PressCamp: 2013 GT Bicycles

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GT Bicycles always has new things to see (and ride) at PressCamp. This year they wheeled out some neat new titanium, some Hans Rey signature bikes and some decent entry level things.

Distortion 2.0

This was one of our test bikes here at Park City. With 140mm travel up front and 115mm out back, it’s a mis-matched fun machine. The UK importers were initially a bit hesitant to bring it in when it came out, but good old public outcry and enthusiasm made them change their minds.

The Xizang is back! GT’s iconic titanium hardtail has reappeared in a 29er version.  It’s now unapologetically made in Taiwan rather than Colorado, but it still features lots of classic touches, like the Triple Triangle, only updated to include modern bits like a tapered head tube and disc mounts. It features the same geometry as the 29er Zaskar.

 

Like the old Xizang, only with more 29er wheels.

 

Curved down tube now needed for these new fangled suspension forks.

 

High polish frame too.

 

 

Moving to the other end of the scale, we have the revamped Timberline. Budget cycle path kind of machine with nicely matching suspension forks

 

 

Another classic name given a breath of fresh air is the Zaskar LE. Not to be confused with the slightly burlier Zaskar, the LE is a hardtail race machine. It has a new, lighter (1500g) fully hydroformed alloy frame and will come in several versions, including this ready-to-race XTR and carbon crank whizz-bang spec.

The speedy new LE

 

This version even has Easton wheels.

The venerable Hans Rey has been riding for GT Bicycles for 25 years now. GT reckons that this is a record for a single rider to have the same single sponsor for so long. And we don’t doubt it. To commemorate this, GT is making three different Hans Rey signature models, with components picked by Hans, a neat paint job and with a portion of the proceeds going to Hans’ great Wheels for Life charity.

 

Here's the white and gold Karakoram 1.0. The range will include the Avalanche, Karakoram and Zaskar 100.

 

Hans has been here.

 

 

 

A well-loved name from the GT range.

 

 

 

The bikes have many components from Hans' co-sponsors too. Here are the Kenda Hans Rey signature tyres.

Launched last year, but missing from the Press Camp lineup was the Zaskar 100. It’s full carbon with 29in wheels and 100/100mm travel, a 142mm rear axle and four different spec levels. This is the bike you’ll usually see Hans Rey riding when he gets the chance.k

Carbon in the sunshine. A nice combo.

 

And finally, a bit of perving for the road riders. As well as relaunching the Xizang in titanium, GT has brought back the road-only Edge Ti, again reworked to take some modern kit, like tapered forks. This top-end spec includes ENVE wheels and Dura Ace components.

 

Triple Triangle even here.

 

Big and stiff tapered head tube

 

 

We do like the polished Ti 'decals', which are actually polished frame tubes.

 

 

Chipps Chippendale

Singletrackworld's Editor At Large

With 22 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)

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