Why don't I hear more about GT bicycles?
#26
Senior Member
I always liked the triple triangle design and enjoyed the feel of my Karakoram mountain bike, so much so that I bought a 1998 (just before they went bankrupt) GTB track bike:
#27
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Back in my heavy MTB days in the early/mid 90's, I would've done anything for a Zaskar frame (anodized purple, of course - if you didn't ride back then, you'd never understand...). They had spectacular mountain bikes, but their earlier road bikes with that triple-triangle design always looked plain silly to me. Still do, too.
Today, I think companies like GT, Diamond Back and others are always going to be stuck in the shadow of the big companies like Trek and Specialized. They'll always be trying HARD just to get some name recognition. It's not going to be from a lack of having quality bikes either. Quite the opposite, actually. Thanks to their lack of name recognition, their bikes are a fantastic value. If they can pony up the marketing $$ to sponsor a big name team, they might break out of their current niche and start capturing some of the high $$ market for a change such as what FUJI did in the pre-Toyota United years. I don't think Fuji suddenly started offering drastically "better" bikes at all. They just got a much-needed credibility boost thanks to that sponsorship deal. GT and Diamond Back would benefit a lot from the same situation.
Today, I think companies like GT, Diamond Back and others are always going to be stuck in the shadow of the big companies like Trek and Specialized. They'll always be trying HARD just to get some name recognition. It's not going to be from a lack of having quality bikes either. Quite the opposite, actually. Thanks to their lack of name recognition, their bikes are a fantastic value. If they can pony up the marketing $$ to sponsor a big name team, they might break out of their current niche and start capturing some of the high $$ market for a change such as what FUJI did in the pre-Toyota United years. I don't think Fuji suddenly started offering drastically "better" bikes at all. They just got a much-needed credibility boost thanks to that sponsorship deal. GT and Diamond Back would benefit a lot from the same situation.
#28
Senior Member
Back in my heavy MTB days in the early/mid 90's, I would've done anything for a Zaskar frame (anodized purple, of course - if you didn't ride back then, you'd never understand...). They had spectacular mountain bikes, but their earlier road bikes with that triple-triangle design always looked plain silly to me. Still do, too.
#29
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#30
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GT was a great company to work with. It's a shame they've gone downhill.
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#31
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I think v1k1ng1001 is right about it being the Xizang. I've seen several purple Zaskars pop up on Craigslist in the last year or so. The GT MTB team in the mid-90's ruled ALL (with the obvious exception of Nedly/Specialized, Tinker/Cannondale, and Tomac/Giant). Julie Furtado was destined to be my girlfriend/wife back then. Unfortunately, she wasn't aware of that.
#32
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I bought a 1997 GT Alterra MTB from craigslist for $49. I had to replace the fork ($10 eBay) and I put on slicks and now I have an awesome and bulletproof commuter. It's decent CroMoly frame (heavy but sturdy).
#33
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That would make sense. Drag racing is where I discovered what he looked like. My first thought was "That guy hasn't been anywhere near a bike!". He ran a Funny Car with the GT logo on the side as I recall. Can't remember who drove for him, though...
#34
Extra Medium Member
This is the best inadvertent pun I've seen in a while.