GT Rebirth: Pt 2 - The Karakoram 91 UPDATE

trickylad

Retrobike Rider
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Busy as hell at the moment but wanted to share cos i'm excited

My dad bought me this for my birthday in 1991. Deore DX/LX specced GT Karakoram in lovely black.

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all original apart from the zoom stem (hated flip flop) onza bar ends and smoke/darts and booster

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I was a mad MBUK fan at the time, did a couple of races with my pals; Cheshire Classic in a Cosmic Trail (!?) sink/helmet and some Hitec boots. ha ha - them were the days

Rode this thing every day. Then got into running and when training for the marathon got my mate to pace me on my bike. A very over enthusiastic upshift put the rear mech into the spokes and a whole lot went smelly. Especially the rear mech hanger - bent double - which before the internet was impossible to replace. so the bike hit the shed for 10 years.

Finally got it to London in the back of my dad's car in bits last year. Put it back together, found a replacement hanger and it feels like i've never been away. I then found this site and well, you all know. The bank manager and the wife are in cahoots - RB is a curse.

Next problem was that actually 'bad mech day' had caused more damage than originally thought. The 92 karakoram has an odd little feature - adjustable dropouts controlled by two vertical screws. the force of the torsion had bent the screw and cracked the dropout.

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To fix or not to fix? Vaz cycles in London quoted me £120 to braze on new dropouts. Not worth the money? I considered binning it and then Rojo bought the same framed bike off ebay and I snagged the frame. 18" - same as mine. No dings, No dents, needed some love but the same colour and same year. Sweet. :shock::shock::shock::shock: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:

I sold my frame on to a RBer who knows about welding and got this replacement. Thanks Jon :LOL:

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Not mine, but as good as dammit !

Next step (apart from the FS forum scowering for new bits) was to look at the frame. Like my Zaskar - got it stripped and I decided on a new powdercoat refresh by Amroutex in London.

More to come.....

;)
 
forks

forks are back from the powdercoaters

lovely matt black colour

sorry about the poor pictures

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frame next
 
karakoram

lovely to hear of a story like this where you find a frame the same year and colour as your damaged one...and then extra nice to know that the damaged frame went to somebody with the skills to repair it!

i really like the recycling aspect of this site...what forks were those ones you had back from the powder coaters? reminds me a bit of an orange F7 fork...

(love GT's...my current 'commute' bike is a 98 frame karakoram frame i built up then...my first mountain bike was a 94 pantera. gave it away to my 'fat' brother when i got the karakoram...languished in his cellar for nearly ten years but i ressurected it for him with a bunch of new parts and it looks sweet...wish i never gave it away!!!)
 
It's a modern ish fork. Thanks for dropping me a line.
I'll get on with this build just as soon as I move house.
Be back in touch
 
Update

Quick update. Now moved house and found my mojo.

Took the frame, my new syncros headset and forks to my LBS and got them to assemble. I have neither the talent for a hammer and wood block head set job nor the cash for a PT one.

Whipped a syncros bullhead stem on for the moment and put together. I' love a period syncros so will look out for one.

I need to get a can load of frame saver in before anything else. I think the forks look ace. Going steel and stiff with this one.

Can't decide whether to get some decals done for it. Gil m doesn't have these. Might leave it black.

Got an almost full m739 groupset ready to go on.

I need a u plate stiffener in black for a xt u brake if anyone has one?

TL

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