# GT Frame ID Zaskar Pantera Avalanche



## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

Can anybody help me identify this GT frame? It has canti brakes and is stamped 7005. It has the single bolt mount derailleur hanger. I checked the catalogues on the German mtb site, and I can't open the 96 catalogue, where I suspect they had canti's (vs V brakes) for the last year. Since it is stamped 7005, I guess it isn't a Zaskar. Any help would be apreciated. Thanks,
Scotty


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## RickD. (Apr 7, 2004)

I agree that it's not a Zaskar. My vote would be Avalanche, but for no real scientific reason. That looks like too nice of a fork to come on a Pantera, and if I'm not mistaken, Panteras were never offered polished. Obviously one could strip/put a nice fork on a Pantera, but my gut says it's an Avalanche...


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*GT frame ID*

Thanks Rick,
I didn't really want to start another GT frame ID thread since there are a bunch already, but I was just having trouble narrowing it down. I have to look closer at the welds, but I thought I saw something dark in there this morning, which could be leftover paint, and that would lead me to believe it had been stripped down.


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## EJ (Aug 29, 2005)

The 7005 sticker says it's not a Zaskar, but with the availabilty of decal kits from GT dealers and now via ebay, let's just say there are alot more Zaskars out there than GT ever built.  
Here's the way to tell - look at the plate on the back end of the top tube where the GT logo is stamped. On Zaskars, that is a flat plate, on the 7000 series bikes, it's curved (as this bike's is). 
The first year for the single bolt hanger was 96. A 96 would've come with a Judy fork, that appears to be a Mag21 in your picture, so my guess is somebody built the bike up from parts.


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*GT Frame*

I love your comment about there being more Zaskars out there than GT ever built. The 7005 is actually stamped into the dropouts, so Iknew instantly that it was not a Zaskar, or any other 6061 frame, and the GT logo that is stamped in the rear of the top tube is a different logo than my early Zaskar which made me believe it was later than 94. I thought maybe 97 since there is a 7 in ther serial number, but it doesn't have V brakes so I figured 96. Too bad I couldn't open the 96 catalogue. It is probably in there. I might need to update my acrobat reader. Thanks for all the good info.
Scotty


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## vdubbusrider (Jul 28, 2004)

geez Scotty, you've gone ape sh!t into this MTB collecting thing. you started this collecting thing what, two weeks ago and now you have 3 or 4 bikes. leave some for the rest of us


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*GT Frame*

Yeah,
I have kinda gone nuts. I started collecting the 26" bmx cruisers since the 20 inchers were too small to ride now, and I think the Cook bros was the crossover bike that pulled me over to vintage mountain biking. One thing about collecting the vintage mtb stuff is, there is still some good stuff out there. With bmx, it is getting tougher and tougher.

Don't worry though, I am pretty much out of garage space. I am just trying to build up 1 or 2 cool vintage mtbs. I would still trade anything I have for a cbr 3 bar.

Scotty


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## Paul1PA (Jan 12, 2004)

Hey Scotty,

I currently have a '95 Avalanche and also a '95 GT Catalog. For that year, the only other hard tails to be ball burnished were the Zaskar and Zaskar LE (and those frames were 6061-T6 as others have mentioned -came with yellow Judy forks too).

My Avalanche has many similarities to yours. Specifically, my bike has canti brakes, a 7000 Al decal on the seat tube, 7005 stamped on the dropouts and the plate at the end of the top tube is curved. Plus, this bike orginally came with a gold finished Rock Shox Mag 21 (which is the fork on your bike).

Incidentally, my serial number also has a '7' (but no '5'), so can't assume the model year from that I guess. Really, everything seems to match up, except for one thing: My derailleur hanger uses two mounting bolts (takes 5 mm hex keys). 

So, perhaps you have a '96 frame (???). For sure, it is from the mid-90s and, more than likely, orginally an Avalanche.

Paul


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*GT Frame*

Thanks Paul,
The funny thing is, my earlier Zaskar has the 2 bolt derailleur hanger. I am certain it is earlier since it has a U-brake on the seat stays, although I am not sure of it's year either. It seems like they moved the front gusset from between the top and down tubes, to below the down tube somewhere around 95 or 96, so I am going by that also to determine that my Zaskar is older than this one. Why can't someone put a serial number site together like so many people have for Schwinns? Waaaaa.

I don't know if the shifters are stock, but it has the xtr shifters without the little windows. The rear derailleur is the gunmetal gray xtr and the front is black xt. It has Kooka cranks, so some of the parts are likely upgrade afterthoughts.


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## Paul1PA (Jan 12, 2004)

*'95 Avalanche Photo*

Yep, sounds like your GT has seen a few upgrades. My Avalanche came with primarily Deore components (mix of LX & XT). Has the gold anodized Mavic rims too.

Here is a photo of my bike that may help. This was taken several years ago, so almost entirely stock. The only two exceptions are the riser bars and grips. Also, you can see the steering tube has gussets above and below (probably since this is the largest frame size).

Oh yeah, my back rear brake cable guide is riveted to the top tube. Plus, the seat post collar lacks a quick realese and is milled out in the center (looks the same as yours). Just some other things to check for.

Long live classic GTs!

Paul


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## EJ (Aug 29, 2005)

I have GT catalogs from 92-97. 
In the 96 catalog, there are actually 3 7005 series bikes that came in ball burnished finish. 

Avalanche LE - BB finish only, Judy, LX/XT w/ V-brakes

Avalanche - Hard anno. grey or BB finish. Came with rigid fork or optional Quadra 21R fork. LX w/ XT r.der. LX cantis.

Pantera - Black or BB finish, rigid or Q21R, STX/Alivio mix 

So, I guess it could've started out as either of those 3, since they shared the same frame.

Another notable change for 96 (Paul's photo reminded me) - in 96 they dropped the "all terra" from the GT logo. Starting in 96 they had the bigger GT on the downtube, with the model name on the top tube.


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## jobe (Sep 17, 2004)

I know that you can identfy the age of US built zaskars by the first 4 digits of the serial no.s, but does that work with the Avalanches /LE'S and Panteras?


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## Paul1PA (Jan 12, 2004)

GT_guy, that would be interesting to browse through all those old catalogs. When I dug up my '95 brochure yesterday, I was shocked (no pun intended) at how many dual suspension bikes they had back then. Thought that craze took off much later!

Sounds like canti brakes were starting to be phased out in '96. That is probably the last year that suspension forks were optional on many models too.

jobe, my Avalanche has an 8 digit serial # and starts with 'H4K1'. I can't decipher anything from that, but if you can, please let me know.

To me, sounds like Scotty's bike is a hodgepodge of different parts and far removed from any OEM GT model.

Paul


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*GT frame*

Nice hodge podge though, Kooka cranks, platinum rings, anno dia compe 987s, full XTR except front derailleur (xt). I am not complaining for $100.


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## Paul1PA (Jan 12, 2004)

ScottyMTB said:


> Nice hodge podge though, Kooka cranks, platinum rings, anno dia compe 987s, full XTR except front derailleur (xt). I am not complaining for $100.


Absolutely, those are some sweet (and expensive) upgrades. Smokin' deal for $100 that's for sure! Was it an eBay purchase?

Just to be sure my comment wasn't taken wrong, I wasn't trying to insult you or the bike. Rather, just pointing out that it would be difficult to determine the year and model based on components.

Hope you enjoy it!

Paul


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## cegrover (Oct 17, 2004)

ScottyMTB said:


> Nice hodge podge though, Kooka cranks, platinum rings, anno dia compe 987s, full XTR except front derailleur (xt). I am not complaining for $100.


If you think you have some stock Shimano components, you can use them to get an idea of the date:

http://www.vintage-trek.com/component_dates.htm#shimano

That does look like a nice find!

I, too, only recently started collecting vintage MTBs, but I now have five in the garage (in addition to the newer FS bikes my wife and I normally ride):

1987 Diamondback Arrival
1987 Schwinn Paramountain (just got this one this week)
1988 Fisher Montare (my first recent vintage MTB - bought in June)
1989 Stumpy Comp (cleaned up and sold this one)
1991-ish Diamondback Axis
1992-ish ParkPre Hammer

Fun stuff, so far...some I'll clean up/tune and re-sell to fund the collecting hobby and goodies for my primary bike, some I'll keep and ride. I got into this because I missed some things about my 1991 Rockhopper and my 1986-ish Giant AT730. The Giant is the only bike I've ever bought new for myself. I did buy my wife's ETSX new, but it was discounted by about 50% because it had been at the shop for almost two years. I consider myself a lucky man to have a wife who was elated to get a Rocky for Christmas!


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*Gt*

No offense taken Paul. I picked it up off Craigslist. I originally got it for the cranks, but when I got it home, I didn't have the heart to tear it down. The owner kept it well tuned.

Grover, you do have a garage full. My garage is maxed out. I am at the "one in, one out" stage. If I bring something home, I need to make room for I by getting rid of something. In this case, probably my U-brake Zaskar.


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## cegrover (Oct 17, 2004)

I thought I was at the one in/one out point, but I couldn't turn down the Paramountain.


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*Gt*

I saw a Paramountain once but it was before I was collecting and I passed it up. Post a pic of your if you have one. I wanna see if it is like the one I passed up.


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## kb11 (Mar 29, 2004)

check this thread for Paramountains, scroll down, http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=138737


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## Rivet (Sep 3, 2004)

ScottyMTB said:


> I would still trade anything I have for a cbr 3 bar.
> 
> Scotty


Man, that brings back memories. I used to live down the street from Gary Cook when I was a kid and saw every weird bike he ever produced. The funny part was that I rode a PK Ripper and a few other bikes at the time...no Cook's. He wasn't the nicest guy.


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## EJ (Aug 29, 2005)

Paul1PA said:


> GT_guy, that would be interesting to browse through all those old catalogs. When I dug up my '95 brochure yesterday, I was shocked (no pun intended) at how many dual suspension bikes they had back then. Thought that craze took off much later!


Oh yeah, I agree. The mid-90's were GT's high point. They were probably the biggest bike company back then and they also owned Riteway, which was the biggest parts distribution co. In 96 they had 7 full susp. bikes (4 LTS, 3 RTS), 8 aluminum hardtails, 11 steel hardtails, 7 cross (hybrid) bikes, and 5 different kids' bikes including 20 and 24 inch Zaskars. 
Who today has 38 different models of mountain bikes???

Scotty - is the Zaskar you have the one with the big ZASKAR decal on the downtube and the GT logo on the toptube??


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*Zaskar*

I will post a pic, but has GT down the tube and Zaskar LE on the top, I believe. It has inverted U brake mounts on the seat stays.


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## StumpyinTN (Oct 6, 2004)

I have an older GT that I bought in '95, I think. It's a Pantera that has a titanium finish. I'm trying to figure out if it's a '95 or '96 model. The head tube cracked on the first ride last year, so it was retired to inside trainer duties. I've been looking for another frame on ebay, but I haven't found one just like it. Given the color above and it has all STX parts, what year is it? Also, besides eBay, where is a good place to look for older GT frames? I'd like to fix it and have another bike to ride, even if it's just on the street.


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*Gt*

There is a real nice deal on a zaskar on [email protected] right now. (OK, that was a shameless and probably illegal plug). I think craigslist is another good place to find bikes, but no where near as many as [email protected] Check the Classifieds link here at mtbr.com.


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## EJ (Aug 29, 2005)

StumpyinTN said:


> I have an older GT that I bought in '95, I think. It's a Pantera that has a titanium finish. I'm trying to figure out if it's a '95 or '96 model. The head tube cracked on the first ride last year, so it was retired to inside trainer duties. I've been looking for another frame on ebay, but I haven't found one just like it. Given the color above and it has all STX parts, what year is it? Also, besides eBay, where is a good place to look for older GT frames? I'd like to fix it and have another bike to ride, even if it's just on the street.


1995 Pantera came in "Mirror Titanium" finish. It should have 2 bolts on the der. hanger - in 96 they switched to single bolt.

96 Pantera came in Black or Ball Burnished


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## StumpyinTN (Oct 6, 2004)

GT_guy said:


> 1995 Pantera came in "Mirror Titanium" finish. It should have 2 bolts on the der. hanger - in 96 they switched to single bolt.
> 
> 96 Pantera came in Black or Ball Burnished


Thanks for the info. Now if I can just find another frame.


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## ScottyMTB (Oct 26, 2005)

*Gt*

Stumpy,
Send me an offline email if you are interested in a U brake Zaskar frame.
Scotty


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## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

RickD. said:


> I agree that it's not a Zaskar. My vote would be Avalanche, but for no real scientific reason. That looks like too nice of a fork to come on a Pantera, and if I'm not mistaken, Panteras were never offered polished. Obviously one could strip/put a nice fork on a Pantera, but my gut says it's an Avalanche...


Zaskar's have always been BALL Burnished. (Tumbled in a vat of ball bearings. Different than polished because it also helps to harden the surface of the finished product and holds sheen longer than a naked polished aluminum frame). The Pantera was offered POLISHED one year. I beleive it was 1994. But if memory serves me right I beleive it was clear coated over the decals also. The Backwoods was offered polished with clear coat over decals in 1996 and ball burnished in 1997 also. Tempest and Backwoods were offered in Polished finish in 1998.


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