Submitted by
chuck
a Cross Country Rider
from GA Date Reviewed: May 29, 2005
Duration Product Used:
More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
mtbr classifieds
Strengths:
its still going strong
Weaknesses:
rear cable hanger causes cable friction!
Similar Products Used:
trek something or other
Bike Setup:
xtr/xt other stuff that makes it go fast
Bottom Line:
this frame is durable. raced it for two years and its still going strong. the rear brake cable friction is very annoying and gt customer service is the worst. i just built my wife a bike and its not a gt. if you can shell out the cast go titanium. i am going to give this 2 chilis just because of gt's service and the cable hanger, otherwise the bike has been a dependable frame.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Russell
a
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada Date Reviewed: January 10, 2001
Favorite Trail:
Radical, Hardwood Hills
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$1250.00
Purchased At:
Bike Depot, Toronto
Strengths:
Climbs well Frame available in ball burnished Reasonably light
Weaknesses:
No disc brake bosses LX BB and Cassette (upgraded to XTR and XT) Rear brake cable holder causes cable friction
Similar Products Used:
GT Karakoram Trek 8500 TBL Eldorado
Bike Setup:
Atom Bomb, XTR crank, deraileurs, XT shifters/levers, brakes Thompson post, Mavic Crosslink, Chris King headset, Easton Monkey Bar CT2.
Bottom Line:
A very good bike. Great for eating up singletrack. Very responsive. Very stiff rear end (takes a little getting used to, tough on the lower back). Got rid of the SID and put an Atom Bomb on... well worth the extra weight. Mavic wheels very strong, only one problem with them, spokes have a tendancy to work themselves loose. The frame has stood up to 2+ years of year round riding. Many crashes and only a couple dents on the top tube. A good all around bike.
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Submitted by
Craig
a Cross Country Rider
from Sebastopol, CA, USA Date Reviewed: January 4, 2001
I've ridden this bike for 5 years and through 2 different front forks. My only complaint is the rear brake cable mount. The cable mounts welded to the frame are too small for the ferrule on the end of the brake cable. It has to be crushed to fit in there and this causes drag. GT has probably changed this since '95, but it's a pain. Otherwise, great bike!
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Submitted by
Jon
a Weekend Warrior
from Sherwood Park, Alberta Date Reviewed: September 14, 2000
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Relatively light, quite stiff and that unmistakeable beutiful triple triangle hand made frame. Cosmic Sunrise paint job is a show stopper.
Weaknesses:
The ridiculous heinous squeal emitted for the Shimano XT front brake. What is a LX cassette doing on this bike?
Similar Products Used:
Avalanche LE, Norco
Bike Setup:
Upgrade the '99 XT cranks for '00 Hollowtech XT's, also ditched the "anchor-like" Kore 3D stem for a '00 Thomson Elite stem and lost the LX cassette for a XT. Otherwise, all stock from the CrossLink wheelset to the SID XC fork to other XT goodies.
Bottom Line:
This Bike hauls uphills like a hungry dog late for dinner. GT hit the mark with this bike because its strong enough to hurl off a mountain side or light enough to race. The geometry is neutral for most everyone. I recommend this bike to anyone looking for a XC weapon.
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Submitted by
Marty
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison WI Date Reviewed: July 31, 2000
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
great climber, very fast, a super solid bike.
Weaknesses:
Can be a little hard on your rear end after a long day of riding
Similar Products Used:
trek 6500,7000
Bike Setup:
Sid XC long travel, xtr/xt, avid 2.0, WTB laser rims
Bottom Line:
I have only had this bike for about one month now so I can't speak for any long term problems. But I can say that so far this bike has surpassed all of my expectations. It climbs so well that you should plan on spending some time waiting for who ever you are riding with.
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Submitted by
RAIKESY
a Weekend Warrior
from Wales Date Reviewed: July 22, 2000
Favorite Trail:
Margam
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Strengths:
light, strong, agile, VERY fast
Weaknesses:
comes wit LX cogset, but changed that to a sugino
Similar Products Used:
rock shoks
Bike Setup:
1996 16” GT ZASKAR LE FRAME, PACE EVO 3 SUSPENSION FORKS, MAVIC RIMS, HOPE CROSS COUNTRY HUBS, MYTHOSXC IRC TYRES, SUGINO COGSET, SACHS GEAR CHANGERS, SHIMANO XT GEARS, ODYSSEY PEDALS, DEORE XT BRAKES FRONT & REAR, CONTROL TECH SEAT POST &, PAUL MACHINED LEAVERS, TRANS X HIGH RISE BARS, SHIMANO STX THREADED HEADSET,
Bottom Line:
Basically when set up right its the best hardtail bike out there, i would recomend this bike to everyone whether u want it 2 race or to mess around on
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Submitted by
chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX Date Reviewed: June 28, 2000
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
Stiff, fast, VERY tight!!!
Weaknesses:
None
Bike Setup:
2000 SID XC, full XTR, Cane Creek wheels
Bottom Line:
GREAT BIKE!!! I got it a little small (16) so I could throw it around easier and it has worked out perfect for me. It being so small and tight makes the ride a little unstable, but if you don't crash once-in-awhile, then you are not riding hard enough. Worth the money!!!!
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Submitted by
pippos
a Cross-Country Rider
from ti-switzerland Date Reviewed: December 12, 1999
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Similar Products Used:
trek 8000
Bike Setup:
sid ,full xt,crosslink..
Bottom Line:
this bike is very good..rigid & istantanea...
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Skip
a Cross-Country Rider
from Milwaukee, WI Date Reviewed: December 5, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Emma Carlin
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Unbelievable frame, good mix of components, lightweight.
I had originally not wanted to get a bike at all, yet someone decided that I no longer needed my 95 Marin. Such is life. Anyways, picked it up for a good deal and rode it a few times on the Kettle Moraine system before it got too dark after work. Haven't picked up a lighting system as yet though. Anyhow, it's a great ride for anyone, although I did finally appreciate the stiffness of a Al frame after riding it. The stock parts are great with a few exceptions. I tried the Times for a few rides, but once got ejected without prior knowledge. Never happened to me before...Not to mention that the spring tension was driving me crazy. Like no float whatsoever. So I picked up the frogs. Awesome pedals, although I haven'ttaken them on the trail. Next spring. As for the LX parts, I find it kind of lame that the Zaskar LE is the second from the top yet the company saves a few bucks and goes with LX. Oh well, I'll just have to upgrade. As for the wheels, I like the Crosslinks and all, but the kings are just better in every category. I love this bike, and while my last was a continual work in progress, this is about my end-all be-all. All around a very solid ride. P.S. Pick up an englund fork pump if you can -awesome quality.***** For the value **** + 0.5 for components ***** For frame ***** For ride quality
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Adam
a Racer
from Oshkosh, Wi Date Reviewed: December 1, 1999
Favorite Trail:
greenbush, StockBridge
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Bike is very fast, I won the amature nationals with it, and I only trained for two weeks. Frame is stiff, awesome components
Weaknesses:
You could get hurt
Similar Products Used:
Schwinn Homegrown Factory Team Cannondale F400
Bike Setup:
Stock Full XTR Mchelin Kevlar Tires Shimano 9-Speed, 11-35
Bottom Line:
This bike blew my socks off, I ride it down the street and girls just flock to the cool guy with the Kick *&^% GT. I would recomend this bike to any crappy rider that wants to improve. Look at me, I suck and I won Nationals.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
J
a Racer
from VT Date Reviewed: November 20, 1999
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
Light BB Color is awesome stiff great dropouts
Weaknesses:
mine broke
Similar Products Used:
Xizang
Bike Setup:
Thomson Post
Bottom Line:
Broke two of these frames in 9 months. Broke in the same place as did Al's (See below). I had a lot of post exposed but there was tons of post still inside the frame. GT warrenteed both but after the second one broke they ran out of LE's. So I got a Xizang which has held up beautifully. The LE is a great frame and well worth the price. I'd buy one again.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Kai
a Cross-Country Rider
from Podolsk, Russia Date Reviewed: September 13, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Severovo
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Strengths:
Rapid, Light, Hard, Tough Looking
Weaknesses:
If any, then what is that for?
Similar Products Used:
GF Kaitai
Bike Setup:
Zask '99
Bottom Line:
No words can ever describe this! AWESOME FEELING OF THE FLIGHT!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brock
a Racer
from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan Date Reviewed: May 20, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Banff Trail
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Solid Frame
Weaknesses:
Chintzy parts cop outs
Similar Products Used:
My old Norco Java racer
Bottom Line:
You know, this is a really nice bike for the most part. Great frame, fork is OK, wheels are solid. But UN52 bottom bracket and an LX cogset on their second from top bike. BS I say. So to balance out the previous 5 chilli rating and bring my vote down to 4 lets see three chilis for BS parts spec.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Deon Bartlett
a Cross-Country Rider
from Archdale,N.C. Date Reviewed: May 16, 1999
Favorite Trail:
Avery Creek
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Strengths:
light weight,componets fast vary,paintjob
Weaknesses:
michlens are O.K.
Similar Products Used:
LTS 2000,Love it too
Bike Setup:
Zaskar LE,SID XC
Bottom Line:
I haven't rode my LTS since getting my Zask' I'm spoiled .
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JKnight
a Weekend Warrior
from Mechanicsville, VA Date Reviewed: March 17, 1999
Duration Product Used:
less than 1 month
Bottom Line:
AWESOME!! well worth the $$ The componets are the Bomb and the paint job is awesome. I purchased mine in Virginia for $2100 and had the shop switch out the SID for an Atom Bomb. - Go buy it now!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
marc
a Racer
from az Date Reviewed: March 17, 1999
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Strengths:
stiff, lihgt, extremely fast,scary
Weaknesses:
sid, too tweaky.
Similar Products Used:
litspeed unicoi, Dimond back vectrix, specialised works
Bike Setup:
Mazzorchi bam, judy xc sid
Bottom Line:
Quite simply the best hard tail out there!! You´re smart you figure it out!!
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Brock
a racer
from Saskatchewan Date Reviewed: February 8, 1999
Bottom Line:
Just took delivery a couple of days ago on this bike. WOW!!! The handling is in another universe compared to my old bike. The Parts pick is decent (LX cogset though!!) The paint though is kind of the icing on the cake. A metalic candy apple style fade with gold and a dark rose. Looks really dark in low light but fades from metalic rose to gold depending on viewing angle. five flaming whatevers now. I'll post something more detailed in a couple of months.
$ 2199.99
Overall Rating:
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