1996 GT Zaskar LE (12.5" XS)

Dang...just found that post you guys are referring to :shock:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=108576

Some of you owe that guy a serious apology! This IS a Zaskar (and so was his). They did make a 12.5" frame for custom order, it did have a rounded top tube cap, and it did have the serial stamped on the outside of the dropout. How do I know for sure?....I took the bike to GT's Technical Divsion. There are other benefits to living in southern California than the weather ....

GT Technical Division
20992 Bake Parkway
Lake Forest, CA 92630

....exactly 3.7 miles from my house

With all due respect to the "experts" on this board who messaged me, I would much rather have a long-time GT tech look up a serial number than base it off of "gut feeling" about the decals...lol.

The_Sellution":3rgeh6uw said:

Dang...just found that post you guys are referring to :shock:

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=108576

Some of you owe that guy a serious apology! This IS a Zaskar (and so was his). They did make a 12.5" frame for custom order, it did have a rounded top tube cap, and it did have the serial stamped on the outside of the dropout. How do I know for sure?....I took the bike to GT's Technical Divsion. There are other benefits to living in southern California than the weather ....

GT Technical Division
20992 Bake Parkway
Lake Forest, CA 92630

....exactly 3.7 miles from my house

With all due respect to the "experts" on this board who messaged me, I would much rather have a long-time GT tech look up a serial number than base it off of "gut feeling" about the decals...lol.

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wow.

"that's funny"...never read that thread, till today. Ah, the joys of recuperating from knee surgery with little I can do...been meaning to finish that book...think I'll go do that.

cool lil bike; I would've bid, but my wife didn't seem fond of the idea of another bike, even if it was for her

£240 ! It would have been worth it just for the components.

Just to add to the special build chat etc, I had a GT Tech shop brochure around 98-2000 vintage which I'm sure basically said you could order a custom frame for the high-end bikes in whatever size you wanted (presumably for a price).

There was also the Anatomica range as well (not sure if there was a Zaskar in that but they were all very small or womens versions).

The_Sellution":269w1myk said:

....I took the bike to GT's Technical Divsion. There are other benefits to living in southern California than the weather ....

GT Technical Division
20992 Bake Parkway
Lake Forest, CA 92630

....exactly 3.7 miles from my house

With all due respect to the "experts" on this board who messaged me, I would much rather have a long-time GT tech look up a serial number than base it off of "gut feeling" about the decals...lol.

Click to expand...

Funny, I though the Lake Forest operations had been closed down since June? Are you sure?

http://economy.ocregister.com/tag/gt-bicycles/

GT bicycles cuts 6 jobs, leaves O.C.
April 6th, 2009, 2:15 pm by Mary Ann Milbourn

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GT bicycles will close the last of its Lake Forest operations next year and cut six jobs, ending more than 30 years in Orange County, reports GT's parent company, Dorel Industries.
The jobs at the company's Lake Forest product development office are being relocated to Bethel, Conn., where Dorel's Cannondale bicycles is headquartered, says Michael De Leon, Dorel spokesman.
He says the move is part of an effort to consolidate product development and innovation at one site. Five jobs in Longmont, Colo., also will be relocated, De Leon says. (Earlier press reports saying 67 total jobs are being eliminated in Lake Forest and Colorado were erroneous, De Leon says.)
Orange County operations will be shut down in the next 14 months, according to Dorel. The workers will be offered jobs in Connecticut.
Closure of the Lake Forest office ends 32 years of GT history in Orange County dating back to 1977 when Gary Turner (the "GT") and Richard Long formed a partnership to create the bicycle company.
GT Bicycles met with great success and went public in 1995, raising $40.2 million. But its fortunes changed after Long, who ran the company while Turner concentrated on design, died in a motorcycle accident in 1996.
In September 1998, Questor Partners Fund bought GT for $183 million, and combined it with Schwinn Cycling and Fitness, which it bought the previous year. Turner left GT shortly after the Questor deal.
GT's major presence in Orange County ended in 2000 when it closed its Santa Ana manufacturing plant, laying off 100 workers. Schwinn/GT filed for bankruptcy protection in 2001. The company was bought later that year by Pacific Cycle, which sold it to Montreal-based Dorel in 2004.

MADJEZ":3h52pns4 said:

£240 ! It would have been worth it just for the components.

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Really?...You'd pay L240 for a component kit of mostly LX and STX parts with a mid line elastomer bumper fork? You need to visit me then. I've got about L3000 in the same kit I'd love to send you home with.

Just another 1997 model year bike wearing available 96 model year decals. Imagine that.... the spec on this bike is 95% the same as a 1997 Avalanche. Like someone would really buy a Zaskar frame and build it up to match an Avalanche. Highly doubtful. It'd be much cheaper to buy an Avalanche and a 25 dollar decal set. You'd wind up with this anyway and save big money over a real Zaskar.

1997 GT Avalanche specs:
Bicycle Type Mountain bike, front suspension
MSRP (new) $1,245.00
Weight Unspecified
Sizes 14.5", 16", 18", 20"
Colors Ball burnished, grey
Item ID 69871

Frame & Fork
Frame Construction Welded
Frame Tubing Material 6061 T6 aluminum, butted, heat-treated
Fork Brand & Model Rock Shox Indy SL
Fork Material Magnesium, triple-clamp crown
Rear Shock Not applicable

Components
Component Group Shimano Deore LX
Brakeset Shimano Deore LX V-Brake brakes, Shimano Deore LX levers
Shift Levers Shimano Deore LX RapidFire SL
Front Derailleur Shimano Deore LX top-swing, bottom-pull
Rear Derailleur Shimano Deore XT SGS
Crankset Shimano Deore LX, 22/32/42 teeth
Pedals Victor VP-103 clipless
Bottom Bracket Shimano
BB Shell Width 73mm English
Rear Cogs 8-speed, 11 - 30 teeth
Chain Shimano, 1/2 x 3/32"
Seatpost Aluminum micro-adjust, 27.2 mm diameter
Saddle WTB SST, hollow chromoly rails, w/kevlar sides
Handlebar Kore Lite
Handlebar Extensions GT Cut Weld
Handlebar Stem Kore Lite
Headset 1 1/8" threadless Tioga

Wheels
Hubs Front: Shimano Deore LX, Rear: Shimano STX-RC
Rims Mavic 221, 32-hole
Tires 26 x 2.10" WTB VelociRaptor kevlar
Spoke Brand Stainless steel, 2.0mm double butted
Spoke Nipples Brass nipples

Imagine that! Gee???

ok I stand corrected. I didn't price everything up !
It just seemed like a cheap way to pick up a complete set of components (better than whats on mine at the moment, and looked in good condition) cheaper than buying on ebay for £10-£20 a pop.

Interesting sale

The Zaskar is probably one of THE most 'faked' bikes in GT's line up. Now looking at the mish mash spec on this bike I have concerns as to why someone would place a special order for this Zaskar frame and then stick pretty mediocre components on it. Just doesn't make sense to order GT's top of the line aluminium frame as a special order and not at least have XT on it :?:

Now I'm not doubting peoples comments on here BUT....................

The greater part of me is saying NOT a Zaskar, however if 12.5" GT Avalanche frames was decaled up at post production to meet demand then it maybe we have just found a 'glitch in the Matrix' here. Could even be that at the point of sale unscrupulous LBS applies decals to unsuspecting customer, just don't know. Could be a simple case of owner applying decals to 'upgrade' her bike. To me Zaskars of that period are synonymous for having a Flat Cap and personally without some kind of written authenticity from the point of construction this little frame will have always have a :?: hanging over it.

If I'm wrong then I bow down to those with greater knowledge than I, would be great if those 'in the know' could clear this up as if this really is a Zaskar I want one for my sprog!!

Gadro":34ik9bge said:

If I'm wrong then I bow down to those with greater knowledge than I, would be great if those 'in the know' could clear this up as if this really is a Zaskar I want one for my sprog!!

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I'm with you here Gadro. . . something like this would be superb for the kids, as and when (they deserve it, I've got kids bike fundage etc.)

Thing is I don't think it can be cleared up so that everyone agrees.. :?

Without wishing to reignite the argument I came across this while looking at old GT catalogues on here.

http://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2...2_GALLERYSID=5711d533dcaa86f7afe0db8b15eda485

(if link doesn't work it's 2nd 1998 GT catalogue in the gallery).

Page 12 shows a 'Kids' Zaskar (12.5 inch), from the pic its an earlier years decals (94/95). Can't make out the shape of end cap from this scan (anyone got an original catalogue - this is German). Is it possible they were selling them before this ?

From what I can make out the text describes the frame. Just wonder if this is a kids version could it have had a lower spec than the adult version (would make sense).

From 1998 catalogue (german)
Need a better scan to look at spec (it's not listed in catalogue).