Finished: Ask Us Anything With GT Bicycles

 Ultimate media team!

 @heavyp: mate the lobo was a terrible frame. Even peaty said it was shed. If you ever rode one you'd know. Oh and they snapped...ALOT.

 CD: We are always considering working with people that are rad on and off the bike!

 So funny you say that, I actually did see a guy on a GT with a backwards fork recently. Ohhhhh man was that funny.

 Yes! Living in Canada, all I see of GT is cheap department store bikes. When I go online and watch WC Downhill and EWS, I see beautiful bikes ridden by some of the best riders in the world! I would love to see these bikes being sold by reputable dealers, and taken out of department stores. Is there a reason GT has done this? Do you need the cheap bulk sales in North America to fund what you are doing in Europe? Does GT use the bike shop model elsewhere?

 @JamesBarton: yes!! Make GT great again!!

 @titaniumtit: because I was driving to work in traffic and bud was on the sidewalk going the other way?

 Globally, our bikes are available at both the IBD and through “sports speciality” channels. We want to make GT accessible to all riders and get them on our bikes! It’s just as exciting to provide a new rider with their first mountain bike experience as it is to provide our team athletes with state of the art race equipment to kick butt at the world’s biggest events on the race scene.

 @Tmackstab: you're sure it wasn't a reverse arch fork?

 @Mac1987: Oh quite sure, that was my first thought too.

 @Mac1987: only thing she’s sure of is that she is an inadequate rider ;-)

 Well that makes atleadt 9 bastad selfish turdburglurs

 This is a great question. A shame it went unanswered.

 @jaame: Truth to be told, not many beans were spilled in this "ask us anything" PB instalment. Disappointing.

 @jollyXroger: I guess that's why they call it ask us anything, rather than we'll tell you anything. Shame.

 @jaame: @jollyXroger: agree guys, yeah pretty surprised @GTBicycles couldn’t even give it a simple answer given some of the questions they responded to.
Really feel there is a demand and a need to offer aluminium frame kit options.

 @deadbeat Sorry to leave you hanging. Back in the day, our top of the line models were alloy, and man were they badass! As recently as last year, the previous gen Fury and Sanction models we're offered as alloy framesets. Rest assured, we will be keeping our ears to ground regarding the increasing demand for more aluminum frames. In the meantime, our current top of the line Sensor, Force and Fury framesets are blended (carbon front/alloy rear), and are super competitively priced... check 'em out!

 @GTBicycles: thanks for the reply! Good to see GT offer frame kits at a competitive price. The “new standards” seem to be slowing down now so it’s an easier option to upgrade your frame and keep your wheels, fork etc.
Got a couple of said 90’s bikes (see my acc) Would love to see some high end aluminium frames made in the states again but that all comes down to what’s viable for the brand.

 I am only one person and I can only speak for myself, but for me carbon has kind of lost its mystique and novelty value. I would be keen to buy my next bike in aluminium. It's a shame that most companies offering an aluminum frame only option, such as Santa Cruz and Transition, only offer the alloy with the lowest spec of shock. If I could get a top of the line aluminium frame with a DHX2 or ohlins TTX, I would jump at the chance. As it goes, it seems only carbon gets the top spec shocks and builds for that matter.

 Luiz was the factor I reckon, his K-9 bike looked a bit crazy but with all his experience and knowledge and now working for GT he was def the driving force behind the new bike. Check out his K9 Industries DH001-S from 9 years ago, he was trying to bring back the high pivot point back then and his DH bike was steel.

 @heavyp: yeah that was a bike. He even went as far to use a none stick paint to avoid mud build up. Just was not pleasing to the eye of a less technical minded person.

 @heavyp: yeah that bike was so sick.

 did you trace a session and add an idler?

 My 2005 Brooklyn Racelink got a high pivot and an dual chain like the idler. It’s moto inspired. Luis at GT also comes from moto. Might be where the idea comes from.

 LA: While I can't speak to why other brands are now rocking idlers more and more, I can talk about why we decided to use them. We wanted a bike that pedaled well out of the gate, and in the turns, and was equally at home in rough terrain. The idler solved that for us by having great pedaling efficiency and minimized pedal feedback.

 @GTBicycles: can you share AS numbers and pedal kick values?

 @kleinblake: this. Kinematic charts should be part of every bike release. You post for numbers. Why not the AS AR and LR curves?

 Damn auto correct and I can edit my posts on mobile. Geo numbers. Not for numbers.

 @freestyIAM: Charts with numbers at that. @yeticycles posted charts for SB150, but, without numbers, they only paint a vague picture. A one that is more a marketing gimmick than technical information.

 I have this question too. a 29'' Sanction i suppose?

 @Lurch-ECD: @Lurch-ECD: YES! that's what I want to know. @Cait, will we see a 29" Force and Sanction soon? my bank account wants to know!

 CD: We're always working on rad new stuff, but you'll just have to wait and see.

 Yes! We #GOTCHOBACK this year! It’s been so inspiring to watch him recover. Not only is he already running, but he’s been ripping on his new Force and Fury and loving it!

 @GTBicycles: Oh, so good to hear! After so many losses in 2016 (Steve, Zarja, McGazza, Monk, Mirra) I really really wanted some kind of "win" in 2017. Really glad he recovered so well and really happy we as a community got the opportunity to contribute and have a part in this. Give him a high five for us next time you're riding with him!

 @vinay: Thanks for asking! Super grateful for the last year and half of my life. In a nutshell, it has been the best-worst experience of my life. I wouldn't trade the experience for anything though. It has shaped me into who I am today, living each day full of Gratitude, Perspective and newfound Purpose. It's only been since this spring, but I'm back riding bikes and feeling great.

Thank you for following and for the support. With Gratitude, - Andrew

 @andrewcho: CHEERS

 @andrewcho: So glad to hear Andrew! We're also grateful to be given the opportunity to help and to be among both regular riders as well as some true legends of the sport, all people who truly care. So thank you for putting in the hard work and perseverance to come back as strong as you did, to make it all the way back up there to be properly ripping your bikes again. I can imagine it was a scary experience and I'm glad you extracted all the positive stuff out of it. Glad you're properly riding again. This is what we really wished for. Cheers!

 LA: When we started all of these development projects, we agreed to start with a completely blank slate. From there, we decided how we wanted these bikes to ride and perform, and solved for that using an open mind, even if it meant we moved away from i-drive. LTS allowed us to fine-tune pedaling efficiency and braking performance, and get all the riding characteristics that we wanted out of all 3 of these bikes.

 JC: no but Luis and I seen him wolf down some In N Out Burgers!

 1st valid question thanks ???? Martin is a beast and I love his attitude

 oh, dear god, noooooooooooooo! i'm kidding, if splatter paint is your thing, carry on.

 CD: We have had a few bikes over the past couple of years that have had some splatter as an homage to some of the fun things that we have done in the past. Most recently we had some splatter on Zaskar Carbons in model year 18. And a splatter paint La Bomba!

 @GTBicycles: I bought my 2016 fury in the base model and changed almost every part to get that orange and black splatter frame. I love how light my fury is and I am worried the new frame is heavier?

 If your decision to buy a bike is based on those charts, you're missing the point.

 CD: You bring up a good point. We didn't publish these graphs just yet, but we are working on something.

LA: But in the meantime, if you want to know something specific, ask here!

 99.999999999% of mtn bikers do not care about how their dual suspension bike actually rides and goes off on pro/friend recommendations. I'm simply saying I know what I want and consider suspension characteristics...

So it looks like you missed my point, HsawAknow!

I am wondering what the AS/PKB/LR graphs are like!

 @theminsta: The same percentage of riders think they understand those same charts. It's a fashion industry and right now charts are all the rage.

 If it's all the rage, where are all the charts? Barely any company (none of the big ones) post their graphs.

 @theminsta: what I want to know is why they chose to use an idler on a horst link. Multi link single pivot, yeah makes sense. A horst link though? Which is already really good at separating pedal and braking forces.

 @makripper: the idler is not meant to separate braking forces. It is meant to isolate chain forces from the suspension, which become increasingly high when using a high pivot, virtual or otherwise. Actually this design has an instant center in a spot such that I’d wager it’s antirise is about 100%, like you would find on most single pivot or vpp designs

 @kleinblake: that's why I said pedal. Ie. Chain. Which horst already manages really well. I'm not seeing the benefit over and above the horst link and there are no side by side comparisons or charts that would say otherwise

 @makripper: axle path. Other Horst link bikes that don’t have high pedal kick have nearly vertical axle paths.

 @makripper: The beauty of four bar horst link is you can design it to do just about anything. True Horst link prime function was to de couple braking forces(anti-rise), but as anti squat rises generally pedal kickback also rises, the idler pulley is a work around that allows higher anti squat and lower pedal kick back. A good comparison would by RMB slayer vs. Spec enduro, both Horst link but very different. just my 2 cents

 @theminsta: I'm with you on this and for some reason all the bikes I buy ride really well.. can't imagine why. I may have been lucky enough to work with LA and learn all about it too though. Once you know you can't go back haha.

 CD: To be honest, right now we are not looking at making new trials frames, but never say never.

 Polished is a bad idea. If you want a '90s throwback, you want a ball burnished finish.... which would be cool.

 @MoabTrailMix: Or that.

 CD + LA: What new Sanction? But to answer your question, those polished ones were a limited edition just special for the team.

JC: The CS lengths that we chose for these bikes work across the entire size range. Steep ST angles are good for longer travel and better cockpit set-up.

 @GTBicycles:

@JC Work across the entire range - yes, but optimally in every size? I hold my doubts.

 Chronic case of Kicken assesitis. There was a hiccup in the last 10 years, but after removing that I-tumor full health has been restored. GT RULES!!! GT is RAD!!!!! Yes I just used "rad". Helltrack bitch.

 We’ve recently met with our brand physician, and after some squeezing and probing, we’ve been given a 100% clean bill of health!

The team is stronger than ever and we’ve been making important decisions over the past few years to get us on the right track. We feel really good about where we are now, and where we are headed!

 CD: Not a boy, but I'll answer. What you're looking for is the Sensor! When we were at the US Open, most of the crew actually raced the enduro over at Killington on the Sensor for fun, and had a blast. If you need to get Waterdog or Skeggs laps in, this is your best bet. I'd even take it to Pacifica and hit send.

 LA: The Session 10 was a good bike and it was a step forward in bike design. The BTR Pinner is also a good bike. Bikes can be made to work well both with and without an idler, it really just depends on what you're trying to achieve for with a bike. By the way, I still keep in touch with Tom.

 @GTBicycles: Cool! By "what you're trying to achieve" do you mean a trade-off of stability/speed vs. agility? I can imagine the high helps to keep momentum after hard impacts and keeps the bike on track, but it may be harder to manual when the rear end stretches when you load it. Am I right there? Yeah, I recall you actually considered the Session 8 a step back when coming from the Session 10, but I'd have to find the article from my big stack of Dirt magazines to be sure. Unfortunately it is not online. They do have this one though, for those interested: dirtmountainbike.com/features/interviews/luis-arriaz-k-9-industries.

Yeah, Tom is great to work with. They sent me my hardtail early May this year and it works exactly like I hoped it would.

New question for you then. What's your view on Shockwiz and tirewiz gadgets? I know you're all about telemetry and we can now get hold of tools you didn't have a decade ago. Within their limited application (single air chamber suspension, no NeoPos inserts like Formula uses etc) do you believe these actually provide sufficiently accurate feedback to the rider. Or would you say that, for similar money, a rider is better off booking a real suspension setup session with professional data logging equipment?

 This. I want GT schwag. 80's if you have any left over.

 CD: Asking the real questions here! I wouldn't fight them, but seeing 10 duck-sized horses would be awesome!

 @milanboy1986: Because Chinese people are very frugal ('responsible' consumerism) and MTBs keep getting pricier. They - MFGs - have essentially priced themselves out of the market. The same market that produces a vast majority of those very products!

 @m1dg3t: Yeah, your opinion is reasonable. I have been thinking of this question. And also, in Chinese people's mind, bikes are more like a transportation tool, instead of sports equipment. China used to be called the bicycle kingdom, when millions of people commutes on bikes. Nowadays they got rich and drive cars to work and to relax, but in their minds, bikes are still not a sport. Most people just couldn't understand why a bike would cost tens of thousands RMB.

 Hey, how's it going Matt? 110,876. That's both water fountains.

 Currently 48,900 and there are 2 others in the office.

 @about2bike: Thanks JW!

 Hi Jorgito! We can't let the cat out of the bag on stuff we are working on, but we always have cool projects in the pipeline!

 @GTBicycles: thanks for the great products you already gave us. I'm excited about the future of the brand and so happy to promote it via GT Coalition! You're all awesome!!

 Start your own company?

 echoing below - start your own company!

Plenty of people out there who are passionate, thats a non starter in reality. to get in the small number of jobs you need to be exceptionally skilled and be able to prove it. So design something to a production level and prove what you can do. if you were interviewing yourself would you invest £40k a year in wages, the same again in software and offices and then budget 6 figures on making the product happen with what you have to show? If the answer is not a 110% definately you dont get the job.

I remember trying to find a design enginner and the chalenge was to design a rear hub. Literally nobody made anything vaguely close to production quality, "little" details like no bearings put the design/application straight in the bin! You really wouldnt believe some of the unmanufacturable junk we recieved, Saying titanium axle and ceramic bearings doesnt make it a good design... would i pay them £££ a year to design something i can do in 10 minutes, er ill pass.

Anyway i digress, my question to Luiz is whens the weather going to be nice so i can fly over and come riding on one of your new bikes!

Neil - SuperstarComponents.com

 @SuperstarComponents: those applicants just got to design the freehub right? I joke love you superstar #roast

 @SuperstarComponents: Hi Neil, thanks for the reply. That's what I'm concluding too. My own bike widget brand if nothing happens finding nuclear engineering work near Finale Ligure in the next 2 months...

Interesting that you make a specific remark about your superstar rear hub designer and material choice as well. I would totally agree that form and function have to be correctly matched with the optimum material choice for the price point, and just choosing Ti or Carbon means nothing. The problem is that in my experience the superstar Tesla EVO freewheel has got to be one of the most unreliable freehubs I have ever experienced, I have witnessed at least 6 pawl failures on bikes of friends and random riders, usually with some fragments of the pawl gouging the hub body and seizing / wrecking the hub completely.

This is in my humble opinion due to incorrect selection of the Tesla Evo pawl material, where a pawl material should be strong and slightly ductile with a hard surface, rather than brittle as your pawls are. Customer service is a laborious process with Superstar (no telephone customer service at all) and since witnessing this kind of response I have always purchased Hope components over superstar, which have been exceptional, if 30% dearer.

Good luck with your sales of cheap(er) shiny stuff, but remember kids 'buy cheap... buy twice!'

 @SuperstarComponents: The future is a thingyverse-like with free designs you can download, like 3D printing but for milling. But the price of the machinery have to come down first.

 CD:All of us have been talking about this, and we agree with some of the advice you've already gotten. Being persistent and getting some relevant work together goes a long way. I've worked at a shop, for a custom framebuilder, and an OEM supplier before I ended up working in bike product. And just so you know...

JC: it took me 9 months to get my job, so keep plugging away and trying!

LA: it took me a failed company to get this job!

PK: Be willing to start at the bottom and work your way up. Just get a foot in the door. I'm not an engineer, but I started in inside sales, and was recruited from a bike shop, and have been working in product for 12 years..

 @zoobab2: Not sure how much of their own design the Tesla freehub is. But I'm honestly interested to see what their new hubs will be like now that they're taking production in house. I expect them to be good.

 @GTBicycles: thanks for the replies, good luck with the bikes... They are lookin good!

 @SuperstarComponents: When are your products going to be available in the US?

 @notphaedrus:

The tesla range is just a Taiwan made KT hub as sold by loads of big brands but with SKF bearings. We had no control over the design or materials, and Taiwan got a habit of changing things without telling us first! The failiure rate was sub 5% over the last 4 years as we sold thousands of them, but it was a force for pushing us into manufacturing everything in the UK so we could be in full control of the tiny details on everything so we can get sub 0.1% returns. Everyone who had a warranty claim got sorted as we stand behind our product.

Customer service is easy. Fill out the returns form online and return it, then it get sorted and we ship back to you. We are spending our time doing things like building wheels rather than handholding people to fill out a form.

UK made hubs are imminent...

 @kwapik: Unfortunately for a small direct selling company secure postage to the USA is expensive, but the main problem is your country has a worldwide reputation for suing people for nothing.

So our insurer only lists USA, Iraq, Syria, Lybia, Afganistan, North Korea, Iran and a few places in Africa as places we cant sell....

We focus on Europe as it just makes more sense for us.

 @SuperstarComponents: I wasn't aware that it was that bad, but I understand. Thanks for the explanation. We sure are in some bad company...with the other litigators.

 @SuperstarComponents:
Thanks for your explanation. Obviously if someone puts their name on a product, you would expect them to'own' the product. You selected the product to fit in your brand line up, well that's the way most punters see it.

I'm old, and while i think a form can work for customer service, i think there is no substitute for a person at the end of the phone in case a conversation about a more complex piece of missing information. E.g which spacer fits between two different versions of the Tesla freehub, where there are two sizes not recorded on the hub.

I used to buy SS components all the time, like the great pedals 'that-look-a-lot-like-nukeproof-proton-pedals' (would have been s better name than the Nano). But never buy your shiny stuff or brake pads any more, as i think there are better value parts available. Some examples are I always buy sintered shimano pads now, and instead of changing 5 pairs on an alps trip, i only used one set on the rear over 8 days gravity fueled biking. I use blackspire chain rings, which are cheaper, really stiff and excellent wear on the wide narrow ring, and my nukepeoof horizon pedals need no maintenance after nearly 3 years of all year riding.

What I'm rambling on about is it's a competitive world, SS ethos was'superb functioning cheap products'? I'm not sure they really are any more IMO. As i said before.... Buy cheap, buy twice. (But I'll give you the Nano pedals, which were amazing back in the day, and still are working on my wife's jump bike)

 @notphaedrus: Thankyou for the feedback we do listen!

We are a volume direct seller so have to be efficient to keep the pricing killer as our customers expect. If you have a question just email us and we get back to you within 24 hours. We closed the phone line as most of the calls were from people who had emailed and not got a reply within 20 seconds, so we had to do everything 2-3-4 times and this slowed down service for everyone. We arent a corporate monster so we dont have 500 people in a callcentre somewhere cheap 24/7. if you have problem email, we reply, problem sorted, simples!

On the brake pads which brand do you say lasts 5 times longer, i bet that its exactly the same manufacturer in most cases. as you say there are loads of other people selling the same stuff to the same people in a race to the bottom (which is why pretty much all the retailers out there are making huge losses...) so we decided to do something different and make our own stuff so everyone else can fight to the death.

Note kona had that open model pedal first, then we sold it and nukeproof came along years later. So no we didnt copy them.... then all the ebay shops came along selling for stupid prices, plus the quality and lead time from that manufacturer went downhill and we decided to make them ourselves. All our competition are still selling the long lead time, expensive and variable quality original manufacturer.

If you want scrape the barrel, no profit in it (yes this profit pays tax in the UK and the staff etc!, its not straight in my pocket like some people seem to think), generic, average quality stuff then your not a Superstar UK customer and i welcome you to go elsewhere. If you want innovative/developed/improved design/manufactured all in the UK products which are factually better than the competition at very reasonable prices then you will love our stuff. Its your choice.

Buy cheap buy twice just shows you dont understand our products and by the sound of it havent used anything lately? Im always amazed that people keep banging out the same line about something they have never used based on presumtions and try and make out its the gospel truth...

So UK made Nano EVOs, currently half the price of the nukeproof equivalent, made in the UK and in my opinion technically superior in quality. We have never been cheap - just good value for money and we still are.

Neil Superstar

 @SuperstarComponents: Ok Neil, I'll give your products another go, thanks for the reply

 @kwapik: Well yeah, it is a bit of an issue. I recall back in the days there was this case of a lady who spilled hot coffee on her lap when going through the drive-thru of a fastfood restaurant. She successfully sued said restaurant for not making clear that the coffee could have been too hot to safely spill on your lap.

I do at least know of some companies who actively make their cutting tools blunt before shipping them to the US. Of course they need to be sharp for proper function, but this was the safest approach because if the actual end consumer sharpens them, it is their own responsibility. The same goes for some manufacturers of speed (ice) skates. They need to make them blunt before they ship them to the US.

So yeah it sure can be tricky shipping goods to the US and I can imagine not everyone wants to bother with that.

@superstarcomponents: It's been a while since I've bought anything from you though I'm really interested in your in house made stuff. I might get a Slackerizer for my Cannondale Prophet and see how that helps. One thing I really want though is an oval 34t steel chainring. But I don't have the cranks for your direct mount rings. Do you plan on making these too for 104BCD (Truvativ Ruktion with Howitzer bb) cranks too? Unfortunately these cranks for direct mount rings are silly expensive so I'm not ready for that (and I don't expect to break my current cranks anytime soon).

 @vinay: Hello currently we are not making more steel rings as we are too busy on other big projects. Maybe in future but no plans currently. Due to the long machining time to CNC steel they would be similar in price to the Edge rings, im sure theres plenty of cheapo stamped steel rings out there.

We already have over 1300 different chainring models on stock already so do we want more!?!

 @SuperstarComponents: Alright, yeah I get that. If your primary production technique is CNC machining, steel rings aren't the obvious choice. Before I started to ride with oval rings, I always ran Deore middle rings. Nine euros for a stamped steel ring that lasted a good while, it was cheaper to destroy those than to replace a chain. I get though that with these narrow-wide rings even forging them got harder. I'm currently on Absolute Black but I'll look into your aluminium rings next time.

1300 different chainring models? That sounds like a horrible stock to have in this fast changing standards business! You may be offering too many colours. Then again, with this in house UK CNC production you might find yourself competing right up against Hope. Some German companies too but after Brexit it will probably mainly be Hope. So if you decide to drop some colours, make sure you keep green. That will be the highly demanded colour they don't offer!

 @vinay: because we manufacture inhouse the SKU numbers dont matter, we can hold tiny numbers and restock in a few days. thats the whole point of Made inhouse.

Im sure when we ruin our currency in the next few months, our Euro customers will enjoy the extra discount!

 CD: Hey there! I'm pretty close to you in size - 5'6" and 135 lbs. I ride in a medium in both the Sensor and Force. I've tried a small, but I really prefer the medium and it fits me well.

 PK: The good thing about being in the game a long time is that we have tried nearly everything, and we have a lot of experience. There is definitely a lot of movement in MTB, and how we approach is focusing on how people will use the bikes, as opposed to the category itself. The new LTS bikes I think are a reflection of that. Sensor is a really good example of that - it is a trail bike in travel, but it's ready to handle more aggressive riding as well, which is what we've been seeing riders do more and more.

 PK here - Richard was a larger-than-life personality that both inspired and challenged all GT employees. Today, we pay homage to Richard by maintaining our commitment to quality bikes, our shared love for racing and making sure we throw in a dash of heritage into all of our new bikes.

 PK: I am also 5'10" and I ride a large, so that is what I would recommend for you as well.

CD: There are lots of folks that ride Creek (myself included), but I bet if you ran into one of us that was a large, we'd let you swing a leg over it and see for yourself.

 Thanks! I'll definitely give the large frame a try. Been a GT Fan since the 80's, glad to see you're still doing well. Now where can I get my hands on one of those sweet Yellow and Gray tri-blend tees!?

 CD: Ask Martin Maes! But in all seriousness, Luis has done an amazing job with the kinematics of the new Fury, and he is someone that is truly committed to every last detail. I think all of the options you get with the frameset (flip-chips, head cups, 27.5/29) really set it apart. Every person I've sent out on the bike (and I have set up quite a few at this point) has been blown away by the ride experience, myself included.

 LA: Thanks, it was exciting to see Martin win an EWS and then a DH WC! Obviously you carry learnings from previous project. The rearward axle path is important, but not to the extent that it was on the k9. The axle path on the Fury is rearward, but more vertical, so you can have a more neutral position cornering. BTW, I saw your picture in Morzine, where was your k9 hat?

 @GTBicycles: sorry Luis, had to give it to Aaron Gwin when he saw it... He knows his history!
He said he hopes to be on GT soon, he wants to win again!

 LA: Now, 150mm enduro bikes are just as capable as the older freeride bikes of years past. We're seeing Freeride as more of an attitude and a lifestyle than a segment of bikes.

 @GTBicycles: lot of truth to this. Bikes have just come a long way and so has suspension tech.

 I believe it was Tony Danza

 @FarmerJohn: dam that danza and his cheeks made by the gods them self

 @6miler I'm sure GT will answer this more specifically, but I'm pretty sure it's because Tara has a different job within the organization now and wasn't directly involved with this new system.

 @brianpark: I know enough people in CSG to know that your statement about her involvement is quite incorrect. Beyond that, there are photos of Tara testing a prototype at Trans-Provence in 2017. static1.squarespace.com/static/53dd44b5e4b0a4970a8b838e/t/5b5a2559758d46f380a4ad54/1532634467010/TP17_SvenMartin_O5A1160.jpg

 @6miler: @brianpark: I was the Director of Product Development for 5-years and have been with GT for 9-years total. While I have shifted my focus over to advocacy and serving as the product liaison to GTFR, I was heavily involved in the development of the 2019 LTS platform Sensor, Force, and Fury from the very beginnings of the projects. I worked with Luis, John, and the design team to really get these platforms from the early ideation and concepts right up to the pre-production stage. As was pointed out by @6miler, I raced Trans-Provence in 2017 on a test mule version of what would become the LTS platform. This helped us proof out how versatile and functional these bikes could be. With some engineering refinements from John, some geo fine tuning from Luis, industrial design magic from Jordan, and now podium performances by Martin and Noga, these bikes were truly taken to the a new level.

 @seplavy I stand corrected, it would have been great to have your input here!

 @6miler @brianpark No sidelining here! All players are still in the game, although @seplavy has been tweaking her playbook to focus on Advocacy for GT, she certainly set PK, Cait, Cramer and El Kinematico up for a homerun by kicking off the new LTS bikes. We are all stoked on her new position with advocacy and the GT brand.

 You're awesome Tara!! @seplavy:

 PK: Set your ebay notifications and check in at The Pros Closet regularly. I think I have some spare pivot bushings is you need some

 I'd check out www.risseracing.com or www.bikerecyclery.com

That is how I'm keeping my LTS and RTS full suspensions in good shape!

 JC: That's awesome that you'll have the Force at your test center! For X-Small and Small it's 225mm and for Medium, Large, and X-Large it's 250mm.

 @GTBicycles: JC, thx for your answer. I hope we'll spend less time maintaining and more riding than before. Enjoy your rides!

 And/or the Edge TI?

(road bike question, don't hate)

 Yes.

 PK: i-Drive is not dead, it's just enjoying long walks on the beach.

 CD: Martin is riding an off-the-shelf frame. Of course throughout the process, we had geo mules,pre-production models and protos, but what you see him on now with the Force and Fury is the same frame that is available to everyone else.

 JC: All of our designs are evaluated using Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to ensure the quality, toughness and strength of our bikes. We do testing at the highest levels to ensure our bikes are safe.

 @GTBicycles: Thanks for the reply! I currently own two dozen GTs - you folks displayed my RTS at Sea Otter this year!

#25 will either be a Force/Sensor #26 will be the latest 24" bmx cruiser bike - I love racing the speed series frames, and that color combo is just fantastic.

 Hey d-mass, thanks... wait until you get to ride a new one! 1. The wings will always remain part of our heritage, but as a campaign element, they have 'flown the coop'. 2. Of course... In fact, the colorway of the 2019 Sensor Carbon Pro is affectionately named 'Hans Lime Gold'

 We love that there are some great mtb options out there for the kiddos! At GT we currently put our resources into making great starter bikes for kids and providing them with a fun and affordable entry into the sport. Making rad kid suspension bikes would definitely be great, though!

 @GTBicycles: but your starter bikes even are very similar to Walmarts current lineup in geometry etc. My 3yro rides single-track because his bike actually works for it and is 14lbs. We work with other families and it's amazing what happens when total beginners have a proper geo bike. For beginners, what they really need is a hybrid BMX trail bike that is light, no coaster brakes, slightly wide tires and a low seat. It works. BMX is amazing for kids and you guys do it too so might as well blend it

 @Svinyard: The 2019's are available now: www.gtbicycles.com/usa_en/stomper-prime-433

 media1.tenor.com/images/e6bec27c8458c7b428d08043976e5d84/tenor.gif?itemid=4123675

 www.gtbicycles.com/usa_en/bike-registration

 If you design it right, you shouldn't need two spots. Your request is to make things more complicated than they need to be. Having two heights of the chain will cause a rather massive difference in suspension performance. Putting the pulley right on the virtual pivot gives you good pedaling performance and less pedal kickback.

 LA: No, it's not possible. You either have to design it around an idler, or without an idler.

 Cheers, @HsawAknow and @GTBicycles!

 They're in stock!

 @GTBicycles: Just looked at my b2b and it seems like the pro isnt in stock, kind of a bummer

 You do know they're based in Connecticut, not Siberia, right?

 We HAF. If we get snow in the winter, we ride in it!

 @diego-b: A Texan's definition of "lots of snow"... lol.

 LA: 148 was chosen to narrow the back-end so that you have less chance of knocking your rear derailleur out, and for cross-compatibility with other trail bikes and have a spare wheel. We did not see any decreased stiffness with the narrower spacing, so we went for it.

 We are always working on cool new projects ????

 LA: I like 'em loose but Nacho and I are definitely gonna wrestle at some point!

 LA: We felt as though this combination was the best for both blind racing and stage transfer accessibility. It's working great for Martin and Noga!

 We are always looking for our athlete roster to be a great mix between performance and personality. And they have to always keep it fun!

 LA: Hi Henrickson, please see our answer above regarding wheel size. For Martin, he chose to ride 27.5 wheels when racing the Fury as it was an easier switch for him to make coming off racing the Force all season.

 What a surprise! Again I asked this question to the/a MFG during an open Q & A and AGAIN it was ignored.

Keep putting these Q & As on PB so I can continue asking this question. Eventually it may get answered, or people may start to realize what's happening.

 In 1998, the GT STS Lobo DH retailed for $4,999. Inflation adjusted, that's $7,795.66 in today's money. The current top of the line Fury Carbon Team 29 retails for $7500. So, comparing apples to apples in terms of inflation adjusted cost, you currently get an infinitely more capable bike for basically the same price (and really, slightly cheaper).

So keep asking your question, but what's happening is just inflation. High end bikes have always been expensive.

 Thanks Jasen!

 what he said!

 Hey Tom, you're looking good on the DH circuit these days!

 @GTBicycles: Thanks John! Got to see the Fury at the US Open. Pretty sick lookin!

 Cramer here - Some dirty low life with obviously good taste.

 @GTBicycles: LOL!! Awesome answer.

 CD: Yes! We have the GT Coalition program, and it is active in the US. #gtcoalition

 Hey Absolutely! Gary Turner built the first GT BMX frame in 1972, and to this day, we're keeping the Good Times in "GT"!

By the way? What does @DONKEY-FELTCHER stand for?

 Hey Shemp, thanks for the props. Let's not forget that beneath the personality, "Winn" / Wyn is an amazing athlete ... shoot, he won an EWS last year!

www.pinkbike.com/news/gt-spoke-tales-wyn-masters.html

 @GTBicycles: No I'm a big fan of Whn and he has had some good results. Obviously you have Enduro covered. Was referring to adding maybe some podium threats, maybe one of these new rippers. Either way love what your team has designed here , specially having owned more GT's than I can count. You guys got me off the ground BMX racing back in the 80's, ya I'm old.

 noz wu can not

 Das ist der neuer und betterz Seshung! Ich vill habe Seshungen aus GT! Hohe pivot punkten und zie glider!!! Mein Hund hat eine trockene Nase. Sie müssen ihr getreide essen

 @WAKIdesigns: thats just random words and most even spellt wrong and hence not funny

 @optimumnotmaximum: are you sure?

 @WAKIdesigns: the part with the dog is maybe a bit funny and concerning as well, the nose has to me moist, is it sick ?

 @WAKIdesigns: Smorrebrod met Surstromning tack

 @optimumnotmaximum: "thats just random words and most even spellt wrong and hence not funny" - I asked because that sounds like every single post of mine

 @WAKIdesigns: polish not like ger!? Was there yesterday the first time, was not very friendly, maybe ww2 still very present.(serious comment not trolling just asking

 @WAKIdesigns: nah dont lie, usually there goes visible thought into your comments, even if its weird most of the time.

 @optimumnotmaximum: my understanding is that Poles fear Russia way more than Germany. Then you must remember that many Poles don't speak any language other than native, so they will feel stressed and intimidated when you approach them speaking English or German. Then when you try speaking some terrible Polish, they will smile and be very happy that you try... they tend to appreciate it a lot... until you don't get stuck on something and will want to use english words again and they will get stressed again. But in General if you asked most Poles who they prefer Stalin or Hitler, they'd go for Hitler 9/10. I don't know... I live in Sweden now, and Swedes just don't give a fk. They care about being nice to each other and have fika... it is terrifying to imagine what would Sweden be after legalisation of Marijuana. No sht would get done We'd get invaded by Denmark.

One thing is sure, Poland needs weed. People need to relax a bit. Must be sitting in the genes, that since 300 years someone is after you, so you have genetic paranoia. Now I'm just waiting for the bit colder days to come to look for the mushrooms in the grass... will send them home.