It's Enduro. Not Endurance. With the advent of 20 minute-plus downhill racing comes a need for a bike with an optimized blend of downhill-specific and pedal-friendly geometries. With the Sanction, this need is addressed. A lighter, more versatile cousin of the Ruckus, the Sanction is the bike of choice for riders looking for a dominant Super D or Enduro Racer. Its relaxed geometries even make it a decent choice for riders whose line choices are so bad that they'd be better served riding an Enduro bike instead of their lightweight Endurance rig - just ask Tyler, GT's marketing guy.
Submitted by
chrisNZ
a Weekend Warrior
from north shore city, auckland, new zealand
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2010
Strengths: Fantastic look, looks tough as hell. frame feels stiff when cornering but soaks up the hits and is plush as over the ruts and bumps.
Weaknesses: a touch heavy when you`re riding long access roads in. how bout Carbon Sanction eh.
Bottom Line:
This bike inspires you to go faster harder and bigger than , well, bigger than i`m capable of. I have taking some massive stacks on this bike , end-o-ing half way down a hill after over cooking the jump on the crest, i saw stars, Sanc-y just needed the bars straightened. Rides thru rock gardens with ease and climbs pretty well. Virtually no bob with pro-pedal on.
Bike Setup: Monkey lite bars, crank bros dropper seat post, mountain king tires ( awesome) , and some crazy gold cabling .
Have replaced two-step with coil in fork, now very linear , and have both front and rear rebound wound right down, it now just sticks to the ground with no bucking.
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Submitted by
buckscountymtbr
a Cross Country Rider
from Quakertown, PA, U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2010
Strengths: Talas 36 Talas RC2 160 mm travel fork takes the hits without problem. DHX Air 5.0 XV rear shock smooths things out nice too. Smooth Hammerschmidt crankset with good ground clearance. FSA Gravity wheels seem indestructible.
Weaknesses: A little heavy but expected on what is a pretty rugged rig.
Fork and frame don't seem to fit some roof/trunk racks respectively without adapters. Avid Elixir CR brakes only seem so-so.
Bottom Line:
I happen to luck into this bike at a Performance Bike store opening in Allentown, PA just as the 2010 clearance started and bought one of the last small-sized black frames remaining in their warehouse inventory. The double discount made me take a chance on the Sanction 1.0. I'm now glad that I did.
Its a beast of a bike visually (four other individuals' exact, coincidental words). Admittedly, the Sanction 1.0 is not for super weight-conscious riders, (especially once gear is added) but boy, oh boy, it can sure take the punishment. I weigh 210 lbs. and took it out for its first spin off 3-foot riverbanks and into a dry urban creekbed in my hometown filled with cinder block and chunks of concrete and the Sanction rolled right over the stuff without problem. Excellent ground clearance of almost a foot due to the internal Hammerschmidt. Nice adjustable suspension both front (I really like the Talas fork) and rear with minimal bob. All in all, decent components came stock. All I needed to add were a cage, and both Forte barends and platforms with a possible Shimano brakes upgrade to follow.
The Sanction 1.0 will definitely give you "bang-for-the-buck" performance if you're looking for a rig that could probably bridge the all mountain - freestyle divide without problem if necessary. At the very least, its an excellent AMB. This was something that I was looking due to the type of rocky, root-filled hilly singletrack I ride here in Pennsylvania.
Similar Products Used: late 1990s Bianchi Peregrine hardtail retro rig (NOT similar)
Bike Setup: FOX 36 Talas RC2 FIT fork, FOX DHX Air 5.0 XV 6" travel rear shock FSA Gravity wheelset, Thompson Elite stem and seatpost, Syncros carbon bar, Avid Elixir CR 185mm hydraulic disc brakes, Hammerschimdt internal shift crankset, Forte platforms, monocoque aluminum frame
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Submitted by
LLinks
a Cross Country Rider
from Morrow, Ohio, USA
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2010
Strengths: Price, component spec, looks… all around badassness.
Weaknesses: None found as of yet. It may be a couple pounds heavier than some other AM bikes, but I’m pretty sure that’s more of an indication of the type of riding this thing can handle rather than a weakness.
Bottom Line:
This thing is definitely confidence inspiring. Once seemingly sketchy sections of trails are now no problem. This thing eats up everything! At 250lbs (now you know why I really don’t care about a few extra pounds of bike), I can be pretty hard on bikes… This thing feels like it can take anything I throw at it. Just took it to Snowshoe for some downhill last week and it tore everything apart… including some 3-4+ foot drops. The only concern I had prior to buying this thing was its ability to climb with its geometry and 160mm of travel up front. The thing can climb! This bike is super bad!
Similar Products Used: Entry level Giant, Redline D660 29er
Bike Setup: X9 / HammerSchmidt build, Fox DHX 5.0, Fox TALAS 36, Elixir CR brakes, Syncros carbon bar, CB Candy 3 pedals
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Submitted by
sanction rider 1.0
a Downhiller
from Concord, California, USA
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2010
Strengths: Takes all the nasty drops, gaps, berms, jumps, and even the hills! Tough frame and good quality construction. The geometry is great, and the aluminum frame is not too heavy for a all mountain rig. I can ride every nasty rock on any trail and wont get bounced off. Just a smooth plush ride.
Weaknesses: It takes some getting used to a slightly heavier bike and not having a third sprocket at the front derailleur. It is a bit of a change in climbing with a decreased head tube angle but you overcome all this relatively quick.
Bottom Line:
Probably one of the best trail, all mountain/ downhill bikes I have ever had the pleasure to ride. It has never disappointed me. Everyone who sees it appreciates its roots, and what the bike has become. It is a top of the line ride comparable to those of a more expensive breed. I let my friends all ride knowing they cant break it and everyone comments on the way it makes you feel like your floating down the trail.
Similar Products Used: Gt I drive 5 3.0, Specialized stumpjumper, Santa Cruz Nomad, Ironhorse warrior, Gary Fisher I cant remember, Ellsworth epiphany
Bike Setup: I drive platform, Fox racing suspension, Avid disc brakes, and Hammerschmidt front derailleur. All add up to one mean package.
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Submitted by
bikerboy84
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: November 22, 2009
Strengths: climbing, downhill and everything in between.
Weaknesses: all my mates want to ride it
Bottom Line:
I bought the frame with air shock and changed that after a few ride to coil to try it out and think that it has a better feel in the rough stuff.
Overall it is the best all mountain/freeride setup i have had the pleasure to ride so far.
I've set it up for the downhill but it still rides beautifully uphill.
If you like the rough technical style terrain then this bike will double your confidence while still being a very capable uphill bike
do try it!!!!
Similar Products Used: have owned and ridden lots of bikes; currently have eight in the garage
Bike Setup: santcion frame with dhx coil.
lyric fork.
kind shox dropper seat post.
stans flow rims with pro2 hubs(the best ever)
saint cranks.
ck headset.
raceface bb.
code 7 brakes with straitline levers.
kore bars and stem.
xtr derallieurs and shifters.
geax sturdy tires.
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Submitted by
Brydon
a Weekend Warrior
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: November 17, 2009
Strengths: Cost, 6inch rear travel, nice looking bike, good all rounder.Purchased frame and shock only.
Weaknesses: single pivot brake issues, fixed with a floating brake.
Bottom Line:
Like going down more than up, so set it up with some bigger forks up front, wider rims, two chain rings and bash plate oh yeah just made a nice floating rear brake that changes the way it feels coming into corners fells so smooth in the rear now, perfect set up.
Bike Setup: Rockshock 318 8inch up front, fox air rear,wider rims for bigger tyres.
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Submitted by
hitechredneck
a Weekend Warrior
from colorado
Date Reviewed: October 24, 2009
Strengths: tough, take take a beating, i have a few hard crashes and bail outs and few broken parts but the frame can take a pretty good beating.
Weaknesses: leverage ratio with air shock.
Bottom Line:
I really like this bike. i had been out of biking for a few years and i walked into the local shop and starting looking at bikes. After chatting with the sales fella for a while i endend up on this bike. I like it after a few upgrades to make it a little more solid with maximus freeride bars and 70mm stem, wheels and a dhx 5.0 in the back to adjust ramp up for bottom out. At first i thought i bought to much bike cause i was dieing trying to move this bike around being a 33 lb build. After having the bike whip me back in shape, I was shocked how well it climbed with the idrive and NO pro pedal. then i pointed it down hill and wow what a blast!!! this thing feels at home going down it had more guts then me on the downhill takes everything i can throw at it from trestle bike park, to 15 mile climbs to ladders and skinnys and drops and the local jump/pump track. this bike is a for real do it all bike. I went and demoed the "god" of all mountain bikes the SC Nomad and was shocked that it felt alot like my GT only was twice as much and i had to use a propedal shock to climb it. Glad i demoed and did not fall for the hype, I hear GT had a few bad years and lost its "hype" But i can tell you the sanction does not fall into the bad years category! Get one while you can there not being brought to the US in 2010.
Bike Setup: saint brakes, cranks, lyrik front, dhx 5.0 rear, mavic crossmax sx,
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Submitted by
matt9210
a Weekend Warrior
from Wanchai, Hongkong
Date Reviewed: July 27, 2009
Strengths: climbs great and goes down real fast and confident.
Weaknesses: a bit heavy but with the i-drive u never noticed it evenon climbs.
Bottom Line:
great value for money...was planning on getting an ellsworth epiphany but with the bargain and the set-up it had on ebay...glad i decided to go for this one.
no regrets and will ride this AM/FR rig for a long time. climbs better than my XC rig and definitely more confident on the downhill ride of any trails.
with this GT Sanction i can climb up the trail together with my buddies with XC set-up without being left behind sometimes i can even outclimb them at the same time can do downhill rides with my buddies with DH set-up.
i think this is one of the best if not the best all around, all mountain bike out there.
Bike Setup: gt sanction with fox dhx air 5.o and magura wotan fork, chris king headset and bottom bracket, shimano hone cranks, xt brakes, shifter, derailleur and casettes. mavic 819's with hopr pro2 wheelset fitted with maxxis advantage tires, thomson stem and seatpost plus ritchey carbon wcs handlebar.
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Submitted by
Chayseh
a Weekend Warrior
from Albuquerque, New Mexico
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2009
Strengths: The set up on this bike is amazing. It will climb like a goat. The I drive system is perfect. The travel will make you hit some drops that you may not have hit before with ease.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
It's a great bike. GT got it right with this one. It has handled everything that I have put in front of it. Enjoy the ride up and take a hell of a trip down.
Submitted by
ehansen007
a Downhiller
from Aliso Viejo, CA
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2008
Strengths: Built like a tank!. Fully loaded at great price. Lyrik fork is amazing once set up correctly. Great paint job. Amazing climber for it's category.
Weaknesses: Built like a tank! A little heavy. Crank Bros Acid Pedals are throwaways.
Bottom Line:
I was considering buying a bike to replace both my Mongoose Teocali Super 5.5"(which is the best bang for the buck anywhere as far as I'm concerned) and my Kona Stinky 7", and I had the choice made up for me when someone stole the goose out of my garage. Now the Stinky's up for sale while I try this bike out.
This bike truly blurs the line between freeride and all mountain but I'd have to say it's more of a tough all mountain bike that can pedal uphill and handle good sized drops vs a real freeride bike. We've all seen the ads by now about "it's not freeriding if you have to buy a ticket" I do buy that but not in full since it doesn't have a full coil setup that soaks up huge drops or rocks like a true free ride bike would. Still, it's pretty plush.
What you end up getting with this bike is a stellar package that you can take anywhere and do almost anything with. I can keep up or beat most of my buddies on the climbs and just bomb downhill while jumping over stuff. Truly versatile. BUT, for this bike to really come alive, I believe you have to forgo the factory shock settings both front and rear and set it yourself, install a shorter stem and some hi-rise bars. I changed the bars and the stem before the first time out but it was still hairy as I used the factory recommended settings and it was way to stiff, not soaking up the usual babyheads and shale on my local rock garden. I came back and immediately went to tubeless (as with all my bikes), and went to work setting the sag. Setting stag was very tricky so I just kept working it until I had the most travel setting without bottoming. Next ride out it was heaven! This thing climbs like a heavy hard tail with the propedal! I've love the 2-Step fork. I'm still bedding in the brakes but I hear from most that the XT brakes are awesome once bedded in.
So things to switch out:
Bars
Shorter stem
Try Tubeless!
Pedals-unless you like that griding sound Crank Bros pedals make
Add a Chainstay guard
With these mods, I managed to shave a pound off the bike and may go with some XT cranks to lighten it up even more. I'm at 32.5 and dropping!
Similar Products Used: Mongoose Teocali Super, Kona Stinky
Bike Setup: Stans Tubeless setup, Sunline 65mm All mtn stem, Easton carbon hi-rise bars, Shimano 424 pedals, SDG I-Beam team with post,
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Submitted by
Charles
a Weekend Warrior
from Auckland
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2008
Strengths: Goes where you point it no matter where that is. Strong frame, very responsive, well matched suspension, looks great.
Weaknesses: Bread not bombs? Interesting stickers, lucky you don't really notice them
Bottom Line:
Big, beefy all mountain beast. Soaks up the hits really well. Looks very heavy but doesn't ride that way. I have been progressing to a heavier and heavier bike and find my all mountain times are much the same but my grin factor has well and truely increased. That being said at just over 30lbs (about 15kg) it isn't that heavy. Riding this bike inspires a huge amount of confidence, the 20mm through axles and decent travel means it tracks so true and gets you looking up ahead instead of the terrain directly in front of you. I was reluctant to get off the Ellsworth but I don't regret it for a minute. Thought it would be like trading down to a ford from a ferrari. The welds are excellent, the finish great and the I'drive rear susp is very supple and looks quite simple now.
The Lyric fork is great. I love the lock out and quick height adjustment. Real easy to set up. I really like this bike and will have it for some time to come.
Bike Setup: As purchased- Rock shox lyric, saint crant, thompson stem and post, xt drivetrain and brakes, fox dhx shock
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Submitted by
Charlie
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: April 14, 2008
Strengths: Bullet proof construction and beefy frame without the weight you'd expect from the specs. Beautiful handling on the trails, can handle any downhill I was prepared to throw at it, pedals quite well uphill.
Weaknesses: XT brakes were not quite as powerful or responsive as I'm used to, Juicy 7s still win that one.
Bottom Line:
I hired this bike for two days to ride Rotorua's amazing Redwoods trails in NZ. I initially thought it might be too beefy to ride all day and, while it proved that it could certainly handle a lot more punishment than I was prepared to hand it, it was actually quite good to ride as an all-day trail machine. On the windy, swoopy singletrack it handled beautifully, was very easy to flick in between the sequoias and was surprisingly easy to pedal up to speed so I could launch into the sweetest berms I have ever railed. Downhill it handled very comfortably, the fork and shock soaked up bumpy, rocky descents easily and I felt like it had a lot more to give on the small drops I took. Pedalling felt quite nice, I didn't notice much bob on the flats, certainly not much more than the SC Blur LT that I normally ride. The price seems quite good for such a capable bike and I wouldn't make to many changes out of the box. Finally the bike looks good, nice lines, good paintjob and very solidly built, especially around the top tube and rear triangle. It's a pleasure to look at. I think GT is onto a winner here and when I'm eventually in the market to go from 5" to 6" this will be a contender.
Strengths: This bike ascends as well as it descends. It is a very responsive in various conditions. Switchbacks feel like I am on a XC bike not a trail bike. The seat tube angle does not change when sitting into the bikes sag even when the Lyrik is at full travel. This gives the bike consistent supple feel. This bike climbs better than any other 6 inch travel bike that I have ever used. The bikes pedals exceptionally well on the open fire road to a technical single track. For a bigger bike I felt that my energy was not robbed getting my 205 lbs ass up the hill. Stand up and pedal- the bike travel sits there. The suspension is still active but lacks the BOB.
Weaknesses: The WTB/DT wheelset is a bit inadequate for aggressive riding styles. The narrower rim width of 24mm combined with lower tire pressures gives the bike a squirrely ride. Increase the air pressure to 35-40lbs and the riding performance gets better. I believe 22-24mm width rims have been the biggest fault of long travel trail bikes for the more agressive rider. The narrow width lacks support for 2.3-2.5 inch tires w/ lower pressure when pushing the bike around. 28-30mm stiffens the feel of the bike and gives me a better sense of security running a stronger rim. The Ritchy bars took some getting used to, I have been using Easten bars for the last 7yrs. The bars performed on par, they are not my first choice because of personal feel.
Bottom Line:
The Sanction is the best bike that GT has built since the 70's. XT, Saint, Thomptson, Fox DHX Air 4.0, and RockShox Lyrik for only $3200. You can't get a better deal for a sweet performing bike from anyone. Yes it is a GT, but if this is the future line up from GT- it will put a hurt on the compitition. Over all I have really enjoyed the ride of this bike, I can't wait until I can fully push this bike around, snow and frozen icy ground has put the dampers on some fun. I give this bike 2 thumbs up. A smile from ear to ear.
Similar Products Used: Rocky Mountain Slayer 70, Santa Cruz Heckler
Bike Setup: In the rear shock I put in my body weight, 205 lbs for now. This gives me about 40% sag. The DHX Air 4.0 ramps up with great performance as expected from Fox. The Lyrik 2 step air, I am running with a bit less air pressure than recommended. I am sure that once I put more time on the bike I will have to adjust pressures. The components of the bike are what they came with to date. I will run these till the spring to get a better stock feeling for the bike.
Hey all.
I am wondering if someone with a 2009/2010 GT Sanction would be interested in swapping + (plus cash) their bottom bracket and crankset with me. I want to go with a dual Read More »
Im planning to get a XSmall Sanction 1.0, Im '5"4 with "27 inseam. The standover spec on XSmall is "28, will this be a problem when im out on the trail, Im fairly new to mtb, any o Read More »
The rear derailleur on my Wally bike fell off, and Wally was nice enough to let me return it for a full refund (within 3 months of purchase). The good news is, I am going to be upg Read More »
Anyone else not wild about their Avid CRs on a Sanction 1 or other somewhat similar gt bike? They came stock in what overall seemed like a decent component package. I kinda thoug Read More »
