in 1991? I did thousands and thousands of miles on this bike in all weathers and all sorts of terrain and it never ever let me down apart from expected wear and tear. Hip, cool and rare it might not be but this bike has shared a lot with me and I shall keep it !! This is it back in 1996 when we did The Ridgeway, laid out in the garden figuring out what kit to take (ended up taking it all like a moron....) |
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| This is pretty much all that remains now sadly, but I am playing around with a 1x7 Beater/parts bin build that you can follow HERE |
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