Black_puma
GT Fan
Curiosity got the better of me recently and decided I wanted to look into buying a modern GT and try out modern geometry and gearing. I like the idea of trying out different things and though I love my old GT's dearly and built and bought them to ride, not just for show so I wouldn't consider any of my bikes to be show bikes, as in my eyes bikes are meant to be ridden! I was born in the Netherlands and to most Dutch people bikes are very much a tool, a mode of transport to get you places.
I now have a different bike to ride for each day in the week, so I consider myself fortunate to be in that position and I get some funny reactions from people, especially at work as I regularly turn up on a different bike most days !
Must be confusing for them but they're getting used to it.
I certainly have my favourites too, ones that get used more frequently than others....
But now I have added another GT bike to my stable, in part because of my curiosity to want to try out a modern MTB with a 1x drive, modern geometry and whatever else comes with modern bikes, dropper posts, fat tyres (at least compared to my retro bikes) and chunky suspension forks!
I could really have picked any modern 29er really, but I feel a certain loyalty to GT and going for another brand felt like cheating to me.
Can't have that now, can we?
So off I went looking for that bike....on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Even went to look in a few shops to see what they had on offer, mostly GT Avalanche models of different specifications and colours
Did some searching for specs on different GT bikes
My priorities were to get the highest spec possible for my budget, and when you have some idea what you're looking for it pays to find suitable used bikes.
So I ended up looking for a GT Zaskar LT Expert as that ticked most boxes for me.
See the ad here
I found a suitable bike and went to Leeds to buy it!
So here it is. My 2021 Gt Zaskar LT Expert
The bike is a good 2kg
heavier than my 2001 GT Zaskar Race, this weight is mostly in the forks and wheels as they are huge!
It is not by any means the highest spec for a GT Zaskar that we have come to expect, however it is easily upgradeable to a higher spec as parts wear out, or I just fancy replacing parts to make it lighter without compromising performance!
However, when it comes to riding this bike it is obviously very different to my other bikes but not necessarily in a bad way.
It is decently specced for what I paid for it and I would be hard pressed to find a similarly specced bike brand new, so I am happy about that (it cost £1200 or more brand new, depending where you buy it from) and I paid less than the £550 asking price, due to it needing a new bottom bracket, it useable but a bit noisy.
A new BB will be fitted this week when it arrives in the post.
One of the things that stood out for me was the gearing, it is a 1x12 with 32tooth chain ring and 11-50tooth cassette and the speeds in the higher gears are easily as good as what I am used to in the highest gears on my old GT's, in part due to the big wheels.
Overall, I am happy to have taken the plunge to buy a modern GT bike because I am sure I will enjoy it as much as I do riding my 30+ years old bikes.
I now have a different bike to ride for each day in the week, so I consider myself fortunate to be in that position and I get some funny reactions from people, especially at work as I regularly turn up on a different bike most days !
Must be confusing for them but they're getting used to it.
I certainly have my favourites too, ones that get used more frequently than others....
But now I have added another GT bike to my stable, in part because of my curiosity to want to try out a modern MTB with a 1x drive, modern geometry and whatever else comes with modern bikes, dropper posts, fat tyres (at least compared to my retro bikes) and chunky suspension forks!
I could really have picked any modern 29er really, but I feel a certain loyalty to GT and going for another brand felt like cheating to me.
Can't have that now, can we?
So off I went looking for that bike....on eBay and Facebook Marketplace. Even went to look in a few shops to see what they had on offer, mostly GT Avalanche models of different specifications and colours
Did some searching for specs on different GT bikes
My priorities were to get the highest spec possible for my budget, and when you have some idea what you're looking for it pays to find suitable used bikes.
So I ended up looking for a GT Zaskar LT Expert as that ticked most boxes for me.
See the ad here
I found a suitable bike and went to Leeds to buy it!
So here it is. My 2021 Gt Zaskar LT Expert
The bike is a good 2kg
heavier than my 2001 GT Zaskar Race, this weight is mostly in the forks and wheels as they are huge!It is not by any means the highest spec for a GT Zaskar that we have come to expect, however it is easily upgradeable to a higher spec as parts wear out, or I just fancy replacing parts to make it lighter without compromising performance!
However, when it comes to riding this bike it is obviously very different to my other bikes but not necessarily in a bad way.
It is decently specced for what I paid for it and I would be hard pressed to find a similarly specced bike brand new, so I am happy about that (it cost £1200 or more brand new, depending where you buy it from) and I paid less than the £550 asking price, due to it needing a new bottom bracket, it useable but a bit noisy.
A new BB will be fitted this week when it arrives in the post.
One of the things that stood out for me was the gearing, it is a 1x12 with 32tooth chain ring and 11-50tooth cassette and the speeds in the higher gears are easily as good as what I am used to in the highest gears on my old GT's, in part due to the big wheels.
Overall, I am happy to have taken the plunge to buy a modern GT bike because I am sure I will enjoy it as much as I do riding my 30+ years old bikes.
