resto questions

Hey Folks.

Never done a resto before and got a few questions.

Got a ~'92 Zaskar that could do with a refresh.

Is it hard to find newish Deore XT bits from back then?

Do you rekon it's worth keeping it original spec?

Welcome to the forum.

To answer the first question, yes, there are plenty of XT parts of around the right age, just depends on how perfect you want them.

Is it worth restoring to factory standard? Only if that's what you want. There is a broad cross section here, many like things as they were, many take newer bikes and set them up as older models, just because they like that style, and many (like me) set the bike up the way I want / can afford to.

Whatever you choose to do, there is a wealth of information and knowledge here and the Zaskar is an all time classic, so you have the perfect frame for your retro project.

Enjoy, and don't forget to post pictures... cos we just luuurve them pictures

Not only is 90's XT everywhere, it's affordable. You pay a premium for XTR. XT derailleurs get a big recommendation from me (unless you are going to drop $300+ on Paul or Precision Billet stuff).

MOMBAT has a great list that may help in your search for parts.

http://mombat.org/Shimano.htm#1992

To me, the 90's MTB era was highlighted by the explosion of CNC'd anodized aluminum aftermarket parts. Those parts offer a chance to create a unique build. Names like Grafton you are going to pay a top price for but there are other names that fall thru the cracks a bit.

This site offers some excellent deals that never hit the open market. Props to the community for that.

BikePro is an excellent source to re-familiarize yourself with some of the names and parts of the era.

http://www.bikepro.com/

Word of warning - I bought my first Zaskar to restore less than a year ago. I now have 2 more to build and a closet full of random (but very cool) bike parts.

Depends on how far you want to go. Original spec STI units are just as poor now as they were then, XT thumbshifters means you can go 8spd to give you more ratios and have a wider range of parts to chose from (just about all Shimano mechs do 7/8/9 spd). You would have to change your wheels but again plenty to chose from out of modern parts. With a quick de-badge, modern rims can suddenly look retro too.