While some bike models last just a couple of years, others change with the times to stay at the top of riders’ wishlists. In the second part of this series looking at the evolution of bikes that enjoy enduring popularity with UK riders, we turn to the GT Zaskar – a bike that was at the forefront of our sport for a long time and still has plenty of appeal today.
You might think it was a joke if you were asked to imagine a single bike able to win downhill, cross-country, dual slalom and trials World Cups, but the GT Zaskar has seen success in all four of these disciplines at the highest level. It’s also been ridden by some of the most talented and interesting characters in mountain biking, from Hans Rey and Steve Peat to the Athertons. This hardtail wasn’t just ahead of the curve when it was launched in 1991, it defined the curve, and helped usher in a whole new, more hardcore style of riding.
Last issue, we looked at the Lapierre Zesty and how enduro racing created the need for ‘one bike to do it all’. Well, that’s just what the original Zaskar was, a decade earlier. In the early ’90s mountain biking was still in its fledgling stages and riders would race different disciplines on the same bike, often on the same day. What set the GT apart was that it actually worked well for all the different events!
The Californian company’s BMX background helped them create a bit of a design hybrid, with progressive (for the time) geometry and tough but lightweight aluminium construction. This meant the Zaskar was just as at home being hopped around by Hans Rey, who built a whole career around riding the bike, as it was picking up medals on the race circuit or being ragged around your local woods. Its shiny polished frame did something practically unheard of during the era of early aluminium bikes, touting both strength and beauty. Apparently the only reported failure was when Hans reversed over one in his car!
The original Zaskar was about as modern as you could imagine and really felt like it was at the sharp end of the sport – especially when fitted with RockShox’s new RS-1, the first proper suspension fork. It stood out in a market filled with steep-angled, sometimes fragile and often flexy mountain bikes, and would reign as the go-to do-everything machine for many years.
Horses for courses
During the late 1990s, the sport started to evolve and diverge. Specialist cross-country and downhill bikes began to emerge, with their own specific geometry, components and requirements. Downhillers were no longer haring down fireroads. Instead, jumps, drops and rocks were being put between the tapes, calling for more suspension travel and tougher frames and parts to take the heavy landings and big hits. Bikes like the GT Lobo DH, Giant ATX One and Marin B17 Team DH dominated the descents. Meanwhile, cross-country racers were climbing higher, for longer and faster, so their bikes needed to be light and give the rider every possible technological or geometry advantage on the ascents. The likes of the Specialized Stumpjumper, Kona King Kahuna and Klein Adroit ruled supreme.
The do-it-all bike had had its day, especially with the rise of further disciplines such as trials, dirt jumping and dual slalom racing. Sadly but inevitably the Zaskar lost its place on the front line of mountain biking, conceding it to more specialist machines. It didn’t disappear, but during the 2000s this famously grin-inducing machine changed its colours to become a thoroughbred cross-country race bike. The Zaskar remained in GT’s line-up throughout the 2010s, with a 29er variant being launched to sit alongside the 26inwheeled bike, then a 4in travel fullsuspension version. They lacked the spark and versatility of the original though, and struggled to make an impact in a market that was now dominated by full-suspension bikes.
It’s back!
Fast-forward to today and the 2016 Zaskar should make purists rejoice. With a back-to-its-roots feel, the latest bike is a do-it-all bike that’s crying out to be razzed around like the original. Although a carbon hardtail normally means an XC bike, the range-topping Zaskar Carbon Limited sets out its hardcore intentions with a RockShox Pike fork, 1x11 SRAM drivetrain, high-volume Maxxis tyres and Race Face finishing kit. There’s a lighter, more XC biased version too, along with some budget-friendly aluminium options, but the confusing mish-mash of wheel sizes and frame types is gone.
True to its original incarnation, GT have kept things simple on the new Zaskar. This is a 650b wheeled trail bike with a long front centre – just the thing for knocking out a few laps of the woods, launching off the odd jump or sliding down the local DH runs on. Mountain biking’s gone full circle, with the majority of riders just wanting to get out and have fun rather than focus on one specific discipline, and the latest Zaskar reflects that. The legend is back!
Hans Rey The legendary GT rider
Hans Rey has been sponsored by GT since 1997 and remembers the development of the original Zaskar. One of Gary Turner (GT) and the guys’ first experiments with welding aluminium, it had a beefy design, lightweight tubing and modern (for the time) geometry, with relatively slack head and seat angles.
“The Zaskar changed its character more than once over the years. It started out as this ‘one bike for all’, all-round beast. My early trials exploits and videos featured the Zaskar and it became synonymous with my name. I took it above and beyond traditional competitions and turned it into this extreme bike that could take any kind of riding and abuse.
“I remember racing one of the first ever indoor MTB races at the NEC in Birmingham on a motocross race track. All the riders, including Tim Gould, David Baker, Jay Hardy and Dave Wonderly, had to do XC races on the MX track and also trials comps over cars and obstacles. In an attempt to make mountain bikers look good, one wasn’t allowed to carry the bike on the MX track or tackle any sections cyclocross style. Dave was in the lead to win the whole event when his prototype Zaskar frame snapped in half with only one lap to go. If I remember this right, I dropped out and let him finish on my bike. That was during the days when we were still learning about heat treating temperatures and the need for gussets.
“On a personal note, this bike was my companion throughout the early years of my career in the ’90s. I used it in the film Tread, during hundreds of trials shows and comps, at slalom and DH races, on Laguna Rads rides, for Pacific Blue filming and on my early adventure trips. Even Mr Jiggs, the chimp from my videos, rode a 20in mini Zaskar!”
Mark Peterman GT veteran who was there at the start
The Zaskar’s rise, fall and rise again has reflected the evolution of the sport itself. When prototypes appeared in 1989 and 1990 the mere fact it was made of aluminium was cause enough for its celebrated status. The Zaskar was designed to be an all-round bike that could take massive punishment, while also looking beautiful in a very different way. GT veteran, and now general manager, Mark Peterman continues the story...
“I saw very clearly that most riders, even pros, rode every discipline on one bike. This wasn’t an actual rule, just the way it was – DH, XC, dual and even uphill races were more often than not done on one model of bike.
“The Zaskar had to wait until its original fans became old and grouchy and turned against the sometimes meaningless march of bicycle technology. When the yearning for the simplicity of an earlier time became widespread among the veteran cognoscenti then, and only then, could the legendary Zaskar move to the front of the hordes of upstarts and proudly proclaim its hereditary rights in the MTB kingdom.
“For many of my age this is the bike that defined an era – and it was a time when everything was new and exciting. I feel that the latest iteration truly harkens back to that original spirit and purpose.”
Patrick Kay The man behind the new Zaskar
It was Patrick’s job to be the steward of the Zaskar and guide it carefully into the future. He says the new geometry definitely harkens back to the bike’s more versatile days. Patrick has equipped his own Zaskar with a 120mm RockShox Pike fork, 1x11 drivetrain, Maxxis High Roller II tyres, RockShox Reverb dropper post and 760mm wide Race Face bar, “all of which equals tons of fun!”
“We looked at what was happening in the premium hardtail bike space and noticed that nearly all carbon hardtails were designed for racing. We see a ton of riders on hardtails who aren’t racing these bikes but are just enjoying their local trails on them.
“We realised that combining 650b wheels with our progressive geometry would give different riders and different bike builds completely different experiences. From there, things just started to fall into place.
“The Zaskar morphing into what it is today was kind of organic. It didn’t happen in a boardroom meeting, through a Powerpoint presentation or because of a market research firm. It just happened. And it felt genuine for the Zaskar.”
GT Facts
- The company’s namesake, Gary Turner, founded GT back in 1972 when he built his first BMX bike.
- GT’s BMX presence boomed from 1974–1986, with the brand making a name for selling the most durable bikes available.
- In 1986 they signed Hans Rey, who remains on their roster to this day and has only ever been sponsored by GT.
- Other GT sponsored riders have included Nico Vouilloz, Steve Peat and the Athertons.
- The Triple Triangle frame design – where the seatstays extend past the seat tube to join the top tube – has become synonymous with the brand and is still seen on a lot of its hardtail models, a wink to GT’s past.