GT ZASKAR 1997 FORK DILEMNA AND URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!! :)

Hi
Sorry guys....I have yet to start the thread about the refurbishment of my wicked new (old) zaskar i bought a couple of weeks ago! a few personal set backs and lots of work for money etc. in the meantime i have popped into every bike shop i pass getting advice and browsing etc.

however i may have a problem i am sure you guys can hep with!?

i was told that old school geometry only allows for forks of an overall length of 320-400mm, most new forks have an overall length of 440, this extra length i am told will massively affect the steering and climbing characteristics of the frame and may result in the snapping of the steering tube on the frame!!! :?

is this true?
and what can i do about it?
are there any newer forks that will fit this frame?
i am in some confusion because the bike originally came with rock shox judy xc, with 60mm of travel?should this be what i aim for in terms of travel length?
thanks guys
Jon

zaskar

the man you really needs is GM128 , he use to work for gt .and will give you all the facts

80mm forks will be fine for this bike, 420mm shouldnt be a problem.

it will handle very orinary with long forks. i once rode an avalanche of the era with 4 inch bombers. to put it simply....terrible. back to a 2.5 inch travel fork...absolute perfection. the advice you have received is correct. there is also the issue of extra leverage pressure, created by the slacker head angle, and yes, there has been those that beleive this can eventually snap the head tube on the frame.

Re: zaskar

matthew71":542y2kkh said:

the man you really needs is GM128 , he use to work for gt .and will give you all the facts

Click to expand...

What the man said.....believe Zaskar geometry is for 80mm max travel....more than that then first your handling goes....and then your frame....

GM will tell it to you properly tho'

Good luck with the build

I've been running Z1 Bombers which have 110mm travel and i've just taken them off.

Wasn't *that* bad but didn't feel right if i'm honest.

Giving rigid ago now

I have a rock shox judy T2 long travels on ebay at the moment from 97 that would fit perfectly - 80mm travel - take a look.

you can run 100 mm travel forks on a zaskar of that age
but 80mm is a better option , gives that fine handling a zaskar has
manitou sxr's on mine , anything similar will do

405mm to 420mm is ideal but it's going to limit you to forks from that 97-8ish era. Have seen many a head tube/down tube junction split on frames that get laid back too far by a fork that's too long for the original design of the frame.

Re: GT ZASKAR 1997 FORK DILEMNA AND URGENT ADVICE NEEDED!!!

Hi All,

I'm struggling to date Rock Shox Judy's for my '97 Zaskar build. I know I want something relatively short travel (80 mm), but I also want something relatively light weight / usable.

Most Ebay listings don't give the years and my memory can't stretch that far back.

Are there any cataloges / archives that will have models and stats.

I'm quite keen on the Rock Shox Judy Super Lite XC http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Rock-Shox...sure_cycling_bikeparts_SR&hash=item338126a936, but no idea of their travel length or year?

Cheers,
JT