Vintage bike full resto (DIY) 80’s Saracen Conquest MTB

Thanks for checking out the video! Huge thanks to MonkeyShred for sending the frame over 🤩
Check out MonkeyShreds channel!
MonkeyShred’s KZbin: ‪@MonkeyShred‬
MonkeyShreds Instagram: / m0nkeyshred
Neko Cycles custom reflectors: / nekocycles_ ​⁠
My Instagram: / toastyrides
Timestamps:
00:00 intro
1:13 tidying frame
2:40 stripping
4:20 getting high [on paint fumez]
4:51 a cat
4:53 more painting
5:25 lug lining
5:53 decals going on
8:51 finishing frame up
9:55 bike assembly
19:47 cranks/bb
23:30 more assembly
26:33 cantilever brake setup
27:36 even more assembly
31:35 finished look
32:22 riding! :)
41:25 closing thoughts/outro

[@toastyrides]

Thanks heaps to MonkeyShred for sending the frame all the way from the UK, Benny(Bennys Bike Shop) and Dave Benson for fixing the fork, NekoCycles for the cool custom reflectors! Appreciate you all for checking out the video, have a great weekend!

[@MonkeyShred]

Forget the like button. Where’s the love button?! That came out so good! Much better than I could have done with it 😅 Bloody good job! Love that crankset too! How green and lush is NZ?! You’ve got some views there eh!

[@toastyrides]

😂 cheers mate! So happy with it, and it would’ve been a shame for you to go through all the effort to build it up and have it be way too big! The frame is massive but it was a treat riding it after all the work 😍 The GoPro actually shows the colour quite well, the old GoPro Session used to wash out colours too much. But it looks so beautiful here after rain haha

[@chrisarnold462]

It's always people who ride in high vis vests who are most dangerous on the trails 😂. Beautiful build.

[@redsorgum]

While watching this, I got thirsty, so I got me a glass of wooder…….😉😘 Greetings from Southern California ✌️

[@toastyrides]

😂 hahahaha 👏 thanks for watching! Great comment 😂

[@ethanbolze7164]

Such a sweet build...thanks as always for sharing!

[@badger67]

I've been waiting patiently (almost 😋😁) for the outcome of this beautifully built classic British mountain bike. As you know, I bought one in 1985 for the princely sum of £750. It was my second MTB after my rather disappointing Ridgeback XT, but that was a £280 bike 😵‍💫. I'm such a snob 😅😂. I have to say, I'm over the moon. Your choice of components is superb. The Suntour ratchet levers were far superior than the Shimano ones. And those bear traps 👍. My shins approve, not! 😂. I kind of knew that once you got your hands on it, it was never going to be black with the go-faster red decals 😢, but it looks beautiful, bless you. It does remind me of the Overbury with that colour scheme and the TA copy chainset, and the B17 of course. The Conquest had the B66 with red springs. Soooo comfortable. Really enjoyed your ride. Made me giggle. "I'M A SARACEN CONQUEST, GET OUT OF MY WAY PEASANTS". 🤣🤣🤣. I attended a book tour by Richard Crane at Bangor university of their 'Bicycles up Kilimanjaro' jaunt. They shouldered the bikes all the way to the top and rode them all the way down. Bought a signed book and collared Richard outside with my bike 😅. Lovely fella. Rode it up and down Snowdon many times. Rode it all over Snowdonia and did a weeks offroad tour in mid Wales ( fully kitted out with Jim Blackburn front low riders, Blackburn 4 point rear carrier, Blackburn bottle cage [told you I was a snob😅], and the old Carradice cotton duck panniers x4 and Carradice cotton duck long flap saddlebag). Awesome bike. Absolutely bullet proof. This is why I had a particular interest in this build. ❤ Fantastic job mate. Well worth waiting for 👍

[@toastyrides]

Love this story mate, thanks heaps for sharing! Haha 👏 I forgot they cost so much! Wow 😯 haha, though you get what you pay for as the ride quality is just beautiful 😍 Yes I love the Suntour levers, too! Really a nice change to the Shimano ones, although I’m sure many people would have liked to see it become original again. Haha I’ve had regular platforms do more damage in recent years than bear traps, funnily enough! Yeah I think the red decals would look great on a different colour, I always wanted this scheme though and couldn’t get it out of my head. Happy you see its beauty, though! 🙌 really happy with it, can’t get over how it rides. It feels remarkably planted, but not in a heavy way. Really well handling bike 👍 Thanks again for your comment and I look forward to many more Saracen rides, I’m sure you are too! All the best mate 😎👍 take care

[@badger67]

@@toastyrides my pleasure mate. She looks great 👍.

[@NikMartin-I-am]

Nice job! I had the same wrinkle issue when refinishing a vintage sewing machine and called the manufacturer support line, and after a few questions, we determined that i sprayed too far past the window of time for recoating, and i should have waited 48 hours. It was either recoat within 15 minutes or wait 48

[@toastyrides]

Thanks! Oh that’s interesting, I can’t remember at this point how long I waited but I think most coats were around 18 hours apart. But this one might’ve been different and may have caused the wrinkling! Haven’t experienced it in a while and was pretty surprised, but oh well. Thanks for the info! I’ll keep that in mind for next time 👍

[@ellipticalsoul]

Great restoration and what a beautiful place to go for a ride!

[@mrmagoo.3678]

Fantastic job! .. great to see these older bikes getting a bit of 'Luvin'

[@mojojojo6852]

Always a pleasure to watch your videos man. It's the little tricks and cheats I'm enjoying the most. Like the drill-polish-thing. I'll try that next time!

[@andypettitt1344]

I’ve got a Dawes Cougar with the 531 All Terrain tubing.I converted it to a trans Continental touring bike with a Rohloff hub.20,000 kms laters it’s still brilliant

[@jonjoneda9149]

Another nice restoration build😍

[@bigbadstretch13yrago]

Sick bike and cool vid. Cheers for sharing👍

[@madisondeans5566]

This is a great build,really nice!!Great job Adam!,always look forward to your videos!💯👋

[@toastyrides]

Thank you! Glad you’re liking the videos 🤙 it’s cool to hear especially because this bike/video took a lot of effort 😅

[@MikeAlatorre-rb9tz]

Excellent job, beautiful bike

[@andypicken7848]

A perfect watch for a slow Sunday morning start here in the UK. Thank you for your efforts All the best Andy

[@toastyrides]

Thanks heaps, Andy! Have a great day, sounds like a nice start 👍 glad you enjoyed the video, thanks for the words 🎉 -Adam

[@marcusathome]

Beautiful build with a lot of attention to detail (and some extra love, I guess). That crankset is the perfect match for this bike! I did a restomod on a French touring bike just now, also Reynolds 531, and it came out with this excellent ride quality only high quality steel tubing can deliver.

[@keestoft250]

Hi TRs, I'm a recent subscriber, thanks for your channel. It's a gentile, much needed alternative to the white noise of modern 'you must buy this' cycling culture. 👍

[@danielnascimento6945]

Perfect and beautiful bike!

[@petermorrison680]

very nice!!!! another great build!!

[@toastyrides]

Thanks heaps, Peter! 🙌🥳

[@MC57315]

Really nice! I forgot that Mark mentioned that frame, glad to see it's being put to good use!

[@toastyrides]

Haha it was a very long time ago! I think he mentioned it more recently, but still has taken a while to get it all in order 😅 Thanks! Stoked to have it riding now, it handles beautifully 👍

[@VEJIm]

Great job!

[@toastyrides]

Thanks heaps! 🎉❤

[@dan143]

Mate, the ride at the end was just amazing to watch and join. Those trails are so sick! Also, sweet build of course ;)

[@toastyrides]

Thanks heaps! Glad you liked it. 🫡🤙 yeah that area is one of my favourite local rides, normally pretty quiet and it’s a really good testing ground for new builds 🤌

[@glennpettersson9002]

I am getting Crust vibes, fantastic job she's a real looker now. Thanks for sharing 👍

[@raceface_m2579]

build and ride were great!

[@toastyrides]

Thank you! 🤙🥳 glad you liked it, thanks for watching 👍

[@viviennepatterson5950]

Looks amazing

[@RichsRidesandRestorations]

Very cool build. The gold lining was a nice touch. By the way, I was inspired by one of your previous videos to give JB Weld steelstik a try with repairing an old mudguard - it turned out quite well, though I need to get better quality paints next time!

[@mylan3707]

omg this bike is so beautiful

[@davidwhocares3293]

Love it ! Dig Those tires too !!

[@toastyrides]

Glad to hear 🤙 yeah they’re really cool, don’t see too many of them but happy with how they ride! Makes the bike a bit more special I think 😄

[@TheMetabolicMadness]

Nice resto! I had one of these but sold it as it was just that but too small for me.. Shame as they ride beautifully! Great vid as always! Enjoy the bike 😊

[@toastyrides]

Thanks! Oh damn, that’s a shame! It does ride really well, so happy it’s a good size for me 🥳 Thank you, I will do!haha

[@zekezyzypt608]

Lovely restoration. A Toasty Rides + Monkeyshred cross-pollination.

[@drpulpit]

nicely done. the handlebars look as if they would be comfortable for me and my stiff old wrists. Enjoyed your test ride; looks as if it dodges oncoming bikers pretty well. What a group, eh? Thanks.

[@Jcskateguy23]

Nice bike

[@delticrobo]

Video quality appears to drop off with the ride, different video camera used? Always nice to see a Saracen bike build, whether original or custom build. Thanks for sharing.

[@toastyrides]

Yep GoPro isn’t quite the same quality, compared to the rest of the video. Thanks! Yeah there aren’t many around here, although have seen a couple Conquests since I purchased mine. Thanks for watching!

[@JohnPilling25]

Very nice! Period appropriate components. Personally I would have just got it grit blasted to get all the paint and rust off. I picked up a Raleigh road bike and a Cannondale e-bike (for her) 2 years back in the Isle of Man and the first thing I had to do was switch the brakes over to the Continental/US sides. Even the hydraulic ones were simple to do myself.

[@toastyrides]

Thanks! Yeah it certainly would have been easier haha, although I do enjoy the time consuming stripping sometimes (oddly). Oh nice! Yeah I prefer this way, it’s weird for here but it just feels better so I roll with it. That’s good! Some hydraulic systems are very simple and can be really nice to work with 🤌 Cheers!

[@Витжет]

Вы волшебник, браво👏👏👏

[@JMJM75257]

Nice frame although I'm thinking it could have been a better road bike build. Nonetheless as always amazing builds! Love your channel, a gem of KZbin for sure!

[@toastyrides]

Thank you! I agree, it would make a lovely commuter or tourer setup. Makes me think it would be a great frame to do long rides on. Thanks heaps 🥳👍

[@DavidBrown-dd9hh]

Wow! What a superb build! And that paint job, really nice! What brand primer, paint and clear coat do you use/recommend?

[@mikepope6966]

Fantastic Job. The paint looks amazing. Please share paint and the paint pen used.

[@kjella8728]

Tjoho nice bike

[@EriebyCycle]

I love that you have the equivalent of US rail trail riders.

[@toastyrides]

Haha of course! We have a few rail trail rides here too, beautiful rides that attract all kinds of riders. Luckily the rail trails are wider than this, though 😂 Cheers for watching mate! 🤙

[@oreocarlton3343]

Absolutly georgeous overall, the 80s mtb frames had better finish than the 90s mtb, I really love the segmented fork

[@toastyrides]

Thanks heaps! Yes I love the 80’s styling, the fork is so beautiful 😍 definitely a lovely frame and fork

[@oreocarlton3343]

@@myvicariouslife4012 correct, 90s had a geometry that suited more diverse riding, but I really with they kept the segmented fork

[@johnssonnz]

Belíssima my friend stunning

[@toastyrides]

Thanks, Michel! 🥳👍 really happy with it, so much effort 😆🤙

[@simonroels6708]

Love the build and the soothing edit as usual, thanks! Quick question but where do you order decals? I'm restoring a 70's bike and am having trouble with finding some decals that fit the bike. Thanks in advance!

[@km_loop]

6:14 a fellow counter strike enjoyer :)

[@toastyrides]

Yes! Always have a stream going on while I tinker on bikes, really enjoy the background noise and breaking up the time with bits of it 🤌 was probably watching APLfisher, watched him for years haha. Nice bit of comedic relief in there too 😅

[@possibly8180]

Jesus christ that looks mint lmao

[@toastyrides]

Haha thank you! 🤙 lots of effort went into this, few weeks of spare time 😅

[@johnlloydpinto8725]

this build is so good, did you take some inspo from a rivbike?

[@corrado9076]

I was wondering what you were up to 😊

[@toastyrides]

Haha this one took a long time 😅 have more projects coming up too 😎🥳

[@mrmagoo.3678]

10:14 What's that Pen lookin' thingie majiggy you're using in the bottom headset cup there matey?

[@peterbaskind9872]

Judging by your comments about Deer Head, I guess I did OK with the purchase of a very early RockHopper… The bike is in good shape. It comes with full Deer Head, even the pedals. I paid $60 US. That works?

[@ricardosemino8133]

Buena bicicleta Saludos desde Perú

[@toastyrides]

Thank you!! 🎉 greetings from New Zealand 👋 ❤

[@delticrobo]

I've just put closed captions on to check what you said about the handlebars. It says Neto Bomber handlebars, any links for the handlebar & quill adapter used Thanks.

[@toastyrides]

Haha dang it, yep will leave a link here but the bar is a Nitto B903 Bullmoose bar. I bought mine from BlueLug, though other companies stock it too. Don’t have a link for the quill adaptor, but Nitto do a nice one and VeloOrange make them too! EBay also have them, which work perfectly fine 🤙 global.bluelug.com/fairweather-b903-bullmoose-bar-silver.html

[@delticrobo]

@Toasty Rides Thanks for you replies to my comments.

[@Traildude193]

My friend has a univega bike that he got for free it also has nice parts.

[@toastyrides]

Ooh nice! This one has a mix of bits, some old XT stuff and some cool Suntour/Dia-compe bits. But looks really cool, SR slingshot stem too. Excited as to tidy it up 🤩

[@pegrutscher]

Nice Bke! What art of Paintroller is that for the lug line paint?

[@toastyrides]

Thanks! These are often called “fluid writer” pens, cheap to purchase and work well! Just a paint dropper, basically

[@pegrutscher]

@@toastyrides Thank you

[@williamsjp1000]

Where do I get that color, I have Avery similar bike to this I'm doing up and I wanted something like the pink v can

[@toastyrides]

This paint is from Montana Colours-mtn94 Rioja red, I think the pink Specialized (in another video) is close to one of the V pinks though(that paint is by Spray.bike called Quasar, but the Strawberry fields might be closer again).

[@williamsjp1000]

@@toastyrides thanks for the advice dude I'm gonna head to the paint shop tomorrow

[@csm101000]

what site did you buy these tyres from

[@toastyrides]

From BlueLug, Japan! 👍

[@csm101000]

Sorry to be a pain but I couldn't quite make out what you said in the video I replayed it 4 times 😅

[@csm101000]

@@toastyrides but unfortunately I check the site and don't seem to have it

[@RAPBIA6]

It would be nice if you stopped for a second to let these old folks pass, specially when they are taking the curve. You didn't even slow down. No consideration

[@EriebyCycle]

Proper trail etiquette says you yield to those climbing.

[@toastyrides]

I travelled slow and pulled as far left as I could, there’s more than enough space there. I’ve passed families in that spot before no issues 😊 And as Erie said, I was travelling uphill so should have had the right of way-though the leader continued as normal so I assumed the followers were ok sharing 😎👍

[@RAPBIA6]

i don't care, they are old people and are clearly struggling on that path. it's just care a little bit about them and stop for a second.

[@toastyrides]

@@RAPBIA6 That’s not giving them much credit, I think they did quite well! 1 mistake out of that group isn’t bad and that’s the first accident I’ve seen them do. 4/5 🌟