GT ZASKAR Cali Edition

GCRad1 · 08-23-2008

Hello GT FANS! This my original "California Made" Zaskar frame as I am the original owner, manufactured December of 1994. Hard to remember the actual date I purchased it, but I'm the original owner.

This is my oldest digital image - Trip to Mammoth 8/11/2002.

For all you old school SolCal riders, yes, those are Team Bike Beat stickers on the top tube in pink and green. This was the shop that Chumba was born out of. Jeff, one of the crew, later went on to Tioga so I switched the bike up with Tioga DH bars and stem, Tioga DH tires and love my Shimano "red" clip in platforms.

This bike has been my do-it-all bike! Riding the local mountains and trails, commuting to work and weekend rides on tarmac with the sound of knobbies slapping!!! It's so old for modern times, it's almost vintage, but not quite, just old. But for those of you who remember The Bike Beat in Orange, Ca will know old...

Frame:
GT Zaskar Mfg: 12/1994

Handlebars and Stem:
Tioga | Tioga DH

Fork and Headset:
Rock Shock Judy | Dia-Comp Aheadset

Front wheel:
BUSTED:factory rotational devise, zip-tied for additional strength.
NOW: Bontrager radial lace with Bontrager Hub black-black-black.

Rear wheel | Tire:
Mavic with heavy guage spokes | Maxxis 2.3 tire

Crankset and Bottom bracket:
Stock Shamino DX

Saddle - Seat Post - seat cover:
Wilderness Trail SpeedV | stock | SDG Kevlar seat cover

Pedals and Chain:
Shamino DH Platform | Some Shamino chain?

Cog/Gearing et cetera:
3 in the floor and a bunch out back [8].

YES - I'm still pushing this as my main bicycle!!!
Here is a shot from 2007

And just for old school measure, as of last year I was still using these Answer Shoes:

gm1230126 · 08-23-2008

Beauty. Te first year they did ink blue ano was 1993. Yours has 1995 decals on it.

GCRad1 · 08-23-2008

SWEET - thanks for the date specifications!!!

gt jorgito · 08-23-2008

That just goes to show how those Zaskars are bullet proof. Sweet ride bro!

gm1230126 · 08-24-2008

Also......the first four digits of the serial number are the month and year the frame was produced. It's found on the left rear dropout.

GCRad1 · 08-24-2008

COOL!!! Then this puppy was made Dec of '94!

Quote:

Originally Posted by gm1230126

Also......the first four digits of the serial number are the month and year the frame was produced. It's found on the left rear dropout.

gm1230126 · 08-24-2008

Making it a 95 model which is what your decals are.

mik_git · 08-24-2008

i got those answer accelertors

jus1gear · 08-25-2008

to Iowa for calling California Cali. Sorry I don't make the rules.

GCRad1 · 08-25-2008

Dude, Iowa doesn't scare me! I'm originally from Alabama. Maybe that's my problem...

"I grew up in the woods riding motorcycles, flattrackin' at Talladega, a little go-karting, listened to birds, drove down dirt roads in my dads truck, a little farming, coon-hunting with my uncle, shot guns for fun and then a skateboard and a magazine came into my life... IN ALABAMA! That was nineteen seventy seven”

Quote:

Originally Posted by jus1gear

to Iowa for calling California Cali. Sorry I don't make the rules.

GCRad1 · 09-04-2008

So, back in 2006 I started riding more - again from the off again - on again - life long deal of life and riding...

There where stints when I road Fullerton Loop once or twice a day as I was living right there. Moved back to Costa Mesa and was doing some Costa Mesa to Torrance work commutes and rides in Crystal Cove Canyon [before the fire / Laguna] and Aliso Woods and a time where I lived off Crown Valley Parkway and would ride from the top of there to Laguna across the ridge - all trail and down the little sketchy trail to the Victoria Skimboard shop. Use to ride Ortega a lot too back then. Life is such and back to Costa Mesa and doing whatever rides to set the mind free.

But, 2007, life stable again, working solid job and across the street from Whiting Ranch trails and started commuting from Costa Mesa to Foothill Ranch too.

Riding with co-workers.

TurkeyDay 2007 - Broke my neck, plain and simply MY FAULT! But that is a whole'nother story involving a certain KTM 950ADV

Bicycling was part of the training mix of being healthy and having more fun out on the machined-cycles. I love riding, either peddles or pegs & throttle, but I see the benefits in peddling both off-road and on-road. AND I like commuting on the bicycle as I have a purpose and destination of which is different from where I start from, if that makes any sense...

Heck, where am I going with all this, not sure, it’s just the journey within itself and a story of me and my bike. Is it the only bike I own? NO. will it be my last? doubt it. But I peddle so therefore I am, and my head clears and clutters with more as I peddle. I ride, I commute, I play and do so on the silly old GT Zaskar.

Rally course notes from Costa Mesa to Foothill Ranch - first commute.

PS: If you have not noticed yet, I like shooting images too:

Click image for more from the "first commute 2007"

DIRTJUNKIE, · 09-04-2008

Quote;us1gear

You've been demoted

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

to Iowa for calling California Cali. Sorry I don't make the rules.

[SIZE="4"]Ummmm........[/SIZE]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgBPj7cxG3U

GCRad1 · 11-30-2009

Well, it's been a scratch over a year since my last post... Still riding the '95 Zaskar.

Going through a bunch of images and while not doing so great on creating a solid timeline on the Zaskar, but I was putting in some commuting miles.

MTB'mutter Commuting By Mountain Bike 2007 - My commute is 19-miles one way from Costa Mesa to Foothill Ranch, CA. ahhh... the sound of knobbies buzzing in the early AM.

Some more commuter images:

I also came across this image that lead to some rather dramatic changes for the Zaskar:

The Zaskar went on stationary duty in January of 2008 - after I broke my neck in a motorcycle accident [link to story]

Before I mounted the GT Zaskar up to the stationary machine, I had to get a new back tire - one with no knobbies. So off to the local bike shop and I pick up a Michelin XC 1.50 Road tire.

Come home, mount it and knock out some peddling!

GCRad1 · 11-30-2009

By May 2008 I'm ready to start riding again, but relegated to only riding on the road - doctors orders.

So, with a smoothie back wheel, may as well mount up a smoothy on front for the commuting efforts and just general exercise that the body badly needs. With that came the need for a new front wheel as well:

The original and very old Mavic 217 front wheel that came on the bike is a bit shot...
Shot after 15-years of hard labor!

Out with the old Mavic and in with the Bontrager. The Bontrager is something a little more new as finding old-spec rim brake wheels is getting hard.

Bought the front wheel from ADRENALINE BIKES Located in Orange County California - they seem to have some "older stuff" in stock...

GT ZASKAR in Commuter Mode with the Michelin XC's.

hatake · 12-01-2009

And that judy is still working? Did you swap out the elastomer to something else?

Nice to see a clean vintage ride still kicking.

GCRad1 · 12-01-2009

HEHEHEHE - Define "working"..... hehehehe Yea, it might have a couple of inches in movement, but it's not working so hot. It's never been cracked open as I have yet to track down replacement elastomers.

Thanks for stopping in!

Quote:

Originally Posted by hatake

And that judy is still working? Did you swap out the elastomer to something else?

Nice to see a clean vintage ride still kicking.

GCRad1 · 12-02-2009

Came across some cool rims.... same factory rim that came on the bike, but with a twist!!!
Yes, they are MAVIC 217's.....

but....

But these are IRIDESCENT!!!!!
They are the same gold colored rim, but with a purple iridescent cast!

Simply irresistible so I had to make the purchase!

hatake · 12-02-2009

Rims back in those days were lively. Go well with those XT hubs. And those rims are pretty light to boot. Nice find!

GCRad1 · 12-02-2009

How about these classic 1995 Shimano XTR Hubs to go in the Mavic 217's for this 1995 GT Zaskar?

I've had these for as long as I have had my bike. I thought I was going to build another bike back then... never got around to it. So I may as well use these.

iheartbicycles · 12-02-2009

Quote:

Originally Posted by GCRad1

Came across some cool rims.... same factory rim that came on the bike, but with a twist!!!
Yes, they are MAVIC 217's.....

but....

But these are IRIDESCENT!!!!!
They are the same gold colored rim, but with a purple iridescent cast!

Simply irresistible so I had to make the purchase!

the finish on the rims was called "sunset." cool stuff

GCRad1 · 12-04-2009

XTR hubs are laced into the Mavic 217's:

Mixed colored spoke nipples were the cool trend back in the day around the Bike Beat Bike Shop... so I thought fitting for all this old stuff.

GCRad1 · 12-04-2009

May have notice a narrow tire on the rim. With all the commuting I was doing there for a while, I tried something different as this was now a second set of wheels. Plus, doctors orders where still no MTB-Dirt action.... So, I gave these Panaracer Urban Max 26X1.25 Tires a whirl: