Not a GT Pantera

Well, I bought yet another GT.

Outed in the Ebay watch section: viewtopic.php?f=4&t=306245 Advertised as a GT Pantera, but obviously not, despite being badged as such.

Here's the Ebay pic:



The seller was a really nice guy and also threw in the original wheels (broken spokes) a spare saddle and some 2003 Marzocchi suspension forks. Oh, and the original front tyre too, which looks to still be in good condition.

I was fairly confident I was familiar with which model it is, but a few checks should help verify that

I'm still not 100% sure which of two models this is. A bit of contradictory evidence, but my best guess at the moment is a 1993 Corrado.

A Corrado? Hadn't heard of that one, but looks very nice:

http://www.bikepedia.com/quickbike/Bike ... el=Corrado

Re:

its steel with a replaceable mech hanger so it shouldnt be too hard to id. im also guessing its been repainted because those dont look like gt forks to me

Bikes it could be at the moment;

1. 1993 GT Corrado
2. 1993 GT Richter 8.0
3. 199? GT Psyclone (if your really lucky but i doubt it)
4. 1993 GT Team Avalanche (again unlikely given the parts but has the same mech hanger design)

scrape through a bit of the paint to see what colour lurks underneath

sean

Cheers Sean, I was pretty sure it's a Richter 8.0 or Corrado before I picked it up, given the original parts on it. It's bare metal underneath the not very resistant paint job, so no clues there.

I was given the original wheels (with broken spokes) with the bike and they pointed to a Richter 8.0, as they have Mavic M231 rims and a Tioga Dart Smoke tyre, which were specified on the Richter, where the Corrado had Araya TM18s and Ritchey Z-Max tyres.

However, the bottom of the seat tube doesn't look as tapered as my 18" '93 Richter 8.0 and the seat post appears to be 27.0 or 27.2, whereas the Richter 8.0 is 26.6mm (being made of Tange Prestige Concept rather than True Temper GTX) so it looks more like it's a Corrado which maybe came with different specced wheels from the catalogue.

From the earlier 90s GTs it's easier to determine the model from the frame number I think, but not sure for '93 yet as I haven't collected enough.

Re:

most GTs that had replaceable hangers in 94 were aluminium and in 92 they were integrated so 1993 is probably about right i reckon

both bikes had an lx crankset but the 1993 corrado had an lx front mech whereas the richter had an xt front mech. yours is xt so assuming its original, that points towards a richter

hope that helps

It's definitely '93, confirmed by the serial number T9210, and the Groove Tube marks it as at least '93.

I thought the Corrado also had XT front and rear mechs.

Although the components point more towards a Richter, GM confirmed that the frames made of TT GTX are 27.0mm seatpost viewtopic.php?f=1&t=307324 so the frame must be a Corrado frame. It will give me an interesting comparison with my Richter, as they have the same geometries, the only difference being the tubing (apart from the top tube, which is TT GTX on both).

I was already looking for a 27.0mm post for my Aende frame, so I can now make that two, as the post in there has been cut very short.

Time to think about how I'm going to build it up. I think I'll have the frame refinished in the original black, since it will definitely need something doing.

I'm not sure about the forks - I could look for some Bologna Lites or I might stick with the forks that are on there at the moment if they are decent. They appear to be chromed underneath the red paint, which might make it difficult to get them powdercoated though. I can't see any logo on the dropouts, which I assume means they are fairly cheap?

Also, it had a '94 GT seat on it, which is a bit tatty. If anyone reckons they can tidy the seat up a bit and use it they are welcome to it, as I won't be using it.

Re:

You might well be right there, im just going by memory.... The corrado did have z Max's though I think...

I'd get some bologna lites, annoyingly I've just sold a pair :facepalm: and I'd get some GT branded flats

Sean

Despite being fairly sure this was a Corrado, based on the seat post size being a better indicator than the components it was specced with, there was still a little doubt in my mind, given the top of seat tubes can be stretched or contracted by previous owners.

Having stripped it down today, I was comparing it with my 1993 Richter 8.0, specifically looking at the seat tube, as they had the same tubing for the Groove Tube top tube, but the seat tube of the Richter 8.0 is Tange Prestige Concept, whereas a Corrado is True Temper GTX Heat Treated.

Both the seat tubes are ovalised towards the bottom bracket, which is obvious from the front, but looking in side profile, the Richter 8.0 clearly narrows a lot more to about 24mm at the bottom bracket, whereas this frame is about 28mm side profile at the bottom bracket.



So I can finally say I am confident it is a 1993 GT Corrado, that would originally have come in gloss black. My plan is to have it powdercoated black and then add some decoration in the form of decals (not the originals) but it may well be sold as I prioritise space in storage for other frames - I'm struggling with these decisions.