GT GTR Series 2

When the email from roadcc HQ landed on the digital doormat informing me that the GT GTR Series 2 would be my new mode of transport for the next month or so, a quick t'internet search revealed one of my worst nightmares. On paper the GTR Series 2's spec list looks like it's been designed by an accountant rather than a bike rider. Never judge a bike by it's spec sheet because if the Series 2 was designed by an accountant it was one who knows an awful lot about what makes a good road bike.

A mish mash of components to make a groupset is the usual sign of a bike put together by someone looking at price alone.

To be fair £1100 is probably one of the toughest price points to deliver a road bike at. You've got frame material choice, for this money you can have carbon, alloy, carbon & alloy, steel. Do you spend money on the frame, the wheels, groupset and finishing kit? Invest too heavily in one direction and sacrifices are going to be made elsewhere.

When I first clapped eyes on the GT I was pleasantly surprised, it's a looker alright. The 6061 double butted alloy tubes have been hydroformed to create a flowing, yet solid looking frameset. The triple triangle of old has disappeared replaced by a welded gusset at the junction between seat and top tube, while not something you normally see on a road frame it doesn't look out of place with the lines flowing nicely into the seatstays. Varying tube profiles enhance the solid look of the frame especially at the front end. The 1 1/8' to 1 1/4' headtube forms a large junction with the top and down tube which then flows down to the BB30 bottom bracket shell. Slotted into that oversize front end is a full carbon tapered fork with alloy dropouts.

All this is sprayed in a matt white paint finish, not something you see very often but works really well with the matching black and red decals. While we're on the subject of looks, GT's own finishing kit keeps the black white and red look going but without being over the top and even the Alex wheels getting in on the act with the red stickers. The internal cable routing is a neat touch and keeps the frame looking clean. The only downside is its designed for the US/Euro market and having the rear brake cable come from the left shifter to the right hand side of the frame looks a bit pants with our UK set up.

Shimano's 105 takes care of the gear change at the business ends - shifters and rear mech. In terms of looks there is little to separate them from Ultegra plus they look good with the carbon levers. The 105 10spd rear mech is the black version which ties in nicely with the frame and FSA's BB30 version of their Gossamer compact crankset. To my eye the brake caliper is where the budgeting comes in to effect, the Promax unbranded dual pivots do cheapen the overall look but do come with Surestop replacement cartridge pads so I was interested to see how they'd perform out on the road.

Speaking of road, time to have a look how the GT performs once you're aboard. Bottom line, it is an absolute joy to ride, a mixture of stiffness and comfort you rarely get from an alloy frame. The ride is what can only be described as familiar from the moment you spin the pedals. Road buzz is soaked up before it reaches your chamois, again not something you'd expect from an overbuilt alloy frame and an alloy 31.6mm seatpost. I haven't mentioned the weight either, I didn't know the weight when I first rode it and I was genuinely surprised to find that it had an all up weight of 8.94Kg (19.7lb), not a bad weight for the money it's just that the bike feels like a much lighter machine.

The first ride I did on the GT was my regular 80 mile test loop, it's a mixture of A roads and lanes with around 1000 metres each of climbing and descending. If a bike has a weakness this route will show it up. Nothing I could do would upset the GT. Descending is great, you can keep pushing and pushing and will run out of road before the GT will twitch. Helped by GT's own shallow drop bar which offers very little flex and results in keeping the front end tracking exactly where you point it. At worst the rear brake will lock the rear wheel if you really have to brake hard but that is it.

Ah those brakes I hear you cry, were they really as bad as you expected? In a word, no, my initial concerns were completely unfounded. The pads were very good with great modulation and worked well even in the wet.

On the climbs a mixture of light overall weight and the compact chainset , 12-28 cassette combo enables you to remain seated for the majority of the time. You'll only notice the weight of the rims on the steepest of gradients as you start to honk out of the saddle.

While we're on the subject of rims the Alex ALX200 hoops are a good solid build coming in at 1900g, there is some drag as you get them up to speed but it is barely noticeable. With just 20 spokes front and 24 rear there is enough spring in them to keep the comfort levels afforded by the frame and fork. They remained trus and the hubs felt really smooth. I was very impressed with Schwalbe's Lugano tyres, for mid range rubber they roll very well and certainly grip well especially considering 80% of the test miles were put in on wet roads.

FSA has a BB30 option on virtually all of their chainsets these days and while it feels odd to look down and see no bearing cups the narrower q-factor now that the bearings are back inside the frame suits my ride style. No noise whatsoever came from the bottom bracket even under big gear efforts and ran super smooth.

The rest of the groupset worked faultlessly with the 105 kit providing the usual spot on shifting. The Tiagra front mech worked fine now being 10 speed so the cage is the right size.

Verdict

The GT Series 2 is the one bike that has shown me I don't know as much as I think I do, I took a quick look at the spec and pretty much made my mind up that it was going to be okay but nothing special. The GT turns out to be cracking bike and would easily make it into my top ten, mostly because it puts some of the 2 - 3 grand bikes I've ridden to shame. The frame is a perfect platform to upgrade on and with the groupset and brakes working so well the only thing its really crying out for is some lightweight wheels. As it is the Series 2 makes a top notch summer commuter or trainer and just chuck on those lighter wheels for your weekend sportive or fast club run. Comfort, speed, stiffness and handling for eleven hundred quid, you'd be a fool not to.