Saracen Kili Flyer

shdaxner

Hi Folks

Had a little break from the dirty stuff and have decided to give the brown stuff a go again

Just today collected my second hand but brand new Saracen Kili Flyer Cromo.

Spec is as follows.

FRAME Custom butted, Hand-built Reynolds 853 Cro-mo tubeset / Fillet brazed / UK-specific design
FORK Fox 32 F120 RL FIT / QR15 / 120mm travel
HEADSET FSA Orbit 36
SHIFTERS Shimano Deore XT M770 Rapid Fire 10x3 speed
REAR DERAILLEUR Shimano Deore XT M773 Shadow Dynasis
FRONT DERAILLEUR Shimano Deore XT M770
CHAINSET Shimano Deore XT FCM770 24/32/42T 170-175 mm
BOTTOM BRACKET Shimano BB-51
CHAIN Shimano HG-74
CASSETTE Shimano HG81 10-speed cassette 11-36T
RIMS Shimano Deore XT M778/M775 wheelset
HUBS Shimano Deore XT M778/M775
SPOKES Shimano
TYRES Continental Mountain King UST 26 x 2.2 inch
BRAKES Shimano Deore XT M775 160/160 mm rotors
BRAKE LEVERS Shimano Deore XT M775
HANDLEBARS Saracen 318 Superlight Alloy OS 680 mm wide / 15 mm rise / 9 degree bend
GRIPS Saracen Lock-on dual-density grip
STEM Saracen 318 Superlight 70-90 mm A-Head / 7 degree rise / 31.8 mm clamp
SADDLE FIZI:K Gobi XM / white
SEATPOST Superlight Alloy Micro-adjust / 27.2 mm
PEDALS Shimano PD-M450

I'm so chuffed i chose this bike over the Cube i was going to get instead, the frame is a thing of beauty.

I took her for a quick ride up the street once put together and she rides perfectly straight out of the box, i've never known a bike to change gear so smoothly, i just need to add some air to the fork and hopefully tomorrow i can go get down and dirty with her.






Will get some action photos up once i get out on her.

Hope you all approve.

tarbot18

Lovely looking frame looks like a Cotic at first glance , you cant beat a steel frame for looks.

shdaxner

Yeah the frame is lovely, the paint quality just feels so much better and the attention to detail on the chrome areas and welds is something else.....i love her..... ha

allthegearnoidea

welcome to the skinny tubed Steely frame club! ;-)

great looking bike though, nice one!

Levi_501

That is quite sexy actually.

Take those silly spacers out and flip the stem over and you could be ready on the start line!

I know alot of people say steel is heavy, but every time I take my R8 (also 853) XC'ing it reminds me how good and enjoyable steel frames are.

DanDax1990

I can vouch for the weight of this, Far from heavy!

The Rookie

Schweet....not convinced by white lowers on the forks though...should be black to my eye!

A butted 853 frame is lighter than many cheap alloy ones....heavier than a mid quality frame though!

shdaxner

I quite like the white lowers and white details on the bike you know, makes the colour stand out much more and seem.....fresh.....if you know what i mean??

The weather is blaaady lovely today so ill be getting out on the bike once ive made a visit to the barbers.

More photos and quick ride report to come.

allthegearnoidea

the colours on the bike are pretty much Spot on! the lowers fit perfectly imo with the black and white decals on the frame, the black and white wheels, saddle etc.
the frames a Bright vibrant colour, black lowers would dull it down too much!!!

steely frame wise, my sould frame is 4 1/2lb which is half a lb heavier than my Old carbon frame! - one of the early chineese copy frames!!

Ben1901

I love this bike! Colours look amazing, right up my street

shdaxner

Cheers guys, the colour is amazing, the photos really don't do it justice!

I took her for a ride today and damn shes good, i've only had one MTB before - a £250 carrera vengeance which i had a couple of years ago so i cant really compare them - the difference is something else, the Fox fork works brilliantly and i can honestly say i have never seen a bike that shifts so smoothly and quietly.......even my roadbike with Ultegra 6700 doesn't compare to this.

I will get some photos up once my brother returns the camera.

DanDax1990

Ohhhh is it still in my bag? Ooops lol.

shdaxner

A couple of photos from yesterdays ride with my brother and his Voodoo Bokor.






Im going to be using the bike for commuting purposes too, until i get a new road bike so should get some miles on her from tomorrow.....looking forward to it.

DanDax1990

Looks amazing in the sunlight! Needs some subtle bling to finish it off.

DanDax1990

Levi_501

Definitely gets the thumbs up.

Just out of interest, what size frame is it, about 21"?

DanDax1990

It's a 19"

shdaxner

Yes, as our Dan said, its a 19"......although i have read on other forums that the geometry equates to a 'large' 19" so you're not that far off.

Couple of photos from riding home from work today...took a detour through the local woods.


I think it looks lovely in its home environment!!

Still not made any upgrades.....i cant think of anything that can be made better tbh....i'm sure ill think of something

DanDax1990

Needs flats! That first picture looks ace, Second one is spoilt by the top right corner lol

shdaxner

Yeah i didn't notice that top corner tbh, ill get some flats eventually but i'm quiet liking the SPD's at the moment.

allthegearnoidea

Doesn't Need Flats At all!
Even the Dh racers Ride spd's! Everyone knows its the pedal of Champions! ;-)

DanDax1990

But we aren't DH racers, Were pussies haha

allthegearnoidea

Hahaha!
Try them, You might like Them! ;-)

shdaxner

I've used spd's since I started cycling again and I find that although they are good for the majority, they sap confidence on trickier parts where worrying about not being able to unclip in time becomes the ruling thought process.....I think this is also to do with the overwhelming fear of scratching my bike ha

allthegearnoidea

the answer is not to worry about unclipping then! ;-) seriously, if you worry about it you'll find you'll screw it up, if you dont think about it and simply do it you'll be fine!! ;-)

shdaxner

Yeah i know that really i shouldnt be worrying about clipping out.....but new bike syndrome and all that... i am dredding finding the first scratch on it ha.

allthegearnoidea

tape it up then!!! ;-)
mines covered in it! :-D

shdaxner

I did have it taped up but when i first washed it the tape became scruffy round the edges so i removed all except in cable rub areas.

anj132

That is a stunning bike SPDs are great for mile crunching but nought wrong with flats for confidence on techy stuff. Takes like 5 minutes to swap the pedals around, chop and choose

Loving the Roadlite as well, despite the B17 saddle!

Laurence25

such a beautiful frame ! as somebody said before its similar to a Cotic , Very impressive build !

shdaxner

Cheers for the kind comments guys

I did look at a couple of Cotic's before i decided upon the Saracen..but ill be honest, i don't really like the bfe frame...i don't know if its the geometry or if it is the larger tube diameter there's just something about them that doesn't make me tick.

I was after a skinny steel frame and this came up at the right price at the right time so it was a no brainer really....plus the spec is really good for the money and i love the colour 8)