Mountain Bike Rider — March 2018

70 mbrMARCH 2018

LONGTERMERS

DAN’S SARACEN KILI FLYER

£1,849.99 /27.5in / saracen.co.uk

THE RIDER

DAN TRENT

PositionFreelancer/

freeloader

Mostly rides

West Yorkshire

Height5ft 11in

Weight73kg

THE BIKE

■Affordable

progressive full-

suspension trail bike

designed by UK

riders for UK riding

■Aluminium frame

with 27.5in wheels,

120mm rear travel

and X-Fusion rear

shock with lock-out

■Basic 10-speed

Deore-based

drivetrain

■Cable-operated

dropper post

as standard

SPECIFICATION

Frame 6013

hydroformed and

butted aluminium,

tapered head tube,

120mm travel

ShockX-Fusion 02

Pro RL

ForkRockShox

Recon RL, 130mm

WheelsWTB STP

i25 TCS 32H rims,

Formula DC-71 15mm

front hub, Shimano

M475 quick-release

rear, Maxxis Ardent

27.5x2.25in tyres

DrivetrainShimano

Deore M6000 r-mech

and shifters, Samox/

Saracen 32t Narrow/

Wide chainset

BrakesShimano

M396 hydraulic,

180mm/160mm

Components

Saracen 6061 OS

760mm bar, Saracen

6061 50mm stem,

Kore Connex saddle,

JD YSP15 120mm

dropper seatpost

Weight14.7kg

(32.4lb)

SizesS, M, L, XL

GEOMETRY

Size testedL

Headangle67°

Seatangle73°

BB height305mm

Chainstay430mm

Front centre753mm

Wheelbase1,183mm

Down tube705mm

Top tube645mm

Reach 468mm

T

here are important milestones in the

relationship with any new bike and I

feel the Saracen and I have now moved

on from the courtship phase and into

somethingakintogoingsteady.Thereare

scuffs appearing on the cranks, a couple of chips

inthepaintanditnowfeelslike‘my’bike.Actually,

thatsoundsabitcreepynowIreaditback,but

hopefullyyougetwhatImean.

Thegoodnewsiswe’regettingalongjustfine

too.Facedwithstickingatubeintorepairapinch

flatorjustcrackingonwithanimprovtubeless

conversion, I went with the latter, the 25mm roll of

GorillaTapeIhadtohandseatingperfectlyinthe

WTBrims. The Maxxis Ardent tyre sealing

firsttimewithasloshofJoe’sSuper

Sealantandafewstrokesofaregular

floor pump. Result!

I stillneedmorerubberonthe

ground though, a solution to this

isonitswayandsomethingI’ll

report back on next month. In

themeantimeIreckonedImayas

well play to the fast-rolling Ardents’

strengths,getawayfromtheslopof

natural terrain and make the most of a properly

surfacedtrailcentre.OffIwenttoGisburnForest,

only to find the majority of the route covered in

a combination of ice, snow and slush. Ah well,

best intentions!

IwaspleasedtofindthattheKiliFlyerwasmore

than up for the challenge of the trials-style Black-

gradedrock gardens though. And I’m confident

that when the new rubber arrives, the Saracen

hasthegeometryandpacetodotheupgrade

justice — this may be a short-travel trail bike, but

that promised hint of Myst downhill

attitude lurks in the background.

It’s lower at the front end than

I’musedto,though,andthelack

ofsupportintheforkssomewhat

exacerbatesthissensation.Youcan’texpecta

basicReconRLtohavethetuneabilityoffancier

forks and you can’t fit Bottomless Tokens in the

steelstanchionseither.I’vetriedrunningmorelow-

speedcompressionontheMotionControldamper,

even going as far as two clicks from fully locked.

Thishelpsbutmakesthefrontendabitharshso

I’lltrymoreairandlessdampingtoseeifIcanfind

abetterbalance.Myexpectationsmightnotbe

realisticgiventhenatureoftheforkbuthopefully

there’s an improved compromise to be found.

MONTH 3:After festooning its frame with a few dinks and a

series of scuffs, Dan is ready to fully commit to his Saracen

WHYIT’SHERE

Will a fresh

start breathe

new life into this

venerable brand?

Recon RL fork set-up

is a work in progress