'94 GT Zaskar Aqua (all dead photobucket links)

[Muddy paw]

Re: '94 GT Zaskar Aqua

Ah yes the dilemma of the lack of size and colour hmm bugger! although you could get some 1.95's in black then sticker bomb the side walls ha ha ! but seriously i had noticed a big lack of amber/tan wall tyres last year in the bigger sizes and they weren't semi slicks either so you don't actually have a choice as i have to agree that black wall tyres just wouldn't do the overall look of the Zaskar any favours ..

I can't believe that you can still get your thumbs between the chainstays and a 2.25 tyre blimey that's very impressive :shock: .

Ian

 

[SEANSTEPHENS]

Re: '94 GT Zaskar Aqua

Ah yes the dilemma of the lack of size and colour hmm bugger! although you could get some 1.95's in black then sticker bomb the side walls ha ha ! but seriously i had noticed a big lack of amber/tan wall tyres last year in the bigger sizes and they weren't semi slicks either so you don't actually have a choice as i have to agree that black wall tyres just wouldn't do the overall look of the Zaskar any favours ..

I can't believe that you can still get your thumbs between the chainstays and a 2.25 tyre blimey that's very impressive :shock: .

Ian

More and more modern tan walls seem to be emerging for mountainbikes the last few years, but all new technology seems to be aimed at the 27.5 and 29 inch market doesnt it? 26" is definately lacking in new thre choices. Ive been saying since 27.5" become the standard mtb wheel size that there will always be a market for 26", and it will probably come back into fashion once people get bored of silly wheel sizes :facepalm:

I guess the zaskar is quite burly and ahead of its time for a mid 90s frame, probably what made them so agile and usable for xc dirt jumping trials etc i suppose. I could just about fit a dh tyre on the rear (if for some reason i wanted to)

 

[Muddy paw]

Re: '94 GT Zaskar Aqua

Yes i wasn't impressed either when the new 27.5 wheels came out and it's no surprise new tyre techology is aimed at these newer sizes but seen as the cheaper bikes that are sold these days have the 26 inch wheels fiitted you'd expect a better choice in tyres so fingers crossed the manufaturers will eventually see sense and start producing more choices ie; colour and tread patterns for the 26 inch but i'm not gonna hold my breath ..

I'll say it's burly all right so yes i guess it was quite expected for it to become so versatile out in the world of off roading and they do appear to look like they can cope with anything and although it could probably provide the best type of rear suspension fitting a dh tyre some how i think it would just look plain wrong ..

 

[SEANSTEPHENS]

Re:

True that high spec bike technology gets cheapened and donated to equip cheap bikes as it becomes 'outdated' ie 26 inch wheels, threaded headsets, 21&24 speeds, v brakes etc etc. Kinda makes higher spec bikes of yesteryear look much lower spec and cheaper to the untrained eye. On the other hand though, it makes these bikes become more 'retro'

Ive walked into specialist and expensive bike shops before with my zaskar running 40mm travel elastomer forks and felt like im carrying a relic of mtb history... When i take it somewhere like evans cycles, People can be more interested in my zaskar than any modern bike instore, ive even had the staff gather around it!

 

[Lhatch4]

Re:

I found these on amazon. The trouble is they are 26x2.5. That would be a bit large for my bike. I can't get bigger than 2.1 wide. It seems like I found another option not too long ago. I'll do a search.

 

[Lhatch4]

Re:

Here it is:

 

[Muddy paw]

Re: '94 GT Zaskar Aqua

Yes you can quite easily find yester years high tech cheapend and found on budget bikes these days like you say although i have to admit some of the budget bikes these days have fairly decent quality wheels on them and yes when you think about it these latest buget bikes are basically retro styled machines ..

Unfortunately so called modern specialist bike shops aren't proper bike shops as their only real interest is in selling top end modern bikes and parts and making as much profit as they can because their only goal is profit making so they actually miss out on meeting the truely interesting cyclists with a true passion for cycling and their well loved bikes from the earlier years ..

Oh yes Evans never ever been anything but a true bike specialist with a real heart and soul and always willing to listen to and understand the real passionate cyclists out there and guide those new to the world of bikes .

It's just a shame i don't have an Evans near me as my nearest proper bike shop is Harry Hall's around 7 miles away in Manchester if it's still there that is hmm! i feel a trip coming on ..

 

[SEANSTEPHENS]

Re: Re:

Unfortunately so called modern specialist bike shops aren't proper bike shops as their only real interest is in selling top end modern bikes and parts and making as much profit as they can because their only goal is profit making so they actually miss out on meeting the truely interesting cyclists with a true passion for cycling and their well loved bikes from the earlier years...

I know exactly what you mean about them not being real bike shops... The bike industry i reckon has become a lot more corporate than it used to be, which is a shame because it was probably once run by cyclists for cyclists. Now its about making money, rather than being for enthusiasts.

Its like its been decided that what we need is a gradual redesign of the mountainbike, thus making all of our bike parts obsolete and non compatible with current frames

I found these on amazon. The trouble is they are 26x2.5. That would be a bit large for my bike. I can't get bigger than 2.1 wide. It seems like I found another option not too long ago. I'll do a search.

Usually a maxxis skinwall tyre in 26 brings Phrases like 'rocking horse shit' and 'hens teeth' to mind haha. they were made in very few numbers for some reason

I had a dart tyre on my fsr i think, paired with a smoke but it was years ago so cant remember what they were like. I had a pair of smokes on my zaskar until about a year ago. I found that they didnt roll very smoothly on the road but also werent very grippy off road. I wasn't enirely sure where they're strengths lie, maybe smokes just arent designed to be used together i dont know, but none the less they look the biz on a retro mtb