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.
Bike Setup: xtr/xt other stuff that makes it go fast
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Submitted by
Chris Russell
a
from Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: January 10, 2001
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
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.
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.
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Submitted by
Craig
a Cross Country Rider
from Sebastopol, CA, USA
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2001
Strengths: Light and it handles well. Great climber.
Weaknesses: BB creak, rear brake cable mounting
Bottom Line:
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!
Similar Products Used: Schwinn Homegrown, Stumpjumper, KHS Montana Summit
Bike Setup: All XT, Judy 100, Chris King hubs on Mavic Hoops
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Submitted by
Jon
a Weekend Warrior
from Sherwood Park, Alberta
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2000
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?
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.
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.
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Submitted by
Marty
a Cross Country Rider
from Madison WI
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2000
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
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.
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,
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Submitted by
chris
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, TX
Date Reviewed: June 28, 2000
Strengths: Stiff, fast, VERY tight!!!
Weaknesses: None
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!!!!
Submitted by
Skip
a Cross-Country Rider
from Milwaukee, WI
Date Reviewed: December 5, 1999
Strengths: Unbelievable frame, good mix of components, lightweight.
Weaknesses: LX BB, LX Cassette, Time ATAC Pedals.
Bottom Line:
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
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
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.
Strengths: Light BB Color is awesome stiff great dropouts
Weaknesses: mine broke
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.
Submitted by
Brock
a Racer
from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Date Reviewed: May 20, 1999
Strengths: Solid Frame
Weaknesses: Chintzy parts cop outs
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.
Submitted by
JKnight
a Weekend Warrior
from Mechanicsville, VA
Date Reviewed: March 17, 1999
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!
Sorry if this is in the wrong section, but hopefully being a GT section it will get the right eyes :)
I am from the UK and have just finished building up my old Zaskar. During i Read More »
Hi,
so I got this amazing frame a few weeks ago and now I want to built it up. Since I'm originally from Dirt and Street biking I need some suggestions what I should put on this Read More »
