In terms of hardtail design, it doesn’t get much more iconic than GT’s Triple Triangle. Going hand in hand with the Triple Triangle is the legendary Zaskar frame which has seen a little bit of everything since it was launched in 1991. A lot has changed since then, including the Triple Triangle design itself, but that ‘do everything’ spirit of the original Zaskar lives on in the latest iteration – the Zaskar LT.
Mountain bikes have gotten longer, slacker up front, steeper at the seat tube, gained more travel, and run bigger tires. Which kind of sums up the Zaskar LT. Built to be an extremely capable hardtail, the Zaskar LT is a dedicated 29er with room for 29 x 2.4″ tires in the frame. Up front, a 130mm travel suspension fork comes stock, though the frames can handle up to 140mm.
While the original Triple Triangle design was meant to increase frame stiffness and durability in an era when mountain bikers often broke frames, the newest version is more about compliance. Instead of attaching the seat stays to the seat tube and the top tube, they are instead just attached to the top tube, allowing the floating stays to flex which adds 50% more compliance to the frame.
Available in four sizes, the LT runs a 66° head tube angle with a 75° seat tube angle along with longer reach numbers paired with 45mm stems.
The 6061 butted aluminum frame has a 1x specific design with a tapered head tube, Boost 148mm rear spacing, a 73mm BSA bottom bracket, and internal cable routing including the dropper post.
Sold in two trims, the higher end Zaskar LT Expert runs a combination SRAM NX/SX 1×12 drivetrain, WTB ST i30 TCS rims with Formula hubs, and a “TBA” Rockshox fork. From the photos it looks to be the RockShox 35 Gold, but the TBA tag means we may see something different for production.
For fewer Euros, the Zaskar LT Elite still gets you a SRAM SX Eagle 1×12 drivetrain and tubeless wheels and tires, but the fork is a SR Suntour Zeron 35 coil, along with other small changes in spec.
Note that for now, both of these bikes will be available in the UK and Europe only. GT states that future regional availability is in the works though.
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