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Submitted by
roguetrooper
a Weekend Warrior
from Wales
Date Reviewed: May 6, 2009 | | Favorite Trail: | Brechfa | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | Halfords Swansea | | Strengths: | Halfords sell it under old Aggressor label. Excellent frame and wheels not bad for price...Alex rims,Tioaga tyres,Shimano Alivio gears...Excellent to upgrade! | | Weaknesses: | rockshox dart 1 forks not much cop...but on £300 bike cant expect much better!! | | Similar Products Used: | First mountainbike! | | Bike Setup: | Only thing original is frame!! Tora 302 forks,deore hollotech 2 chainset,spd pedals, Element xsd1 wheels,Diatech anchor hydro brakes... | | Bottom Line: | I was chuffed with it when I got it, went straight out on trails,never had any issues, first thing I upgraded was brakes. Cable discs are not up to the job! Sound budget starter....And when the bug bites just upgrade!!! Frame not the lightest around but good quality and looks good...I love it! | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
boom boom
a Downhiller
from perth
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | the nigs trail nigadugwa | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$1234567.00 | | Purchased At: | k mart | | Strengths: | chocolate was yummy but made me run to tha dunny
then i the sharrif camed in and i busted a cap where it hurts | | Weaknesses: | the weels wher square and then i killed tha sherif | | Similar Products Used: | unicycle and then the sherif shot me | | Bike Setup: | skitles and now im dead | | Bottom Line: | tri pod was good but then it turn into an i pod that didnt have very good song on it now i live in a dumpster next door to the sherif.but theni sold my dumpster to buy the world best cheese grater and now i make lots of kick ass toasted sandwitches. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
aj nrazed
a Cross Country Rider
from annapolis,md,usa
Date Reviewed: March 10, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | any city street | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$250.00 | | Purchased At: | used | | Strengths: | stiff,sturdy frame,super cool looking. excellent frame to customize | | Weaknesses: | the bikes came with run of the mill components back in the day (early 90's)cheap shimano stuff. | | Similar Products Used: | ridden everything | | Bike Setup: | vintage kooka cranks and brake levers,titanium flat bar,carbon seatpost,titanium spindle crank bros pedals, gripshift esp, ultegra 600 road derailleur, ceramic bearing bb with titanium spindle, coda ti rail race saddle, rigid gt chromo fork,stock mavic 235 rims on shimano hubs,ritchey tom slicks 26x1 high pressure tires | | Bottom Line: | bottom line is about the frame. this bike makes the perfect city shredder.yes it costs a fortune to lighten things up, but if you make the effort you get a light,stiff,fast ride that looks amazing and is virtually indestructible (not recommended for riders over 180 lbs) | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
James
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Clarita CA
Date Reviewed: September 14, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Paper Route, Mammoth | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$700.00 | | Purchased At: | Oceanside CA | | Strengths: | Stiff, ball burnished aluminum frame. Tough bike. LE model has oversized tubing. | | Weaknesses: | creaking noises from the seatpost and seat | | Bike Setup: | Judy XC fork, XT V-brakes, XT brake levers and pods, M737 pedals, stock WTB tires | | Bottom Line: | I've had this bike for seven years now. It did a year of duty with me while stationed in Okinawa Japan. It got a lot of compliments back then and I still enjoy riding it. I've taken it twice to Mammoth and it's taken a beating. It climbs well, and is fairly light weight. Even after buying a full suspension rig, I still want to hold onto this one. It's in the shop getting an overhaul. All I have to replace is the headset, chain, and rear cassete. Everything else is holding up. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Zim
a Racer
from Medicine Hat, AB, CANADA
Date Reviewed: June 14, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Bow Cycle, Calgary ALBERTA | | Strengths: | Looks, components, price. | | Weaknesses: | Rear V-brakes - generic brand, I replaced them right away. Front disk was noisey, hard to adjust, changed over to Avid Mechanical disks front and back, no more problems. Syncros riser bar and stem are cheap looking. | | Similar Products Used: | Trek 8500, Norco Nitro, Kona Cinder Cone | | Bike Setup: | Judy XC Fork, LX Components, XT Rear Derailleur, Formula front Hydraulic Disk, Syncros Stem & Bar, Tioga Extreme XC tires, XT rear disk hub. | | Bottom Line: | This has been an awesome bike, I've used it as a commuter, XC racer, for touring and Urban Assaulting. It has stood up well, I just finished replacing all the components because of wear, I've put about 6000 miles on it in the past 3 years. The Judy fork has stood up well to the mountains and urban assault. I swapped out to orginal braking for Avid mechanical disks which was easy to do since the frame, fork and hubs were already set up for disks.
Now I'm running full XT components with XTR V-brakes, Bontrager Race Lite stem, bar and post, Egg Beater pedals and Mavic x517 rims. The bike is a racing machine and only weighs in at 24 lbs!
I don't know about the new GT lineup but I think this bike is comparable to the 2003 Zaskar!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
EDDIE LOPEZ
a Cross Country Rider
from CORONA CA
Date Reviewed: May 19, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Whiting Ranch | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$720.00 | | Purchased At: | Village(now Jax) Bicycles | | Strengths: | Light weight, all aluminum, durable. I weigh 240# and I've jumped this thing many times never a problem. I've been riding this bike for about 4 years, only things I've replaced are chains front rim, cranks and rear derailer , all because I rode the heck out of it. | | Weaknesses: | A little hard on my rear, next bike should be full suspension. Serious downhillers should stay away. | | Similar Products Used: | The only other MT bike I owned was a Schwinn, it was a heavy piece of junk, I love my GT.I've rode Gt LTS it was great also Trek, the only bike I will ride is GT | | Bike Setup: | Rock Shox Indy SL, XT components Kore and Shimano equiped | | Bottom Line: | I love GT, when I do replace this bike It will most likley be with another GT. Anybody wanting to ride hard and keep the cost down this bike is the answer. I've rode everything from Big Bear to Chino Hills on this bike you can take it anywhere and I ride hard and it has lasted except for normal wear and tear. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from dallas, tx
Date Reviewed: April 20, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | johnson branch | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | LBS | | Strengths: | solid frame, well spec'd, great bargain | | Weaknesses: | a little on the heavy side, but managable | | Bike Setup: | Judy SL, XT drivetrain, syncros rims, XT hubs, time pedals, Thomson seatpost, XTR brakes | | Bottom Line: | I'm currently riding my 2nd GT Avalanche. The 1st was a now ancient (and stollen) '93, steel avalanche lovingly nicknamed the "mountain cow" due to its weight and paint job.
The one I'm riding now is a 2000 model, I believe, and has served me well. The only major issues I've had thus far are with parts simply wearing out with time; i.e. chains, rings, etc. The frame is simply bomb proof. It's fallen off roof racks, seen the worst of Texas rocks, its been ridden in snow storms, rain, sand, mud, hail, and is still in fantastic shape. For the money, you simply can't go wrong.
The only major alterations I made with this bike from how I purchased it was changing out the Avid mech. disc brakes for XTR V-brakes. While the avid's are fanatastic brakes, I simply never got used to the feel of them. I just felt that they were more brake than I need.
Bottom line: I'd recommend this bike to anyone who's on a tight budget and wants to do some serious riding. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Colorado
Date Reviewed: April 11, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Anything that doesn't suck | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$1200.00 | | Purchased At: | Out-N-About - St. Cloud, MN | | Strengths: | This bike took all the abuse I could give it for 10 years. Frame never cracked (and it should have several times), and overall it has just been a damn good bike. $1200 back in 1993 was a lot of cash for a bike, and it has been worth every penny. | | Weaknesses: | Never had a problem, except for minor wear and tear that required component upgrades/replacements. | | Similar Products Used: | The only mtn. bike I've ever had, that is until my new Switchblade arrives in about 3 weeks. | | Bike Setup: | It's seen alot of changes, but it is still very, very old-school: An orange Manitous Spider fork with .00000000000000025" of workable travel, original Shimano LX cranks (they still work), assorted Titec parts, some kind of blue shifter pods (they look cool), Avid canti brakes (I think), LX hubs, rims are unknown at this point (they just work), the rest of the parts are a hodge-podge of whatever my local bike shop could find at the time of needed repair. Needless to say this is a mutt bike, but it ruled in it's day. | | Bottom Line: | This review is intended for anyone considering buying a used GT.
The bottom line is I rode the absolute piss out of this bike for ten years, and the only reason she is being retired is because I am finally ready to build the over-the-top dream ride, and I have finally admitted to myself that it just can't do it anymore (although the bike would beg to differ). I may sound like a cheez ball, but for those of us that have tried desperately to keep that last ounce of glory in our first hardtail, this should sound familiar. If you are considering buying someone's used Avalanche, I say yes. I don't know about the quality of the new breed of Walmart Gt's, but this frame is still rock solid after 10 years. I give it all the flamin' chili's cuz she never did me wrong. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kajki rolandsson
a Cross Country Rider
from Jönköping, Sweden
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | hallby | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$500.00 | | Purchased At: | from a guy?? | | Strengths: | very light,components. | | Weaknesses: | no suspension!
| | Similar Products Used: | none like this.. | | Bike Setup: | full LX except for rear der:XT | | Bottom Line: | This bike i very good, but i would like a suspension, becouse i ride very bumpy trails. i will probobly buy an AXEL or similar.. great value though. i recomend it to people that maybe not race very much. for excercise. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Geo Geo
a Cross Country Rider
from Komotini Greece
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$600.00 | | Bottom Line: | It is a good frame 7005 with small weight and good price | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
SniderMan
a
from Dartmouth N.S.
Date Reviewed: January 4, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Jack's Lake Stunt park | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$200.00 | | Purchased At: | second hand | | Strengths: | I bought this frame second hand for 200 bucks if I can recall. It was a really stiff frame and treated me well. It was small enough (16") to throw around and have fun on but still do the XC stuff I wanted to do. The welds have held up through severl months of introductry freeriding and urban drops and numerous bails as well. | | Weaknesses: | It is a heavy frame from an XC perspective.
I cracked my frame on the right chainstay just next to a weld near the bottom bracket. | | Similar Products Used: | '96 Rocky Cardiac
'00 Rocky Hammer Race
'98 Trek ZX 6000
'99 Kona Caldera
'00 GT Tempest | | Bike Setup: | '99 16" avalanche frame w/RockShok Psylo XC, rhynolites on XT hubs, full XT components and Hayes cable disc up front. | | Bottom Line: | This is a great ride til you break it, and by the sounds of it I am not the only one who broke a frame. Climbs great but is not quite set up for a 5" travel fork. Great over all. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
max
a
from Russia
Date Reviewed: June 12, 2001 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$650.00 | | Strengths: | cool | | Weaknesses: | no | | Similar Products Used: | no | | Bike Setup: | Shimano Deore + Rock Socx Judy TT | | Bottom Line: | cool for the price
the best bike you can get for 650$ for X-country
The frame is extremly hard when pedaling
for trial frame is good, but I think that it is quite high | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Prodigal Son
a
from New Zealand
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2001 | | Favorite Trail: | Makara Peaks-Wellington | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Purchased At: | Penny's Wellington | | Strengths: | Nice and small, easy 2 jump, rock hard rear end (no implimentions there :), looks nice | | Weaknesses: | head tube/down tube/top tube joint cos i cracked mine rite @ the top top/head tube welding. Piece of crap cant handle the jumps that i do but it did ok 4 2yrs | | Bike Setup: | Judys, Deore drivetrain, Kore reactor, LX V brakes, Fire
XC's, brake booster small stem and riser | | Bottom Line: | It was good while it lasted but unfortunately not long enough or stong enough. Ill get a new one through warrenty and sell it 4 $200 then get a DMR trailstar | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
matt
a Cross Country Rider
from RALEIGH
Date Reviewed: December 5, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | pisgah | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Strengths: | the geometry is incredible, the frame is strong as bawlz (up to a point anyway)excellent company support | | Weaknesses: | seat tube/top tube weld junction, but getting the frame replaced under warranty is definitely a strength!
| | Similar Products Used: | awl sortz | | Bike Setup: | Z2 bomber, sun Rhyno lite whlz, lx/xt everything else | | Bottom Line: | well, i have to admit i gave the frame hell for 6 months so i pretty much expected it to crack sooner or later, but thats what i got the dern thing for anyway...so i say ride the hell out of it and get it replaced under warranty every 6 months or so to keep on top of the tech! mad props to marzocchi for making a killer fork too. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joseph (Jody) Ott
a Weekend Warrior
from Olympia, WA
Date Reviewed: November 14, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | #30 from Larch Mountain in the Capital Forest | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$210.00 | | Purchased At: | Cambria Outfitters | | Strengths: | Agresive handling, and kick ass stiff!!! | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | Raceface Low Riser Bars, Avid 2.0 Levers, Deaore 9spd Shifters, ATI Pistol Grips, Control Tech 80mm Stem, Raceface Real Seal Headset, Judy 80mm XC, XTR V-Brakes, SDG Comp Seat, Raceface XY Seatpost, XTR Front Derailer, XT Bottom Bracket, Raceface Turbine LP Cranks with 44 32 Rings & a Girvin Rock Ring, XTR Rear Derailer, XT 9spd 11-32 Cassette, GT CNC Hubs w/Mavic 519 Rims-DT 2.0mm radial spokes Front/DT 1.8mm-1.5mm Twist Lace Non Drive/DT 2.0mm-1.5mm 3Cross Drive Side,Panaracer Spike Tires (for winter), Michelin Wildgripper Sport (for summer), | | Bottom Line: | I ride the 14.5 inch frame which is great for the former BMX rider moving into mountain biking. It handles quick and sure and is easy to jump. The small fram can make rides of 20 miles of more a little hard but other than that it Kicks!!!!!!This fram in this size is definately not the cross country riders dream but it makes a great dual slolem or deep woods hard corps trail bike. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Glenn
a Cross Country Rider
from Victoria BC
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Strengths: | Sweet to look at, awsome to ride nice and stiff very controllable, climbs very nicely and takes drops with the best of em, very strong frame | | Weaknesses: | non yet | | Similar Products Used: | 96 Norco Pinnacle, 97 Rocky Mountain Hammer Race | | Bike Setup: | 99 manitou sx fork, full lx grouping, Avid 1.9l levers and Speed dial 5 brakes, Deore shifters, XT crank and 535 pedals | | Bottom Line: | Kicks A*@ sweet ride i beat the snot out of it and it keeps on Rollin rollin rollin rollin baby GT 4 LIFE | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Chris De Mos
a Weekend Warrior
from Torrance, CA US of A
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Kenter Coaster whoop-dee-doos | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Strengths: | All I can say is I love this frame! GT ROCKS! | | Weaknesses: | None that I can tell yet | | Similar Products Used: | This is my only bike, I cant compare it to anything. | | Bike Setup: | Rock Shox Judy XC, Shimano LX, Mavic cross-max, Easton monkey bars yadda yadda yadda...... | | Bottom Line: | I had a 20" GT Tequesta for 3 years, which I mainly rode on the street. I finally got a car and my bike became recreational instead of my transportation. I started to ride some off road trails and found the "Kenter Coaster" trail in LA. I started beating the sh*t out of my bike on the whoop-de-doo's and I finally broke the frame. I was way bummed until I remembered that GT has a life time warranty. I took my bike and my paper work to the shop I bought it from and with no questions asked, I was getting a new frame. However, GT (from what my dealer told me) always upgrades the frame! So I picked out an 18" Avalanche. This is a great frame!! I love everything about it and GT also threw in a front derailer and a seat post because mine would not fit anymore. All I can say is that I will FOREVER ride a GT! I experianced no hassles at all, and prompt freindly service with extras to boot! I have two words for you......GT RULES! This is a great frame for someone on a budget who cant afford a FS bike. When I do get a FS bike, guess what brand it will be? Ummmmm yep, you got it, a GT! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
peter stupak
a Weekend Warrior
from Philadelphia, Pa USA
Date Reviewed: July 18, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | forbidden trail - valley green - fairmount park | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Frame is light, stiff, and responsive. Climbs remarkably well and performs well on tight, technical trails. Steering is razor sharp. | | Weaknesses: | A little harsh when riding rocky trails since impacts are transferred to your backside. Tricky thing was finding proper setup for steep descents becasue of frame geometry, which has you wayyyy back behind the saddle, until discovered a great riser bars stem combo | | Similar Products Used: | Aluminum XC hardtails: Specialized Stumpjumper, Kona Kula Custom | | Bike Setup: | Avalanche LE, Rock Shox Judy XC, LX group with XT rear, Gripshift 7 spd, Avid levers and V-brakes | | Bottom Line: | Geometry - either love it or hate it. '96 bike bought used and ridden regularly for the past two years. All factory stock components except stem, bars, and tires. Climbs with the best of them - fairly light for intermediate bike. Above average combination of performance for a frame that is this light and inexpensive - strong, light, and durable. Not a single problem with this bike EVER, and I ride freqeuntly (over 2200 miles on technical rocky trails) in last two years. Value priced and setup is ready to go except for pedals (insert your persoanl preference here) for a intermediate rider who rides more than just weekends and wants a bike that will provide countless hours of trail happiness. Comparable to Specialized Stumpjumper except for components, but overall performance marginally bettter. Not nearly as good as a Kona Kula custom hardtail, which I have ridden too, but at 1/3 the cost of the Kona a great bike for anyone looking for a relatively inexpensive mountain bike they can live with until mountain biking becomes an obsession for them and they feel the need to upgrade to a full out XC race hardtail. Not inteneded for the techno-snob rider who needs expensive, weight-saving the top of the line components. See GT Zaskar if you want a race hardtail and components to boot.
This bike is for sale to a good home. I have more time and money on my hands these days and will buy race bike in the fall. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stephan Vetsch
a Cross Country Rider
from Lakewood, Co, Jefferson
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2000 | | Favorite Trail: | Deer Creek Canyon | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Strengths: | Price, Stiff Frame | | Weaknesses: | Terrible on the downhills. Weight is too far forward and it is difficult to get back behind the seat for downhills. I have gone through 3 free hubs and had to have a stronger rear wheel built. | | Bike Setup: | several upgrades on the free hub, custom built rear wheel and added a longet stem to try and get my weight back on the bike. It didn't help performance at all. | | Bottom Line: | It's for sale! May be ok for someone with a different body type. I'm 6' tall with a 29.5" inseam. Generally, nothing great about the bike and nothing but trouble with the components. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ben
a Please Select
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: January 25, 2000 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Bottom Line: | I had this frame when I bought the bike complete, late in 96. I used it primarily as a commuter bike with slicks, and rode pretty much every day, as a car replacement. after being out of the country for over six months, and the bike in the cupboard,I pulled it out cleaned it and noticed a1 inch crack in the seat tube just above the bottom bracket. Took it back to the shop I bought it from to get warrenty check. Turns out they no longer sell GT, and thus a GT rep. would not drop by to look at it. They wanted me to strip the bike and send the frame to GT in Melbourne (at my own cost). After ringing up the importers directly, they then said to go to another GT selling store. It took over two weeks for a rep to see the frame, accept the obvious fault in quality. Then from here after much exhaustive hassling and bugging, it took GT over three months to replace my frame, constantly changing the reasons and anticipated solution to the delays. This whole time I have not been able to ride. The frame turned out to be a 1999 model. It had a changed geometry,cable routing system,no bosses for my LX canti brakes, and the steerer tube was over an inch longer. Thus just to be able to ride again, I have had to buy new cables and covers, buy new suspension with an adequate steerer tube length, and buy new V brakes, V brake levers,and remove my old (all in one) LX rapid fire levers and shifters, and attain seperate rapid fire levers. It seems GT and GT sellers are more than accomodating when taking your money, but they fall way short when it comes to after sales service. Not happy, and I now know that I will never buy GT again, nor any of my riding buddies (several of whom work in bike shops in sydney), nor anyone who cares to ask about my bike. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Travis
a Cross-Country Rider
from Mesa Az
Date Reviewed: April 27, 1999 | | Favorite Trail: |
Hawes loop | | Duration Product Used: |
3 months | | Strengths: |
Affordability, Marzocchi Forks,
GT ridgity | | Weaknesses: |
I don't like the Michelin wildgripper tires.
Azonic Stem is too long (130 mm?) | | Similar Products Used: |
Used to own a Univega fs-1 wiht Marzocchi z3.. | | Bike Setup: |
Marzocchi Z2 with heavy springs, 10 wt oil with an additional 5 mm of oil.
Added riser bars and handled much better. | | Bottom Line: | Overall, I like this bike. It is solid for a big guy like me (235#). Even with riserbars, it climbs pretty well, and responds nicley when thrown around. | | Overall Rating: |
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