Probably the most Iconic GT There is, the early-mid 90s Zaskar
heres mine: its a 1994 model/ anodized turquoise version (ive had a polished one too which can be seen in my album but my main effort has gone into this one) so here it is
i started off in 2013 with just the frame, it was an original bike but im not too fond of the m737 groupset this bike had stock so was only interested in the frame and had it shipped here from america... it must be a one of a kind in this condition
That is awesome. how did you get on without a chain tensioner? i know nothing about ss. i thought they were required.
It's no problem at all, I want a daves chain device from the 90s to be on the safe side but they are hard to find in good order. You can't fit a bb mounted chain device on one of these old zaskars so getting chain devices that fit can be difficult.
I wanted a sus fork up front for autumn/winter riding as Im not gonna be speeding around in hot weather on a low front end and narrow tyres anytime soon, so on went the pace, maxxis and some other bits....
Fork: 1997 Pace RC36 Proclass Evo Cantilever cable hangers: Tektro Stem: Thomson Elite (shorter variation of what it was before) Cassette: Action-Tek Titanium 7 speed Hub Skewers: Aest Titanium Hubs: Hope Titanium Front, still Shimano XT Rear Tyres: Maxxis Crossmark 2.1
Weight: around 24ibs
Anyway, took the GT riding today... i'm not won over by the forks so far, theyre too soft and absorb a lot of energy when off the saddle, plus they weigh a hefty 3.7ibs. However they are (slowly) growing on me
The DCD was hard to find, most got bidded up to silly money on ebay (even the battered ones) .This one came from the USA and cost £3.97 + post and packing, Its NOS and came in the original packaging with instructions as well! ive also wanted Panaracer smokes on this bike since i started putting it together, now i finally have a pair....
Some XTR V-brakes would be a nice upgrade. My first non-Huffy mountain bike was GT tempest. It was sold to fund an LTS 3 that I had to put on lay-a-way while I was in college. GT eventually warrantied that frame and I got to upgrade to the STS 1000 DS for $300.
I love those old aluminum GT frames. Real stiff, light and classic design. Your Zascar is very clean but I want to see xtr v-brakes on it in the worst way.
Some XTR V-brakes would be a nice upgrade. My first non-Huffy mountain bike was GT tempest. It was sold to fund an LTS 3 that I had to put on lay-a-way while I was in college. GT eventually warrantied that frame and I got to upgrade to the STS 1000 DS for $300.
I love those old aluminum GT frames. Real stiff, light and classic design. Your Zascar is very clean but I want to see xtr v-brakes on it in the worst way.
the zaskar would benefit from v's, the cantilevers aren't really cutting it... so far i changed the bars to a riser and it improved the handling a lot ...also got a matching GT bottle and cage from work.
i didnt get on with the manitou fork though, the elastomers were too stiff and they werent able to absorb enough of the bumps. so i changed it to a rockshox mag oil fork. The RS mags feel so smooth and robust, just like an early version of modern xc forks. i get on with them really well but they are early suspension none the less and i cant get used to how skinny they look on the zaskar Ive replaced the rear cantilever with an XT v brake (used with a v-dapter) it works better than the old m900 canti and a lot easier to set up. the XT thumbie finally failed (im suprised it held out this long, it was f*cked) Ive replaced it with an m739 rapid-fire and the bike now runs an 8 speed