Saracen zen3 hard tail advice

Conorstreete
Conorstreete Posts: 45
edited December 2013 in MTB buying advice
So my lbs has a second hand Saracen for sale..has fox 32 vanilla rlc forks(140mm),sun dh wheels,deore brakes and derailleur for 400 euro..I am amazed at how smooth the suspension is and is decent travel for some more intense trial riding!! Hardly used..What ye think or does anybody know what these bikes are like?

Comments

  • Jomox
    Jomox Posts: 250
    Seems like a good deal, for parts alone. Deore brakes are good.
    Scott Scale 60
  • Conorstreete
    Conorstreete Posts: 45
    Jomox wrote:
    Seems like a good deal, for parts alone. Deore brakes are good.


    Ya I read forks are worth about half of the price new!! And would u recommend some flats or clip less? I'll be doing both dh and xc on it but mostly rocky dh courses where I am.. I ride clip less on road bike and cyclocross so am very used to them and clipping out quickly
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    Strange build. The forks are old and not very good, expensive when new but not good.
    With those wheels and forks it's going to be very heavy.
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • Jomox
    Jomox Posts: 250
    Conorstreete wrote:
    Jomox wrote:
    Seems like a good deal, for parts alone. Deore brakes are good.


    Ya I read forks are worth about half of the price new!! And would u recommend some flats or clip less? I'll be doing both dh and xc on it but mostly rocky dh courses where I am.. I ride clip less on road bike and cyclocross so am very used to them and clipping out quickly


    Those forks are great, friend has had them for few years, they mint, ignore the rockshock fan boys that will come in. Still worth a few bob second hand alone also, anyway you felt them yourself so you felt the quality already, they will treat you well. Pedal style is a personal thing, if your use to it and like it, then maybe that's the way to go.

    Personally I'd even get the bike for parts alone to put on something else as seems like a good deal if the parts are in good condition.
    Scott Scale 60
  • Cqc
    Cqc Posts: 951
    Jomox wrote:


    Personally I'd even get the bike for parts alone to put on something else as seems like a good deal if the parts are in good condition.

    +1, whatever the quality of the frame ( im not convinced about it) 400 euros is very, very good price
  • Woody80
    Woody80 Posts: 324
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    Strange build. The forks are old and not very good, expensive when new but not good.
    With those wheels and forks it's going to be very heavy.
    Definitely a strange build. As far as I recall though a Vanilla RLC was a superb fork? I had one on a build and it was the smoothest fork I've ever ridden. Stoopid money mind (mine was a 140 RLC FIT) but so compliant.
    Bludgeon
    Cider Rider
    Missile
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    The basic van 140 rlc was a bit basic and old now as well, at least 4 years I think.
    The only worthwhile part in that bike from the description is the frame, it's pretty good.
    Sounds like its a bike built from someones pile of spare parts. It's a strange combination of parts.
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • supersonic
    supersonic Posts: 82,708
    The rlc damper is about as good as it gets in a fork of this travel, and at just over 4lbs is light too for a coil. Excellent fork.
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  • Woody80
    Woody80 Posts: 324
    supersonic wrote:
    The rlc damper is about as good as it gets in a fork of this travel, and at just over 4lbs is light too for a coil. Excellent fork.
    That's certainly how I remembered it. I used the phrase "buttery" to describe mine!
    Bludgeon
    Cider Rider
    Missile
  • Jomox
    Jomox Posts: 250
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    The basic van 140 rlc was a bit basic and old now as well, at least 4 years I think.
    The only worthwhile part in that bike from the description is the frame, it's pretty good.
    Sounds like its a bike built from someones pile of spare parts. It's a strange combination of parts.

    It don't matter if its old, the technology is still excellent/reliable for many years and its' still a great fork baring its in good condition (But even then they easy to service/or cheap to get done, but coming from a LBS you''d imagine its all been checked over to be okay, and the OP says hardly used so...)

    The parts alone are worth at least 400 Euro on that build baring they are in good condition, the frame is the weak link in the build, but if its in good condition its still well usable.
    Scott Scale 60
  • Cqc
    Cqc Posts: 951
    Yup, my fork is a 2007 float rl, which is less fancy than the vanilla rlc as well as older, and its still a great fork, much better than a mate's 2012 float ctd. Technology progresses less quickly than we are all led to believe, not that much has happened in 4 years.
  • rockmonkeysc
    rockmonkeysc Posts: 14,774
    Jomox wrote:
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    The basic van 140 rlc was a bit basic and old now as well, at least 4 years I think.
    The only worthwhile part in that bike from the description is the frame, it's pretty good.
    Sounds like its a bike built from someones pile of spare parts. It's a strange combination of parts.

    It don't matter if its old, the technology is still excellent/reliable for many years and its' still a great fork baring its in good condition (But even then they easy to service/or cheap to get done, but coming from a LBS you''d imagine its all been checked over to be okay, and the OP says hardly used so...)

    The parts alone are worth at least 400 Euro on that build baring they are in good condition, the frame is the weak link in the build, but if its in good condition its still well usable.

    The problem with it being old is not old technology but worn out bushes and seals and older fox forks had problems with the anodising wearing off the stanchions.
    Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=13070235
  • Jomox
    Jomox Posts: 250
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    Jomox wrote:
    RockmonkeySC wrote:
    The basic van 140 rlc was a bit basic and old now as well, at least 4 years I think.
    The only worthwhile part in that bike from the description is the frame, it's pretty good.
    Sounds like its a bike built from someones pile of spare parts. It's a strange combination of parts.

    It don't matter if its old, the technology is still excellent/reliable for many years and its' still a great fork baring its in good condition (But even then they easy to service/or cheap to get done, but coming from a LBS you''d imagine its all been checked over to be okay, and the OP says hardly used so...)

    The parts alone are worth at least 400 Euro on that build baring they are in good condition, the frame is the weak link in the build, but if its in good condition its still well usable.

    The problem with it being old is not old technology but worn out bushes and seals and older fox forks had problems with the anodising wearing off the stanchions.

    Op said hardly used so sounds like they are in good nic. If they well looked after then they just go on and on, of course like any fork if abused and not looked after then problems will arise. Most Fox RLC forks for sale from 2007/around are in good well looked after condition without stanchion wear.
    Scott Scale 60
  • Cqc
    Cqc Posts: 951
    RockmonkeySC wrote:

    The problem with it being old is not old technology but worn out bushes and seals and older fox forks had problems with the anodising wearing off the stanchions.

    As has been said, I have a comparatively badly looked after 2007 float rl which has seen a lot of use, and there is no stanchion wear, and replacing/ doing a seal service is an easy job...

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