GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc Women’s Mountain Bike 2011

GT Avalanche got new looks for 2011 and has the same solid built quality with strong frame structure. It is an entry level XC mountain bike for women and would be a great choice for those who starts mountain biking from scratch. GT Avalanche is being one of the best bikes under £700 price range and this year it shows up a comparable performance on the trail. Two things that impress the starters when riding this entry level XC mountain bike is the compact riding position and unconventional steep upright frame geometry with composed fork action.

Smooth Fork Action

In the previous model the fork was insufficient for rugged terrain but now this new hardtail bike features 100mm Rockshox Tora 302 that gives smooth ride on XC trial. Tora series from Rockshox also have some limitations based on the riding style. GT has strongly believed in the performance of Tora 302 fork that gives friendly ride on rocky XC trail without breaking up soon. Fixing a Rockshox Tora 302 fork in such a strong bike frame would clearly define the performance of GT Avalanche 1.0 and without any doubt the bike would give composed ride on normal decent. Most of the riders who gave a positive note about this bike performance are weigh more than 100 kg and they go for 10 km ride every day and this proves how tough this bike performs. If you are a heavy rider then you need to adjust the spring rate to get the desired fork action.

Women Specific Hardtail Bike

This mountain bike frame has all the potential for serious rides and XC races but needs better brakes and air fork to achieve such riding pleasure. It well suits for women riders who like to ride a simple XC trail bike in a long run without any problem. This category of bike specially sized for petite women who has diminutive figure, moreover they handle the bike for normal ride and may not interested for serious rides. The bike gives sharp handling and confident for ladies to try few extremes on the trial and also encourage them to take serious trial in future. This XC trial bike would let the women try different local trials without upgrading the component and the components of this entry level bike work well even after 2000 km.

Same Solid Frame

The famous triple butted frame design now includes steep upright riding position that looks little nerdy. Seat to handlebar distance is very close and keeps you in a sort of upright position but riders says flipping the stem would solve this problem. Shorter top tube would enable women riders to get off the back seat easily when riding on technical terrain. The frame design is sturdy and it is a strong responsive frame equals twice as much performance bike. With original skinny tyres, this XC hardtail MTB can go faster and the speed gradually increases with smooth gear shift on the road. GT Avalanche 1.0 is not a lightest bike but not too heavy and its versatile frame makes it an all rounder and easy to ride for women.

Limitations and Advantage

The thoughtful frame geometry really let this mountain bike open for positive reviews and good set of gears gives smooth shifting at the rear even under moderate pedal pressure but sometime it get jammed on quick release during downslope. With the help of efficient turn key lockout facility in the Rockshox fork, climbing a steep accent is not a difficult job. Since the fork comes with the limited travel so, trying little extremes in steep climbs would be difficult and pushing this 14 kg bike uphill is really tough. It is a brilliant bike for weekend rides which requires only a little maintenance but cannot be abused for enduro races.

The original Rockshox fork well accompanies this trial bike on corners but Shimano hydraulic disc brakes does not provide adequate ventilation for long descent and obviously that depends on riding style. This XC mountain bike feels solid under heavy riders and best act like an alternate bike for those who usually purchase hardtail bike frame and built a bike around it with good component setup. The bike frame is a great base to build off and in a fixed budget you can have better quality parts than other trail bikes.

Requires Replacement

This hardtail comes with Maxxis Mobster tyres, though having plenty of threads it quickly wear out when used for downslopes. It is worth replacing with Kenda tyres for long run and it is suitable for all rounder kind of bikes. But riders need to do a little work when on the road because the rolling resistance is bad with Kenda tyres and again it all depends on riding style. The other quick replacement suggested is standard peddles because it does not provide adequate grip and need to be changed at the time of purchase. GT has maintained good balance of components and neutral frame but normally components would wear out at this price range. Shimano Deore and SLX derailleur are added advantage for the budget. Whenever the components breaks replace it with some light weight components, if possible change the crank to Shimano XT for better power. Saddle comes with women specific GT brand.

Our analysis

GT Avalanche 1.0 Disc 2011 is a perfect recreational trail bike recommended for anyone who looks for budget women specific hardtail bike with great value for money. This trail bike can be even better with upgrades but it is not necessary to do the changes immediately. It is always good and works well right out of the box.