Bike Test: GT Force Carbon Pro

Words: Vernon Felton
Photo: Morgan Meredith

GT’S FORCE CARBON PRO TRAIL BIKE COMES CLOAKED IN A SMORgasbord of the latest and greatest bits, including a complete Shimano XTR kit, Mavic Crossmax ST wheels and Fox TALAS 32 RL fork with QR15 axle. The swank parts, however, are just the window dressing. The real story here is the lightweight, 100-percent carbon fiber frame.

The frame is an elegant tangle of tubes that bulge and twist and mate just so. There’s function, however, behind all this carbon fashion: with 6 inches of travel front and rear and a fighting weight of 27.6 pounds with pedals, this could easily have been a wet noodle of a bike. The fancy tube shaping is employed here to stiffen things up. Did it work? You’ll see. But first, the basics….

Photo: Morgan Meredith

The Force is at its best while climbing. This bike is, hands down, the best-climbing full-suspension rig I’ve ridden. It accelerates up climbs and delivers unbelievable traction. I routinely cleared big rocks and logs that frustrate me on other bikes. There is a bit of pedal-induced bobbing to the Force, but very little. I spent most of the test with the Fox RP23 rear shock’s ProPedal feature disengaged, and the Force still flew up steep pitches with ease—a testament to the efficiency of the suspension design.

What goes up, however, must go down, and this is where the Force displayed some shortcomings. The bike is nimble and pinpoint accurate, but with its 69-degree head angle and XC-oriented build, I often found myself desperately wishing for a more capable descender with a slacker front end.

The stout Force frame allows for minimal side-to-sidewiggle. There is, however, some noticeable give in the fork. The TALAS 32 sucks up bumps fantastically, but it flexes perceptibly under hard cornering while at its full 150 millimeters of travel. The 32 would be perfect on a 5-inch-travel package, but on a bike with 6 inches of travel, bigger stanchions would benefit riders who routinely play on steep, rugged trails. I slapped on a Fox 36 and steering precision improved dramatically.

While I’m nitpicking, I’d also swap the handlebar for something with more rise and put on a rear tire wider than the stock 2.1-inch Kenda Nevegal. Finally, GT would do well to improve the standover clearance on this bike. Though the spec sheet suggests a standover height of 28.7 inches, it actually measures closer to 30.5 inches. Not nearly enough for my tastes.

The Force is a category-blurring bike. Its 6 inches of travel suggest that it is capable of rowdy terrain, but it does have limits there. Where it truly shines is as a trail bike or ultra-long-travel cross-country rig—it’s an all-day climbing machine.

More Info:
$6,000
800-724-9466
GTbicycles.com

Reader Comments

Posted Sun Sep20, 2009, 7:35 PM — By carlitos,tucson,AZ

afther read the review on ur magazine i decide to give a try,i bouthg a gt force 2.0 and i love it,it is a real climbing machine,it only wants to be pedal up and fast no problems climbing straight up,or technicals climbs,downhill u have to get use to it head angle,but it can get the job done.Iam very happy with the GT FORCE performance and value,thanks for the review it was veri helpfull to me,keep up the good job (BIKE)

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