GT Team Avalanche - Date of Birth?

[PaulBecks]

Hey people,

I'm new to retroBIKE so if i'm in the wrong house with this let me know...

I've just aquired this bike but can't find how old it is!?! The info i do know is that it's colour is Midnight Aura and a search on the net came up with a similar bike/colour from '91?

That my friends is where the similarity ends as it has been through the retro upgrade mangle, not a bad thing when you consider;

M900 chainset - cranks in anodised blue?
M900 front/rear mechs
XT 7s thumbies
XT seatpost
XT hubs/Mavic MA40's with blue nipples and Smoke/Darts
Answer Hyperlite bars - purple
X Lite bar ends, set post clamp and skewers - purple
M737 pedals

Unfortunately it's missing brakes and levers and don't know which way to go with this as i've heard that it came with a rear XT U brake? - any suggestions?

I'm also missing a saddle as the Spenco Gel Avocet that's on it is ripped quite badly

Any info and suggestions would be great.

Paul

 

[Shamus]

This is my Team Avalanche -90
Original condition...

 

[Pickle]

Is this one from Ebay that ended last Sunday night?

 

[Crayons]

This is top of my most-wanted list, how did I miss that.

The Aurora Team Avalanche is a '91 bike and was the top of the range steel-framed bike from GT that year. It would have originally had a flip-flop colour-matched stem (shame that's missing) and would have come with an XT level U-brake on the back, STI shifters rather than thumbies, but XT thumbies are better anyway

If you're looking to return it to close to original spec then an appropriate replacement saddle would be a San Marco Regal (C40), as the shape is correct and it even has the brass studs around the back (comfy too). U-brakes occasionally pop up on here, stick a post in the 'Wanted' section

Most importantly, it's got the best paint job ever to grace a production bike (in my opinion anyway)

Nice find fella.

 

[Pickle]

To ID the age you need to look at the frame stamp.

Check it and post it up here and we should be able to put an age on it.

 

[PaulBecks]

Awhhh flippin love this

Thanks for the replies everyone and great picture to compare to (are you running a road cassette there Shamus or single speed and using your mech as a tensioner as the diameter on your block looks sooo small?).

The serial number is A1 8584 Pickle and yep you're right it is the bike off Ebay. I wanted to replace a '96 GT Timberline i had last year which i was planning on single speeding but it was that mint and original i felt bad doing it. I ended up selling it to a mate who now can be seen speeding the streets of Gtr Manchester doing his job as a Cycle Instructor... well done Rick (Git )

Mine has rake adjusters on the forks, was this standard or only specific to a particular year?

Paul

 

[SeeingisBelievingGTMuseum]

The Midnight Aurora Team Avalanche was from the 1991 model year. I have one and also owned the Black Widow colored 1990 model. Have a 1992 also in yellow with 1st year M900.

 

[Crayons]

Fairly sure the 3D dropouts were introduced in 91 on the Avalanche and Team Avalanche (plus the Zaskar and Xizang) – I've got a 92 Avalanche with them, but don't recall seeing those forks on any of the lesser models before or since.

 

[SeeingisBelievingGTMuseum]

3D's were introduced in 1992 the forks from 1991 were the 2x4's. They actually had 4 front axle positions in the dropouts.

 

[PaulBecks]

Yup they are indeed 2x4's as there's a small decal on each fork leg. I've an adjuster missing on one dropout - the threaded bolt's still there but the knurled retaining nut that compresses the spring is missing.

Get moochin' GT fans!!