The Force is as rugged and burly as they come. Built with the same personality and capabilities of the Force Carbon, but in a more affordable package, this ride shreds every inch of mountain. 150 mm of travel, Independent Drivetrain suspension, and lightweight components makes the Force a true All-Mountain ride.
Frame: GT designed 6061 Monocoque frame with Independent Drivetrain suspension. 150mm of r wheel travel. With new forged I-link. New pivot design and taper head tube
Submitted by
JayRob100
a Downhiller
from Aliso Viejo
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2011
Strengths: Take the rock garden smooth, with the adjustable front fork for fast recovery. Adjustable seat makes it easy to move from downhill to cross country and back to downhill. Love the basic colors, black and white on the 2.0.
Weaknesses: The front cables and would change out the components with the sram X7. the chain makes noise going down the hill.
Bottom Line:
I love this bike and it has really worked for me. I started with a hardtail and traded it in after 60 days for this one. I don't even think or look at other bikes right now, because this bike has taken me everywhere and back. I am 6'4" and 275lb, this bike has not had a problem other then replacing the chain.
Bike Setup: Rear 6" Fox RT, RockShox Front 6", GT Handle, Sram Drive and Av-brakes, lever seat. 2.40, not for cross County.
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Submitted by
fatwheels
a Weekend Warrior
from Morrisville NC
Date Reviewed: August 2, 2011
Strengths: tough, good components, great for what i want it for
Weaknesses: original parts were too weak and were replaced asap.
heavy
suspension fork is not very stiff torsionally, but it is a 9mm drop out
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike if you upgrade stuff from stock. much of the original stock parts are not very strong and do not fit the bike very well. The bike pedals well, despite being 34 pounds, but you definitely feel the weight. have upgraded this bike to the max, but will be buying a different bike in the future. this bike is extremely loud and squeaky and you need to disassemble and reassemble the i-drive system to get it to shut up. the frame is very stong, and can take a 20 foot drop no problem. the suspension cannot. upgrade the components, and you will enjoy the bike much more, and it will ride better and faster then before.
Bike Setup: replaced much of the original bike
parts that were replaced along with the parts that will be replacing them
slx rear deraiuler-replaced after crash with xt
chain-broke so upgraded to tougher chain
handlebars-heavy and not wide enough-upgraded to 28 inch bars
stem-way too long-went with 50mm stem-much better
tires-upgraded to kenda nevegal 2.3 with stick-e huge improvement
shifters-lx to xt-big difference
brakes-juicy 3(crap) to bb7(awesome)
wheels-stupid wtb crap to easton haven(awesome and light)
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Submitted by
balance
a Cross Country Rider
from Finland
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2011
Strengths: Smooth suspension, stiff frame, comfy in moderate speeds, good looks.
Weaknesses: Inefficient power transfer, badly built factory wheels, frame prone to creaking, turkey gobble from rear brake (Avid Juicy 3 fault really), really soft nuts for frame bolts, very high riding position because of the high bottom bracket (makes you feel clumsy in low or high speeds), really heavy handlebar, too long stock stem (for me at least)
Bottom Line:
Coming back to mountain biking after several years I was first very pleased by the comfy feel of the GT force 2. I did buy it partly because of the positive reviews in here. After some 1300km and bent wheels (needed truing just after 100km, no jumping, spokes were _very_ loose), cleaning the linkage to tame some creaks, and changing several components for the bike for better fit I decided to get a hartail for winter riding. This summer, a year later, when I started to ride my GT again after getting used to my hardtail I became very frustrated with the inefficient power transfer and the high riding position and decided to swap the frame. Now all my GT components are on Canyon Nerve ESX (06) frame and I can confirm that it is more efficient for pedalling and feels more agile and solid in different speeds. Obviously it is a lighter frame also. I can do 50km rides now without frustration..
So bottom line: Ok and comfy for getting down the hill in moderate speeds and for shorter rides. Not very agile in slow speeds, solid in higher speeds or competent for longer rides.
Similar Products Used: Earlier GT and Haro full sussers, several hard tails
Bike Setup: Sun/Mavic tubeless custom wheels, Nobby Nic/Mountain King Supersonic tires, Koryak riser bar, Fox rp2 rear shock
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Submitted by
jakethesnakeGT
a Weekend Warrior
from Arcade, NY USA
Date Reviewed: May 7, 2011
Bottom Line:
I really do love this bike. It's been a reliable rig and seems brute so far. GT has always made some nice stuff, and def built some tough frames. Everything seems to work smooth and takes hits well. Under full force uphill cranks there is an odd knock sound that seems to come from somewhere around the frame pivot, but as I'm still breaking it in getting things adjusted and dialed in,.. probably just some fine tuning needed in the rides to come. Not many of us are huge fans of uphill work but without a doubt, the design of the i-Drive setup GT uses really makes climbing pretty effortless. And through nice rhythm sections where you can really flow it keeps the rear end connected to the ground well. All around I'm psyched with the bike. Def have plans to go to a shorter stem than the Ritchey that came on it. Feels too long and un-responsive in swithbacks. Other than that,.. you will love it if you ride it!
Bike Setup: 2009 GT Force 2.0 with a Sram components group. Nevegals front and rear, Rockshox 'Rev' 140mm fork, Fox Float RP2 with pro-pedal. Tru-vativ Stylo crank and Juicy3 disks with 185mm rear and 203mm front rotors.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
JaxRox
a Weekend Warrior
from Bloomington, IL
Date Reviewed: May 2, 2011
Strengths: Components are mostly reliable. Plush ride. Decent climber. Feels stable. GT frames are bombproof. Lotsa bike for the price.
It's a good bike for the price. I only weigh about 165 pounds, but I beat the hell out of this bike. The SLX components, Fox suspension, and GT frame continue to perform. This is a true all-mountain bike. I ride it with flats and hang with the XC crowd, but bomb hills, hit jumps, and huck drops on it too. The Neves roll kinda slow, but they bite on corners and I don't care about racing so it's no big deal. I wouldn't buy it to race XC, and I wouldn't buy it as a DH rig, but it fits nicely in the middle. It's a great all around bike.
P.S. Try getting some new experience descriptions mbtr. None of them really fit for me.
Bike Setup: brake is doere xt n fox float rp 2 n fox float r 32 n shimano slx set
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
jt@justdrift
a Weekend Warrior
from Las Vegas, NV
Date Reviewed: February 12, 2010
Strengths: Good quality components for the price, climbs very well, the ride is plush, frame seems sturdy for XC/AM. close to 6" of travel front and rear.
Weaknesses: standover is a little tall. It feels like I'm up so high when on the bike. I would upgrade the 2.10 nevegal tire in the rear to a 2.35 for better grip.
Bottom Line:
For the price I paid, this bike is very hard to beat. It's got a lot of potential for upgrades down the road when I do wear out or outgrow the parts. The weight is about 31 lbs, and can definately be lessened by using lighter wheels/tires, lighter handlebar/stem/post/saddle combo.
As it is, it's definately a big improvement in riding the rocky terrain we have here in Vegas. I used to have to work much harder in climbing the loose-over-hardpack type surfaces with the bigger stuff allover. Smaller drops (anywhere from 2-4 ft.) are good with this bike and I'm sure it can do more in the hands of a more capable rider.
I would say if you want to get an all-mountain bike that climbs really well, but can do the descents too, this bike is for you!
great bike for almmost anything does downhill fine but it can turn around and go straight back cuz of light wieght frame. I would recomend this bike to anyoe wanting anall rounder.
its hard to beat this bike in value and performance,this bike is a great climber rig i love going up hill and this bike deliver with out any fancy sock or fork adjustment,it just need to be pedal,i ride arizona deset trails they are hard and unforgiven,and this bike its taking abuse and its holding well,my next steep will be wheels upgrade,2 pound lither than stock,so i can climb way more faster,gt force is a great bike and i love it
Similar Products Used: marin quadtrail,gary fisher marlin,specialize hardrock,ironhorse bike
Bike Setup: easton carbon bar,tubeless kit(stans)wtb devo saddle,
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
byronwk
a Weekend Warrior
from fayetteville, ar, usa
Date Reviewed: August 14, 2009
Strengths: Great at cornering. The suspension feels a little less than what it says but gives the bike an extremely smooth ride. The SLX crankset is amazing.
Weaknesses: The 6 inches of suspension feels more like 5 in. and the shock seems to leak air every now and then. Some creeking noises when pedaling uphill but nothing too noticible.
Bottom Line:
I've had a blast tearing up the trails with this bike.
Submitted by
motogsxr
a Weekend Warrior
from San Francisco
Date Reviewed: July 16, 2009
Strengths: The I-Drive works great! Almost little to no peddle bob when on seat. Soaked up all the bumps, drops, jumps I could throw at it.
The Nevegal tires seem to grip very well.
Weaknesses: Didn't get RP23 rear shock - Not really a weakness but wanted to state it.
No other weaknesses thus far
Bottom Line:
This is a lot of bike for the price. It was listed for $2,499 at Performance but I was able to pick it up for $1,800 out the door after all of their sale promotions.
I'm just now getting back into Mountain biking and taking more technical trails. This is a great solid bike. I haven't had any creaking issues yet, didn't go through any water yet :)
You want a really great quality, solid, and stable bike...pick this up.
Bike Setup: Force 2.0 w/SRAM X.9 components
Rock Shox Revelation Fork
Fox Float R
Nevegal Tires
SRAM X.9 Shifters & Derailers
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Submitted by
Justcruizing
a Downhiller
from Cape Town
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2008
Strengths: Built quality, value, suspension simple to set up, handles well in tight single track, easy to throw around. Feels much lighter than it looks. Floats over ruts and bumps nicely.
Weaknesses: Lock out would have been great up front. Handle Bars weight more than the frame...well almost. Chuck them. Still might be a little long for some. I ride a small.
Bottom Line:
I've ridden full suspension for 10 years now...I planned on getting the latest GF Roscoe 1 but the price!!!man! it's steep.....this bike climbs like a 3.8inch pony. Still not sure if it really is a 5.5 inch. My GF DLX 1 seemed to have more rear suspension when the going got tough however this nips into corners very quickly sadly lacking in the GF and I'll be using it for long enduro rides and getting my fitness back so it's perfect. Got it down to 12.7 kg and heading for 12.5 after chucking stem, seatpost and WTB Rocket for ti version plus a Alu bolt kit soon. Chucked the LX crank and thrown on a Aerozine orange anodized adjustable crank length. looks insane! overall I'm very happy with the bike. Is this a all Mountain bike....mmmmmm Don't buy it if you want to rip downhill...buy it if you want a bike that does it all accept hard tec trails or downhill riding. Obviously this won't replace your downhill bike.
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Sugar 2, Gary Fisher 2+, Gary Fisher Cake DLX 1
Bike Setup: I've set this up for trail riding...I like the Nevegals however chucked everything but the suspension....New Avid Elexir' CR's, Full X.O, Titec Pluto Carbon Bar, American Classic Rims with Stans. Kept the WTB rocket that is for now. New Aerozine crank.
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Submitted by
gt jorgito
a Cross Country Rider
from Oklahoma City, Ok. US of A
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2008
Strengths: This frame is extremely stiff and agile for its weight (30lbs) and travel (6 in.). I have always been a GT fan, and I believe GT has a winner in the Force and Sanction series. LX components work amazingly well. Fox fork and shock are amazing.
Weaknesses: No weaknesses, just preferences. I don't care much for the nevegals. I like a fast rolling tire. The Nevs are too knobby for me, but it is a preference. The tires are not bad just not for me.
Bottom Line:
The bike rides great and it is quick off the saddle. Roots and rocks are easily run over. There is no pedal feedback noticed even in some of the rough washboard stuff. I love this bike. My I-Drive Team is finally taking a much needed rest.
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