That's definitely a possibility. But there seems to be no point in copying the Zaskar—they could have just copied the Xizang instead. The main thing is that so many details are identical; it's rare to see such a meticulously copied fake, especially since it wasn't mass-produced.
Zaskar's are a more hardcore design than Xizangs though, so maybe that's what they were after.
He acquired this frame on eBay many years ago, and it made its way to him across the Pacific. Since I often deal with titanium alloy factories in China, I’m certain this isn’t a frame produced in China in recent years. Their welds these days couldn’t have flaws like the pores seen on this frame. If you look at the tube shape of its rear chainstays, you’ll notice even that detail is identical to the Zaskar’s. I’ve never seen such a meticulously copied frame, and besides, if they were going to copy something, they’d likely target the Xizang since it’s more expensive.i believe It's 100% titanium It has no paint and has been stored in the warehouse for many years without rusting, and this is definitely not the color of steel.. As for the weight, all I know is that it's very heavy—no lighter than GT's steel frames. I don't know the exact weight, though.Zaskars are common so likely the reason.
The welder needed something to copy and likely couldn’t get their hands on a Xizang.
Here’s my thread on Xizang vs Lightning.
Whilst I’ve got two spare frames I thought I’d put up a small thread on the differences between the two.
I’ve seen many Lightning passed off as a Xizang over the years so maybe in the future this might help someone ID what they have.
Lightnings are often seen as the poor brother to the Xizang but are in fact rarer due to them only being produced 97/98. However they aren’t quite as nicely finished as a Xizang that is true.
So I’ll compare a 97 Xizang and a 98 Lightning. (Lightnings were the same 97/98 both in 18 inch
Weight - The Lightning is 1700g. The pictured Xizang is...
Where are you based? That might explain some of this.
What does the frame weigh?
Are we 100% sure it’s not steel?
I think if it were a counterfeit, something this meticulously made shouldn't exist as just a single piece. After all, back then, not mass-producing it would likely have made its cost even higher than that of the Xizang. Maybe we could find more counterfeits to prove it wasn't made by GT, but I've only come across this one. That's why I'm so curious—even more so than its owner.
