GT Zaskar LE | wickedwrenching

1993 GT Zaskar LE

Not long after I finished the GT Psyclone (see build page for info), my good friend and long time ride buddy Andrew told me he was interested in building up his dream bike. I asked him what bike he was thinking of, and he told me he really wanted a GT Zaskar.

We went canvassing through some of the old catalogs on the internet, looking for a model year that caught his fancy. He wanted early, cantilever brakes and the like. I showed him the 1993 Zaskar LE (pictured below) and he liked it. There were just some personal requests for the build...catalog correct except to change the stock GT saddle for a Flite titanium, and use a Syncros stem & post. The project was on!

I started hunting around for a frame. I knew that my chances were much better hunting in the US as opposed to Australia, so I put the feelers out and made some enquiries and it wasn't long before the right bike presented itself located in SoCal. Home of GT!!!

The bike was relatively complete, which was a major bonus. I quickly imported it back to Aus and once it arrived I tore it all down and looked at what could be reused, and what parts I needed to order going forward...

It came with the original rigid forks, but Andrew wanted Rock Shox Mag 21 forks, so they were set aside. Most of the XT drivetrain was there, but the cockpit had been chopped and changed and it now had grip shift and a horrid upright stem and cheap steel riser bars. the component list was growing! I started hunting around for a set of GT embossed bars and the Syncros cattle prod stem/post. The post can be hard to find as the correct size for this Zaskar is 26.8 and that is fairly uncommon, but I managed to get a good deal on a post that still had the lettering intact which was great!

Once everything was removed the next task was to completely disassemble all the components and get into some thorough cleaning. the wheels were first, I removed all the spokes and pulled the hubs apart to check the cup/cone wear and refresh the bearings. The hubs were polished on the buffing wheel, rims were cleaned and lightly sanded to refresh the brake tracks. Then the wheels were rebuilt with fresh spokes and nipples, I used Dt Swiss double butted spokes with aluminium nipples to keep things nice and light.

Next was the drivetrain, most parts came good after a wash with the exception of the crankset. the rings were faded and messy. I removed the original colour dye from the rings and polished up the cranks and rings ready for anodising, funny enough- before I prepped for anodising I showed Andrew the cranks all polished and he really liked it. It kinda looked like M900 XTR and would suit the overall look quite well, so we stopped there and left the cranks mirror finished.

With most of the components done the next big task was the frame itself. The original decals were removed. Several passes with cleaning and then light wet sanding to get the grain in the tubes all aligned and neat. then it was on to the buffing wheel with several passes on the sisal wheel with a medium cutting compound before final colour on the flannel wheel with a non abrasive compound. After that it was time to apply the new decals. The frame and component results are pictured below. Things are progressing nicely!

Once the frame was completed and the remainder of the parts had arrived, it was time for the fun to begin....reassembly!

The Rock Shox Mag 21 forks were pulled apart and cleaned, new piston rings and oil levels were set for Andrew's weight. Some matching GT decals were also used on the forks to complement the frame kit.

The grip shift shifters were replaced with XT rapid fires, the first series to be released after the thumb shifters if I recall correct. Rounding out the rest of the parts included a original Flite saddle and the requested Syncros gear. Every small part was cleaned and re finished before making its way onto the bike. I wanted this to look as close to original as possible just like it was in 1993 on the dealer showroom floor.

The final photos below show the bike complete with the exception of a set of XT 737 pedals, which were delayed due to Hurricane Irma!