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Old GT Karakoram restoration

3K views 8 replies 5 participants last post by  logbiter 
#1 ·
Heya, I've got this old gt karakoram. I guess it is a1996. It's got full LX and the Rock Shox Judy XC fork. It is not in great shape and I want to do a restoration on the frame. Can I glass blast this frame? What are the other options I have?
 
#2 ·
bbolstad said:
Heya, I've got this old gt karakoram. I guess it is a1996. It's got full LX and the Rock Shox Judy XC fork. It is not in great shape and I want to do a restoration on the frame. Can I glass blast this frame? What are the other options I have?
In all honesty, it'll cost you less to find a clean, low mileage example of this bike than it will be to restore it...unless you have a sentimental attachment to it, which is hard to put a price tag on.

Why bother with the resto?
 
#4 ·
I also became the proud owner of a Karakorum that's in great looking shape although I'll need a bunch of parts to make it a rigid SS.

We were looking at it yesterday and figure that the dropouts may have been replaced as there's no reference I can find to a Kark having horizontal dropouts.

The brazing work is really nice and I can even take the frame into work and have it QC'd with our testing equipment.

I expect the bike to provide me with a lot of bang for the buck.
 
#5 ·
hey guys, i have a GT karakoram like the original poster's that recently got me into mountain biking again. since, i have upgraded to a new full suspension, and the frame is now too small for me since i got when i was still in high school.

my girlfriend is smaller, the bike fits her, and i was wondering what parts to upgrade to make it a nice trail bike for her. makes more sense than buying a new hardtail for her since she's not that into it yet. i'm not sure of the exact parts on it or the year, but everything is stock and in decent condition.

i was thinking of upgrading the fork, judy c, since it's old and doesn't have much travel. what would my options be? how would i know what fits? probably looking for 100-120mm travel. is that even possible on this frame or will it make it too slack or something? i'm not an experienced bike builder...

also figured i'd replace the tires since they've been used on pavement and trails since the mid 90s. also would replace the big ring with a bash guard, and put clipless pedals on it. it has bar ends that came stock. would upgrading the bars/stem be something to look into? any other suggestions? thanks
 
#7 ·
donkeykong0 said:
hey guys, i have a GT karakoram like the original poster's that recently got me into mountain biking again. since, i have upgraded to a new full suspension, and the frame is now too small for me since i got when i was still in high school.

my girlfriend is smaller, the bike fits her, and i was wondering what parts to upgrade to make it a nice trail bike for her. makes more sense than buying a new hardtail for her since she's not that into it yet. i'm not sure of the exact parts on it or the year, but everything is stock and in decent condition.

i was thinking of upgrading the fork, judy c, since it's old and doesn't have much travel. what would my options be? how would i know what fits? probably looking for 100-120mm travel. is that even possible on this frame or will it make it too slack or something? i'm not an experienced bike builder...

also figured i'd replace the tires since they've been used on pavement and trails since the mid 90s. also would replace the big ring with a bash guard, and put clipless pedals on it. it has bar ends that came stock. would upgrading the bars/stem be something to look into? any other suggestions? thanks
Don't put a fork with that much travel on it. It'll slack the geometry of the bike enough to make it handle unfavorably. Just starting and want to get the bike running. Do a full tune up (if you don't know how yourself). Cables, housing, chain, tubes/tires...maybe grips (smaller for your girl) and chain rings/cassette if need be.
 
#8 ·
Rumpfy said:
Don't put a fork with that much travel on it. It'll slack the geometry of the bike enough to make it handle unfavorably. Just starting and want to get the bike running. Do a full tune up (if you don't know how yourself). Cables, housing, chain, tubes/tires...maybe grips (smaller for your girl) and chain rings/cassette if need be.
thanks. the LBS agrees, they said to not put anything larger than 80mm on it (Judy C is 63mm). but they said it's pretty good to go as-is and the fork should be fine for a beginner. plus 80mm forks are not in abundance. i did find a Rockshox Dart 2, relatively cheap fork, would this be a worthwile upgrade?

they did swap out for a shorter stem, and moved the seat forward more to fit a smaller person. but the tires, WTB velociraptors, are apparently in good shape after a decade of use (???). and also said to keep the platforms until she is a better rider. any other ideas? thanks
 
#9 ·
Rumpfy got ya covered.
The dart isn't much of an upgrade, but at least you can get parts for it. If the Judy is still functional, just run with it. Velociraptors- not that great of a tire, but fine for starting out.
I'd also replace the v-brake pads, they're likely pretty hard. Toss some replacement kool-stops on there.
 
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