Submitted by
james roberts
a Downhiller
from whitby, north yorkshire, england
Date Reviewed: 11/22/2007 3:59:03 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
fort william, innerleithen |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$1000 |
| Purchased At: |
descent-world |
| Strengths: |
Nice ride, good spec once you get rid of the rims, nothing can fault this bike apart from the below |
| Weaknesses: |
limited choice in chaing guides, mrp takes some setting up, bar and stem are not really my cup of tea |
| Similar Products Tried: |
intense m1, haro DHR |
| Bike Setup: |
stock 04 set up all for sun ringle mtx's, avid codes and 2007 xtr |
| Bottom Line: |
This is a brilliant race bike, i love it, it seems suited to UK course and doesnt get nervous at speed, its also a great bike to chuck around in the air, although looking after the i-drive takes some doing, so not really a good bike for a beginner, but well worth the money for a seasoned racer |
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Submitted by
Matt
a Downhiller
from Apen, CO
Date Reviewed: 11/7/2006 5:17:44 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
No Joke, Angel Fire course |
| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Price Paid: |
$2000 |
| Purchased At: |
online |
| Strengths: |
Very good stock parts for the most part, price, super stiff rear end, easy to handle, extremely quiet, quite smooth, nothing has broken so far, Hadley rear hub, Fox DHX 5.0 |
| Weaknesses: |
Handle bar stem combo is aweful, 44 tooth ring is too big, GT name gets no love, hard to find someone to work on the I-drive (ended up doing it myself), getting replacement parts could be tricky, MRP took some setting up: Swap the rollers so the smooth roller is on top. Stock tires pinch easily, stock grips suck, 6" rear rotor squeals (replace with Hayes) |
| Bike Setup: |
Dangerboy stem, Weyless bar, FSA Pig headset, Truvative Holzfeller cranks, Shimano DX pedals, MRP chainguide, XTR/XT shifting, Juicy 7 brakes, WTB wheels, DHX 5.0, Marz 888 RC |
| Bottom Line: |
Quite a deal for the money $2000. I have had to replace a few parts, but I have kept most of the stock setup. I have DHed about 20 days on it so far and it rides almost like day 1. It is very smooth and quiet over even the ruffest courses. The only problem is that the Idrive has the potential to become a problem if not maintained, but to be honest it really isn't that hard. Your friends will ask you why you bought a GT. Just let them ride it for a couple runs and ask them why they paid $2000 more for a bike that may not even be as good. |
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Submitted by
Doug
a Downhiller
from Denver, CO
Date Reviewed: 8/22/2006 11:36:50 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Anything I don't have to ride up |
| Duration Product Used: |
More than 3 years |
| Price Paid: |
$2000 |
| Purchased At: |
a bike shop |
| Strengths: |
this is a durable bike! I've been freeriding/downhilling this thing since 2001 and the frame is still going strong. It also pedals extremely well, not just for a DH rig, but any dual suspension. |
| Weaknesses: |
Factory setup a little weak, I've replaced almost everything on this bike. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
RM7, RM9, bullit, various other long travel bikes |
| Bike Setup: |
Mavic 321 rims, Azonic hammer stem, easton EA50 bars, Monster T, Chris King headset, Hadley rear hub |
| Bottom Line: |
If you want a bike that can pedal over anything, this is it. the pedal force never disturbs the suspension's ability to soak up the hits thanks in on small part to the idrive. There is some brake jack, but that seems to plague all single pivot systems. This bike is also as fast as you want it to be on the open trails, but the short cockpit makes it easy to manuver in tight spots, plus, with a low standover height, it's easy to throw a foot down if need be.
On a note about getting parts, which has nothing to do with how i'd rate the bike, plan ahead, because pacific takes their time when delivering parts (and the lower shock mount bolt tends to go once every years or so, but it's just a $16 part, so get 2). |
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Submitted by
David
a Weekend Warrior
from Sachse Texas
Date Reviewed: 7/26/2006 4:59:51 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Any thats not flat or up hill |
| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Price Paid: |
$1999 |
| Purchased At: |
Bicycle Outlet |
| Strengths: |
Very nice parts but changed the stem and handle bar. Very stiff rear end no flex at all. Peddles as well or better than any bike I have ever owned and I have had many. |
| Weaknesses: |
None really maybe the handle bar stem combo. I would liked to have a powder coat paint job for durabilty but paint job looks good as is. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Rocky Mountain RMX seems to be the closes match out of all my bikes. |
| Bike Setup: |
Changed forks to a Marzocchi 66 for more of a free ride trail set up. Got a smaller crank ring for climbing. |
| Bottom Line: |
Very pleased with bike so far. It is very stiff and floats over stuff like no other. I was very surprized how well it climbs and how smooth it was over ruff stuff. I am very picky about my bikes I change frames and bikes out alot. I think I will hold on to this one for a while as it seems to fit every asspect I was looking for. |
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Submitted by
Patrick
a Downhiller
from Kailua, HI
Date Reviewed: 7/21/2006 2:12:21 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Anything that does down |
| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Price Paid: |
$1999 |
| Purchased At: |
eBay (outdooroutlet1) |
| Strengths: |
Great parts for the price! The i-drive seems to work very good. |
| Weaknesses: |
The GT name IMO, I never thought GT when I was looking for a bike. But it's working out! The MRP i-drive specific guide isnt cool, it works but I like my E-13. The stem sucks, a 25mm flat bar for a dh bike?? I changed that as soon as I got it. I really dont like the XTR, but as soon as it fails, breaks get some SRAM on there.the grips were a joke, those got switched out with a quickness too. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Cannondale Gemini |
| Bike Setup: |
Stock minus the grips and stem/ bar. |
| Bottom Line: |
Great value, check eBay for that seller. He sell alot of bikes, very helpful and they know bikes. So it isnt some part time seller. |
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Submitted by
A S
a Downhiller
from NYC
Date Reviewed: 4/5/2006 9:47:42 AM
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| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$3000 |
| Strengths: |
-Good geometry
-Excellent suspension action.
-Great overall value |
| Weaknesses: |
-Rides a bit high
-If something breaks, difficult to get replacement parts |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Santa Cruz Super 8
Intense M1 |
| Bike Setup: |
Stock w/ Shimano DX platform pedals |
| Bottom Line: |
This is by far the most underated downhill bike produced. The suspension action is on par with the best. There is no pedal or brake interferance what so ever. This is trully a fully active bike with race oriented geometry. Unfortunately it has a generic, no-frills stigma. As long as you don't give a f%ck, you will not be disappointed with the way this bike rides. |
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Submitted by
Craig
a Weekend Warrior
from BC Canada
Date Reviewed: 1/11/2006 6:13:02 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
world cup DH at Silverstar |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$1500 |
| Purchased At: |
used |
| Strengths: |
Light, Pedals Well, 9" of travel that you can ride uphill. This bike is a serious confidence booster, and it can help any non-professional rider become better! |
| Weaknesses: |
Swingarms break, or so I am told? I have'nt broken one yet. It's hard to find a Non - MRP chainguide for this bike. I could'nt imagine servicing the I-drive. it's going to be a nightmare |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Big hit DH, Stab Primo, Balfa 2 step |
| Bike Setup: |
boxxers, Sunn Double Tracks, Hadley Hubs, azonic stem, all xtr components. Swapped to a MUCH smaller front ring with inner and outer bashguards and ditched the mrp setup. I ride uphills aswell! |
| Bottom Line: |
It's a good bike and I do like it. I don't like the reputation it has for being a terrible bike. It's great if you use it for it's intended purpose. It is not a huge HIT bike, and it is not a dirtjumper. It's not made to be hucked off 30 ft cliffs either. It's made to Lift ride your local Ski-hill. It's a downhill racer that inspries even the weakest of riders and you can pedal it uphill if you need-to aswell. |
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Submitted by
NAthan
a Downhiller
from Sydney
Date Reviewed: 10/18/2005 1:05:29 AM
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| Duration Product Used: |
6 months |
| Strengths: |
Rides sweet, pedals like nothing else I've ridden!
Is a nice (fairly) light and un complicated race bike with a good spec list. |
| Weaknesses: |
er..... SWINGARM!!!! |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Most DH bikes, Schwinn Straight 8, balfa, giant etc |
| Bottom Line: |
The swingarms all snap, we all know it! I've also had a hard time trying to get a swingarm cause I bought it 2nd hand. Seems they cant make em fast enough and all the spares are going to warranty cases! Also makes this bike very hard to sell.
Its a really nice race bike, definately not a hucker though...(unless of course you bought your new and dont mind waiting for a waranty swingarm... |
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Submitted by
Patrick
from chico, ca
Date Reviewed: 9/27/2005 5:04:45 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
upper bidwell |
| Duration Product Used: |
Less than 1 month |
| Purchased At: |
Built it myself |
| Strengths: |
Solid, your could drop this bike off a cliff and it would still ride like it was brand new. Pedals like an idrive with fox propedal should. stock xtr parts, idrive specific crxtr crankset, stock bashgaurd. |
| Weaknesses: |
none that i've come accross |
| Similar Products Tried: |
gt i-drive 4.0, kona stinky dee-lux |
| Bike Setup: |
sherman slider triple, primo supertenderizers, xtr components, chris king headset, michelin tires, hadely hubs, hayes 8" front and back. |
| Bottom Line: |
This bike is awesome, yes of course it is too heavy for trail riding but you have got to be dumb to wastethis bike on the trail. it flies down hills and takes any drop you throw at it.great bike |
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Submitted by
Simon
a Downhiller
from Manchester
Date Reviewed: 6/14/2005 10:55:13 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Fort William, Innerlithen |
| Duration Product Used: |
Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: |
$3000 |
| Purchased At: |
High Peak Cycles |
| Strengths: |
Parts Solid build all high quality parts |
| Weaknesses: |
Chain device rattled but sorted with some washers no problem really. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Scott High Octane, Kona Stab, Devinchi Wilson |
| Bike Setup: |
888's, hadley, Easton, Fox dhx 5.0, xtr |
| Bottom Line: |
Great bike rides really well soaks up everything in its path and light weight compared to other dh bikes ive tried. May think its pricey but you do get top quality parts as stock. If you want a quality downhill bike without the hassle of building one up the dhi is for you as has highly rated parts which perform well for there intended purposes. |
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Submitted by
julian cristiano
a Downhiller
from sydney, australia
Date Reviewed: 5/31/2005 8:27:48 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
cannonball run, thredbo |
| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Purchased At: |
closest gt shop |
| Strengths: |
pedals like no other bike ive ridden before, 888s are awesome. goods specs compard to others |
| Weaknesses: |
the stem is a bit too long for downhill, other than that its an unbeatable bike |
| Similar Products Tried: |
giant dh team, ironhorse sunday team |
| Bike Setup: |
stock 05 setup, 888s, fox,dhx,xtr gear etc. |
| Bottom Line: |
buy one, probably the best value bike i've ridden in a long time, i did 35 ft tabletops on it with no problems as the bike handled perfectly over everything i could throw at it. |
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Submitted by
Adam Calford
a Downhiller
from Bridgend s,wales
Date Reviewed: 5/22/2005 1:46:09 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
rheola |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Purchased At: |
hr cycles |
| Strengths: |
handles great, pedals amazingly, takes the big hits great and jumps awsome |
| Weaknesses: |
pro pedal on the fox. . . . there's no need. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
foes dhs mono, big hit, kona stab suprime, coyote dh |
| Bike Setup: |
888's, dmr v12 mag ti's, mojo ti spring, hope mono 4's, maxxis high rolers |
| Bottom Line: |
this bike rules, ok it struggles on the smaller hits but gt's now changed over to the fox dhx5, so you can sort out those problems,it's a great race bike and i've had no problems with it, i did a reccent service on the concsentric bottom bracket and the seals hadn't let any crud in. those two guys further down the page who have given the bike a bad ratingm, clearly they are a little confused to say the least, for one i know this bike pedals great but it aint no cross country bike, and two if you keep breaking this then maybe you should try riding a little smoother. so all in all this bike rules it beats the crap outta the competition, now i just wish i could |
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Submitted by
Zach
a Racer
from Centennial
Date Reviewed: 4/14/2005 6:55:00 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
Durango National |
| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Price Paid: |
$4000 |
| Purchased At: |
www.fulltiltcycler.com |
| Strengths: |
Super plush, great pedaler, superb geometry |
| Weaknesses: |
reputation |
| Similar Products Tried: |
Yeti dh-9, schwinn sraight 8. |
| Bike Setup: |
Avid juicy 7's, dorado x-werks,fox dhx 5.0 rear shock, deemax front wheel, ringle rear hub with mavic 721, xtr cranks/bb, x-9 drivetrain. |
| Bottom Line: |
Great geometry, the rear swingarm has been beafed up this year (2005), it pedals amazing, yet still soaks up all the small bumps. Corners like it's on rails. This bike is the most underatted bikes out there. If you are a sick hucker go buy a norco or something, but if you want a do everything bike get this one. |
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Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Alton Il. Madison
Date Reviewed: 3/14/2005 4:53:57 PM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
SIUE |
| Duration Product Used: |
1 Year |
| Price Paid: |
$1500 |
| Purchased At: |
Cyclery bike shop |
| Strengths: |
Long travel and enough weight to pull you through the hairy just by its weight. Strong frame for an 2002. |
| Weaknesses: |
Too heavy for what I do and front shocks " Monster triple" seem to load up on me. |
| Similar Products Tried: |
2004 Specialzed Rockhopper |
| Bike Setup: |
Egg Beater pedals, rest is stock and still strong as titanium, Stock Gazalodi S tires that other than lost one nob are still in good shape. |
| Bottom Line: |
I bought this bike used and it was in mint condition and still is, I was totally new to off road mountain biking and did not know the difference from downhill to XC to Trail bike. Now after I bought a Trail bike I know now that this bike is too heavy for trail and not geared for the trail I ride. I give it a good reveiw because it has treated me well and not let me down. I crashed a few time hard and after bike shop inspections it is still solid and strong, now when I wipe out on my new bike I know damage will probaly happen, but the bottom line is make sure you buy the bike for what it is designed for. |
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Submitted by
Thomas
a Downhiller
from Aberdeen
Date Reviewed: 11/11/2004 8:28:05 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
fort william |
| Duration Product Used: |
Less than 1 month |
| Price Paid: |
$3000 |
| Strengths: |
Pedals amazing, very plush and progressive suspension action, good looks, spec, soaks up all obstacles |
| Weaknesses: |
none so far |
| Similar Products Tried: |
orange 222, stinky, stab primo, azonic eliminator |
| Bike Setup: |
stock |
| Bottom Line: |
I've only ridden this bike properly on a dh course for 1 day but it was absolutely amazing. Its very fast through corners and it allows me to carry more speed over rock gardens, jumps etc. For the price it cannot be beaten, i paid £3000, which is about $5000. It rides better than bikes costing almost £1000 more than it. Basically, buy this bike. |
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Submitted by
Max Hunter
a Downhiller
from Nevada
Date Reviewed: 10/23/2004 4:34:31 AM
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| Duration Product Used: |
6 months |
| Price Paid: |
$4000 |
| Strengths: |
pedals through anything, amazing components for price, very good racing bike, ok for hucking, flows over obstacles |
| Weaknesses: |
its reputation |
| Similar Products Tried: |
kona stab primo, santa cruz v10, orange 222, kona stinky |
| Bike Setup: |
all stock |
| Bottom Line: |
This is the best bike ive ever ridden. I'm so much faster in races now as i can pedal through almost anything. I've ridden bikes with 5th elements and they just don't compare with this. The adjustable wheelbase means it can be set up for technical or fast courses and in 9" travel mode it is good for some freeriding as well. I've done a 25ft road gap on this and it just soaked up the landing. The 888s are unbeatable, much better than boxxers. This bike was made for the 888s and they match the frames light weight perfectly. Bottom line is if you race, for the money you cannot get better |
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Submitted by
kieran
a Racer
from nelson, new zealand
Date Reviewed: 2/2/2004 12:48:42 AM
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| FavoriteTrail: |
rotorua |
| Duration Product Used: |
3 months |
| Price Paid: |
$2000 |
| Purchased At: |
the bike fix |
| Strengths: |
everything, frame has been revamped since last year, beefier swingarm and front end, spots prone to cracking have been fixed.
marzocchi 888r's and awesome, so stiff and plush |
| Weaknesses: |
not to sure about the syncros bars |
| Similar Products Tried: |
specialized bighit DH, team DH |
| Bike Setup: |
as it comes except maxxis tyres, odi grips and egg beater pedals |
| Bottom Line: |
this bike is the ONLY DH bike you will find that wont bob when you pedal that DOESNT need 5th element technology to do so.
you can run a standard fox shock and it will still pedal better than an M1 with a 5th element.
the components have been inproved majorly over last years bike and so has the paint job, marzocchi 888r's best forks ever made, period.
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