Help with identifying a raleigh mtrax from the 90s

[MRTEA]

Could anyone help m3 find as much info as possible about the bike. 1 owner from new and all original apart from replacement cables and has been dried stored until recently when we had it back out and running. Thanks

 

[MRTEA]

apologies for typing errors, spelling is not my strong suit.

 

[biggs682]

Evening and welcome @MRTEA
Any pictures ?

 

[Cycleops]

What exactly do you want to know about it?
Is it the mountain bike version?
A photo of the bike would help.

 

[carpenter]

Had a quick look on here:

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/my-£35-retro-mtb-raleigh-m-trax-150-comp.143331/

@Sheffield_Tiger may have some ideas, I also seem to remember that @Drago quite likes M Trax (I was looking for information a month or two ago as I had seen one on eBay that I liked the look of. From memory Raleigh tried to get a foothold in the mtb scene, they even made a steel/titanium hybrid at that time?)

Welcome to the forum😊

PS as Biggs and Cycleops have said, photos of the bike would be good (I did a google images search and there is a grey M Trax 150 which looks very nice old school style).

 

[Cycleops]

I think these might be the last Nottingham built frames for MTBs before they switched to sourcing them in the Far East.
£367 then would be equivalent to about £800 today so not a cheap bike.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I think these might be the last Nottingham built frames for MTBs before they switched to sourcing them in the Far East. £367 then would be equivalent to about £800 today so not a cheap bike.

They were building in-house frames at Nottingham until the end of 1999. By that time all the mass-produced stuff anyway would be welded construction rather than lugged & brazed.
This Firefly 26" MTB was probably one of the very last true Nottingham Raleigh bikes ever built, as the frame number dates it to 1999. Cro-moly steel too.

 

[Paulus]

They were building in-house frames at Nottingham until the end of 1999. By that time all the mass-produced stuff anyway would be welded construction rather than lugged & brazed.
This Firefly 26" MTB was probably one of the very last true Nottingham Raleigh bikes ever built, as the frame number dates it to 1999. Cro-moly steel too.
View attachment 518787

Sadly my son had one of these and trashed it within 2 years.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Picked Firefly up for peanuts as a parts donor, but it was too good to scrap. All it needed was a replacement SRAM shifter for the front mech, rest of the bike looked like it had hardly ever been ridden.

 

[raleighnut]

Raleigh SBDU was Ilkeston

 

[Drago]

They were building in-house frames at Nottingham until the end of 1999. By that time all the mass-produced stuff anyway would be welded construction rather than lugged & brazed.
This Firefly 26" MTB was probably one of the very last true Nottingham Raleigh bikes ever built, as the frame number dates it to 1999. Cro-moly steel too.
View attachment 518787

The Firefly is the rather superb Max Cromo 2, but for some inexplicable reason shorn of the frames integral rear mech hanger. The Max Cromo was one of my favourite MTB frames ever, and came with a wonderful powder coated finish.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

The Firefly is the rather superb Max Cromo 2, but for some inexplicable reason shorn of the frames integral rear mech hanger. The Max Cromo was one of my favourite MTB frames ever, and came with a wonderful powder coated finish.

Thanks for the info @Drago, I'm not so familiar with the very late stuff from the turn of the millennium. The frame differences probably came down to price point differentiation; the Firefly is a 15-speeder, so clearly aimed at the more budget end - unlike the OP's RSP build! Agree it's good frame, and the paint is excellent when lit up by the sun. Raleigh factory paint from that era seems to be very durable on the whole.

 

[MRTEA]

Apologies for taking so long to see replies. Juwt uploaded a picture. Its a mtrax 150 comp cromoly

 

[MRTEA]

 

[carpenter]

looks to be in very good condition