Is the GT Zaskar FS the Best Budget Full Suspension?

The question I see more than anything else is, "What is the best budget dual suspension bike?" I see answers from "Polygon" to "Buy used on Facebook Marketplace" to "There is no good budget dual suspension mountain bike." Like anything else, all of those answers are correct because it is based on personal preference. Speaking of personal preference, allow me to give you mine....

I was in the market for a good dual suspension bike that could do it all, from XC to the Bike Park, under $1,500 so I could test and review it. After searching the internet for hours I found two choices that met my criteria.

1) 2024 Polygon Siskiu T6 - 29", priced at $1,499.00

Specs:

Fork: Rockshox Recon Silver, 140mm

Rear Shock: X-Fusion 02 Pro R, 135mm

Drivetrain: Shimano Deore, 10sp

Wheelset: Entity XL2 Tubeless Ready

Brakes: Shimano MT201 | 160mm Discs

Tires: Vee Tire Flow Snap

2) 2024 GT Zaskar FS - 29", priced at $1,088.00

Specs:

Fork: Suntour XCR 34 Coil, 130mm

Rear Shock: Suntour Raidon R, 120mm

Drivetrain: Microshift Advent X, 10sp

Wheelset: WTB STX I25, Tubeless Ready

Brakes: Tektro M275 | 180mm Discs

Tires: WTB Trail Boss

Because one of the kids I coached on the Youth mountain bike team had a Polygon and I have a soft spot for GT because of my time spent in the 80's & 90's, I decided on the GT Zaskar FS. When it arrived, I put it together immediately and adjusted the suspension to my liking. It took me 2 - 2.5 hours to complete, including the suspension adjustments. Before the bike arrived I ordered a Suntour Durolux 36, 170mm front fork and Rockshox Monarch RL, 160mm rear shock expecting to not like the factory suspension. Instead of just changing the new forks and rear shock out, I decided to try the bike out with its current suspension. I'm glad I did.

The Suntour XCR 34 Boost front fork has a great feel, I was shocked at how good the fork felt. It has both compression and rebound adjustments, which is perfect for most mountain bikers that are not engineers. Had I known how good the factory suspension was, I would not have upgraded it. I ended up putting both the fork and rear shock on my daughters XC bike. The handlebars are aluminum, 780mm wide, 31.8 diameter and work great with the short, 30mm long stem. Overall, this bike, in my opinion, is the best bang for your buck on the market today. Even the prowheel hollow crankset works well at 175mm long.

I decided to test the bike both in our local trails in upstate NY and at Mountain Creek Bike Park in northern NJ. The 10sp Microshift Advent X worked flawlessly up hills and down, while the suspension, brakes, and heaviness of the bike keeps you feeling ultra confident going down hills. At the downhill bike park, it wasn't exactly flawless, but definitely better than expected at this price point.

After our first run, we popped the rear tire due to a pinch flat after landing a drop. The bike shop got us going again and we were without problems the rest of the day. Both the front fork and rear shock travel was used 95% pretty much on every run down the hill on green and blue trails but felt great over the tabletops and drops. The tires hooked up better than expected and the brakes were pretty good for most of the day. Towards the end of the day when I really started pushing it, the brakes overheated and I had a hard time stopping.

My overall impression of the bike is it's well worth the price at $1,088.00. You can ride your local trails and hit the bike park as long as you're not hitting double black diamonds. Since the first test, I upgraded the bike and now it has the following specs:

Fork: Suntour Durolux 36, set to 150mm travel

Rear Shock: Rockshox Monarch 190x51mm, with 153mm travel

Handlebar: Renthal Fat Bar, 800mm x 35mm diameter

Crankset: Shimano Deore 175mm

Seatpost: ExaForm manual dropper

Brakes: Shimano Deore, 4 piston front & rear with 203mm front & 180mm rear discs

This is the perfect bike for someone looking to do it all on a budget. Reach out to us directly if you have any questions or comment below. Thank you for reading!