GT ZASKAR FS SPORT

£1,300 GT proudly deliver the ride of a bike with a bigger price tag

This full-suspension bike doesn’t bear much resemblance to the classic GT Zaskar hardtail of the ’90s, but it does have similar do-it-all design intentions. Back then, trials star Hans Ray showed us that the Zaskar was capable of tackling pretty much anything. Now, GT have added rear suspension and incorporated the latest geometry trends, to achieve a similar end – they say it’s designed to “take you anywhere to ride anything”. It looks the part, but does it deliver?

THE FRAME

The alloy frame delivers 120mm of rear-wheel travel courtesy of another blast from the past – GT’s Linkage Tuned Suspension (LTS) design. This is a four-bar, Horst-link system, with the shock – an SR Suntour Raidon R with external rebound damping dial – positioned vertically. One benefit is that this frees up space in the front triangle (relative to a horizontal shock), so you can fit a large bottle on the down tube. You get a top tube accessory mount, too. SRAM’s Universal Derailleur Hanger (UDH) is a positive addition, as well.

Geometry is modern. The effective seat tube angle is a steep 78 degrees, for efficient climbing, while the head angle is a slack 65 degrees, for downhill stability. This is aided by lengthy 450mm seatstays, which contribute to a long 1,222 wheelbase on our medium size, and a substantial 447mm reach figure.

THE KIT

Up front is a 130mm-travel Suntour XCR34 coil fork, also with adjustable rebound, along with a preload dial (providing rudimentary rider weight adjustment) and a lockout. Gearing is handled not by Shimano or SRAM, but by MicroSHIFT, who provide their 10-speed Advent X drivetrain. The wheelset consists of Boost-width (the latest standard) Formula hubs laced to WTB rims and wrapped in 29x2.3in WTB Breakout Comp tyres.

Two-piston Tektro M275 hydraulic disc brakes with 160mm rotors provide sufficient bite and power. GT’s own components complete the build – including a rigid seatpost – along with a WTB Silverado saddle and push-on (not lock-on) grips.

THE RIDE

At 5ft 3in (160cm), our tester generally rides a small, but the GT was out of stock in that size and the

medium turned out to be a perfect fit. The Zaskar FS’s geometry ensures a comfy riding position, aided by the short stem and well-shaped riser bar. Once up to speed, the bike rolls along capably on flat trails and fireroads. However, as soon as the pace or gradient increases, its 17kg weight becomes an obvious energy sap.

Adding to the workout is the 11-48t MicroSHIFT cassette, which doesn’t provide a super-low climbing gear. Combine this with pedal bob (unwanted suspension movement under rider inputs), which makes it difficult to lunge up and over roots and rocks, and you have to go relatively fast on the climbs to keep your momentum, which increases your heart rate, fatigues your legs and can leave you out of breath.

The weight is all-but forgiven on the descents, where it helps keep both rider and bike planted and stable, while the fork and shock soak up trail chatter impressively. Even the odd cased landing of a drop-off does little to unsettle the GT. The WTB tyres are well-suited to trail centre tracks, where the bike can be leant effortlessly into banked turns (berms). However, they let this otherwise capable rig down in muddy conditions.

Something else we struggled with a little was fork set-up. The medium coil spring in the fork on our (medium) bike proved too firm for our 58kg tester, only allowing us to access 95mm of the 130mm of travel on tap. The bike therefore felt unbalanced at times. There was no such issue with the air-sprung fork on the Boardman, with its easy spring-rate adjustment.

Replacement springs are available for around £18, but once you add the cost of new tyres, too, the GT starts to look a lot more expensive than the other two bikes here.