Help identify bike and forks!
 

Hello - I'm just recently getting back into mountain biking, and picked myself up a used bike that I'm fixing up for riding. It's a GT, possibly a Zaskar, but I'm not really sure how to tell. Can anyone here help me to identify the bike? I've tried to attach pics to this post. Would the serial number help to ID?

The forks need IDing too - they need a rebuild, but I'm not sure if it's possible with such old forks. Are these Mag21s? I'm trying to reach back in my memory to the days when I was reading every magazine! Do rebuild kits even exist for these? I don't have the cash to buy new forks at this time, I just replaced some of the components and blew my budget :)

Anyway, thanks a lot for any help! Looking forward to learning more about the current state of mountain biking (man, it's changed a lot in the last ten years!!)

velcro.

You can check ebay for parts for the fork. That is your best bet. It definetly is a GT but it definetly be hard to figure out which model.

Those do look alot like mag21s with the tapered lowers.

hello maybe i can help on the bike my winter bike is a gt pantera its now painted and in rough shap but i got it from my brother who bought it new in like 94 maybe

if the fork is original it's more than likely an avalanche frame, good luck with parts for fork.

Thanks everyone - it's amazing how similar these bikes all looked! I checked out pics of Zaskars, Avalanches, and Panteras, and couldn't really pick out any major features that would help me. It makes it more difficult not knowing the year of manufacture, too...

If it helps, it's decked out with full XT including hubs, 21 speed Rapidfire shifters and brake levers as one piece, and Mavic rims. The seat stays say 'Competition Series' and chain stays say 'Handcrafted in the USA'.

I appreciate the responses so far (and I think I really will need good luck finding parts for this fork!!)

Cheers,
velcro.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...126020986&rd=1

That looks similar...

Got something for ya.
http://www.mtb-kataloge.de/html/gt.html

Forks are easy to ID....

Do they have a damping adjustment dial on the top of one of the fork legs (red dial I think)?

If so, they are Mag 20s (early version - 48mm travel) or 21s (later version with 60mm and negative springs).

If not, they are Mag 30s (early version) or 10s (later version with 60mm and negative springs). These were an OEM version of the Mag 20/21 that did not have damping adjustment dial or facility).

Also, be aware that some of these forks we recalled (contact Rockshox with the serial number for more details):

http://www.recall-warnings.com/cpsc-...-95-95136.html

Enduro makes seals for them, but a full rebuild would also need bushings (only from Rockshox):

http://www.enduroforkseals.com/id22.html

They were the best fork available at the time (so good infact that Marzocchi unashamably copied them with their STAR-fork).

They are very light (super light by todays standards at about 3.2lbs) but the compromise is that they can be very flexible (ie don't track as straight as newer forks). This is why most modern forks weigh more (more meat = less flex).

As for the bike, not entirely sure.

From the rear drop out, it is NOT a GT from the time of the forks manufacture 91/92 - the only GT model made from Aluminium then was the Zaskar. It's later.

The rear dropout changed in 1993. So it might be a later than 93 Zaskar.

By 1997, there were several AL models in the range, and it could be a paint stripped one of them. These used different tubing (7000 series rather than the Zaskar's 6000 series, and were made in Asia), and will not be as light or strong.

If its a Zaskar, it's a great frame, if it's one of the others, it's a good frame!

Send the serial number to GT.

93 to 97 Zaskar.

6000 series alloy, handbuilt in the US.

Great, tough bike. Super stiff, and hammers you're a$$ though!

Again, thanks for feeding me more information! It does have a sticker saying 6061 Aluminum (I think... it's 6xxx but can't remember the x's right now). I also wrote to GT (who have an awesome customer service dept, by the way) who replied:

"The top/head tube butting and 2-bolt derailleur hanger give it away as a 1995 model, but the Zaskar LE, Zaskar and Avalanche all had Competition Series decals on the seatstays. Unfortunately, all three were available in a ball-burnished finish, so we can't be any more specific than that."

I checked jeff's catalog link - cool link, by the way - but the '95 catalog didn't show an Avalanche, only the Zaskar, so I wasn't able to compare side by side.

Regarding the forks, there is indeed a damping adjustment dial on the top. Thanks for the link to seals, and all the info, Bike_13! I'll talk to Rockshox and see if they can help me with bushings, but I've heard that they won't have anything to do with pre-2001 units...

Anyway, thanks all for the help, it's much appreciated. Just added some SRAM gripshifters, plus LX levers and v-brakes (wish I'd read about Avid before I bought!) as well as my old clipless pedals, so I'm stoked to go for a ride this weekend.

velcro

Velcro, I would be pretty sure that there would only be some slight tubing differences (if any between these three models - all had identical geometries though) and now that we know it is a US built model, you can be sure you have a quality frame on your hands there!

Yep, Rockshox are now owned by SRAM, so they might not bee very helpful. The only thing that could be difficult to get is the bushes, and if the fork has not been abused/ignored, they should be OK.

Good luck with that bike. I remember that it was a model I lusted over at the time.

Tip: use a massive rear tyre. Oversize 6061 tubing and the triple trioangle design produced an extremely NON compliant ride. A big fat tyre will allevaite some of that!

Good luck, and get out there ......

Fork = RockShox Mag 21

Frame = GT Zaskar

anymore questions?

:crash:

You do that all by yourself?

lol :D

Such a wealth of information on bike forums huh ;)