First Look: Ron Burgundy’s 2019 GT Sensor Expert

Earlier this year, GT released two new bikes that took a wild step away from what we were all used to seeing from the brand. The unique but relatively complex AOS system is now gone, and in its place is something we’re all a bit more familiar with. Yep, GT has brought back the LTS (Linkage Tuned Suspension) brand – and has applied it to this new Sensor and also, its larger sibling – the Force.

Shown here is the 2019 GT Sensor Carbon Expert, in the XL size. We’ve got this burgundy beast on test over the winter, so we’ll be showing you more of it over the coming months, when it’s seen a bit of proper muck. For the time being, here’s a breakdown of what we’ve got out of the box.

2019 GT Sensor Carbon Expert Features

• New mid-travel 29er trail bike
• Carbon fibre mainframe & alloy sub-frame
• LTS suspension design w/130mm travel
• RockShox Deluxe RT3 shock, 185x50mm, trunnion-mount
• RockShox Revelation RC, 130mm travel, Charger RC damper
• 65.5° head angle
• 76° seat angle
• 435mm chainstay length
• Adjustable Hi/Lo geometry positions
• Stan’s NoTubes Flow S1 rims w/Schwalbe Nobby Nic 2.35in tyres
• SRAM GX/X01 Eagle 1×12 drivetrain
• SRAM Level TL brakes w/180mm rotors
• Available sizes: X-Small, Small, Medium, Large, X-Large
• RRP: £3,299

Available in five models, two in alloy and three in carbon, there’s plenty to chose from. Starting from £1,599 for the basic alloy framed iteration, up to the Carbon Pro which will set you back £3,999, this Expert model sits one step down from the top and will set you back £3,299.

Finished in a crowd splitting burgundy with bold yellow graphics and gum-wall tyres, you’d be hard pressed to mistake this bike for anything else. In my eyes, the Sensor Expert is an absolute looker – but we’ll leave you to make your mind up, or drop us a comment to let us know your thoughts.

Onto the bike in question then and what’s it all about. In short, we’ve got a pretty simple recipe. 130mm of travel each end, helping keep two 29in wheels on (or off – dependant on your riding style) the ground. A full carbon front triangle is very pleasantly attached to an alloy rear triangle by a shapely alloy driver link. The suspension platform on these new GTs is nothing new but it’s proven to work – a 4-bar suspension system with a horst link pivot on the chainstay.

The super slick, yet quite chunky carbon main triangle, connects to the alloy rear with a near link. No, it’s not majorly ground breaking in terms of design, or as a platform, but we like the way GT has gone with this one. It’s clean, and has everything on paper to show it’ll rip on the trails.

The gold flip chip offers riders an option to alter the set up of the Sensor while out on the trails, in just a few minutes. With a simple turn of an allen key, the head angle can be altered by 0.75° and the bottom bracket height can change by +/- 6mm.

With neat touches all over the Sensor frame, we’re hoping the Groove Tube can live up to its internally routed competition and offer us with a system that keeps the cables neat and tidy, reduces noise and gives a neat overall aesthetic to the bike. From where we’re stood – it’s looking good so far.

With its aggressive set up and spec sheet, along with the neat flip chip and attractive geometry numbers, we’re expecting this thing to be a riot on the trails. We’re going to be giving the Sensor Expert a good thrashing over the coming winter months, so keep your eyes peeled for plenty of test footage, photos and more of this burgundy machine. We’ll also be making a few alterations to spec and set up, to get the most out of this bike. If you have any other questions about the Sensor, as it is out of the box, pop them in the comments section and we’ll keep an eye out.