Submitted by
Richard Pemberton
a Weekend Warrior
from Waterlooville, UK
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2003
Strengths: The frame! It comes damn close to justifyin the price tag by itself-it can be used for loads of different riding styles,from jumps and trials to XC and even light (and slow!)DH...Its handling is incredible compared to my mates bikes which ride like tanks...Its great all use frame..
Weaknesses: Crappy components-smashed apart rear mech in 6months, replaced bars after1 year,crap tyres and wheels not that good....Rear axle too weak to withstand repeated jumps.Frame geometry not suited to >100mm travel forks.
Bottom Line:
Its the kind of bike that will introduce you to the sport, and Ive found that the Arrowhead is a frame capable of doing OK in quite a few MTB disciplines-the frame is bloody strong and will handle a damn good whipping. The parts on it arent so good, as you'd expect at £300/$400-450.They will have to be replaced after a year or two's hard riding,as mine have, and maybe sooner if u use it a lot for reel tough stuff. The fork might be the first part most people will want to replace but I found that the fork, while quite crap really, was tough enough and it was the drivetrain and finishing components in need of replacement first. Colours on the frame look a bit naff, as another poster reckons, but on the plus side u can hang almost any colour of new components off it without makin it look bad...
Ultimately, the newbie's all round frame to upgrade to deore/LX standard while learning how to REALLY ride!
Similar Products Used: Various models of Giant XTC, Saracen x-ess/x-ile jump bikes, Gary fisher crappy hardtail,A schwinn moab, and a few other various bikes.
Bike Setup: Now running with RST 381 Fork (pretty crap for anything but the looks), Shimano Deore-Mavic X618 Wheels, XT Rear cassette, Deore R Mech, Chainset, splined BB,LX Parallel push V Brakes,Easton EA50 Bars,Centre ridge tyres, spesh grips,Titec stem,SRAM Chain, other good but cheap kit
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Submitted by
Francis Fowler
a Cross Country Rider
from Wellington, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: April 4, 2003
Strengths: Value, frame, brakes, RST fork
Weaknesses: -Wheels are WEAK, they're in a constant state of wonkyness -Seat is uncomfortable -Drivetrain -Dorky handlebars -Crappy semi-slick tyres (good for on road though) -I hear GT customer service is really bad
Bottom Line:
It is probably pointless writing this now but the arrowhead is an excellent beginners bike. It's not designed to take every sort of terrain possible but I've thrashed it and it is still in one piece.
Drivetrain doesn't shift that great after a while and wheels aren't able to take much punishment; the tyres are useless off-road (get a set of knobblies immediately) and the seat is hard (Iv'e managed to put up with it so far though) but the frame has survived many a crash. I've done jumps on it and the occasional drop off (only small ones). The rear derailler got caught in the wheel and snapped the hanger but thats because of the wheel flexing after a jump.
This bike has survived much better than I expected. Any problem/weakness can be put down to it's miniscule price or it being thrashed beyond it's capabilities. An excellent bike for it's price if you expect more from it you should be spending more money (I spent NZ$750.00).
Weaknesses: rigid(soon to be addressed) gears (likewise) bars (likewise)
Bottom Line:
an absolute lucky find in the charity shop downtown. kept(and framed) the receipt. bike had been in the shop for fifteen minutes before i bought it. it is in mint condition, and i look foreward to tricking it up.ive compared it to other products available at local dealers and few come close. above average product-quality.
Favorite Trail: home to college thrash in rush hour
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$60.00
Purchased At: barnardos childrens charity shop.
Similar Products Used: gt palomar... my first mtb. agricultural but fun.
Bike Setup: standard at time of print but not for long.
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Submitted by
FoxBoy
a Downhiller
from Adelaide Australia
Date Reviewed: April 5, 2002
Strengths: Frame,Front brake,Front De Railer
Weaknesses: rear hub snapped about 3 mth's after i bought it rear rim, rear spokes, rear Axle,rear brake. LOL the hole rear assembely and the WTB SEAT!!!!
Bottom Line:
Im 15 :) Its good for the money i paid but the origonal components suck. ive replaced just about all the parts on it. The frame ROXORS! it has taken a pounding from Dirt Jumps to drop off's and DH tracks. Im pleased with what ive got but im looking for a good CRAFTWORKS frame. most of all this bike has taught me what i know about components and how to love the sport outhers hate. This bike I recomend to the beginer bicause it teaches you about parts and outher stuff. Get It.
Bike Setup: dont know. replace's most of the parts. lets see. RockShox Indy C, Shimano Altus front derailer, Shimano Deore rear derailer, Mr Big brake booster, Rhino rim's custom cassete set up.
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Submitted by
Carlitos Hernancy
a Cross Country Rider
from Quito, Ecuador
triple triangle rules!! GT rules!! bankruptcy sucks!!, I don't know why this happened. Probably I have riden it by 100 miles, some problems in the mechanic stuff, but with improvements....mmmmmm.. I'm imagining it. It's true...this is a bike for entry and mid level, but with some improvement it is a really great bike. I'm a heavy weight and it's doing a really good job. I recomend it to anyone but a racer.
Similar Products Used: nothing similar, gary fisher joshua F4, cool bike but not for my purpose.
Bike Setup: original, but LX rear & front der., crankset, shifters and brakes are coming. also a marzocchi wedge.
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Submitted by
Pongo
a Weekend Warrior
from Adelaide
Date Reviewed: September 25, 2001
Strengths: frame/brakes
Weaknesses: the seet (it's too hard)
Bottom Line:
im 14. Its a cool bike for beginers i havent had it 4 long but i like the ride! A bit of bad luck fell on me caus i bent the rear derailer into the spokes by riding over wire (bloody chicken wire! (dam our counsil workers) the gears work purfict after i got them fixed. its a smooth ride. and it fly's some of my friens bike's
Strengths: Frame, general feel when riding, semi slick tyres - Last years model so on sale now at a good price.
Weaknesses: Shimano Chainset looks a bit low end and badly finished but seems to work ok. Back Brake seems a bit weak but WOW that front one makes up for it!
I had expected the grips to be more comfortable.
Colour is a bit naff (White, metallic blue and black) lokks a bit Bruce Springsteen and would have prefered a single colour blue or yellow metallic frame if I had the choice at the same price.
Bottom Line:
I have taken this bike for a few half day rides now both on and off road.
On the road it rides well and fast, thanks to the semi slicks, light frame and rapid fire gear change (new to me as my old bike is a drop handlebar tourer with frame changers).
Off road it performs well on semi made tracks (hard sand mixed with grit) which are the norm through Epping Forest where I live. I haven't needed to get off and push it yet so it handles the hills ok.
In mud though it struggles to get enough grip on the tyres but I could always buy a new set of wheels if that gets to be a problem. This was always likely with the semi road tyres as fitted. I may not know squat about MTB but I have driven off road plenty and tyre profile is MORE important than 4WD anyday.
Overall I am having fun with this bike and think it was a good choice for a normal user that thinks 5 foot drops are at least 4 feet too far!
Certainly seems a good choice for a first timer who wants a half decent spec bike with light but stong looking aluminium frame and front suspension from what appears to be a well rated manufacturer.
Mind you I like the look of those Kona's so watch this space........
Similar Products Used: New to MTB so none but tested other same priced current bikes by different manufacturers and they didn't have the same good ride feel.
Bike Setup: As bought so far apart from usual overpriced extras!
Changed the saddle to a wider gel filled thing as I had expected the wife to ride this one too but she says frame feels to big for her so wish I had left the original one on or bought a slimmer design as I don't fing it that comfortable and it is hard to move weight behind it when descending as its so wide - Oh well....
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Submitted by
Tim Aplin
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia
I know this is a lower end model from GT, and i probably shouldn't expect too much, but i am neer happy with what i am riding. This bike has a strong light frame, and that i feel is its major strongpoint. I am now saving up to buy a second hand trek 6000, which has done less than my bike (4500km in first year), and it will cost less than what i paid for my GT, and it is by far a better bike. This is probably a god beginners bike, as it gets you interested in mountain biking, but as that interest increases, the bike can cope less and less with the pressure. Only buy this bike if you are new to mtb or don't plan on doing much off road.
Bike Setup: Stock Arrowhead, except for freewheel (wore out after 4 months), chain(broke), rear wheel bearings(wore out), rear axle (snapped in half), oh yeah, and I added some bar ends.
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Submitted by
CHEESE
a Cross Country Rider
from St.Davids, Pembs, Wales, UK
Reasonable value......Excellent, light, strong frame, but poor quality components supplied with it....the only original bit on mine is the seatpost. I love it. It handles well and stays very rigid. EXCELLENT!! Suitable for Begginer OR experienced cycleist, who can rebuild it (Like me!) and make one of the best bikes there are.
Submitted by
Johnny T
a Downhiller
from Cowtown, Alberta, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2000
Strengths: The Frame was seriouly the only thing that has held up. Even though the welding is starting to crack. The seatpost is the only other original thing on the bike
Weaknesses: Shifters (broken), Deraillers (broken), Brakes (broken),BB (broken), Both Rims (broken), Chainrings and Crank (broken) Cables (dead),Grips (gone), Cassette (kablammoed)both hubs (broken) , derailler hanger (garbage). And the Shocks are bottoming out off litte 4 feet drops. The headset is almost dead.
Bottom Line:
This Bike would be perfect if......I wasn't riding it. It's probably a good bike for people who are in granny gear (not me). Very few things on this bike are good. I would not recommend it to my friends maybe my enemies......My next bike will either be a RM6, Roast or a Chute. If you buy thid bike be prepared to replace everything witin a year. The Frame WAS good until it started to crack, I think I should take out the hack saw and make it into a full suspension.
Bike Setup: Full LX except for Cassette (XT), Shifters (STX-RC),CRank and Chainrings (deore)
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Colin Smith
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: April 12, 2000
Strengths: This bike (like most '99 GT Hardtails) is one of the best singletrack bikes I've ever ridden! At high speeds it handles like its on rails! Its incredibly confidence inspiring and stable, even in bad conditions! All this at an entry level price!!!
Weaknesses: The bike comes spec'd with cheap components; not bad for the price, but most things will need replacing eventually. The high top tube and geometry that make it handle so well, also limit the aftermarket fork choices. Any fork with more than 3" of travel makes the bike handle less precisely at slow speeds, and more sluggishly at high speeds. For XC racing, or singletrack riding this is fine, since you won't need huge travel; but for more intense trails, the suspension limitations are more apparent.
Bottom Line:
For what you pay, you get an extremely capable ride. The bike is ideal (stock) for beginner XC racing, trail riding, and ripping up singletrack. For more extreme trails, it comes up short. I "freeride" it on the trails of the North Shore, and surrounding area. Despite my upgrades to it, the geometry of the bike makes it difficult to handle the massive drops and the high top tube makes log rides and bridgewalks (5-10 feet above the ground) hard to deal with, especially in "bail-out" situations.
For the beginner and average rider, the bike is an excellent "bang-for your buck" purchase. (Though the Tempest might be a better value)
Good value for money. Light frame. Parts which came with the bike could be better but what can one expect for S$420? I promptly upgraded my bike with a better fork and other parts. But it is a good bike for beginners to start with.
Similar Products Used: Similar bikes in the same price range
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Submitted by
Airborne
a Cross-Country Rider
from Singapore- but come from Sweden
Date Reviewed: September 13, 1999
Strengths: Super strong frame, cool paint scheme,fork, seat.
Weaknesses: None...
Bottom Line:
In 5 days time i'l be torture testin this bike in Bukit Timah....I can wait ta get it...! I coudlnt find a better bike in the price range(300-600$).Its components are good 4 the price and the frame is really durable..Plus a cool paint scheme...Kind of USA fade...The fork is also really good, i always used to hate rst 4 no reason but now i love em, the forks so damn plush!!!There r 2 other gt bikes that r quite similar to this bikes, the aggresser- a lower end mod, and the talera- an even lower end bike..They look quite simular but the arrowheads frame is lighter...I also like the wtb rims that come with it...Well, im writin too much, betta go........
