Submitted by
Paul
a Weekend Warrior
from Nashville, TN USA
Date Reviewed: October 16, 2000
Strengths: Excellent suspension action, great traction, tracks very well through rough stuff, i-drive works pretty well
Weaknesses: seat tube is two pieces butted end to end and welded...that's right where mine came apart, if not assembled properly there is an odd noise coming from the i-drive that sounds like a loose headset I discovered that the mechanics and Cumberland Transit were deaf when they couldn't here it every time you put torque to the pedals. After having to replace the rear triangle (due to riding my bike upside down over a rock) the noise went away. Thank you mechanics from Biker's Choice of Hendersonville, who also charged me less than half of what Cumberland Transit quoted me. Anyway, the seat tube came apart and it took GT two freakin' weeks to get a replacement frame to me. I put all the old parts on the new frame myself just to get some good mojo with the new frame. A lot of good it did me! I G'd out in a relatively small dip at a local trail (Lock 4 in Gallatin) and the seat mast on my 1 mile old I-drive 5.0 buckled. Weaknesses? Can you say seat mast/tube problems?
Bottom Line:
I love the fork, the tires, the chain, rear shock, wheels in particular. The fork is oh so plush, all four inches. The tires tend to fill a little in the mud, but are excellent in everything else. My velociraptors were slower in all conditions except mud (no surprise), the enduroraptors that came on it were good in the rough, but little else. I have to give them credit though. I didn't get a single pinch flat the whole season until I got really lazy and pounded a curb. The revolt STs were good for going straight, but not much else for my 200 lbs.(except pinch flatting) The Panaracers I love. The KMC I like because I broke 4 shimano's in the first 2 months that I rode the bike. Granted, I've learned to use the lower gears, I'm still impressed with the KMC's staying power. The Crosslink wheels have blown me away. The bike came with Mavic 221 rims. They required straightening almost every outing at Hamilton Creek. I very seldom have to do anything to the 'links. Even after I was distraught from my seat tube breakage and accidentally drove my 97 Dodge Ram over the wheel (luckily straight across the hub), the wheel was still ridably straight. The Fox you know about by now. The carbon HB is nice and quite rigid. TIME pedals round out the package, and work flawlessly and give me a pretty regular headstart when everyone else is trying to get into their pedals. Overall this bike performed well before I swapped out so many parts, but durability was very questionable. Parts selection constantly improved performance, but as incredible as some of the weight reductions were (wheels, fork, handlebar, brakes, cranks,tires, headset, cassette, STI shifters) the bike still weighed in at around 30 lbs. The bike broke too. Shoulda' bought a Trek. ( I'm thinkin' Psycle Werks, Intense, or Mountain Cycle San Andreas)
Purchased At: Cumberland Transit, West End Ave., Nashville
Similar Products Used: DBR V-link 1.2, Y bike
Bike Setup: Z-1 X-fly, Crosslink wheels, Avid AR 50, XTR:cassette, STI, r.der., XT f. der., Race Face turbine LP crankset w/ Girvin rock ring, Easton monkey lite CT2 riser, Easton EA70 stem, Fox Air Vanilla R, Panaracer 2.1 Fire XC Pro tires, Yeti grips, KMC Z9900 chain, FSA orbit extreme headset.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Mel Salada
a Cross Country Rider
from Omaha, NE USA
Date Reviewed: July 31, 2000
Strengths: Plush ride. Excellent over rough and technical terrain. Climbs well once you get used to the bike. You have to forget that it is a full suspension and just bomb up the hill like its a hardtail.....you will be surprised.
Weaknesses: A little heavy but not enough to detract from its climbing ability. The super wide Tioga XC's that it was speced with are too wide for the rear triangle. I recommend replacing them before you start losing material from rubbing. The Koski brakes a little weak when compared to better V-brakes. The common complaint on XCR's is the mistereous clicking sound from the eccentric. Just take it apart, clean and relube, problem solved.
Bottom Line:
Great bike. Highly recommended. Responsive, plush, and once you get used to its ride you can still climb like a mountain goat. If you think a full suspension bike will take away from your climbing, then you haven't shopped around lately. The descending ability greatly outweighs the few seconds lost on the climb. I recommend this bike to all the avid mountain bikers out there that just can't quite do the $3000 bike setup, otherwise go for the XCR 1000 and take the plunge.
Favorite Trail: Platt River, but returning soon to Auburn, CA
Duration Product Used: 3 months
Similar Products Used: A number of "roadie" bikes. '93 Giant Iguana. '97 Spec. Stumpjumper M2 Comp.
Bike Setup: XTR crankset, XTR F-R der. Avid disc brakes
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
laird macdougall
a Weekend Warrior
from summerland
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2000
Strengths: I have riden the xcr 2000 for 6 months and I have nothing bad to say about it except that its a bit heavy. It climes and it goas down some wicked slopes. and you alwase feel in controle.
Bottom Line:
I would recemend this bike for anybody that want to do some wicked stuff and still do good a XC too.
Submitted by
Joe Quintana
a cross-country rider
from San Francisco, CA
Date Reviewed: October 11, 1998
Bottom Line:
A Problem with the 1999 GT XCR 2000Is it an engineering defect or did I get a lemon or was it assembled incorrectly at the dealer where I bought the XCR 2000? While riding the XCR up hill a clicking nose and vibration from that noise ( felt through the crank & Pedal while pedaling) is coming from the i-drive eccentric housing. Only while climbing does this annoying noise and vibration happen. The steeper the hill the more pronounced the sound becomes, (no matter the terrain). Yes I read the manual and I made sure the two red dots are lined up correctly while sitting on the XCR before I began my ride. On flat lands no vibrating noise is noticeable from the eccentric housing no matter how much pedaling force was applied. On the receipt it states refund/exchange within 30 days only with receipt......I hope GT and the dealer where I bought the XCR will handle this flaw with the up most ergency. I purchased the XCR 9/25/98 and did not ride it until 10/11/98. My first ride with the XCR 2000 started from San Francisco's Nob Hill to the Marin Head Lands (round trip 30 miles) and it performed very good in all the different types of rode and trial conditions. This is my seconed bike and my first dual suspension bike......I have to say this particular bike is fun to ride. I felt no drop in pedaling power on hills and on flat lands. The XCR has given me a more comfortable ride up hill as well as down hill. The XCR suspension takes all the pot holes and bumps on the pavement as well as on the dirt aggressively which allows me to ride longer with less body fatigue.
