show us your gt's

Hmmm. that's a point. I've not fitted considerably wider bars on any of my GT's with FF stems - a couple around 600mm which are GT riser bars. I've not noticed any issues, but then I don't ride anywhere near as hard as I did back in the day Not on these bikes anyway!

PhillB said:

Hmmm. that's a point. I've not fitted considerably wider bars on any of my GT's with FF stems - a couple around 600mm which are GT riser bars. I've not noticed any issues, but then I don't ride anywhere near as hard as I did back in the day Not on these bikes anyway!

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I use my retro GT's for a commute to work mostly as I don't want to wreck them by going off road!

Black_puma said:

I use my retro GT's for a commute to work mostly as I don't want to wreck them by going off road!

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Mine do see some single track and towpath action and the occasional pump track thrash (much to the amusement of the local yoofs on their sponge bikes) I stay of the quarter and half pipes these days though

Few bits updated. And my dad (original owner) looking over it on the left.

Another angle.

DallasEvo said:

Another angle.View attachment 1001983View attachment 1001984

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possibly the best looking post '95 Zaskar LE, I love those bold yellow and blue decals! It really completes the bold look of the bike, aggressive yet refined!

That's me on the left in 1990 (I'm 50 now). I used to ride that GT (Outpost?) to school and always dreamed of owning an Avalanche, but later on I headed straight into dual suspension trail bikes (they were called "all mountain" bikes back then) and well I never got around to owning an Avalanche until now!


Saw this very neglected 1996 Avalanche on FB Marketplace and had to save it.




Frame came up OK. It's got a ding on the top tube and downtube too. At this stage I decided that this bike was not going to be a restoration, but instead a bike to hit the trails with for some seriously fun underbiking, as well as a pub bike and bike to do the weekly grocery run with.


Soon after taking this photo I raided some brake levers off another bike as I couldn't stand not riding it anymore. I've been riding road bikes since December last year just as a way to keep my body moving (also for mental health), but damn I felt right at home on this thing. It's so playful! I found myself rolling down stairs instantly (I live in an apartment close to the city), rolling up stairs, skids, wheelies, then I thought I'd huck some stairs and well, the front quick release skewer somehow slipped enough for the brake pads to lock against the tyre and I had a good stack in front of the local barber shop (he was very amused!).

SO so so so glad to be back on a MTB though, super nostalgic, and after a year of working on fragile weight weenie parts with a torque wrench it was just so liberating to strip and build this bike up with brute force to get the old stuff off, and feel to get the new stuff on. I've got a bunch of gear on the way for it (mostly just fun bling bits). Considering some silver wheels and maybe a lighter fork too. Specs below:

1996 GT Avalanche

Frame: 15" (1748g)
Fork RST Delta Comp (1850g)
Hanger: GT (19g)
Headset: Aheadset (110g)
Shifter: microSHIFT Advent Trail Trigger Pro (119g)
Brakes: Deore V-Brake + BBB VeePipe noodles (227g)
Brake Pads: Koolstop Salmon: (124g)
Brake Booster: Acor (g)
Stem: KORE (173g)
Stem Spacers: Ritchey (g)
Handlebar: KORE (168g)
Grips: ODI Ruffian (100g)
Crankset: TruVativ XX 170mm (530g)
Chainring: Wolf Tooth 120 BCD 36T (54g)
Chain: Shimano 10-Speed (252g)
Pedals: DMR V12 (415g)
Rear Derailleur: MicroSHIFT Advent X (313g)
Wheelset: (888g/1083g)
Quick Release Skewers: Zipp (77g)
Cassette: Shimano Deore 10-Speed 11-36T (365g)
Lockring: ZTTO (6g)
Seatpost: (230g)
Seatpost Clamp: (8g)
Saddle: Tioga MC Lite (198g)
Front Tyre: Kenda Small Bock 8 26" x 2.1" (619g)
Rear Tyre: Schwalbe Billy Bonkers 26" x 2.1" (533g)
Tubes: Maxxis Flyweight (96g/96g)
Bottle Cage: Tioga (55g)

Current Weight: 10.72g

JustinFox said:

That's me on the left in 1990 (I'm 50 now). I used to ride that GT (Outpost?) to school and always dreamed of owning an Avalanche, but later on I headed straight into dual suspension trail bikes (they were called "all mountain" bikes back then) and well I never got around to owning an Avalanche until now!

Saw this very neglected 1996 Avalanche on FB Marketplace and had to save it.

Frame came up OK. It's got a ding on the top tube and downtube too. At this stage I decided that this bike was not going to be a restoration, but instead a bike to hit the trails with for some seriously fun underbiking, as well as a pub bike and bike to do the weekly grocery run with.

Soon after taking this photo I raided some brake levers off another bike as I couldn't stand not riding it anymore. I've been riding road bikes since December last year just as a way to keep my body moving (also for mental health), but damn I felt right at home on this thing. It's so playful! I found myself rolling down stairs instantly (I live in an apartment close to the city), rolling up stairs, skids, wheelies, then I thought I'd huck some stairs and well, the front quick release skewer somehow slipped enough for the brake pads to lock against the tyre and I had a good stack in front of the local barber shop (he was very amused!).

SO so so so glad to be back on a MTB though, super nostalgic, and after a year of working on fragile weight weenie parts with a torque wrench it was just so liberating to strip and build this bike up with brute force to get the old stuff off, and feel to get the new stuff on. I've got a bunch of gear on the way for it (mostly just fun bling bits). Considering some silver wheels and maybe a lighter fork too. Specs below:

1996 GT Avalanche

Frame: 15" (1748g)
Fork RST Delta Comp (1850g)
Hanger: GT (19g)
Headset: Aheadset (110g)
Shifter: microSHIFT Advent Trail Trigger Pro (119g)
Brakes: Deore V-Brake + BBB VeePipe noodles (227g)
Brake Pads: Koolstop Salmon: (124g)
Brake Booster: Acor (g)
Stem: KORE (173g)
Stem Spacers: Ritchey (g)
Handlebar: KORE (168g)
Grips: ODI Ruffian (100g)
Crankset: TruVativ XX 170mm (530g)
Chainring: Wolf Tooth 120 BCD 36T (54g)
Chain: Shimano 10-Speed (252g)
Pedals: DMR V12 (415g)
Rear Derailleur: MicroSHIFT Advent X (313g)
Wheelset: (888g/1083g)
Quick Release Skewers: Zipp (77g)
Cassette: Shimano Deore 10-Speed 11-36T (365g)
Lockring: ZTTO (6g)
Seatpost: (230g)
Seatpost Clamp: (8g)
Saddle: Tioga MC Lite (198g)
Front Tyre: Kenda Small Bock 8 26" x 2.1" (619g)
Rear Tyre: Schwalbe Billy Bonkers 26" x 2.1" (533g)
Tubes: Maxxis Flyweight (96g/96g)
Bottle Cage: Tioga (55g)

Current Weight: 10.72g

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Great first post! Nice story and glad you're enjoying being back on a "real" bike

Looks really nice and impressive low weight, what brake levers will you be fitting as I noticed they're not there as yet?

JustinFox said:

I had a good stack in front of the local barber shop

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Haha not so good of a look at our "advanced" age, is it? But that's what is so good about these bikes, make us behave like foolish kids again.
I had one this week too, on trails that go off off the side of the paved path. First look around to see if anyone saw, second to see if the bike was OK, third to see if I'd been injured