Newbie reading for a bashing! Part 1!

[StimCity]

Hi all!

Firstly, thanks for being here, lurked for a week or so after finding you all from doing some research. Was hoping to get back into things via the cycle to work scheme then realised a fundamental truth - I have a bike, I loved it, thus I will love it more (Plus work said no). I haven't ridden for many, many, lonely years.

 

[StimCity]

Once upon a time I went from a Super Tuff Burner to a Puch "All Terrain Bike" that fell apart, never worked, weighed a ton and ultimately was swapped for a racer (sorry, road bike) that I destroyed in less than six months and hated.

 

[StimCity]

Next up was a Raleigh Thunder Road - which I as I remember was MUCH better than this link let's know... http://www.retrobike.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=691394&sid=89e00ee83609f38cd3c6f435082c6590

It had a hideous oval chainset iirc.

But I didn't like that either, thus I managed to grab a Giant Escaper from "On Two Wheels" in Bedford along the lines of:

http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/8040/gianthc9.jpg

It was about two months old, had never been ridden off-road and had been tweaked a bit with Mavic rims and a few bits and bobs. I put a few XT bits along with the Thunder Roads bars on it alongside a (could be wrong?) it's DX set.

I road the arse of that bike, for years. Averaging 8 miles a day on and off road for at least 4 years. It wasn't unknown for us to reach over 60mph down hill at the Barton Hills and I things like bombholes and fast single track at Chicksands on it. I gather Chicksands is a little infamous now?

Such a shame as we road there from about the ages of 12-16 and there were no pre-made tracks. My Dad, was still using this Bike at 70 (maybe still), perhaps I should grab it back and catalogue it! I'm now nearly 37.

I'd got to the stage of wanting to race XC (but cared only about DH, even on a rigid bike) and was fit enough/ But I fell off a cliff (long story, no time).

At about that time, a MBUK reviewer got sent to Chicksands to check it out on a Proflex 750. Oh how we laughed.

1) it was our secret riding place and 2) He couldn't stay on his test bike anywhere we kindly took him, FS, for us was an epic fail...

SO. I got a bit older, had a couple of motorbikes, a long-term girl-fiend and a car or two. I still managed to keep some cycle time in which all went to pot when my job lead me to commute long distance to work.

But I did manage to grab a 3rd hand GT Zaska LE along the way. This I leant to a friend that I got back a couple of years ago in a shocking state (Morgan, you're a bastard!).

Really, it looks a right off. BUT, I want to restore and ride it to the best of it's ability.

Hopefully I'll get some decent pics this weekend to share, but from Memory (I work away during the week) it is as thus:

GT Zaska LE *Year tbc*
Bullseye hub and snowflake wheels
XT/XTR groupset
Rockshox Judy SL with XC internals (rust on the stanchions)
Gripshift (hate)
Azonic bars (not sure)

The rest, tbc!

Quick question though - assuming it's circa 96, what's the best fork for it? Although it has Judy's I gather a Bomber Z2 would suit it best? (or there abouts?)

Lok forward to updating you soon!

J.

 

[Barneyballbags]

Welcome to the forums

You've got a nice bike there - I'd stick with a set of '96 Judy SLs as your forks. You might want to find another set though if yours are rusted up!

Find a set of XT/XTR Rapidfires and ditch those Gripshits (sic) too

 

[lewis1641]

Hi and welcome. I'd be more inclined to say bombers. Chances of finding a set of judy's that don't need work is minimal. Bombers are pretty much bombproof

 

[StimCity]

Thanks guys.

I actually have a set of boxed shifters somewhere - I grabbed em as I hated grip shift with a passion!

Are the Bombers all of a size and won't through the bike out of line?

 

[Drencrom]

To date the Zaskar, just pop the serial number on here - you'll find it on the non-driveside drop-out. Look out for the '6061' stamp as well.

If the Zaskar's a '96 then a set of Z2's wouldn't be a bad idea. Z1's (the orange classics) might be a little too 'tall', what with having 100mm of travel, or 4" in old money, compared to the Z2's 80mm. As long as the steerer is 1 1/8" and long enough, then you should be fine.

Then you'll want to dress up the entire bike and enter into a wallet draining spiral of retro parts.