GT STS - And so it begins...

Barneyballbags

Old School Grand Master
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Well, I've finally picked one up :D

I got this as part of a bundle with another LTS frame. My credit card company had recently been very kind to me and had increased my limit, so I thought "why not", as a GT STS is an itch which I have been meaning to scratch for a good few years now.

I can't afford a modern "trail" bike, so I figured that I'd build a STS to the best of my ability (and finances), and I'd end up with something light, fast, carbon(ish) and with 5" travel at each end. I think the STS is much better looking that a lot of the modern bikes too. It actually looks as if it's been designed by someone with a bit of imagination, rather than a German ( think Porsche ;) )...

So, there you have it. I had a phonecall in work today to tell me that there was a box down in reception. I put it in the car, drove home after work, opened it up and here she is:

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It's a '99 STS 1000 DS, so it has the thermoplastic headtube (rather than the aluminium lugged headtube on the earlier versions). It's been completely stripped of decals, and I'm planning on keeping it that way. I think it shows off the lines better when there is nothing else on the frame to distract the eyes :cool: . It's got a disc mount on the back, so I'm planning on a disc build. I want to use it at trail centres and I think the STS frame is a frame which can cut it with the modern boys ;)

I've bought a few parts for it already:

Bars, Stem, Seatpost:

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Brakes:

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I've also got a minty pair of Pace RC40s on their way, to plug into the front of it :cool:

I'm toying with the idea of stripping the decals off the forks and going for a complete stealth look, but they're in such good condition that I'll have to have a proper think about it when they turn up. I'm planning on running the forks at 100mm to keep the front end down a bit. STS frames are lanky enough as it is!

Anyway, there will be more to follow soon (as soon as I've paid a bit off the credit cards!). The plan is build it as a 1 x 9 or 1 x 10, and to go with:

- XTR Rear Mech
- XT/XTR/Dura Ace Cassette
- XT/XTR/RaceFace Chainset (single 32t ring)
- Either Hope/Mavic Wheels or a set of Crossmax SLs, XLs or SLRs depending on what the budget allows!
 
My_Teenage_Self":i8w9gx2t said:
Sweeeeeet.

You are actually gonna build and ride this, unlike your LTS? :LOL:

Haha, yep! I'm looking at some nice Hope Pro 2 wheels to go on it now ;)

And if you mean the Team LTS which I gave away a couple of years back, I've been back in touch with the guy who had it from me to see what he's done with it. I've told him that I'd gladly take it back off his hands ;)
 
Just bought the wheels (thanks konaben82!)

Hope Pro2 straight pull hubs on DT XR4.2 rims which I'm probably going to de-decal :cool:

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RC40 should suit it nicely indeed.


I love that rear end, but not a fan of curved seat tubes. If I ever find one with a cracked main frame, I'll probably have the rear end mated onto a normal MTB's front triangle.
 
Raging_Bulls":1hi1bxns said:
RC40 should suit it nicely indeed.


I love that rear end, but not a fan of curved seat tubes. If I ever find one with a cracked main frame, I'll probably have the rear end mated onto a normal MTB's front triangle.

I'm not a big fan of the curved seat tube on the alloy frames, but I think it looks nice on the thermoplastic ones :cool:

Might have done a deal on some M950 shifter pods now too :D
 
the only curved seattubes i didn't like was the later ones with the curve at the bottom. i loved the shape of my dh
lts.jpg

why oh why did i sell it? :facepalm:
 
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