GT Avalance 1.0 2009

For MTB enthusiasts the GT Avalanche needs no introduction. The Avalanche is normally what a seasoned rider would recommend a newbie for a starter bike. Now don't get me wrong. I know a lot of people who would kick my butt using an Ava 3.0. It's just that this series of bikes have been associated with newbies because they offer one of the best bang for the buck deals that you'll get. You can just about go to any bike shop and ask them for a 'cheap and good' MTB and these will no doubt be one of the bikes that will be offered to you.

Anyway, I have a friend who just bought her first 'proper' MTB. She went straight to the top of the class. Instead of opting for a GT Ava 3.0, she got the all-singing, all-dancing 1.0. I think LnT (bikeshop in Tampines) is clearing their 2009 line of bikes to bring in more bling stuff. Any one interested in what's on sale, here's the link http://www.ltcycle.com/lnt_promo_mtb.html.

Since this is a 2009 bike, I will not give an 'in depth' review of this bike. There are lots of those on the net expecially now that we're already midway to 2010. What I would like to add to those reviews are some very positive things which I think previous reviewres might have missed or forgot to mention :

1. If you go to any site that shows a picture of a GT Avalanche, you will see that the top tube is straight. This is because normally, the reviewers have a medium sized bike. For the Small size frame (and maybe the XS if they have that), the top tube is "dropped". This is very good for standover clearance.

2. Since my friend has a small frame, the crankset that came with it has 170mm arms. The stem seems to be 80mm. The reasoning, no doubt, is this frame will fit a smaller rider more if these contact points are shorter.

3. At this price range, I don't know how GT managed to squeeze in an XT Shadow RD ?!?!? Even the 2010 version of the Ava 1.0 only has SLX Shadow RD!

Those three points are what sticks out in my mind as the highlight of this frame. As for the rest of the components, the forks are RockShox 100mm TORAs, the brakes are hydraulic Tektro Aurigas, the shifters and the FD are Deore units and the wheelsets are WTB SX24 with no name hubs. The supplied tires are Kenda 2.1 Nevegals. I just don't know if these are DTCs or Stick-Es as there is nothing that identifies them as such.




We did not weight the full bike. However, my heft-o-meter says that the bike is quite light. The venue for the trail test ride is Pulau Ubin and the owner of the bike is a 5'2'' girl. She was able to carry the bike without any problems down the stairs of Changi Ferry, into the bumboat, out of the bumboat, and on the way back, she has to carry the bike up the stairs of Changi Ferry again.

End of Blue Diamond loop, Start of Black Diamond loop



Trail Ride

The trails chosen were Chek Jawa and the various hidden trails around Pulau Ubin. The last trail loop of the day is the Blue Diamond route of Ketam. Our test rider did not complain of any issues with the bike. There was even a time she was riding the bike with the TORAs locked out. The fit of the bike is also spot on. The only comlaint that I heard was that her butt hurts which is also no doubt, the biggest complaint we hear from 100% of new bicycle riders.



As I said at the start of the article, there are very few things I can add to the numerous reviews already done on the 2009 GT Ava 1.0. This is a value for money bike. If there ever was a category of 'cheap and good' MTB, this would be one of the top contenders.


So, that's about it and before signing-off, I leave you with a pic of what I had for lunch today at Charlie's Corner (my fave eating place at Changi V)

Beef Stew, Papaya Salad, Rice