Submitted by
justin manning
a Cross Country Rider
from Porterville CA USA
Date Reviewed: August 18, 2006
Strengths: I've owned everything from a Trek Y22, to a Giant iguana and I continue to be impressed with this "cheap" bike. Some people bag on the drive train, but mine has four digits worth of miles on it and it still works great. Its called "maintenance"
Weaknesses: Maybe a little heavy, but I paid $270.00 for the bike in 2000. What do you expect at that price.
Bottom Line:
Don't listen to the weeney heads that complain about this bike, it was and is a great bike for what was paid for it. Those guys don't realize this bike wasn't made for big drops and serious down hilling. These guys are the kind that probably got the bike for free from there mamas and don't appreciate anything. If you come across one and don't have much money, it is a sure bet.
Strengths: This thing is a tank on wheels never broke anything on it and ive had it for more than 5 years
Weaknesses: you cant really compare it to a real bike
Bottom Line:
If you want a rigid that is bullet proof this is your bike if you dont, dont even conisider it. I like it when you put the seat down and set up a trials course its a ball.
Submitted by
Michael
a Racer
from Medford, Oregon, USA
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2002
Strengths: frame makes a very nice counter weight to hold up my new bike (pulley system)
Weaknesses: let's see here...how to put it nicely...EVERYTHING, the shifters had to perform their tatoo of rattling before even considering shifting, the wheels decided to go out of true every 3 days (Thank dog for Park truing stands), the frame is so hefty that my new frame with wheels and cranks (including BB) is still lighter, grip shifters sucked royally SRAM MRX (Although i am a huge fan of SRAM's 9.0 shifter's and X.0 Derailleur...*drool*)pulled a fishtail off of a curb, landed at a slight angle...tacoed the rear wheel...hung up the bike
Bottom Line:
Save your money!!! Save up another $150 and buy a nice trek 4500, or somehting else, but please do not buy this thing. considering GT sold out, the warranty is void (according to the LBS) oh, and i learned that when the LBS says "one year unlimited service" they mean one year of minor brake and derailleur adjusments, when they have time.
Weaknesses: Grip shifters, only a 7-speed, tires not for serious trail riding, weak wheels
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike to help me train for dirtbike racing. I wanted a cheap bike so if I never rode it I wasn't out a ton of $. After riding on paved bike trails(booring), I started to upgrade. Everything I added to the bike just made it better. Frame rides excelent, shifts great even with low end components, and it was a good value. I think after all of the upgrades listed above, I had less than $500 in the whole bike. After I learned that GT went belly up, I sold it to a friend to use as a college commuter bike. Overall, buy the bike or one of the GT's along the same line if you are interested in getting into mtbs but don't want to spend the major $. You will want to eventually upgrade, but that is half of the fun.
Bike Setup: 00 Rock Shox Judy XC, 8-speed rear end and rapid fire shifters, Michelin Wildgripper Hot S
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Stephen Hulley
a Weekend Warrior
from Derby, UK
Date Reviewed: October 30, 2001
Strengths: Not bad quick releases. Lasted well.
Weaknesses: Weighs more than my car Sank when we threw it in a river (really) No end of problems So bad I actually feel sorry for it now
Bottom Line:
Get a Raleigh. You will get a much more reliable bike for your money. By the way, I gave it to my brother, I'm now riding a Kona Hahanna which comes highly recommended.
Strengths: I find that the palomar has very crisp steering when compared to my last bike (schwinn sierra). The frame is also extremely stiff and quite comfortable on long rides (I only use the standard saddle). Despite the cheap components, it needs very little servicing. I work as a london courier and put in between 250-300 miles per week, even so a quick spray of wd-40 and brake alignment leaves it feeling tight.
Weaknesses: The components will go in time.
Bottom Line:
Performs very reasonably for the price. If you need a cheap bike to ride into the ground this is it. I usually buy a bike and ride till its dead, but the frame warrents componentry upgrades.
Similar Products Used: Raleigh manta ray, saracen vex.
Bike Setup: standard (rigid fork)
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Submitted by
Matrix
a Cross Country Rider
from Tennessee
Date Reviewed: August 10, 2001
Strengths: Solid frame
Weaknesses: Frame is 100% Hi-tensile steel= HEAVY & rusting a little.it's a 1993 {coulda been left outside}
Bottom Line:
Got this frame & it's not bad for a 100% hi-tensile Steel..I think it will be a smoother ride than my Aluminum slalom frame but nothing else!...Maybe it'll rust to death? Oh well..aluminum dents easy.but doesn't rust !...alway's a tradeoff ! ...GT is a great company, so i'll have faith in the frame !..it's still heavy
Bike Setup: Thompson Layback post...Rhino-lite front ---Pepperoni aluminum rigid fork---XT rear derailer{tensioner}--Truvativ DH 40 tooth ring with bashguard.....singlespeed setup...
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Submitted by
Mark Henkelman
a Weekend Warrior
from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
Date Reviewed: June 5, 2001
Strengths: Cheap, GT name, Savage paint job, rapid fire did i mention cheap?
Weaknesses: little heavy, gears not quite smooth yet (really minor problem)
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price (i can't afford a bike over $400) nice paint job, good name, highly recommend it for a first bike, Alter Ego sports great store to (yes this is a shameless plug) got one year free sevice. Buy this bike if you aren't sure what bikes are good and your just starting out.
Weaknesses: Cost cutting shows in wheels, fasteners and especially pedals.
Bottom Line:
While I appreciate the Palomar isn't going to win any awards for lightness or technical trickery in the mechanical department, it is a bloody solid piece of work. I am still amazed by the things' ability to soak up bumps, far better than the cheaper sprung bikes considering the tradeoff is excellent control.
I cycle about 19 miles a day to and from work over mostly pot-holed tarmac and appreciate the Palomar's forgiving seat. Even though I've not done any serious cycling for years I jumped straight into doing ~100 miles a week without any saddle soreness!
As other have commented, the brakes and shifting work well only if constantly adjusted. They are great when new but quickly go off the boil. Weekly adjustment keeps them working well enough though. I have only had the chain come off twice, and one of those times was on the way back from the shop!
The price the Paolmar commands is evident in remarkably few of the components used, the capscrews that hold the bars on have started to rust already and as someone else mentioned, I oil the thing daily for fear of rust setting in.
Other than these relatively minor points, I am very happy with my GT. I originally went for it over some of the other bikes I tried because of the GT name, preferring to have a low-end bike by a good manufacturer over a top of the range model from a more budget maker. Having recently tried a mate's Apollo, I find this decision to be totally vindicated.
Similar Products Used: Giant-rock, giant-rincon, huffy-challenger(what a cheap bike)
Bike Setup: stock, about to install front shocks.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Alex
a Weekend Warrior
from London, England
Date Reviewed: February 9, 2001
Strengths: What a frame, I use it on roads only (touring tyres from new) but I use it for about 4 or 5 miles a day, everyday. Solid build, lightning up and down changes and the breaks are as good as anything else in the price bracket.
Weaknesses: Rust, all the nuts rusted on the brakes and the chromoly brake assembly I had to strip completely and paint. The paintwork also needs regular cleaning to stay looking good (more to do with the colour really). Also the brakes, despite being good, are not great, and cannot bite quite hard enough on those semi-slick tyres. I actually hit a ped the other day, I know for a fact I could have stopped when the brakes were new, but they fade really quickly, possibly dangerous if you aren't a careful cyclist.
Bottom Line:
Not a bike to be left standard, doing so is sacrilege to GT's mindblowing triple triangle frame. If everyone who bought a cheap department store full-suspension bike had one of these, the world would be a much nicer place (well, maybe not, but hey). Buy this is you intend to upgrade.modify gradually. The frame is amazing, really it is, a few mods really do this thing justice. A lot makes it a real ripsnorting tearaway machine. I haven't taken it off-road, that can wait till the summer and I buy a decent set of ATB tyres. Next mod? Light weight wheels and full on race tyres, speed rules! Get one, it's good as standard, but oh so much better specced up.
Similar Products Used: GT Timberline 2001, GT Outback 2000, Raleigh MAX Aluminium fs24.
Bike Setup: Semi-slick race spec tyres (continental), race spec hydraulic brakes front and rear, Custom handlebars and bar ends, Race spec shifters and brake handles. Rear "Whale-tail".
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Submitted by
Pete Cihelka
a Weekend Warrior
from Calif.
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2001
Strengths: None after 2 and a half months on the thing.
Weaknesses: Everything is broken
Bottom Line:
Have had it 2 and a half months now. Bottom bracket knocks like crazy, the chain won't stay on the damn thing. I clean it and adjust on my stand after every ride and it just keeps failing. Great grocery getter, but get off the pavement and you will be disappointed. GT customer service sucks too. Haven't heard a word from them after three phone calls and five e-mails. The LBS mechanics, Lee's in Hollywood, FL., just shrug their shoulders and say, "I dunno." when I bring the bike in. No more GT, now looking at Kona. Whatever happened to rigid rides?
Purchased At: Lee's (dont' have no cust. service)Hollywood, Fl.
Similar Products Used: GT Outpost, ridden friends' $$$ bikes. But Ilike rigid.
Bike Setup: Stock
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Submitted by
Peter Cihelka
a Weekend Warrior
from Californiaoriginally
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2000
Bottom Line:
Down belw you'll see my initial review on the Palomar. I harp on the Acera set up for ghost shifting, skipping, etc. Turns out the shop didn't swap the cable housing when I opted for Rapidfire over the stock Sram gripshifts. I took it back, they hooked me up and now I'm passing full suspension rigs at Oleta State Park (if you're familiar with it). The drive train is clangy and the chain seems like it's continually on the verge of falling off, but the shifting is nice albeit not perfect. But again, the bike cost me $219.00 so how can I complain?
Submitted by
Peter Cihelka
a Weekend Warrior
from California originally
Date Reviewed: November 21, 2000
Strengths: One word, RIGID! Excellent frame. Maxxis grip well on majority of surfaces. Very clean design. Al for $219
Weaknesses: One word, ACERA! Didn't like SRAM grip shifts. O.K, a bit on the heavy side, but it cost $219.
Bottom Line:
Rigid, fantastic frame for the bucks. Great platform for quick acceleration and handling through technical terrain. Switching over to Rapidfire helped me get through the tougher stuff. Climbs well too and the stock Maxxis help with that aspect. Probably won't go with front suspension as I like a ride where you really have to think about the line you're riding. Pro Max brakes do a fine job for the money. As far as the cheap rims and pedals some people take issue with, look how much the thing cost. The only thing I'm not pleased with is the drive train. The Acera set up began ghost shifting, skipping and the chain married the front deraileur after approximately 10 minutes of riding. It's another fine GT product otherwise. Had my Outpost for 12 years and abused it for 12 years in California, the DC area, Washinton state, British Columbia, Oregon and finally down here in stinky Miami. Aside for rims, tires and a seat a moving company destroyed, all was still stock. EVEN the chain was still stock when I moved here. Can't quite explain that. But the bike finally gave out after 8 months of riding Oleta and Quiet Waters Parks down here. I think it just hated Miami as much as I do and decided to retire. The whole point being, GT makes (I hope they still do) a durable, well designed product at a price even a father of two-year-old twins can afford. I give four flamin' whatevers overall. (Acera stuff really bugs me) and five of the funny looking things for value.
Similar Products Used: 1988 (yeah, 88) Outpost. Have ridden friends $$$ bikes. Hardtail and full-suspension Kleins, Cannondales, etc.
Bike Setup: Stock. Had dealer trade out grip shiftd for Rapidfire. I admire you folks who can maintain control while riding technical stuff using grip shifts.
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Submitted by
Dave
a Weekend Warrior
from Alvechurch, Worcestershire,England
Date Reviewed: November 5, 2000
Strengths: This bike has a very strong frame and excellent gear shifting capabilities.
Weaknesses: Its a little on the heavy side but the strength and stiffness make up for this.
Bottom Line:
This is an excellent bike for the begginer or the occasional cyclist. I have ridden the thing of huge droppoffs and it hasn't broken, this just goes to show that you don't have to pay a fortune to own a strong off road bike.
