Submitted by
darideofurlife
a Cross Country Rider
from QLD Australia
Date Reviewed: June 13, 2009
Strengths: 2004 model. good value for money, good component mix.
Weaknesses: ok the forks aren't the greatest but they're far from the worst! I've had no problems with the brakes but i'm a bike mechanic so they have been maintained and correctly adjusted. brake issues should be taken up with hayes importer or your local dealer not gt.I've never had a problem with gt on genuine warrenty issuses. The tires could do with an upgrade but tires are a personal choice and depend on terain. grips are crap as with most stock bikes.
Bottom Line:
a god handling bike that climbs and descends well with slight upgrades. a great alround bike for some fun off road at a reasonable price. If your just getting strated in mountain biking, just wanna have some fun with ya mates or just appricate a good quality bike the avalanche 0.0 is for you. You could rock on the strating line and not look out of place, but if your looking at racing seriously your gonna need somthing lighter with higher spec groupset... Happy riding!
Similar Products Used: specialized, avanti, giant have similar spect models with the same good and bad points.
Bike Setup: I did ride it stock for about a week, then fitted fox forks, odi lock on grips, spd pedals, handle bars with less rise and a new stem. later upgraded tyres, cranks/bb
Weaknesses: forks, small set up,brakes drag,needed some up grades
Bottom Line:
you cant go out and buy the bike that fits everyone so this bike is a good plat form to start with then up grade you can get more bike for the money a bike with all the up grades already on it will cost you and may not fit you
Bike Setup: changed cranks to raceface,stem to kore,shifters to xt,front derailer to xt,bb to fsa,bars to raceface,chain to sram,and headset to richy sealed
Strengths: Good specs and components (Deore and Deore XT) for the price. Attractive paint scheme. Quality fit and finish. The bike feels fast and solid, and is fairly light. The Avalanche 0.0 is past on pavement, but it really moves on gravel and dirt. The cables run under the top tube.
Weaknesses: None major. The Hayes brakes make a little noise, but they should settle in after a few dozen kilometers or riding. The fork doesn't lock out. The grips look and feel cheap. I had mine replaced with Biologic grips.
Bottom Line:
My GT Avalanche 0.0 was a heavily discounted four-year old floor model. In 2003, it was a great bike. In 2007, it's still pretty good. I would like to upgrade the Rock Shox fork and the Hayes hydraulic disc brakes in a year or so. I'm using my Avalanche 0.0 for daily commuting and off-road fun in my free time.
Submitted by
Estonian dude
a Cross Country Rider
from Estonia
Date Reviewed: August 26, 2004
Strengths: Good on climbs. Tires have great traction on anything soft. bike looks like a motorcycle. Xt and 100 mm pilot sl are reasonably sweet.
Weaknesses: Tires suck and i mean suck on wet rock(icy ride) Geometry isent very sporty.Front brake as given me an headace. It squeeks, rubs and doesnt brake as well as the rear dont know why mabey for the rotor. Went to the shop to get it repeard but they dident know what was wrong with it they just said they have done everything posible but nohting...
Bottom Line:
If you get a good deal-go for it but make sure you dont buy a frame do big for you then your f***d Wish i wouldnt bought this bike but now its to late.
Similar Products Used: Khs with upgrades(much better)
Bike Setup: Stock.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Pedro
a Cross Country Rider
from Czech republic
Date Reviewed: June 17, 2004
Strengths: Speed in terrain, comfort, brakes, cool appearance, rear derailleur
Weaknesses: Brakes, Crankset
Bottom Line:
With this bike I can ride hard and fast: Pilot with 100mm (upgrade in bikeshop) is very good to racing or to light jumps. The seat is very comfy but a little soft. Brakes are powerful but like in other cases it was very difficult to adjust calipers. I also had some problem with crankset, octalink would be better than the stock. But all the others is all right. If you want to buy this bike, but still have doubts, forget them and buy it!
Submitted by
Darren
a Weekend Warrior
from Launceston
Date Reviewed: June 10, 2004
Strengths: Good value for money
Weaknesses: Front disc a little hard to adjust. Tends to rub if not spot on. Watch out for pump-out of cylinders when wheels removed. Tioga tyres crap in wet on rocks
Bottom Line:
Really enjoy riding this bike. Since replacing stock tyres (with specialized roll-x), it feels a lot more predictable and responsive. The tiogas were shocking in wet on rocky/paved conditions. gemoetry feel just right for me. First bike with suspension - so can't really give fork fair rating. seems OK. keep it serviced. After an overdue (1000km) service, it feels much smoother and responsive - possibly better than new. As far as brakes go, I found that by making sure the disc cylinders were fully retracted and the caliper was aligned properly, I could acheive no dragging, silky smooth brakes. Have done a few casual XC races and it has performed well. Probably not the lightest, but I figure that a good dump before the race is worth at least $1000 in upgrades. I weigh 82kg, and have at least 8kg around the gut before I need work about bike weight. Will use it in wildside this year. Had some BB/crank problems. Not GT fault - needed to get adjusted poroperly, and all was nice again. Pays to take up the shops free service offer if they give it. May pickup pend problems from dodgy assembly at factory.
Similar Products Used: none - first XC MTB with suspemsion
Bike Setup: Standard, except replaced seat.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
wannabeRacer
a Weekend Warrior
from Mel, VIC, Australia
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2004
Strengths: Everything now but not before when new...lol
Weaknesses: Change the headset bearings, it broked and didn't last doing little jumps along the trail, its design for XC and should ride it for XC and probably aggresive XC now and then ;)
Bottom Line:
This bike is design for XC and can get away with it doing aggresive XC. Got it for a bargain price at the local shop and with the money I pay I was happy with good components like XT, Hayes, Syncros etc..
I say buy it, if you can find similar price to mine or cheaper as you will like it like I do. It puts a smile on my face everytime I'm in it rr, maybe's got something to do with the trials I on....lol
Strengths: almost everything except the fork and front disc.
Weaknesses: The Fork's a little funny to ride with, need something better like MX comp ETA from Marc.... with 105 or +mm of travel for Aggressive cross country ride.
Bottom Line:
The fork needs to be replace by a more aggressive XC one that can travel at 100mm or more. The disc does make some noise now and then. Plus mine had a factory diffult on the fron brakes, it feels a little softish or weaker than the rear, which need some adjustments or re-bleeding the oil. Other than that, the bike is awesome. The only upgrade I will do is the fork and maybe 8" rotor disc like the new 2004 model Avalanche 0.0 Disc. I wonder why GT dissuided to change the front to 8" disc rotor?
Similar Products Used: my 2nd bike, so I can really compare nothing as yet. I hear CX Giant's, Haro & Diamonback's etc... is ok
Bike Setup: standard except lowering the Air presure on the forks according to my weight.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nathaniel Dobolinski
a Cross Country Rider
from Canberra, Australia
Date Reviewed: November 19, 2003
Strengths: None really!
Weaknesses: Several - see below...
Bottom Line:
Before I get into this, I need to point out that my previous GT lasted me 10 years with nothing like this. I'm a competent XC rider. Ok, I dunno...maybe I scored a lemon, but here's a list, in no particular order, of problems I've had... - broke 5 spokes in the first 2 months - got both wheels respoked on warrenty, but a few months after that found that the spokes were pulling out of the rear wheel & it plus the hub needed replacement - as with several others, found that the brakes performed ok, but despite repeated alignments, they always made noise - the drive train alignment was terrible when I got it - it skipped in & out in granny, and continued to do so after serval alignments. There was a problem and it was finally resolved, but only after wearing out the original drive train very quickly. Even now it seems to go through components very quickly. - hydraulic brake cables rubbed on the frame & through to the core (AU$90.00 for a new one!) - seat post broke at the Mont 24 hour race - not as a result of any great force - just seemed to give up...! - seals on shocks (Psylos) blew at same race - cranks are on their way out - noisy...
Similar Products Used: GT Avalanche - 10 years old, Giant, Marin
Bike Setup: Stock except replaced Pilots for Psylos
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Scoot
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne
Date Reviewed: October 14, 2003
Strengths: Great value and quality componentry, durable and reasonably light, great colour scheme...
Weaknesses: Well, ok the brakes rub a little bit, but not enough to slow you down, and you can't hear it when the winds rushing by at high speed!
Bottom Line:
The ONLY gripes you will hear about this bike are the brakes and apparently the later batches were rectified. The fact is if you align them carefully they are fine, and they certainly have great stopping power. Everything else on this bike is faultless. For fast single trail riding it is perfect. Great fun and almost impossible to ride slow, eats up the downhills and rolls up the cliffs! (Half the price of the NRS2, feels much sharper and the chain doesnt jam up.) I'll give this 5 of each to get the score closer to what this bike deserves.
Strengths: Good strong frame,Hayes brakes, design ...
Weaknesses: Fork RS Pilot XC (I have changed it to Marzocchi MX COMP.)
Bottom Line:
It is a very good bike for XC.I was decided between Avalanche 0.0 and Giant XTC2 and I'm glad that I bought GT. Giant is good too, but I think, GT is a little better.I will tell you if I find any weaknesses.
Submitted by
Gary
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne, Australia
Date Reviewed: August 24, 2003
Strengths: Cool paint job, strong frame and quite a comfortable set-up
Weaknesses: Brakes, Brakes, Brakes...oh yeah did I mention the brakes.
Bottom Line:
Just wanted to drop in this review. I was testing out bikes on the weekend and had a choice of 2 bikes, the Giant Xtc-2 or the GT avalanche 0.0 Both are comparable for price, but the GT cops disc brakes. To cut out the banter, I have to agree with the other reviewers about the brakes. I tested the GT for maybe 10 mins around the city putting in some hard stops and the discs started to grind after the fourth stop. After bolting back to the shop (cos I thought I broke it), the guy had a look a said the discs were warped. Not a good first impression for a bike costing that much. Hopefully GT will upgrade the brakes in the '04 model. Anyway, I went with a '04 Giant Xtc-2 for the same price as a '03 runout GT (can live without the problems of disc brakes for now). Have to wait 4 weeks for the giant though. can't wait.
Submitted by
Francis Fowler
a Cross Country Rider
from Wellington, New Zealand
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2003
Strengths: Excellent Value, Rugged, XT rear derailer, Hayes HFX Discs, strong wheelset, Looks cool, I can go so much faster on this bike
Weaknesses: RockShox Pilot XC Fork, I hear GT customer support is really bad, Brakes are a bit problematic, pedals aren't the best
Bottom Line:
I've only had this bike for about a month so far but I go so much faster on downhills with this bike. I used to crash all the time on my old bike but I haven't once on this one so far. I didn't like the Pilot XC fork that came on this bike so I got it changed when I bought it. The pilot was an air fork so I figured I could adjust it to my weight(quite light at 60kg and I like soft forks) but I let out all the air and it was still too hard, turns out it is coil assisted. I love the Hayes disc brakes, they are really powerful and excellently modulated which gives me the confidence to go fast but they always rub and I can't seem to correct it, also I've read reviews that say the rotors are weak and wear really quickly. XT rear derailer works flawlessly. The saddle is a little bulky but looks durable. The wheel set is nice and strong and the Tioga factory XC tyres grip really well. This is an excellent bike at and excellent price, it would be good for someone who wants a bike for aggressive cross country. I am happy with pretty much all the components on this bike (except fork) and enjoy riding it so much more than my old bike. Buy it, but upgrade to a Marzocchi Bomber.
Bike Setup: 03 Marzocchi MX Comp Fork (Air) otherwise stock
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Sung
a Weekend Warrior
from Los Angeles
Date Reviewed: February 27, 2003
Strengths: Solid Bike all around.The Rock Shox Pilot XC is truely better than the Judy series I'm used to.
Weaknesses: Although it's a fairly light bike, it's a bit heavier than others in it's class. The disc brakes have to be lined up perfectly or it rubs.
Bottom Line:
Altogether this bike is the best in it's class. Pound for pound "under $900.00" there's no greater in the market right now. Quality parts with a beautiful appearance makes up a great combo. It's durability and handling has me regaining faith back with GT. Good job with this GT.
Similar Products Used: Giant, Garry Fisher, Shwinn.
Bike Setup: 03 GT avalanche 0.0 stock setup.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Garry
a Weekend Warrior
from Melbourne - Australia
Date Reviewed: February 22, 2003
Strengths: Looks Good, Has all the right components for the price range
Weaknesses: GT SUPPORT !!!!!!!!!!!! Hayes Discs x 2 new sets in 2 months Vibrating arse end GT CUSTOMER SERVICE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bottom Line:
Rumour has it that I am not alone with the return rate on the Avalanch 0.0. Returned Disc sets appear to be the problem - leading to no brakes "All of a sudden" - Leaking brake fluid onto paint work. Out of "True" discs making that much noise because they constantly hit the calipers. Spin the wheel freehand and watch the 5 revolutions before the friction bought it to a stop. - BE CAREFUL
And then trying to return the faulty bike to GT - well you know the rest !!!!!!!!!!
It is a pity because this would be a great bike if it worked - if like me 70% Hard tracks and every now and then get adventurous spend a little more.
