1991 20" GT Zaskar - rebuilt to take on holiday

Well, I still haven't started a thread for the Karakoram Elite, but today I'm off work, hoping to get a little done on the Zaskar, so I thought I would start a thread for it.

This is the frame I bought here on Retrobike:


It's 20" and was made November 1990, so pretty early Zaskar:


I bought it with the Flipflop stem, original GT handlebars, Triple Trak forks are a Dia Compe U-brake. Given I'm 6'3", it should be a better fit for me than my 18" Karakoram, though I find that comfortable and good to ride.

It's been painted metallic blue and although the paint is not in great condition, the plan is to build it up as it is, in a blue/black scheme and then in the future I have the option to stip the paint to the original finish, polish it up and go to a silver/black scheme.

I have to say the build concept is still a little mixed, between:
1. Cheap build, using parts I find/have/can pick up cheap
2. Light build, trying to keep weight to a minimum
3. Blue/black colour scheme, trying to minimise
4. Paying a little more for quality parts where I feel the extra cost is justified

It will not be period correct, mainly due to Concept 1 - I'll be doing it as cheaply as possible.

I'm building it as a single-speed, as I live somewhere pretty flat and intend to use it for my commute sometimes (especially whilst my commute-build Karakoram elite is a long way from finished) and for going out for rides when I feel full of energy. Having thought about gearing, my plan is to gear it pretty high and see how I get on, since I can always purchase larger rear single sprockets if necessary. Because I am gearing it this way, it will be pretty much just for road use, which will also be part of the build.

[edit] I realised it was best to put the components list in this first post and then edit/update it as it went along:

Frame: 20" 1991 GT Zaskar - Aluminium Alloy 6061-T6 Heat Treated

Fork: GT 2x4

Headset: Original Tioga with GT locknut
Stem: Original GT Flip Flop
Handlebar: Original GT Duraluminium
Grips: Ritchey WCS Foam
Barends: None yet .... should I get some? I can't decide.

Brakes: Dia Compe U Brake rear and Tektro CR720 front
Brake Pads: Dia Compe/Tektro standard
Brake Cables: Fibrax Teflon-coated Black
Cantilever cable hangers: Proper rear, Tektro front
Brake Levers: Dia Compe Power Control 7 anodised blue

Shifters: n/a
Front Derailleur: n/a
Rear Derailleur: Surly Singleator chain tensioner
Derailleur Cables: n/a
Cassette: Chris King 14T Single sprocket with Halo spacers
Chain: KMC Z610 HX
Cranks: Shimano Deore LX
Crank Bolts: X Brand self extracting
Chainrings: Shmiano 42T
Chainring bolts: Independent Cro-mo Single
Bottom Bracket: Shimano UN71
Pedals: Wellgo M-111

Hub Skewers: Unbranded Titanium
Rims: Unbranded 2005 Giant Yukon
Hubs: Unbranded 2005 Giant Yukon
Nipples: Unbranded 2005 Giant Yukon
Spokes: Unbranded 2005 Giant Yukon
Tyres: Continental Grand Prix MTB 26x1.00
Tubes: Continental 26x1.00

Saddle: San Marco SLK
Seatpost: Original GT/True Temper? 26.8mm x 350mm
Seatpost Binder: Original GT All Terra Heat Treated Aluminium with GT QR

Weight: 9.96Kg - 21lbs 15oz

yeah the first thing i would do is strip it and period decal it. just does not look right being blue.

the 91 92 are the best versions of the zaskar ever.

Yes, that would defintiely be a good route long term. I want to get it built as it is now as I have too many other (non-bike) projects to have time to strip it now and I want to be able to ride it to save myself from the Raleigh Alaska that is currently my only form of transport.

Also, if I get the frame to look right, with period decals, the following parts might seem like sacrilege .... I apologise in advance to anyone who's offended.

So this is what I have been buying:

A set of black wheels from a Giant Yukon:


These most definitely came under Concept 1 of the build. I paid £4.99 for them, collected, on ebay. That included tyres that might come in useful, but not for this build. They also fit Concept 3 as they are black.

I actually managed to win two auctions at once, so got some Vuelta wheels too, but they definitely don't fit Concept 3, as they are red. Had I have gone with them, I would have picked a whole new colour scheme, such as red/silver or red/gold.

They came with a Shimano cassette, which I removed, but will keep the lockring, because although it is partly silver it is also annodised blue. The wheels were pretty clean, but I've further cleaned/degreased them.

I have now also bought some Continental Grand Prix 26 x 1.00 tyres (currently on offer at Rose Bikes for £8 each) and tubes:


I'm not sure whether these will be too extreme or not, but I thought I'd give them a go.

Further parts I have accumulated so far:



[edit] removed Truvativ Holzfeller chainset image as it's no longer part of the build.

The crank and bottom bracket were definitely Concepts 1 & 3 though they don't seem too heavy. I bought the 42T chainring seperately, sticking to black, though why I bought silver chainring bolts I'm not sure - they may need to be replaced with blue or black.

I decided, based on tests with a geared bike, that 3:1 was about the gear ratio I wanted to initially try, so the 14T Chris King sprocket was a Concept 4 purchase, though I got it at what seemed a reasonable price (£15).

I decided to go down the chain tensioner route and the Surly Singleator was a purchase on here.

The chain and grips were bought based on recommendations on the forum.

Also arrived are some Madison spacers for the freehub, but despite the description saying black annodized the ones that have arrived are definitely silver, so they will have to go back.

A Tektro CR520 front brake should be on its way shortly and I still want another saddle, though I can temporarily borrow one from another bike.

*sigh* Still not built, due to a) my stupidity and b) waiting for suppliers to send me the correct part.

I'm still waiting for the black replacement spacers for the cassette and they haven't responded to my questioning of when I can expect them.

But also:
Although I bought the crankset as suitable for 68mm/73mm I really should have done more research. It's not really suitable for 68mm, as it would require the use of 3 spacers (not included), 2 one side and 1 the other, which really isn't goo, as it would push the chainline right out.

Sooooo, I have a choice of either getting a different 68mm specific bottom bracket (which has the silver lining of the fact that one was heavier than I wanted) or I can get a whole new set of cranks and bottom bracket. I'm thinking that would be the better option - they have to be black, but I can get something lighter and preferably more in keeping.

Any suggestions welcomed, though I'm hoping to make a decision very quickly. I could do with getting it on the road for my commute to work, as I'm really sick of the Raleigh Alaska, which could do with some work on it but it seems a waste of my time and money.

I'm not too annoyed - I'm a novice at this and you learn more from mistakes than getting things right first time!

So close ...

I thought I would be able to finish the build last night and I was so close until ...

I was carefully fitting the chain tensioner. I screwed it onto the hanger and then was fine-tuning the chain line, when it felt looser than I thought I'd put it on (I wasn't going to finish tightening it until I'd got the chain line bang on) so I tried to tighten it a little more and - much to my dismay - the bolt rotated, but didn't tighten.

Basically, the rear hanger threads looked fine, but obviously weren't. No replaceable hanger, so I've ordered a dropout saver and a correct sized drill bit to try to fix it. When they come, I'm going to be quite nervous drilling out the hanger hole, but hopefully it will be fine.

Also, when I get a chance (probably while I'm waiting for the parts) I'll resize the pictures in my gallery so that this thread works on lower resolution screens.

Well, I've finally finished the build for now. At some point, when I'm not using it to get to and from work, I'll strip the frame back to its original bare finish and probably add decals.

Firstly, I replaced the Truvativ Cranks and BB with Deore LX cranks and a UN72 BB, bought on here. I'm using the original 42T chainring for now, but will replace it with a black single speed specific one when I find one.

I returned the silver Wheels cassette spacers and replaced them with a black Halo set.

The fact the valve caps were orange wouldn't have annoyed me except that it didn't match the Continental colour on the tyres ..... so I replaced them with some blue KCNC ones.

I also switched the saddle that came on it for the Specialized Gel Comp I had on my Karakoram Elite and stole the Wellgo M-111 pedals I'd bought for the Karakoram for when it's rebuilt.

Having had the issue with the dropout threads, I gritted my teeth and drilled out the dropout on the frame:


I then put in the steel dropout saver and the chain tensioner attached nice and securely. It looks the dropout could be slightly bent, as the tensioner isn't 100% square with the chain, it's not enough off to effect how it runs, but I might see what I can do in the future just to get it dead straight.

So here's the finished pictures:







I took it out for a test ride last night and was impressed with how smoothly it rides and how powerful the brakes are.

I also rode it to work this morning and so far I'm delighted with it.

[edit] I mean to add - Thank you to everyone who gave me advice and sold me parts. Without either of those it would still be a frame hanging around in my garage!

That is a krazy looking piece of kit. Looks like it flies!