What happened to GT Bicycles?
Today we take a quick look at the history of GT bicycles and discuss what they are currently up to. I have always loved GT because they were one of the penultimate brands to have as a kid. Since their peak, they have been relegated to the same fate as schwinn.....or have they?
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GT, Haro, Redline, Mongoose, DYNO and Diamonback were the bikes to have when I was a kid. They were pricey though. I had a Huffy. lol. I always wanted a Redline, though. I"m 44 now. 30 to 35 years ago, that was all we did; ride around on our bikes everwhere and build ramps that sometimes caused broken bones. Bike parts were traded like currency. Good times. I sometimes miss those days.
Dyno was GT. 😂
@@samholdsworth420 It's been a long time. I forget a lot of things. lol
@@ditherdather 🤪
@@samholdsworth420 I vaguely recall that aluminum frames and 3 piece sprockets were all the rage. Pegs were also pretty popular.
@@samholdsworth420 And we would spend hours sifting through catalogs of parts that we talked about ordering, that we knew we were never gonna order cause they were so damn much money. lol
My first GT was an 89 Interceptor. Worked all summer as a 13 year old kid to buy all the upgraded parts when i started racing. Still have it today🤘🏻
Same here, I broke my Interceptor frame and got a warranty replacement frame that turned out to be a Mach 1. Wish I still had it.
Still got my GT pro performer to this day.
I'm 42, I grew up on GT and Dyno bikes! I'm a bmx guy! I would love to see GT get back to the level it use to be!
Yes my early 90s GT Pro Series was so light. It was really fast because it had a larger crank on there but was very comfortable to ride. I wish I never sold it. The guy I sold it to broke the frame and think the bikes became heavy sometime during the mid nineties.
Being an Orange Y local in the 80’s and 90’s I’ve seen Mr. GT’s custom work up close. He’s not a fabricator, he’s an artist.
Cover Prodyne
That track was dope🔥
That was a great track!
I have a original Gt from the 90's. I was looking on Ebay and they sell for thousands. I'm glad I've kept it this long.
I had a 92’ light blue anodized GT ZASKAR, put 15,000 miles on it. Beautiful machine
I had purple Karakoram
'92
*Correction: As of the 1st of this year, GT is no longer selling to Dick's sporting goods, so anything dick's has left is dead stock. They were a part of Cycling Sports Group, which is also Cannondale... PON has split GT off of that group into it's own subsidiary. Apparently they are re-focusing the brand and coming out with some nice new fresh stuff. There is a good article published a couple weeks ago on Bicycle Retailer & Industry News (BRAIN)
Dont be fooled, they are still owned by Pon and they are tricking dealers into thinking that they support them amd that they are a new separate "old school" GT. Its not and the moment it dossnt work out Pon will screw dealers over to look out for their own self interest. Look into what Pon really is. Look who's left of the companies they bought. Most of thoe people that meant anything are gone.
My first mountain bike was GT Avalanche. Not up there with proper mountain bikes, but I rode it a lot and even where I shouldn't have. Btw, no mention of Hans No Way Ray when talking about GT? He's been ambassador for the brand for almost 40 years and one of best selling riders for them... Made them really popular
I tried to keep the video short and sweet and just about Gary and Richard so it was hard to leave out Hans. I'd love to do a more in depth video on specifically the GT team
Thanks for watching and the support! GT has a much deeper history than I went into in this 10 minute video. What brand should I dive into next?
Turner, Maverick, or Felt.
diamondback, mongoose, Raleigh, redline
PK Ripper, Mongoose, Haro, Redline.
Doug Bradbury, Manitou, and Marin
Try finding the story on Torker. I believe the were located in El Cajon, CA but not sure due to that was 40yrs ago and I forget details at times.
Changed my job recently and have a much shorter commute. With the longer days coming in, I've started using my 1997 GT Ricochet to go back and forward to work and leave the car at home. Still going strong after almost 30 years.
Videos like this bring back a lot of memories, GT, dyno, mongoose, diamondbacks, next, were definitely the bikes to own but bike riding came and went that was the same as getting a new phone, game system, tablet, or new pair of sneakers back in the day love this video
The same thing happened to Torker, Kawara, Powerlite, and so many iconic 80s BMX brands.
....yep....my 80's Torkers(plural) were great on the track and felt great on ramp/vert/skatepark. BUT I learned they were weak. I broke 4 in 7 months as a 13-14yr old, 140lb kid. Torker cut me off after 3 frame replacements.... Durability may have been there downfall....who knows
Pretty spot on video. Never the same after Richard died. Gary leaving was the final blow. There is a book coming out about Richard Long that gives all the details. Good video!
In ‘91 I bought a Tequesta with money from my first job. I wrecked the frame and changed it to an Avalanche. Last year it was resto’d to a ‘93 Zaskar. None of the original parts remain, but I ride it regularly. It’s rugged and precise in all the right places.
Nice video. On point. For me it was the 1987-1990 GT PFT especially the Dayglow pink bikes….oh yeah. Let’s hope the new GT is back to its roots. We need a 20” new school style 1987 double bend frame bike.
That dayglo pink was mind blowing 😂!
A video on Redline would be interesting. Also Hutch would be a good one as well. Cheers!
My first MTB that i built up myself was a GT Karakoram about 1994-1995 or so. I got the frame for $75 and used a British manual to put the bike together using spare parts i had been saving. The first thing i did was tried to screw in the bottom bracket from the wrong side.. After they got it installed correctly for me it went fine I lived in a town in the midwest area in the early 70's to 1991 and had never heard of GT before. We had Scwinn and later on my dad had a few too many beers and bought me a Murray x24 BMX bike for my birthday It was freaking huge and i was the smallest kid in my class. I never learned how to pop a wheelie on that monster bike but i remember riding over someone that wiped out in front of me during a bike-a-thon.
I have a GT Tequesta that I bought in 91. It was luv at 1st sight. Upgraded and replaced all of the heavy steel components. Still has the original Rock Shock. It's been well cared for and is still rollin smooth and fast on Maxxis DTH 26x2.215 tires. Lighter than alot of new mountain bikes. I still ride it at least once a week. Lots of miles on it. Get lots of compliments. Glad that I never sold it.
Watching Skills with Phil you’d never guess GT is a dormant company.
These BMX bikes remind me of my 1984 Schwinn Predator, which I bought for $125. That was my favorite bike when I was little
Predator was my first real bmx bike. Loved that thing
Ty 4 the video! Eye opening experience! ❤
Glad you enjoyed it!
I had no idea Gary Turner started GT, and the name was just his initials. Dude was really into putting his name on bike companies!
I am not aware of any other bike companies that Gary Turner put his name on.
@@thesilversender I must've mashed Gary Fischer and Turner together in my head
@@blurglide wow your an idiot
I purchased a 2018 Pro Performer when I noticed the online shops were selling them. Since it was clearly scantily clad, I went to swapping out parts to get it looking like what we'd be drooling over when passing a reputable bike shop as kids. The bike gets plenty compliments when I'm out and about, plus people have been asking if its for sale.
I've got a prototype full suspension DS/4X frame that GT had developed the year they folded. Most folks don't remember, they were going to put Brian Lopes *and* Eric Carter on the same team. Got it as part of a 'mystery box' sold out of the old warehouse shut down when Doral bought GT.
I worked there in the late 90's. Gary Turner built the first bikes but it was Richard Long who built the brand. He was a force of nature. The company lost its way when he died in a 1996 motorcycle accident. Some successes but it was never the same company. The buyout by Pon Holdings and merging of administrative space with Cervelo here in Socal could be a rebirth.
Great presentation
Back in the late 60's we had stingray-style bicycles with banana seats. I was a heavy kid and I broke the rear axle mounts regularly. The local welding shop treated me as a regular customer. What I remember most was the absolute freedom to go anywhere in town. My mom didn't have drive me anywhere. LOL!
I still have my original 1981 GT pro I bought brand new back in '81. In the late '80s it got stolen and then all I got back out of that was the frame forks and I rebuilt it years later.
I had a GT Ricochet mtn bike in 1993 that I got personally signed by Hans “No Way” Rey when he was putting on a trials show with his GT bike. Hans led a group ride through the local trails after the show. It was great!! Gave the signed bike to my son last year, and he still has it.
Loved all my GT’s wish I had them now. My entire childhood revolved around the freedom it gave me. Thanks Gary
Great video
I have a GT Outpost Trail I’m putting some love into. I got the bike for $50. I’m really digging it. I used to have old school GF and Specialized mtb’s in the 90’s and I can say this bike is just as good. I like its distinctive “triple triangle” and the top tube has an interesting taper towards the back plus it’s all 4130 cro-mo…good ol steel! It’s also got eyelets everywhere for mounting racks and fenders. This is going to be my adventure/touring bike, after I’m done with it.
My Pro Performer was my favorite bike back in the day. Now I’m riding a Gt 29in bmx bike and couldn’t be happier.
When I was a kid I dreamt about getting a GT, Redline or Mongoose but instead I got a Huffy Pro Thunder 4. It was heavy as hell but it was a tank. Put it through hell and it never broke. Still wish I had gotten a GT.
You still can. I'm 50 and still have a GT Proline I'm changing to a 24". IN Cali, many oldheads have SE 29ers, but the GT is a good big BMX option too. Not a Dicks bike, nor whT this guy talks about, bigger now than 10 yrs ago. Kids here have SE, GT, or Rad Power bikes
I still got my box series 1 24 cruiser. I'm never going to get rid of it.
good stuff!!! love GT but Im a old school DiamondBack guy myself
I had a Blue Dyno NSX and I was so pumped. I still miss that bike
I’d prefer the Honda but still a cool NSX to own.
I still have my GT I-Drive XCR 3000 from 1999. The front and rear suspension has been upgraded to air fork and shock and a few parts upgraded as well. Such a great full suspension bike. Only bad thing is there was no way to properly upgrade the rear to disc brakes without some iffy adapter so it still has decent V-Brakes. That I-Drive system was the first and best version GT ever made. That was innovation.
I loved the early GT innovations!
The first iteration of i-Drive was the best and most sophisticated, then cost cutting happened 😅
Ur the only person I ever heard to LIKE I drive.
What skateboard rack is that on the gt in the comercial. I want one of those.
I still have my '96 Zaskar. Love it, still ride it occasionally, I'll never sell it. When I was a kid, this was the bike to have. Really sorry GT don't make a high end bike anymore. If they ever make it back to what they were, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
Gt fury 2015 27.5 inch is pretty amazing a single pivot with kinda a high pivot with pivot bearing on the bottom brack you even can adjust the bearing speed that was unbelievable. Then they make sanctiom wich is a small version of that fury i would love to have it one day
I have a Gt Sanction Pro 2016, fully modified, Rockshox Pike, NukeProof pedals, Sram Gx, carbon wheels, soon i ll get a rockshox dhx3 or a Fox Van Rc, great bike, rides so smooth . In my country, they re so underrated. Everybody has a Yt or a specialized/Santa Cruz or A canyon sender. I love my GT so much. For 2000$ you cant get much better. Btw , mine is almost new. Few minor scratches
GT has been putting out 26 inch retro 89 style freestyle bikes for a few years now. I actually just got a 24 inch Dyno Voelker edition that I made a video for. So far its been a cool cruiser.
East coast here, I was always a Hutch fan. I hope GT finds there way home, I miss the 80's!
I had a baby blue GT performer with pink and white graphics... with white and blue 150 spoke wheels.i loved that bike... just sucks that it was a pretty heavy bike in comparison to my buddys chrome Dyno VFR. But even though i had a GT, I REALLY wanted a peregrine ultra light. That was my holy grail that i never got to touch.
I found a brand new GT Mach One in bushes past my back field in 1987ish when i was 11, it was so badass. Put many many miles on it and air time. GT FOREVER
My Grandfather got me a DYNO GT around 2000-2001, shit was heavy as hell but it was a great bike.
Just got into cycling and bought a GT Treveo w/o knowing a thing about the brand. It's my first REAL bike, not a Walmart or Target $75 dollar piece of trash, and I love it. It's fast compared to what I used to ride. Now I own a FELT aero which completely demolishes the GT but I still love my 1st real one. If they do make a serious comeback, I'll check em out!
GT, Haro, Redline, Diamondback were all the brands I drooled over as a poor kid with a 4th time hand me down huffy! It's crazy to see how it's so different now! Edit: Also Gary Fisher! I remember my brother got one for his birthday/Christmas from he whole family and it was a rad ass BMXer!
Still got my one of the first dyno slammer bmx with GT tuffs and odyssey flying wedge handlebars.
I always liked GT. My first freestyle bike was 1984 GT Pro Performer. I currently own 2 USA-made GTs. A 1984 GT Mini and a 1993 GT Pro.
great video, i didnt know cannondales history. i grew up riding haro master's, pro performer by my cherished couple bikes were my lavender and candy apple trickstar's. i live in Baltimore and was lucky enough to go to the factory and get a small tour where they also had my c.a. red trickstar w/white skyways until i switched to z-rims. i remeber eddie fiola and seeing what he could do on a BMX bike i went right out and got one. they were high quality bikes back then in later years i had and still have a GT MTB. the quality was what you expect from a cheap bike gussied up with mid level components from the top brands. it was sad to see because i picked a a gary fisher inbetween those and was spoiled riding something in the higher end of intermediate bikes but i had a trek 9000 in the 90's that was shit and I was pissed I didn't get a Cannondale. so it was interesting to hear the story about them again great video!! cheers
I had a interceptor, then got a dyno vfr, damn u brought back memories
Several years back, Gary and his son started producing replicas of the old BMX frame again now I haven’t confirmed this, but I understand that Gary passed away and his son was continuing to work on these replicas and that they had a licensing agreement with the repair company of GT bicycles to refer to them as Gary Turner BMX bikes.
GT, Hutch, & Dyno Ruled the 80’s!#BMX❤
I rode skyway, Hutch, Red line. Good time to be young. Still have the 24” redline.
Had a Dyno detour and a haro shredder as a kid. Will never forget those. Wish I would have kept them
I have a few GT mtb’s from 96/97, a Zaskar, LTS 1, LTS, Avalanche… I loved the brand when I was coming up in the mtb world in the 90’s, and always love finding one to fix up now.
I have a GT bmx stem on my 1x7 mountain/street bike (Reynolds 853 frame) - love the retro look 🤙🏼
I aquired a nice GT BMX from a younger friend in England who was going to scrap it. It was mint, so I took it. I used to ride it to work. I'm 51. Didn't have a BMX as a kid, so I'm making up for it now.
I like to say like back in the mid-80s when I was in junior high. My parents were able to get me a laser fast times model. I had it modified it was lavender. And it did justice I was able to do my freestyling on the ground and the ramp. I feel like this bike was underrated. Can you please do a bio or summary on this particular model or company that made this bike. Thanks
Performer, Pro Freestyle Tour, Interceptor were some of the most sought-after bikes back when I was a lad.
The PFT, plus the Show are my two favorite GT's.
I still have my GT Aggressor 2.O mountain bike from 1999. Still love it.
I've been riding a GT Force as my downhill bike and park bike last year and then this year and I see tons of GTs still out there.
Triple triangle "Zaskars" are among some the lightest aluminum framed mtbs from the 90's.....I have a few of them including an ultra rare "acid green " colored model....Im totally hooked on collecting mtbs I could only dream about owning in the early 90's when I got into mtbing
I have a vintage GT road bike that I don't think most people know ever existed. It is a GT Forte and it has a high quality titanium frame> Have never seen another one for sale. I was lucky enough to buy it as a used bike back around 2007 from a guy who I think used to work in a bike shop. He took really nice care of it and I am lucky to still own it even though it is a little big for me.
One of my first BMX bikes was a GT fueler..
I miss my GTs. I have a vertigo first and then a Performer. My parents threw them out when I was in the Marines.
Get another one -- trust me!
I still have my mongoose expert pro with profile 3pc cranks and answer pro forks suspension forks. Things sick. Can still do flat 3s on it at 40y/o
I still have my gt . How would i know what model it is ?
Remember when the head of 'World Anti-Doping' in sports was Dick Pounder?😂 It was so bloody 'spot-on', I still think it was deliberate.
I completely forgot about that😂😂
I had a GT back in 1980, and was a fun bike to ride, then I found Profile Racing, and never looked back. 18 years ago, stated collecting when I wanted to start riding with my kids. That turned into a pure sickness, lol.
I have a GT Sensor Alloy Comp 29er from 2018. I live in South Wales UK, which is an area noted for its hills and ranges of small/medium mountain and tough terrain with many trails and a number of bike centres and a world class Bike Park (Bike Park Wales). My Alloy Comp is now upgraded a bit, and still going strong. It goes as well as bikes a few grand more expensive. GT bikes have been a class bike, a solid bike capable, reliable without the bits you don't need. Hope they make it.
Rode GT mountain bikes from 93 to 99 a little heavier than others but could take a pounding.Just found a 95 aluminum pantera all original even tires and a rigid fork but had to put a period correct manitou front shock on it!
Back in 2001 I had a gt dyno mountain bike and it came with a speedometer
in 1984 i was going to buy a GT but i went with the lightest BMX bike made in the 80s. the Dymondback Formula1.
It's kind of funny because I just read that Haro is on the move also and going to branch out into many more bicycle types and models. So could we see GT and Haro battling it out again? I guess we will have to see...😊
I had a neon pink pro freestyle tour team with white tires and accessories. I worked almost a year busing tables to pay for it. .i wish I never got rid of that bike. They are worth a crap ton of money now….
My brother had a beautiful Blue metallic/chrome GT Vertigo. So nice it was stolen twice recovered both times in a little worse shape. When my brother and i were in college. My grandparents had a yard sale at my parents house (why?). They sold it for $5.00. They were excited they sold that old "kids bike" for us.
I have a Robinson? Scott Clark model 79-80 with the European small bottom bracket. Chuck Robinson handed to me in 1979 at the van nuys ca teen center. I was racing 15 nov on a mongoose at the time.. I still have it . I’m 58
Had a 80s mach one andearly 90 gt interceptor. Awesome bikes
I've always looked at GT with a curious view . I never had the opportunity to ride BMX so I could only ride road bikes . I was at MAMMOTH MTN that day when Julie Furtado won that Mtn Bike race on that triangle frame (1991)....
I still have many various GT parts and a few bikes from GTs prime. And i mostly focus on GT collecting today.
First I had the Mach One the FLY and the Bump the Bump was by far the dopest looking and riding of them all imo
I just bought a Sensor ST- very much on par with all the major bikes people are riding, hightower, fuel ex, instinct, habit, spectral etc..
i had a freestyle GT Vertigo... the memories!!!
Back in 2001 I picked up a 00' 24" GT that's still running today. Bit of a tank, but a pleasure to own, ride, and display. Had several Dyno and GT freestyle bikes back in 1986. Another brand like this is Mongoose.
I used to love the chonky frames in the 90s and especially Klein and Cannondale were two of such brands.
I owned a haro, torker 2, redline. I never did get a GT I wanted when I was kid. Great times
I had a Performer, with the trispoke plastic rims. They wouldn't stop for anything.
I think G.T changed when they brought in the sales people from Peugeot. It was the big push for moving product, strange product that was gimmicky, products such the 2X4 fork, 700D tires and the loss of the grass roots. Richard was a genius and a great guy and sadly missed.
My friend is a dealer with GT. He sells a wide range of brands including cannondale, evil, bianchi, to name a few. Seems like the shop guys and everyone bought into the Grade and a few higher models for their own rigs this year. Seems like their bikes are selling better than most.
I grew up with the GT brand and still have my 1986 GT properformer. I have owned up to 10 GT’s at one time. I also have a 2015 GT Helion. I hope they become a huge staple again in mtbing.
I have a GT avalanche 2.0 that I never got rid of...My bud had one with newer suspension and we got back in the game 5 years ago to just get active . We went out and to the local "riding areas" we used to go 40lbs heaveir then in our prime....To be honest we had people come up to us with WAY better stuff come up to us and say "I had that bike!!!! And tell stories about their life in those times. Those guys that pushed those GT's back in the day could do WAY more than we could, and ever will....GT's will with that triangle frame and those Color coded Tires will always be my style. GT! Im fat, and past my prime but if you make a nice bike I can swing into on a workers pay I'll buy it, simply cause I rolled with you for soo long.
I had a GT performa when I was 9 years old. H got a Haro after that. Miss the 80’s 😊
Hey, I also want to know what happen to Mongoose too. They were doing great back in the day but nothing now.
I had a GT mountain bike. I loved it. I got a car (RX7) and parked my GT but rode at least twice a week. I was headed out to school one day and someone stole it. I was so sad. I replaced it with a CANNONDALE SV800. I still have it but it was/is so exotic, I refuse to ride it in LA. It is pristine though and you have to have riding shoes.
Bizhouse has the gt tube bender, so my Escalator bars are bent on the same machine as all those stays.
Bizhouse who make flatland products?
The GT Show flatland bike was really impressive.
I have one of Craig’s and Gary’s 50th anniversary bikes - hand made by the OG’s themselves. Serial Number 11.
I still have an old gt MTB. And yes a budget one of today the gt aggressor pro. I even got it free. Now u[dating it as people do. I am looking for the fork for my old gt. But seem they are toast. Now searching for a new one but that measurement is old so used is where I find them