THAT Was a Bike: 1991 GT Xizang LE

Feb 26, 2014
by Matt Wragg  
CLASSIC BIKE:
1991 GT Xizang LE
WORDS & PHOTOS: Matt Wragg
In some ways, GTs titanium-framed Xizang was always overshadowed by its aluminum brother, the Zaskar. The Zaskar was GT's first bike and its "triple-triangle" frame design set the template for their whole range of bikes. While the Zaskar was a relatively expensive bike, the Xizang was plain silly. If my memory serves, in the UK it used to retail at around £1,200 for just the frame - maybe £2,000 today, if you take inflation into account. It was too far out of reach of most people to even think about it. Taking all the best bits of the Zaskar, like the geometry and the classic triple-triangle design on the seatstays, they were all then translated into the hardtail connoisseur's material of choice, titanium. In GT's own words at the time, It was, "The ultimate racing frame."

Most people know Mark Maurissen best as one of the most-established mechanics on the World Cup DH circuit, currently plying his trade for Atherton Racing's Marc Beaumont. Yet, away from the track, he is a serious bike collector. This is Mark's 1991 Xizang LE and it is literally brand new, as is virtually every component on it - the only time these tyres have ever touched dirt is for these photos - and Mark carried it all the way out to the photo spot, not letting it touch the floor once on the way. Decked in top shelf boutique parts, 23 years ago this would have been, without doubt, one of the most desirable bikes on the planet.

GT Xizang 1991 Classic bike
bigquotesI started riding mountain bikes in 1991 and this was my dream bike back then. It was just a tiny bit over a 15 year old student's budget... It happened by coincidence that I found this '91 Xizang frame exactly 20 years later. It was good fun building it to the right specs. I might ride it on my 60th birthday. Or not...

1991 GT Xizang
GT Xizang classic bike 1991
  Bar ends aside, the simple, clean lines of the bike and attention to detail in the workmanship look as good today as they did when it was new.


GT Xizang 1991 Classic bike
GT Xizang 1991 Classic bike
  Out front is RockShox's legendary, Paul Turner-designed, RS1 suspension fork, the very first production fork from RockShox built in 1989. Compared to today's forks, it may seem quite simple, but at the time this was the state-of-the-art for mountain bike suspension. The damping was controlled by a base valve at the bottom of the upper tube on both sides. It was an open bath system, so oil flowed freely between the upper tube and lower. There was a preloaded check-plate over the base valve that kept the fork "locked" until you hit a bump. It was platform-like technology called "Automatic Static Lockout System". There were no external adjustments to compression or rebound; these were both set at the factory. The air spring was simply the volume of air above the oil, so a user could adjust the progressivity of the spring by playing with the oil volume. Air pressure was limited to a pretty low range, 35-45 psi. Upper tubes were 4130 chromoly. Lowers and other bits were all aluminum.


GT Xizang 1991 Classic bike
GT Xizang 1991 Classic bike
GT Xizang 1991 Classic bike
GT Xizang 1991 Classic bike
GT Xizang 1991 Classic bike
  The detail that really gives away how new the components on this bike is the Hyperglide sticker on the cassette. Within a few rides they inevitably looked dirty and worn, proof it is brand new. One of the biggest surprises for younger readers might be that Shimano provided far more of the components than they do today - on this bike, both the headset and seatpost are part of their Deore XT group.



GT's adjustable-offset fork was way ahead of its time.


Specs:

Frame: GT Xizang LE titanium 18" triple triangle
Fork: RockShox RS1
Headset: Shimano Deore XT 1 1/8" threaded
Stem: GT Flip Flop
Handlebar: Answer Hyperlite
Bar ends: Onza
Grips: Onza Porcupaws
Seatpost: Shimano Deore XT 27.2mm
Seat: Selle San Marco Rolls
Front brake: Shimano Deore XT cantilevers
Rear brake: Shimano Deore XT U-brake with booster
Brake levers: Shimano Deore XT 2-finger
Shifters: Shimano Deore XT thumbshifters
Hubs: Shimano Deore XT 7sp
Q/Rs: Shimano Deore XT
Rims: Araya RM 20
Cassette: Shimano Deore XT 7sp 12-28
Chain: Shimano Deore XT UG 7sp
Cranks: Shimano Deore XT 46-36-26T
Pedals: Shimano Deore XT PD M737
Rear derailleur: Shimano Deore XT 7sp
Front derailleur: Shimano Deore XT
Gear cables: Shimano SIS
Brake cables: Shimano SLR
Tyres: ONZA Porcupine, 1.95"





Posted In:
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213 Comments
  • 256 2
 Pinkbike please make these old bike articles a regular thing. So much history that these young guns need to see!
  • 26 2
 Lets see some Manituos !!!!!!
  • 106 1
 That's the plan.
  • 54 6
 Those who forget the past are doomed to repeat it. For instance, purple anodized parts...
  • 13 1
 Lawwill Pro Cruiser fcdn.mtbr.com/attachments/vintage-retro-classic/778621d1362717652-lawwill-pro-cruiser-serial-numbers-needed-photo-2-.jpg

First production MTB. First MTB designed for downhill and pure fun. Get ahold of one of these, Pinkbike!
  • 7 3
 You were 11 when this came out, not exactly Grandpa Tmack
  • 11 0
 @GTImkIV True but at 11 I had built up enough interest in bikes to know the Xizang was badass. Most teenagers now have never even heard of it.
  • 2 0
 it's crazy to think how far things have come in just 23 years...
  • 6 0
 I had purple ano flat bars on my first mtb. They were probably about 550mm wide and I made sure they had purple ano bar ends as well. I think I was 13 years old at the time. Ahhhhh sweet nostalgia...
  • 2 0
 Check this out : www.retrobike.co.uk
  • 4 0
 I'd love to see an article on all of the odd experiments in mtb history. eg. I used to lust after a Tioga Disk Drive for my Orange Clockwork! img139.imageshack.us/img139/1982/miniroues002ub7.jpg
  • 4 0
 Tomac and drop bars on a downhill rig! Fark yeah. Had a GT Zaskar that I put a Shimano Exege crank on thing was the size of a small pizza tray but with Ned Overend cardio and Tinker Juarez thighs you too could hit 55 MPH.
  • 4 0
 martis, surely you don't mean that about purple ano....

www.pinkbike.com/photo/9628819
www.pinkbike.com/photo/7249692
  • 3 0
 First ''real'' bike I remember dreaming about was the Giant ATX DH back in 1999.
  • 3 0
 i had a xizang in 93. you could make remote rear der shifts by shifting your weight on the saddle while pedalling. complete noodle. our lbs owner is a collector. he's got original FROs & Ultimates, Steve Potts, Slingshots, Mountain Goats, pre-handjob Mojos. try racin a slingshot with a softride stem! haha
  • 1 0
 I love seeing these old school bikes. Whenever I see one still being used as a daily rider it brings a smile to my face. The bike in the article looks brand new! How the heck to you keep those gum wall tires from not crusting?? I doubt they're new because I haven't seen gum wall tires being sold for over a decade!
  • 2 0
 Joey from "Full House" on team GT in '91?? That's so sick.
  • 2 0
 we endurode with GT LTSs and Onza parts.
  • 2 0
 Manitou EFC !!!!!!!
  • 1 0
 one good thing though, no more elastomer rubber suspension, I know we had to come from somewhere but that was down right nasty
  • 1 0
 You guys have to review one of those late 90's DH Cannondales that ran inverted forks.
  • 2 0
 Dont forget the Girvin Flexstem, Softride stem and Girvin Vector forks.
  • 1 0
 The Vector forks were cool. The Noleen versions were baddass! Of course we should talk about the Amp F1 fork as well.
  • 1 0
 Nice to see some of the classic old bikes, dreamed of a Zaskar back in the day.

here is what I rode back then and still ride today! all original apart fron the wheel due to a little incident.

www.pinkbike.com/photo/7950507
  • 3 0
 I couldn't afford this when I was in college. I bought a cromoly steel Raleigh in neon colors. I couldn't afford the suspension fork either. You know what I did? I rode the wheels off of the bike and got good marks in school. I got a good job, raised my family, and now I can afford to spend money on my hobbies. I certainly did not bitch about the price of the bikes or products.
  • 1 0
 I wanted this bike so bad but it was way out of my budget... Had to settle for the Timberline... Still a nice bike back then... Equiped with Kooka Cranks, Slick rock Stem and ultra narrow bars... She was fast!
  • 2 0
 @Panzer103 Absolutely! I still have my old Amp F2 forks and was toying with restoring them so I contacted Amp. I can honestly say it's the best customer service I've ever had. Even though I originally bought them in 95, they sent me a new spring, seals and bushing all for free. That's from California to Midlands UK all free of charge. Top guys! Unfortunately they're going to be binning all stock as they're being bought out soon.
  • 1 0
 There are actually a nice group of people in North Carolina that might be willing to help you take a trip down memory lane. Retro-grouches unite!

mombat.org
  • 1 0
 soo enduro give me props
  • 1 0
 @mikelevy: more more more please
  • 1 0
 @martis: Kooka cranks.
  • 69 3
 Dude on the left has the hairdoo to match the epicness of that rad rocket.... panties were flung.
  • 84 1
 Hans Rey...legendary mullet right there!
  • 10 1
 All business in the front, and party in the back. What a lid!
  • 5 1
 That's clearly Trevor from the Whistler BP crew. Or his previous reincarnation or stuff
  • 62 0
 MORE ARTICLES LIKE THIS PLEASE!
  • 11 1
 Hmm needs wider bars and a dropper.
  • 3 0
 ^Don't forget the Kashima and the pedal assist and the water bottle cage and the rear suspension....Wow, those mtb-ers must have been tough back then!
  • 2 2
 Rishi Grewal?? Who was he? Can anyone help me here?
  • 5 0
 Excuse me, will you please speak up? I can't hear you with this extreme party in the back.

Rock that mullet Hans!
  • 4 0
 Although that photo makes Rishi look like Erik Estrada of C.H.I.P.S 70's motorcycle cop show, he's the mtn biking brother of Alexi Grewal. Rishi did mountain and Alexi rode on the famous 7-eleven team(the first American team to race the Tour, which turned into Motorola of Armstrong fame.)
  • 2 0
 I used to work for Alexi and Rishi's dad in Aspen in the late 70s. Rishi was about 7 at the time and Alexi not much older. The dad was CO state road champion in his age group. Alexi also won the 1988 Olympic road race in LA.
  • 8 4
 Articles like these expose the short-comings of most PBers. This bike is from mountain bikes had character. When it was the norm for a shop to piece together high-end bikes to suit the rider. Now, tools that don't know anything about the bike order S-WORKS bikes and only worry about watts. Sad. That bike is rad.
  • 10 0
 1991, when the 90's were still the 80's...
  • 2 0
 And Mr.Tom Rodgers himself....
  • 19 1
 Anyone know what the headangle on that thing is? Does it look surprisingly slack to anyone else? Definitely caught me off guard
  • 10 0
 The angle of the fork legs is not the same as the HT angle. There's no axle or crown offset, so the whole thing had to be raked out a bit, creating the illusion of a steep head angle. I would bet money it was 71/73 just like every other bike those days
  • 5 1
 Looks slacker thanks to the fork offset being achieved by "bending" the fork forward instead of offsetting the wheel from the fork's axle.
  • 1 0
 so its got a bend between the bottom headset cup (though, I'm assuming this thing is threaded) and the lower crown? I dont see any bends so it must be there.
Yet just the HT still looks steeper than I would have guessed for a bike this old.
  • 8 0
 Yeah, it's actually quite visible here: mombat.org/RS1brochure2.jpg Smile
  • 1 0
 Oh jeez! Thank engineering we found a better solution, that looks like such a pain to deal with.
  • 9 2
 I want to know who are the people who bought bikes in the 90's and kept them in a garage, never took them inside, and let them stay in immaculate condition for 25 years. Its not as If that was a cheap bike, it was a top of the line rig. It would be like if someone just bought a Carbon demo and hung it on the wall. Just ride it, that's what it was made for!
  • 2 0
 Apparently it is Mark Maurissen, the Atherton team mechanic, and also worlds first mountain bike collector. Hope it was worth it to him, I'd die having to stare at my bikes and never take them out for a ride.
  • 8 0
 I have a brand new never used 1990 Marin Palisades Trail in my garage that I bought off CL a month ago. Its friggin' awesome
  • 6 1
 Well apparently he bought it in 2011, so someone else had to have it hanging there Smile (if I understand the article well anyway)

That said, if you hang today's Carbon Demo, which to me probably is the #1, I think it wont be as valuable in 20 years as this piece is, just because that one comes from the stone-age of biking..who knows where will we be in 20 years, but there's so many more bikes in the market today compared to 1991 that it'll prolly be quite different for the historical value :-/
  • 4 0
 People with a lot of disposable income, who get interested in the sport, spend a ton of money on a bike, and then decide for one reason or another that mountain biking isn't for them. They keep the bike for a few years thinking they might get back into it, but the bike ultimately collects dust for a few decades.
  • 3 0
 The article says he bought the frame and built it up to the right spec. I imagine someone the frame in the corner of a warehouse somewhere and it had never been assembled.
  • 1 0
 1987 Kuwahara Cascade touring bike :') My dad used to race it in the 90's hahaha
  • 7 0
 XT thumbshifters! I can remember digging through parts bins desperate to find some of these after all shifters went rapidfire/gripshift. Nothing came close to the responsive shifting you got from those beauties!
  • 10 1
 Back when wheel size didn't matter, can't even find it in the article!
  • 6 1
 Funny you mention that, as GT introduced a bike with 700D wheels (slightly larger than 650b) a few years before.
  • 2 2
 "There's wheel sizes other than 26?" - mountain bikers until like 2004, unless you count the weirdos on 24" huck bikes.
  • 1 0
 GT Tachyon. Google it.
  • 5 0
 I had a 1991 GT Team Avalanche with the same spec except a Rock Shox Mag 20 and the U-brake was chain stay mounted. I swapped the 12-28 cassette for a 13-30 which at the time was killer. I wish I still had that bike.
  • 1 0
 Well the u-brake wasn't chainstay mounted looking at pics... crap my memory is going for shit!
  • 1 0
 I had 2 late-80s Karakorams way back in those days, and both had chain-stay mounted brakes...I sure don't miss that!
  • 7 0
 Nice.
Bike with 26" wheels in top news.
  • 5 1
 In fact, this article means "26 belongs to past"
  • 2 0
 Haha, indeed.
  • 1 0
 eah! Please PinkBike put some 26`` so we can see how was good in past
  • 3 0
 Based on a comment above I was looking for HT angle. Couldn't find it, but I found this: www.mtb-kataloge.de/Bikekataloge/PDF/GT/GT1991_USA.pdf . So sweet. There's guys hiking bikes, trick unattainable frames with builds from competing manufacturers, a section on a new alternative intermediate wheel size, a chick with thighs that make you embarrassed to look in the mirror, a guy doing a tail whip. This is why us old guys love mountain biking so much. It makes us feel 20 again, because it's just as cool now as we remember it back then. Stoked.
  • 3 0
 I remember drooling over this in the bike mags when I was a kid in the early 90's. In the late 90's my folks bought me a Zaskar frame which I built into a complete bike for trails. (Pics on my page)
The titanium Xizang, pronounced (Sha-Zang) was somewhere around 7 or $800 just for the frameset and a complete build could run you an easy 2 or 3K depending what parts you went with.
Having 3K to drop on a bike in 1991 either meant you had a GOOD full time job or did things you hoped no one would find out about...
  • 5 0
 Back in those days that was your XC bike, DH bike, slalom bike AND trials bike. One weekend had all those events and you did it on one bike. So Enduro.
  • 2 0
 It really has come full circle hasn't it? One bike used for all disciplines, over time, these bikes would splinter off into specialized beasts. Now we taking what we have learned, and packaging all these things into one bike once more.
  • 2 0
 Big ring should be an SG not SGX (as this was 92 XTR not 91 XT) and the pedals should be flats with toe clips rather than the 92/93 XT 737

Other than those slight issues this is a peach!

Prob the only bike I'd flat out bin my 93 Manitou FS for!
  • 1 0
 Good call on the ring. 737's were available to the masses in 91. A lot of other bikes I would rather collect than a GT but they certainly have a following. 93 Manitou is Cracktastic.
  • 2 0
 A few years ago, my bike selection was crumbling and I resorted to an ~1995 spesh stumpjumper that looked a lot like this. It was extremely fun. Riding on a nimble old steel frame with wacky geo, and rim brakes is like nothing else. Talk about a mountain bike that pedaled like a road bike.

I know that this geo is outdated, but it would be cool to see somebody bring this back.
  • 1 0
 Not quite this old school but I ride my late 90's early 00's Inbred on some pretty (relatively) gnarly terrain and its geo is so goofy compared to what I'm used to I can't ever help but crack a smile. It keeps me on my feet and focused cause I never know when it might want to kick me in some direction none of my new school bikes would never try to go.
  • 1 0
 I think early - mid 90's bikes were actually more practical and stable than early 2000's bikes. They didn't have the travel, which was tough for big stuff, but not having crappy suspension components also lead to not having issues with pedalling on technical singletrack.
  • 2 0
 I was rocking the Raleigh Chill back when this thing came out. This, any of the Kleins, the Alpinestars back with the elevated chainstay and the Tomacniums (Tioga Disc Drive!) were all the ones I dreamed of owning. To be period correct though wouldn't this bike need at least ONE item anodized purple or blue on it?
  • 2 0
 I had the Alpinestars AlMega DX. I believe it had 15.75" chainstays! It wasn't very light, but it could climb. Too bad I couldn't. Some things never change. Very little chain rattle on the way down. I decked it out with a Rock Shox Mag 20, Control Tech bar ends and a Ringle front hub. Panaracer Smoke/Dart combo, of course.
  • 1 0
 Beautiful bike - it deserves to be ridden hard in the mud. I think the author got mixed up on some of their facts. GT was building tripple triangle frames back during the Cro mo era. I thought the tripple triangle was just a fashion statement, and never bought into it BITD. I now own a vintage Zaskar and Edge (road bike) and have to say they ride very nice.
  • 1 0
 All the talk about head angles suspension correction blah blah blah , just ride it! Watch a group of young lads riding their bikes cut knees grazed elbows , ride down anything and gi back for more , don't hear them talking bollocks about angles and such , whis having the mist fun ? In the days when I used to race my mate would then up on a old Claud Butler a right pile of crap , there was me on my GT and others on Kliens etc sn*ggering and taking the piss , talking about latest gadget or add on addition to their 2k bike , my mate would jump on his bike lap most of us and win ....as someone once said its all bollocks !
  • 1 0
 I and o and big fingers don't mix
  • 1 0
 I don't get why you'd just have a bike sitting around. Bikes were made to be ridden! Certainly, don't abuse a classic like this, but there's nothing wrong with taking it out once in awhile. It was his dream bike when he was 15, and now he has one and has never ridden it...
  • 2 1
 The same reason people do it with cars.
  • 2 1
 Doing that with cars is dumb too. Jay Leno talked about it in his PM column awhile back.
  • 2 0
 Those onza barends were dope unfortunately I had to settle for my price level which were the purple control techs. The onza tires rode horrible though out here in Arizona..panaracer smoke or nothing for me back in 90-94!
  • 2 0
 Hell yeah, it was the smoke/dart combo over anything else for me back then too. I had the option to have a hoon on a set just recently actually - it's amazing how far we've come in those 20 years Wink
  • 2 0
 The smoke/dart combo was the shhhhh... was surprised to see him running Porcs and Onza bar ends but not the elastomer (terrible) pedals
  • 1 0
 I can remember myself drooling this bike back then. I started my MTB-career in -91. My first real MTB was Klein Attitude, which I just sold to a good home. At that time it was pretty much bikes without any suspension. I did some "DH" with my Klein and believe me, my hands were more than sore after every ride. We had only a handfull of riders who were able to have some sort of suspension on their bikes. Those good old days....
  • 2 0
 WOW, this takes me back. I remember when I, and every one of my friends, talked about wanting to own a Xizang almost every time we got together for a ride. Closest any of us ever came was a Karakoram. Gorgeous bike.
  • 1 0
 What a pegasus. He really should get the balls together to ride it, though. While I can sort of understand his reticence (the first time I chip a new bike's paint I sob like a baby) , unless he's planning on selling it to a museum then he should go and hit the trails.

Owning this bike is like owning a vintage wine - unless you uncork it and enjoy it how it's meant to be enjoyed, then it's just an object gathering dust in your cellar.
  • 2 0
 For real... would I baby that bike and scrub it after every ride? Absolutely. But would I let it sit unused? I don't think I could bear it.
  • 1 0
 Word.
  • 1 0
 I can remember drooling over the xizang frame when my dad and I were buying our matchig zaskar frames back in 1992. I still ride my zaskar. Currently thinking about replacing the original 3 position fork for a carbon fibre straight blade fork with disk tabs and running a robloff disc rear hub and converting the bike to disc brakes and 650b. 24 years old and I don't think I will ever get rid of it.
  • 1 0
 Gotta say I've never been a fan of the aesthetics on the GT hardtails, I usually think the triple triangle thing is hideous.... but this one is GORGEOUS. And so is titanium.
  • 1 0
 My first mountain bike was a 1990 GT Outpost. This article brings back so many memories of the adventures --during a time that had way less responsibilities. I think part of the reason there are so many skilled "seasoned" riders theses days is due to our skills naturally progressing along with the technology over the past 25 yrs. Great article!
  • 2 0
 I still have and ride my 1999 Outpost. Great hard tail!
  • 1 0
 wow --- aside from the Ti frame, l owned pretty much every single item shown on that bike -- maybe not the skin-wall tires but for sure everything else --- l still have the pump to that lame ass fork (which was cutting edge back in the day). wow, compared to the forks on the market today, what a piece of crap that was.

and the Canti brakes, even worse the U brake on the rear --- boy, those sucked big time but we didn't know any better back then.

l had a few tricks for making canti's pretty strong but holy stopping power, get them wet, they were close to useless.

*** Good ol' Hans Ray --- wonder what l did with that "Thread" video (err ahh "movie" as they liked to call it) --- bike shop l was working at back when he was current (Washington Bike Center) hired him to come out and do trials in the parking lot -- they dropped the ball big time and didn't promote it very well so hardly anyone showed up **** either that, nobody cared, one or the other. l remember he stunk to high-heaven, as l was standing there watching him pull off some serious skills, l had to turn my head cause the BO smell was over powering.


l did have the alloy Zaskar frame which was stiff as a brick -- rock solid frame but geees... not sure which is worse, riding a super stiff frame or walking around with a brick wedged in your butt.


thanks for the flash back pinkbike
  • 1 0
 This is going to be a REALLY cool series! Review one of those funky old K2s with the weird-ass linkage forks!!!

I love browsing ebay/craigslist/PB/mtbr looking for this kind of stuff in the for sale section. I have an old Litespeed Unicoi titanium softail frame. Really weird design by today's standards, but definitely a fun piece of history. I, unlike Mark, thrashed it for about a season before the old out-of-production 1" shock gave out. Cane Creek used to make replacements, but now I'd have to get a custom shock made so... it was fun while it lasted! Still might try to fix it one of these days.
  • 1 0
 The ti frame is beautiful, I still have my 1988 Minty karakoram decked out in cool aftermarket stuff from the that year.Like odyssey aerator seat post, scott at4 bars, panaracer smoke tires,joe murray impact headset and hand brazed salsa stem and huge 54 tooth front ring I put on for touring.. Plus my custom built XT sun rim wheel set..
  • 4 0
 I question it's authenticity - not a single 3D Violet anodized, CNC'd part to be found.
  • 1 0
 Years ago when I cracked a steel GT Corrado, GT replaced it with a Lightning which was the Taiwanese version of the Xizang. That bike still rolls today over 20 years later. I was a loyal customer for years because of their service. I have four others hanging in my garage. Good to see GT has re-emerged as the bike company they used to be.
  • 1 0
 Found an equally great Xizang retro build. Very rare with bolt on rear triangle. And this one is ridden regularly to this day, even better than a showpiece!

www.ridingfeelsgood.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=32141&start=30
  • 1 0
 I had one of these for about 6 years when I was XC racing. When I stopped racing and just started riding for fun I decided to sell it, and after six years it looked like new and I got $800 for the frame. Coolest thing about this bike is the polished titanium. There were a lot of titanium bikes around Colorado at that time (mid 90s--mostly Litespeed, but Moots as well) but none of them looked like the Xizang. Definitely the coolest bike on the trail. Only problem was tons of lateral flex on the rear triangle when braking, so you needed a brake arch. Wouldn't matter now with disc brakes
  • 1 0
 Lets have some more classics
Raleigh Tomac
Kona Hei Hei
Rocky Mountain Altitude
Klein Adriot
Mountain Goat
Trimble carbon fibre
Kestrel MTB

Full sus

GT RTS team
GT LTS 1996 era
Pro flex
Rocky Mountain FS
Manitou FS
Formual one FS (very rare)

Ritchey P21
  • 2 0
 Red and yellow GIANT ATX 1 with red Rockshox DHO's and old Dee Max rims. If I ever decide to try and get my hands on some old cool retro stuff, these would be high on the list. Trying desperately to remember all the bikes that blew my mind in the late 90s.

Any suggestions?
  • 1 0
 The best part of this was the pic of Hansjorg while he still had all of his mullet!

GT's hard tails were so bad. "Triple Triangle". How stupid. In a sport where weight savings matters as much as any other, I can't think of another example where there was ever such a stupid disregard for it by adding (wasting) material just to look different.

GT stuck with Hansjorg all the way through his skullet days & beyond. They deserve some props just for that. He sure made those stupid bikes do amazing things.
  • 1 0
 You forgot the Super V. the one with the carbon swing amr. The San Andreas. I still like the look and would sport one. The Amp bikes. Trek Y And the Corratrac or Corretek... Something like that. It was a long travel bike from the 90s. It was badass
  • 1 0
 Nowadays mountain bikes look like Motocross motorcycles more than roadies with knobby tyres. I wonder what took so lang as MX was around for many years and why was the resistance to good full suss when motorcycles already had stuff similar to what we have on mtb's now. I have only been riding 9 years and started on a full suss. Dont laugh - I seriously would love to know. I dont remember Flex stems and have seen Gurvin forks and dont understand how anyone would have thought they would work well.
  • 1 0
 It took a while to figure out how to build rear suspension when you had to pedal and shift gears via derailleur and cassette too - oh, and make it light enough to be a bicycle. Motorcycles don't have any of those issues. Early rear sus bikes would only absorb when seated, and would become nearly rigid while standing. Flexstem's selling point was "suspend the rider, not the bike." Horrible idea, but Thomas Frischknicht managed to win a ton of races with the dippy stem.
  • 1 0
 Still have my '91 Bianchi Nyala that I rode on the trails up to a few years ago. Having been replaced with a Stumpy and a Meta SX 1 I now use it to cruise around town or on vacation and every now and then get props for the vintage look.
  • 1 0
 I bought a used Xizang frame with RS Mag 21 fork back in the 90's, built it up and rode it for years, including a fabulous trip to Crested Butte and Gunison. The frame eventually broke at the top tube during a rocky ride back home in CT. We strapped it back together with big zip ties, got out of the woods, and had a new Xizang frame in a week from the original GT company for free. Beautiful bike, wish I still had it. Thanks for dredging up some fond memories.
  • 1 0
 I remember lusting after one of these back in the day. The first 200 of the Xizang were made by Maurice Lavoie in Whistler. I managed to get one of the standard titanium frames that they made. If the BB serial number starts with TTN then it was made by Lavoie.
  • 1 0
 Yes, very nice build, I got only a 18" from 1997 and searched ever for a frame from 91/91 with the none suspension geometry and the cantilever brake.
If anyone knows one or wanna trade for '97, let me know!
  • 1 0
 Still have my 95 Tequesta. Granted only original part left is the frame, but it is the team scream blue and yellow color scheme. That cro moly frame may not be light, but good luck damaging it.
  • 1 0
 The price for the frame alone was 1700 had a Tioga disc wheel on mine till a tree stump killed it , still got the bike thou disc brakes conversion , don't ride as much as I should .
  • 1 0
 The long search for one of these to replace my 1993 zaskar continues. Such a nice example this, i did have a 1997 xizang a couple years ago. pics of all my retro GTs in my album Sean
  • 1 0
 I still ride my 1991 xizang every now and then,
It’s a real head turner,most people just think
It’s a nice bike but do meet the odd few who
No what there talking about ????
  • 5 1
 As they would say in the 90's.... Radical !!!
  • 6 0
 I never stopped saying it.
  • 4 0
 Not only Titanium - but polished Titanium!!
  • 3 0
 Bar ends can look super cool on low stretched out bikes with flat bars. Old Onza barends were da bomb
  • 1 0
 Agreed...although I was a bigger fan of the welded Control Tech bar ends...still have them in my parts bin!
  • 2 0
 Brahma bars beat all for me! No slipping bar end when hitting that rut on a cattle trail...
  • 1 0
 Scott AT-4.
  • 1 0
 The guy on the left looks like Joey from Full House with the mullet mentioned above of course. I still have my 1995 GT Avalanche hooked up to a bike trainer. V brakes must have been added later???
  • 2 0
 Gt were still making xc bikes in 1991 while these guys were making dh/enduro rigs in 1991!!!! www.retrobike.co.uk/images/botm/20120301botmfeb1201baulzsanan.jpg
  • 2 0
 I had three of those throughout the 90's in different guises - great bikes
  • 3 0
 if it wasnt for the san an we would still be riding xc bikes!
  • 1 0
 @Cory160: It's (3) triangles, "triple-triangle" design...brah! It's stiff and burly, imho! I ride & 3 my billet 00' Ricochet still to this day!! Proud GT HT owner here!!

www.pinkbike.com/photo/9847317
  • 1 0
 I collect vintage Mountain bikes so if any of you kids have a high end hand me down steed from your dads era taking up space in the garage, feel free to PM me here with an offer.
  • 2 0
 You can spend what you like on your bike now, but one day it will always look how this bike looks now...
  • 1 0
 What many people don't know is the term "Mullet" is actually a French word that means "bad haircut". Hans Rey is rocking an amazing period specific Mullet...
  • 1 0
 French?that news to me. Its also a saltwater fish.
  • 1 0
 I love it! I still have a GT Karakoram Circa 1990 hanging in my Garage. Now I'm a Transition guy but that was where it all started for me.
  • 1 0
 If anyone has a GT Xizang frame from 91/92 for sale ,please send me a pm ,i'm looking for one and pay very good! Naked frame i prefer.
  • 2 0
 That could probably still hold it's own on an xc course... ti frames make for one nice ride, well almost as nice as carbon.
  • 4 0
 Old school FTW !!!!!
  • 2 0
 haha watch some jackass from PB photo crew take it for a spin when no one's looking
  • 1 0
 The only part that sucks on those bikes are cantilever brakes. They suck. Everything else can be ridden just as well nowadays.
  • 1 0
 "Decked in top shelf boutique part, 23 years ago this would have been, without doubt, one of the most desirable bikes on the planet."

I would say it still is!
  • 1 0
 The composite version (Ti front triangle w. bolt on True Temper cromo rear end) is more desirable from a collecting standpoint. 1 year (91), 250 frames built. Only seen one come up for sale in the last 9 years.

i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj209/audistuff/KW/DSC_0009_zpsca973436.jpg
  • 2 0
 I wondered what happened to Mark Maurissen after his one hit wonder 'Return of the mac'. Now I know.
  • 2 0
 oh man, simple and beautifull old days...when I even could not afford XTR derailleur...
  • 1 0
 I wish they'd make porcupines again...

I had the '93 GT Borrego with Suntour microdive 24 speed groupo. Such brilliant memories Smile
  • 1 0
 They reissued the blackwall version a few years ago.
  • 1 0
 Yeah I still have a pair of usable ones here. great little tyres (obviously depending on your terrain).

A while back I emailed the guy from the "new" Onza who said:

Thanks for your email, great to hear that you're still running some Porcupines! Unfortunately the model as you know it will not be re-produced, because the molds we use to make them are no longer useable. But who knows, maybe a new Porcupine will make its appearance one day... Smile
  • 3 0
 What!?! No brake boosters. This bike gets an "A-".
  • 2 0
 How about a flashback article about the AMP-Research B4. That bike was way ahead of its time.
  • 1 0
 Think the fist time I saw a GT was on a Hans Rey video :
I shortly ended up with my own GT Tequesta - in black with the crazy white splattered paint job.
  • 1 0
 I request the original RockHopper to be done. My parent had those, and sadly gave them away. Would love them for a college bike. And they rode them for 30 or so odd years.
  • 1 0
 It got my nostalgic...
Still have this beauty in my possession Smile
www.pinkbike.com/photo/10657789

(How do I hyperlink the photo?)
  • 1 0
 This article is awesome. A article like this a few times a year would be great. That GT brings back memories of bike lust from my teens.
  • 2 0
 Mark has missed out one detail - the Shimano Deore XT Shark fin!
  • 3 0
 Yes I still got mine !
  • 3 1
 I would have killed for a bike like that in '91. Well, maybe not kill.
  • 7 0
 I would kill.
  • 2 0
 Really shows the progression of mountain bikes over the last two decades
  • 2 1
 Except for disk brakes, improvements for hardtails are rather incremental.
  • 2 0
 Awesome vintage build!!!!
  • 2 0
 I have a 2012 Xizang. For nostalgia's sake, I'd rather have this one.
  • 1 1
 Recognize that Back in the 1980's ....to the average person, there really was no such thing as a "mountain" bike. Just didn't exist yet
  • 2 0
 By the early 1980's, LOTS of folks were riding around on MTBs. I'm from a small town (12,000 people), and MTBs had already trickled into department store bikes, like the Huffy "Bull Cruiser". By the mid 1980s, my family had 3 MTBs, and several of my friends had them as well, and we were not well-to-do. Small bike shops in our area were carrying Specialized, Klein, Gary Fisher, Cannondale, Takara, and Sekai MTBs in quantity. Average folks were well aware of MTB's by the mid/late 1980s.
  • 2 8
flag SirWonky (Feb 25, 2014 at 21:08) (Below Threshold)
 Those old dept store bikes were not really mountain bikes, they were just "a bike".......( by my definition - as they had no suspension )

And sure certain areas would be more conducive to someone riding a bike down a trail, but the big city had no mtb
  • 3 0
 Mtb's were a thing in Richmond virginia in the mid 80's. Ppl had them, ppl knew what they were, they were at low price points already. None of them had suspension. That didn't happen until 89 and you didn't see suspension forks oem on mid priced bikes until 94 and later.
  • 7 0
 That's a pretty bizarre definition of a mountain bike (SirWonky) - if it had to have suspension to qualify for your definition. I guess all the bikes I and everybody around me grew up riding, which we all called mountain bikes, don't count as such. Make sure to let people like John Tomac, Ned Overend, Hans Rey, Greg Herbold, Thomas Frischknecht, Gary Fisher, Tom Ritchey, etc. know that they weren't really riding mountain bikes, as they didn't have suspension forks or frames. Good gravy.
  • 2 0
 @SirWonky that definition of a mtb is just flat out wrong. Mtbs all started out rigid, in fact the people who invented mountain biking did so on old coaster-brake WWII era delivery bikes.... what we today would consider cruisers or comfort bikes. Suspension was considered outlandish and borderline unnecessary even in the mid/late 80s. Everyone who invented mountain bikes rode mountains on rigids, even when they were specifically made and marketed as mtbs.

And seriously, do you really not consider rigid hardtails to be mtbs at all??? There are some pretty sick ones out there, not to mention some sick riders down in GA and elsewhere who absolutely dusted me while I was learning on my full sus Spesh Epic.
  • 3 0
 I bought my first MTB in 1985. It was a Kuwahara Sage which was stolen off my porch and replaced with a KHS Montana Comp around 1988. Both were fully rigid and most assuredly Mountain Bikes. Bio pace chainrings and horse shoe brake under the chainstay.
  • 1 0
 I honestly find it kind of sad that someone would own but never ride a bike like this.
  • 1 0
 Can anyone say where the frames were welded? I think I know, but not 100% sure.
  • 1 0
 Maurice LaVoie welded them in Whistler (90% sure). I only know such an obscure fact due to hanging around at the dirt jumps in Whistler in 2007 and there was an older dude there with a nice old Ti bike which I made a positive comment about. He mentioned that he made it himself and also made GTs early frames. A forum thread that I came upon a few years later added the name to the face. He welded the early ones anyway.
  • 3 0
 CSI Whistler
  • 1 0
 If lock in some whistler garage you can find some of this jowel
  • 4 2
 No SRAM content... thank baby Jesus...
  • 5 0
 FYI; RockShox wasn't always owned by SRAM....
  • 1 0
 I met Paul Turner when he was his brother Jim's mechanic at the Canadian 500 GP (Jim was racing the 250 support class). That was in 1975. Steve Simons was making aftermarket moto forks at the time and was the go-to guy for fork tuning. They got together, and the rest is history.
  • 1 0
 I had tha bike with a short stem and DH handlebar.........ohh those sweet rides. Cheers
  • 2 0
 Tom Rogers of DVO suspension!
  • 1 0
 Oh the good ol days! I have mine sitting in my living room. It's nowhere near as nice as Mark's. I had given mine to my coach after the 91' season only due to signing a deal with Alpinestars the following year. I lost contact with him for more than 10 years. I was reconnected with him and asked, "hey do you still have my old bike"? He said he did... on the side of his Dad's house, been there for years. He gladly returned it to me. I was so stoked to get it back. It didn't have all the original parts on it anymore but anybody that knows me, knows my garage is packed with parts from back then (and now) and I was able to piece it back together almost 100% except for the rigid fork. I tracked down one on the east coast through a life long GT dealer only to find it has too short of a steerer tube. It's a bummer because I am so close to completion. XTR push-pull (prototype sticker intact) 7 speed, u-brake with booster, Philwood hubs, Onza cut-weld Ti barends... I threw on a set of Sweetwing cranks just because... It's a Classic!

The frame is in perfect condition even after all these years!
  • 1 0
 Man... what a beauty. Been 15 years old at that time, and this was an absolute dream bike back then.
  • 2 0
 I gotta see a Mantis Flying V is similiar condition..... V>Xizang
  • 1 0
 Dumb question, gonna ask it anyway: How do you get the bikes to stand up in these photos?
  • 1 0
 did you see the head angle
  • 1 0
 just beautifulPimp tup
  • 2 1
 damn thats a slack head tube
  • 3 0
 It's the fork steerer to crown junction - not the head tube exaggerating the angle
  • 3 0
 Actually the frame DID NOT have adjusted geometry for a suspension fork, it was super slack with that fork. If I remember correctly, when I rode this bike at Worlds in 1990 there were only 8 forks, all hand built and serviced by Turner. I was one of the lucky ones! ...but back then people were still on the fence about suspension being better on a bicycle. I'm in the process of rebuilding my team bike with a rigid fork... but it's very hard to find.
  • 1 0
 WOW! I remember this bike.....My friend had one back in 97'
  • 1 0
 I think I just drooled on my keyboard, this bike is so beautiful!
  • 1 0
 San Marco saddle!!! Looks the nuts, I had one and wish I'd kept it
  • 1 0
 They made a Ti rail version. A little harder to come by.

i273.photobucket.com/albums/jj209/audistuff/a42837eb.jpg
  • 1 0
 This was pure lust back in the day.
  • 1 0
 Jesus my dad used to have this bike he does not stop talking about
  • 1 0
 Beautiful bike, looks like you're getting something for your money.
  • 1 0
 This takes me right back ...fun fun fun ...:0)
  • 1 0
 welded during the Jeff Jones ti era at GT?
  • 2 0
 Look this head angle...
  • 1 0
 I just have to say。My birthday is 1993.
  • 1 0
 Frame is not suspension corrected.
  • 1 0
 It remind me the old Kona King Kahuna Hei Hei with Sandvik titanium tube
  • 1 0
 Dat Head Angle Tho!!!
  • 3 2
 very early enduro
  • 1 0
 Bike collectors are rad
  • 1 0
 Back in the day...
  • 1 0
 Teenage wet dream....
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