Submitted by
treydog90
a Weekend Warrior
from Mystic, CT
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2009
Strengths: the iDrive. great platform to build an xc or am or even a dh bike.
Weaknesses: to put discs on u need to get a disc converter, i chose therapy components' one
Bottom Line:
this bike is great. throw on clips and you will climb like crazy. you can leave it stock and it rocks. upgrade to all new parts and well it looks and rides like a dream. i will run this bike into the ground, and then ill just buy another frame and swap it all over!
Similar Products Used: a mongoose blackcomb...but doesnt even compare in the least
Bike Setup: almost nothing is stock on this bike anymore! its now has shimano xt gears and derailers, fox float in the rear, rock shox judy psylo xc fork, bontrager race disc rims, michelin XCR xtreame tubless, avid juicy ultimate hydraulic discs using the Therapy Components disc converter (frame didnt have place for the discs) and cane creek headset.
hope to upgrade to new 09 fox float RPL rear shock and Vanilla RLC fork, plus switch to full XTR shifters and derailers and all this spring (well we will see about the xtr)
Strengths: The gusseting and welds are superiorly strong. SoCal old GT style. Slill taking huge jumps at fast on rocky Boulder,CO trails, even through built in the late 90's. Look's very aggressive and is very very aggressive. Climbs flawlessly with that I-Drive assist. Downhills flawlessly. Dual air SID shock is top shelf.
Weaknesses: LX drivetrain needed upgraded. Rockshox Judy Race bottoms out when needing high performance. Stock brakes are questionable.
Bottom Line:
I have an old GT Avalanche hardtail and it may climb a bit better but the XCR 3000 is unbelievable. It may surprise some people. After upgrading parts on this bike, I will take it on any Colorado trail and it ain't messing around. This bike climbs uphill rocky trails with no problem. I have went over the handle bars several times and it even wipes you out well. The frame alone on this bike is worth more than I paid for it. I got hooked up and will roll this bike for years. If I break the frame I will be on Craigslist searching for the same same. I can't rate this bike high enough and recommend it for anyone looking to do agressive riding.
Similar Products Used: I won't roll anything but old GT's
Bike Setup: XT drivetrain. XT Brakes. XT hubs. Thomson seatpost. Easton hyperlite handlebar. Slime tubes w/ Bontrager Jones XR tires.
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Submitted by
larocque3600
a Weekend Warrior
from Bracebridge, Ontario, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 19, 2008
Strengths: Great durability! Rode to full extent of my capabilities. Purchased in 1999, have been riding it since, still with most original parts. Had to replace chain, and a couple cables, but nothing else. Will continue to ride as long as it is operable.
Weaknesses: As time goes by, harder to find gt specific parts for.
Bottom Line:
Best Bike I have ever owned. Will look for one similar if I ever need to replace it. Or will just keep frame in working condition, and replace parts as need be.
Submitted by
Garrett
a Weekend Warrior
from Marysville WA. USA
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2007
Strengths: I-Drive, smooth suspension, excellent breaks, Rock Shox, loves going down hill I maxxed out at 55 mph
Weaknesses: weak stock rims and sprocket, a bit on the heavy side. I've spent almost as much on repairs as I did on the bike
Bottom Line:
I love this bike, I've put over 10,000 miles on it in the past 8 years of owning it. I've done all types of riding from pavement to places where bikes just weren't meant to be and it's never left me stranded. I've used and abused this bike and it just keeps on chugging along. excellent jumper, just have to know your limits and know what you're doing.I-Drive system is amazing it makes for a much smoother ride worth its weight in gold. overall great bike for the price, recommend it to anyone
Bike Setup: stock except heavier duty bontrager Rims
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Garrett
a Weekend Warrior
from Marysville WA. USA
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2007
Strengths: I-Drive, smooth suspension, excellent breaks, Rock Shox, loves going down hill I maxxed out at 55 mph
Weaknesses: weak stock rims and sprocket, a bit on the heavy side. I've spent almost as much on repairs as I did on the bike
Bottom Line:
I love this bike, I've put over 10,000 miles on it in the past 8 years of owning it. I've done all types of riding from pavement to places where bikes just weren't meant to be and it's never left me stranded. I've used and abused this bike and it just keeps on chugging along. excellent jumper, just have to know your limits and know what you're doing.I-Drive system is amazing it makes for a much smoother ride worth its weight in gold. overall great bike for the price, recommend it to anyone
Bike Setup: stock except heavier duty bontrager Rims
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Submitted by
chris pleass
a Weekend Warrior
from salisbur
Date Reviewed: June 24, 2007
Strengths: The forks on this bike give a nice smoothe ride and over all the bike is light and a good all rounder i ride everything on this from dh to xc trails to jumps. the frame also looks a little bit like specialized bib hit in my veiw.
Weaknesses: the ride is strange on thwe downhill runs i do as you are (or it feels like you are over the front wheel.
Bottom Line:
i gike it 8/10 good forks ad shock but te ride is strange as soon as you put up the saddle
Submitted by
krasp
a Weekend Warrior
from Tarzana, California, USA
Date Reviewed: September 22, 2004
Strengths: Awesome bike for price/ value! Never let me down after upgrading to Medium fork springs in the Judy and upgrading to Slime filled tubes. Awesome bike still going strong! Handles EVERYTHING adequately!! I've taken this bike across the country to different spots and different terrain. It handled everything best it could!
Weaknesses: Stock Judy springs are too light. Stock tubes too vulnerable.
Bottom Line:
Great value, and great strength and stability. I beat this bike up every weekend, and It's never let me down!!!!
Favorite Trail: All the surounding hills of the SFV
Duration Product Used: More than 3 years
Price Paid:
$1150.00
Purchased At: Kelly's Bicycles in SFV, Ca.
Similar Products Used: 2005 Trek 6700 Disc, 2000 GT Aggressor
Bike Setup: Deore LX/ STX-RC, Mavic
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Luis Hernández
a Weekend Warrior
from Guatemala
Date Reviewed: July 29, 2004
Strengths: The i-drive, rear suspension, strong bike, soft rides, it handles very good.
Weaknesses: A little heavy at first but solved with clips. Front shocks are a little soft, keep them hard position as possible.
Bottom Line:
A great bike for all rides. Like it better downhill. You get used to the weight when climbing after a while, use clips. Keep all components clean, specially i-drive. It looks very good after 20 great falls! After 2 years I´ve had no trouble with the components. It is really a best buy, new or used. Stronger front shocks recommended.
I´ll never change it! I will buy another but keeping this one.
Bike Setup: sst.x wtb saddle, tiltec stem wtb bars and bar ends some cool tires made by wtb I don't know which ones LX components avid breaks and rockshock front and a rear fox
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Submitted by
Tony
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney, Australia
Date Reviewed: October 9, 2002
Strengths: Very nice balanced bike. Smooth ride. Great looks
Weaknesses: The weight. It's on the heavy side (comming from a previously owned hardtail).
Bottom Line:
This from an intermediate weekend rider. I like this bike. I bought it second hand for $1500AU or approx ($800US). Love the way it climbs rocky trails and you can really shoot through single trails with tight corners. I've taken it off 4ft drops and it's childs play. I like jumps but Im not one for flying though. The weight of the bike does mean more work but if you've got plenty of upper body strength then you wont be effected to much when ridding tricky trails and jumping. From the reviews I've read, I'll keep my eye on the frame but it looks and feels in top condition. Feels very solid too. The I-Drive takes a little getting used to. I notice the granks swinging inside the system from time to time but you get used to it. Someone made a good point how this system probably adds to the wieght of the bike. If you got the tension up on the back spring, it does feel like a hardtail at times and there is little bounce when pedaling. This is why I liked it over other softies I've trial ridden. This is the 1st softail I've owned but I am most certainly happy with it. I think if you can shave as much weight as possible from the bike then it'll be heaps better and fun to ride. If you pick one up second hand at a price I bought it, or cheaper, then you got yourself a great buy in my opinion.
Similar Products Used: Giant, Mongoose (full-sus). GT Backwoods, Balance 450
Bike Setup: Mostly standard. Judy 100's Aftermarket Azonic bar, seatpole, seat, pedals, front brake booster.
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Submitted by
Preston
a Downhiller
from Fort Collins, Colorado,U.S.A.
Date Reviewed: October 8, 2002
Strengths: The bike is pretty smooth going down.(After you replace the fork and shock)
Weaknesses: This bike is very heavy, It is no fun to have to ride it up a hill. It is fairly cheaply made, Thin metal at the important spots. The components on this bike are crap. The XT rear hub has got to be the most backward designed hub in the history of mountain biking. I have bent both rims to the point of replacement. The deore shifters have fallen apart. I have broken teeth off of the LX crankset. The LX rear derailer broke after five rides. I bent the syncros handlebar after a year. About the only thing that I haven't had to replace is the rear cassette.
Bottom Line:
After I put the fox vanilla RC on it became a new bike. It climbed better. It decended much better, but I still would not recommend An I-drive frame to anyone. These frames are so heavy you couldn't believe it. I broke my first frame after about a year. It broke at the upper shock mount. I am not that big of a person 6'4" 190lbs. I ride hard, but it is not like I was hucking it off of eight foot drops or anything like that. GT took so long to do anthing about the warrenty that I just went out and replaced it with a Santa Cruz Bullit. The Bullit frame weighs as much or even a little less than the GT frame. On top of that the Bullit even climbs better. GT just a few weeks ago replaced my broken frame with a 2001 I-drive 1.0. It looks to be much stronger than my old frame, but I need new upper shock bushing for either of my shocks to fit it and I have no idea where I am going to find those at. The bottom line about this whole story is stay the hell away from GT. The I-Drive was a good idea in theory, but does not help at all, it just adds weight. Save your money and buy a little better frame from a more reliable company. All I have had with this frame is problems and trouble. Screw GT!!!
Similar Products Used: Shwinn four banger, GT LTS, some K2 frame
Bike Setup: 1999 Jr. T fork, fox vanilla RC shock, XT disc brakes, XTR front derailer, Shorter Bontrager stem, XT rear derailer.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Mike Robertson
a Weekend Warrior
from Edinburgh, Scotland
Date Reviewed: September 28, 2002
Strengths: I-Drive is superb and the Judy forks really do perform to an excellent level. Takes alot of bruising and is just great
Weaknesses: Slightly heavy and original parts kinda suck
Bottom Line:
It is all round great bike - I got this for a steal at £400 ($600 US) second hand, and has been perfect since - though alot of the original parts I have replaced with canondale substitutes the main features are briliant. Even at $1300 this a good buy. Get it!
Submitted by
Steven J
a Weekend Warrior
from Columbia, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2002
Strengths: The I-Drive can give you back the power the suspension takes away. Ground clearance if excellent! Fun bike to ride, it inspires confidence over tough trails.
Weaknesses: Weight and BAD FRAME
Bottom Line:
THE FRAME BROKE! Check your rear shock mounts. Frames are breaking where mount welds onto seat post. GT promised me a warrentee when I bought the bike. Schiwnn bought GT then Pacfic bought Schiwnn. Now I have a broken $1,500 bike and understand there are 800 broken frames ahead of me, and the warrentee may or may not be honored. Consider this before you invest in your next GT or Schwinn.
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Springfield, Va
Date Reviewed: February 11, 2002
Strengths: This bike is great for the long haul where the pedaling doesn't stop. The I-drive helps keep cadence regardless of the terrain. High center of gravity allows ease in clearing tall obstacles.
Weaknesses: Every component broke including the crank. Even the frame snapped on me at the base of the down tube.
Bottom Line:
This bike is great for CC and definitely not for freeride. If you have any inclination to drop off anything in the future buy a different bike. It was an excellent bike for two years and I put it through hell. The frame breaking was not a pretty sight though.
Bike Setup: (aftermarket, because the stock components all broke) Shimano XT crank, XT rear D, LX front D, XT cassette, Avid shifters and brakes, Rebuilt front fork with total air 100mm, stock rear shock!!
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Submitted by
Leo Olivera
a Weekend Warrior
from Toronto, Ontario
Date Reviewed: September 10, 2001
Strengths: Smooth ride, inexpensive price for full supension set up
Weaknesses: the weight, rear drop out (on my third one), components
Bottom Line:
I am not a hardcore DH rider or do insane things on this bikes. Just like to give the equipment a rough ride. I have had to replace almost everything on this bike, the only thing original is the frame, seat post,handle bars and stem. It's not the bike shops fault. All components have failed and broke. Not made for free riding, it will last for a while but don't expect more than a summer. Bit of a pig on the hills, but it does give you a good ride and control on the downhill. The I Drive needs loads of TLC, grease disappears quick, keep that thing greased. I've had to take it apart and rebuild it with better lube. Rear shock has just torn apart, also sheared bolt off holding rear shock to frame. It was good to me but time for a change (an upgrade). It's a good bike for the price, but not if your hard on equipment and don't expect to spend money replacing parts.
Hi there. Looking at this bike on craigslist as i need a new bike. I am 6' and 260lbs and loosing :). Would this be a good bike or am I too heavy for it? Also i know GT got bought Read More »
Hi there. Looking at this bike on craigslist as i need a new bike. I am 6' and 260lbs and loosing :). Would this be a good bike or am I too heavy for it? Also i know GT got bought Read More »
