Submitted by
Pieter van Tiel
a Cross Country Rider
from Commugny, Switzerland Date Reviewed: June 2, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Le Nain
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$4500.00
Purchased At:
Chelsea bikes, New York
Strengths:
this review is for the Carbon Team. Very light at 9.5kg, the bike is stiff and comfortable for a hardtail
Weaknesses:
None
Similar Products Used:
Specialized epic marathon, Orbea Alma
Bike Setup:
fox rlc 120mm, avid ultimate (xtr brakes are still "sticky"), the rest is standard, including full xtr. Chelsea bikes did a trustworthy job in getting it all ready when I was visiting NY. Thank you cheap US Dollar. Tires: Nobby Nic in front and Racing Ralph in back , both 2.25. The stock Kenda's do not work in our terrain, too many rocks and gravel, muddy when wet.
Bottom Line:
This is the ideal trail bike to go for long, fast rides. Key is the fork upgrade to 120 mm. GT presented the carbon zaskar last summer in Engelberg with it, and it rocks! The riding position is better, small bumps are non existant which really helps after a couple of hours, and when descending the 1000m vertical drop trails in the Jura the bike just flies down like an all moutain bike. The rear wheel follows easily, as the carbon frame does act as a filter, unlike aluminium. The Zaskar corners switchbacks a bit less well then the Epic, that felt, especially after a couple of years, softish and non symetrical in its response when cranking it. The Zaskar transforms any impulse in a (sweet) forward motion, hopefully for a long, long time.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alejandro Gavilanes
a Cross Country Rider
from Esses Date Reviewed: April 29, 2008
Favorite Trail:
snowdonia
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$4400.00
Purchased At:
stiffbikes (wales)
Strengths:
super stiff frame, great forks from Fox as always, Swiss DT wheel set, super fast accelaration
Similar Products Used:
trek 9.0, gt zaskar le
Bike Setup:
xt groupset with xtr shifters, fox rl forks, swiss dt wheel set
Bottom Line:
great bike that has the legendary zaskar brand name, was a bit worried about the carbon fiber not been up to scratch at first, but i was totally wrong, GT have got the construction of this frame spot-on, have owned a trek 9.0 and if i was to compare the two I would take the zarkar carbon pro hands down. Great bike that performes as well as it looks.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Rik Brutsaert
a Cross Country Rider
from virginia beach, va Date Reviewed: March 27, 2008
Favorite Trail:
freedom park
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$2700.00
Purchased At:
performance bike
Strengths:
Light, stiff, low vibration, agile
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
'03 palamino sport, kona kula
Bike Setup:
all stock
Bottom Line:
This bike climbs like a billy goat and corners like a champ. I can go fast through spots where I used to have to come almost to a stop on my full suspension because of the tight cornering. It has taken my riding to a new level because I can go faster around turns and climb much faster. Unlike my aluminum hardtail, the vibrations are almost non-existant. While I feel the difference between the softail, the difference in the speed that I can maintain on this bike is substantial. I am excited to race it and I'm optomistic that I will have good results.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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