Submitted by
bknglvr2
a Cross Country Rider
from omaha ne the states
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2011
Strengths: This bike is sick , I absolutly love it the geo is great it climbs with ease and when yopu want to go fast its ready, light and quick . brakes are very responsive it can pretty much do whatever you want it to do.
Weaknesses: I truly cant think of any.
Bottom Line:
If your looking for something to ride your trails on this is it, For a hardtail it handles , done some big drops with it and it held up It handles turns like a pro and on the street just give it a little more umph and it will zip, Its absolutely worth the money, cool thing you can go back to 2008 with these bikes and they are essentially the same so do a little searching and you could find a deal and get a bike your really gonna like. Its a really good hard tail.My riding buddy rides a gary and i smoke him on the hills, this bike climbs hills with ease.I recommend.
Strengths: Build, Weight, Geometry, Looks and Components
Weaknesses: None at this price.
Bottom Line:
I love this thing. It looks awesome, feels nice and solid and gets the job done with ease. I haven't had any problems with it at all. The tires are nice and grippy, the shifting is nice and smooth and the brakes work nice and solid. I will probably be upgrading them to the Elixir CR's tho, sine there's huge hills where I live and it will help make me feel more comfortable, but for the money, the entire stock setup is just awesome. No complaints.
Submitted by
John Pritchett
a Weekend Warrior
from Poole, Dorset, England
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2010
Strengths: Amazing frame (M) (5'7') keeps everything in-line resulting in a very fast ride. Smooths trails at any speed with willingness to obey inputs instantly. Gears/brakes very competant. Excellent frame geometery/CoG makes riding effortless.
Weaknesses: Bars are wider that my Avalanche 3.0 but may shorten in future, don't need excessive leverage. Uprated tyres to Nobby Nic front and Racing Ralph rear and the bike seems to have responded very positively, recommended!
Bottom Line:
For the money (£360 Ebay '08 model) it's unbeatable I believe. It's such a joy to ride and has proved very reliable and compliant in many different conditions. Asthetically I haven't seen a more desirable hard-tail and the paintwork, although chipped, is very impressive. Apart from adding Carbon stickers to protect belly/bb and fitting lights, I'm at a loss as to how it could even be improved.
Submitted by
hijinx1812
a Weekend Warrior
from Allen Park, MI, USA
Date Reviewed: May 1, 2010
Strengths: Bullet proof construction, excellent components, very stable platform, great on and off road
Weaknesses: None so far
Bottom Line:
I had a Yeti for 11 years, and it was great for straight up trail riding. The problem that I ran into was when my daughter started riding a bike last year. Riding a full on, full suspension racebike in the city didn't work for me. I got the GT as a do all replacement for my Yeti. I couldn't be happier with it! On and off road, it's a very capable bike. It's got high quality components right out of the box and the only thing I've swapped out were the pedals (standard pedals for around town). Granted, the tires aren't the best choice for street riding, but I look at it as an extra workout. If you're looking for a bike that's great for whatever kind of riding you do, look no further.
Similar Products Used: Yeti AS3, Novara, GT outpost
Bike Setup: Stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
expert
a Cross Country Rider
from USA
Date Reviewed: March 31, 2010
Strengths: The frame is of exellent quality. The welds are all very uniform and asthetically pleaseing to the eye. I love the geometry and the smooth ride it delivers. The components are outstanding, all the top manufacturers.
Weaknesses: The only problem I have had is the chain catching on the large front sprocket in 27th gear. I can sense when it's going to happen but if I were'nt ready, some real damage could occur.
Bottom Line:
Exellent bicycle for the money you pay. GT is the only brand of bike I will ride.
Similar Products Used: My first love, a GT Rebound with the bomb-proof, triple triangle cromoly frame. I've ridden it hard for twelve years and it continues to deliver fun and excitement.
Bike Setup: Stock
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Whitey2319
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: September 7, 2009
Strengths: This bike has a great frame, very light and durable and great geometry. Im really liking the gears, they are very smooth and responsive and dont slip up that much, Sram too a bit of getting used to but i got used to the SRAM shifters. Nice Kenda Nevegal tyres never fail haha, Great hydrolic shimano brakes, all round an AWSOME bike.
Weaknesses: None that I have encountered at the present but who knows, i one day wish to chuck some world cup forks on it. But the Rockshox are more than capable.
Bottom Line:
Overall this bike is a really quality bike with great attributes,I love its speed and its a breeze to ride uphill, i do multipul long distance rides every week on and off road and it does beautifully on both, only if I were mostly riding on the road buy a pair of hybrid tyres the kendas are VERY gripy.
Submitted by
Rider10
a Weekend Warrior
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2009
Strengths: Nice fast bike - very comfortable
Weaknesses: Had heaps of problems with the front cogs bending and have not even ridden the bike that hard. I take it back to the shop where purchased who just bend the cogs back but this keeps happening making me believe that there is a fundamental weakness in the system.
Submitted by
benn
a Cross Country Rider
from new zealand
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2008
Strengths: Awesome, reliable, fast, good breaks.
Weaknesses: Some gear lock ups, probably because i need to get them adjusted. Geometry isn't very slack.
Bottom Line:
Freaking awesome bike, really fast - i ride about 10km on the road to get to the mountain bike park, then a 10km single trail with some jumps and steep downhill. It's nice and capable in every condition - i can hoon up to makara, ride for an hour or two - then hoon back to town and the bike just keeps on ticking without a complaint.
I'm quite a big guy (100kg) and am pretty hard on equipment - so i've been impressed with the quality of the bike.
Submitted by
Mykola Seda
a Cross Country Rider
from London, UK
Date Reviewed: July 23, 2007
Strengths: The main strength probably is it's frame - famous 3 triangle design. It is very strong and light. Tested in forest on hard bumps. Fantastic climber. Also breaks have to mentioned as a product's main strengths.
Weaknesses: I can't realy think of one. Maybe tyres. They are fantastic for off road but if you think to use it on the road - forget.
Bottom Line:
I can't call myself a biker with experience. So if you are a beginer or just want to have some fun on a bike in you local forest go for it. Couldn't be a better choise.
Submitted by
Mark Johnson
a Weekend Warrior
from Huntington Beach
Date Reviewed: April 3, 2007
Strengths: Great all around bike, good specs for price. breaks are far better then I could have thought, nice rear derailer, shifts great. Fork is plus, it keeps the toughest trails do able Everything is perfect for price.
Weaknesses: The u-turn broke nob cracked down the middle and had to get it replaced, luckily it was under warrenty. Crank bros candy pedals are not as good as I expected. after 6 months there is practicly no resistance to uncliping, even with new cleats. Ive gone off a few 4 foot drops and some gnarrly trails and would guess that these would only sustain use for light xc. Tioga blue dragon Rear tire leaves much to be desired.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike, I’ve done some gnarly downhill trails, some strenuous climbs, and even a bit of stunt riding and this bike has kept right up. I imagine that the Candys would be good for someone who is kinder on their bike but I will soon upgrade. It is great for a hardtail but is still not nearly as comfortable as a full suspension. And if you want to do big drops the rims are not as good as they could be, but they do quite well for their intended use. If you are looking for a good do it all relatively inexpensive ride, this is the bike for you.
Bike Setup: The Path Bike Shop bash ring, panaracer fire xc pro 2.1 rear, all else is stock.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
seosamh
a Weekend Warrior
from glasgow, scotland
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2007
Strengths: brakes, gears, comfortable, and general ability to hammer up and down trails
Weaknesses: i'm having problems with the tyres, getting alot of flats, might be due to my wieght, 16st, but other than that a great bike
Bottom Line:
great bike for trails and it seems well solid, be a great bike for someone looking to take a step up from cheaper bikes and wanting to throw something around alot more, the bike seems bombproof apart from the tyres(kenda nevegals) which i am going to change, i've heard the wheels aren't up to in but they do seem to be holding their own with me at the moment anyhow, basically great bike for the money and would recommend it to anyone.
Submitted by
Edd Mortimer
a Cross Country Rider
from London
Date Reviewed: March 11, 2007
Strengths: Good allround XC mountain bike that also looks the business, comes with great specs for the price and is £100 cheaper than the 2006 model. Good comfortable riding position. The 2007 frame is completly different from the 2006 model and can be seen when comparing the bikes side by side. Comes complete with juicy 3's that are very hard to beat at this price, faultless SRAM X9 derailers and X7 shifters, excellent Tioga tires that will grip almost anything. A great package at this price.
Weaknesses: I've heard the WTB wheels are not quite up to it and may be a weak point on the bike, but so far if had no problems.
Bottom Line:
Everyone at the moment seems to be riding a Specialized and no doubt they make great bikes, but if your looking for something a bit different, GT are one of the coolest bike manufactures there are what with their histoy in BMXing. On top of this, whoever designed the 2007 expert should pat them selves on the back, this is one ultra cool looking bike, all my mates have been drooling over it since I got it, def a contender for beating the Specy Rockhopper at its own game! Get one! I did!
Submitted by
nick
a Cross Country Rider
from yorkshire england
Date Reviewed: February 25, 2007
Strengths: a good alround bike for x country riding. Gear selection is smooth and without problems, the bike handles well, the suspension fork has needed no adjustment and is as good now as it was on day one
Weaknesses: I bought the 2006 model which had increased in price by £100.00 from the 2005 bike and was disappointed to see that the 2007 models were reduced in price by the same amount! The seat post broke after three months of use because the two parts are basicaly glued together and make for a very weak point. The frame snapped on the two welds of the stays at the rear wheel drop outs on the disc brake side after just over a year of use. I have seen the 2007 frame and it has an additional brace welded between the two stays on the brake side of the frame. This is obviously to stop the forces of the brake weakening the welds at this point and must be due to other frames going the same way as mine.
Bottom Line:
Not a bad bike at all realy despite the two faults, but gt have acted to improve the frame. The problems I have experienced would not stop me buying another gt bike.
cause under Specs, at GT's site, it says Recon, yet under Details, it says Tora
[url]http://www.gtbicycles.com/bikes/mountain/endurance/avalanche-expert[/url]
thanks Read More »
cause under Specs, at GT's site, it says Recon, yet under Details, it says Tora
[url]http://www.gtbicycles.com/bikes/mountain/endurance/avalanche-expert[/url]
thanks Read More »
Let me start off by saying I'm a long time lurker and seldom poster. That being said, I could really use some advice from the more upgrade savy riders here. A couple days ago I p Read More »
I've found both of these bikes for very good prices (£610 and £550) respectively and have been torn between the two for the last month or so.
The only real difference in spec se Read More »
