GT

Zaskar 27.5 LE Expert Complete Mountain Bike - 2015

As the top-rung on the ladder in GT's alloy Zaskar 27.5-inch hardtail family, the 2015 GT Zaskar 27.5 LE Expert Complete Mountain Bike is as premium as they come — running a 1x10 drivetrain and rolling on premium wheels with a full Race Face cockpit at your control, it's ready for any cross-country ride that you are.

Of course, the skeleton of any hardtail mountain bike is its frame, and that frame informs every aspect of the bike’s performance. GT has spent the better part of more than three decades studying this, and the Zaskar is a great demonstration of what its engineers have come to understand. The Zaskar 27.5 frame uses a proprietary blend of aluminum alloys called Speed Metal Ultra, with each metal allocated specifically to various areas of the frame, including the top tube, seat tube, down tube, bottom bracket junction, and other areas wherein the demands on the material are unique to that particular section. The result is a fine-tuned frame that’s light enough to slay some cross-country singletrack but tough enough to rip some serious all-mountain trails, as well.

A big portion of the frame’s capability is owed to GT’s famed Triple Triangle design. The seatstays are elongated to join the mainframe not at the seat tube/top tube junction, but further forward on the top tube. The seat stays are welded to the frame not just here, but also where they cross the seat tube. This configuration achieves several things. First, it shrinks the rear triangle. The tighter angles make it stiffer, for greater acceleration and less torque-robbing torsional flex under load. Secondly, the fact that the seatstays stay straighter for longer before they join the frame means they are wider at the seat tube junction, again reinforcing lateral stiffness for greater stability and responsiveness. Of equal importance is the durability which the design affords — there’s a reason you see so many decades-old GT frames still roaming the trails out there, and this is a big part of the reason why. They can take a serious beating, and then some.

The build on the Zaskar Expert aims for the higher-end of the spectrum, but it doesn't break the bank. We love the Race Face single-ring crank that teams up with a Shimano XT rear derailleur for a light, simple, reliable 1x10 drivetrain. Race Face likewise lends the bike's cockpit, and Shimano brings its smooth and predictable SLX hydraulic brakes to the game, too. Down below, some very rapid Continental Race King tires wrap around a Stan's NoTubes Rapid wheelset, for rolling stock that brings a great balance of speed and toughness.

The GT Zaskar 27.5 LE Expert Complete Mountain Bike comes in five sizes, from X-Small to X-Large, and in the color Gloss Blue. It does not include pedals.