Jan 5 1991 GT Cyclone

Wasn't sure what to,post today, guess will give the Avalanches a rest and come back to them later. Hmmh, how about a 1991 GT Cyclone. I got this frame off eBay on a week night closer. Not too many in the bidding and I pitty poor Karl the seller because he really deserved more for a frame this nice. It was NOS and oh was it fun to build. I'll start with some frame unpacking pics and move to the good stuff. First off the frame is a deep pearl blue. You get the light on it just right and it's got a great deep shimmer to it. On a cloudy day you would think it's black. Nothing like coming home from work kind of knowing there might be a box awaiting your arrival home from a day at work. I'm sure you've all been there. The thing about this one was I had shelves full of mostly NOS period correct parts just waiting to go on it. None of that added shopping and bidding and praying and hoping required to get the parts to start and complete a build. Just get it out of the box and on the stand and done.

The first year Cyclone frames were fillet brazed True Temper AVR and this frame does have an internal routed rear brake cable. As most of you know GT had a custom frame shop located in Longmont, CO that produced a number of their GT Tech Shop frames. In the early going it was primarily the Cyclone which in 92 became the Psyclone. They later added road frames and the complete Project 96 program USCF road bikes for the Atlanta games to their engineering and production. The Tech Shop was led by Forrest Yelverton (who by the way was still with GT until the 2012 Xizang frame project was completed) and featured a number of high quality builders including Tiemeyer, Nobilette and others.

I've never been one to take pictures as I go on a build so these are completed pictures but there's some decent close ups and I've included the Tech Shop brochure that was done for the Cyclone Frame.

I was lucky enough to have scored a NOS 3D fork about two weeks before getting this frame so naturally that was the the starting point. I went with a King headset that I'd had for a couple years. Acquired by swapping a no logo for a NOS. I think it was BP who was quick to point out that a King didn't belong on a stock GT and it would have likely come with a Tange or Tioga headset but the Cyclone is a frame set so that's what I chose. Hoops are NOS Araya RM-400's laced to XT 735 hubs, covered with MegaByte's and held on with NOS GT CNC skewers. Cranks were NOS GT/Profile CNC with XT rings that I'd picked up from Don Steele a former GT employee. Arms are tightened to a GT Ti BB. I think I paid almost as much for the cranks and rings as the frame. Ever since I built my 91 Xizang as a weight weenie original build I've always loved the shape and fit of the Ritchey Logic levers and I use them on a number of the bikes that I ride most often. Let's face it they are light, feel good and stop the bike just fine. Had to go with XT derailleurs and top mounts as XTR didn't come alonq until 92. NOS GT Alloy bar, Flip Flop II chromoly stem, NOS GT/A'ME grips, NOS GT saddle.

More to enjoy.

Hard to admit it but this bikes been together more than a year and since it was built it's been half way around the block turned around and then ridden home. The first Psyclone I got was a 96 and I'd had that built and dialed in for a couple years before I got this one so that's my regular steel ride. I had this on display in the living room for about eight months this year. It helped keep me propped up post divorce as I was going through some rough stuff. I'd just sit there and stare at it and it seemed to make life better.