Review:- GT XCR 5 Full Sus from Halfords

thedktor

Some initial findings on the GT below - overall it is a surprisingly good bike for Halfords!

Firstly got the scales out and, well, its a little porky...

My Stumpjumper Elite was reading around the 28.5 lbs mark, the GT a comfortably plump 34lbs. OK so it half the price so not that unreasonable really.

Interestingly, once on the move the GT does feel lighter than the scales suggest, and during a couple of long rides with some big FO hills it was hard say the extra weight was a handicap, taking into account terrain and headwinds, but it was noticeable.

The Deore shifters and XT rear worked seamlessly (lighter than the Stumpy!) and the Hayes HFX 9 brakes, though a bit chunky, work well and slow things down without drama.

Rock Shox Recon 351 U-turn fork is nice and plush with enough adjustment options, but the U-Turn is very slow and annoying to use compared to the delights of the Stumpy's "flick-the-lever" to drop the forks trick, but that's what you pay all the extra 100's for. (I don't use the feature much but a couple of hills near Swanage are so steep that a shorter fork really helps).

So, to the back suspension where things get interesting. The i-drive system is quite ingenious and is simple and robust with just two big pivots. However it does seem to be a weighty solution and there's a flaw in the action, more of in a bit.

Firstly, there is minimum pedal-induced bob, even when stood up. Or, perhaps a better way of putting it is that any bob works with you not against. As the i-drive system does not depend much on shock pressure to stop bobbing this means lower pressure/damping can be used and a very plush action results. While sat down you can't really feel any bumps through the pedals - this feeling of isolation is a little strange at first, but does give excellent traction and ease of pedalling through rough terrain.

However, stand up and something a little unexpected happens - the suspension un-weights noticeably i.e. there is less load on the shock. This is due to the i-drive linkage system and presumably the intended behaviour to reduce bob.

The "flaw" is that there is less direct load on the shock and it effectively becomes stiffer, and hence behaves differently than when sat. For example, set the rebound for a quick action when sat down and top-out rattle will appear when you stand up.

Its not all bad as some fiddling with the settings sorts it, and maybe its a good thing anyway for hitting bigger bumps where you naturally stand.

So, only this one "problem" which with some more tweaks of the shock pressure and damping has gone anyway, (I have another thread on a rattle which appears to be the mech), otherwise the bike is excellent. Its not that light but its not slow either, even on the tarmac. Its very stiff and strong with some good components for the price - At £899 it seems a very sound buy, with the 10% off Cornflake voucher its a bargain, and for what I paid, well it was a no-brainer.

The Specialized FSR is an obvious competitor at this price - its definitely lighter but the GT has better gears/brakes/forks on it , and certainly appears to be stronger. So it comes down to usage - for lighter XC duties the Specialized should be on the test list, for tougher terrain and usage have a look at the GT. And of course consider what discounts are available.

TD

thedktor

PS

Just noticed on the web its gone down to £809 !

dtanderson

Yes - I saw it myself a few days ago at Halfords in Poole. I was about to buy at £809 and the Halfords assistant told me to get the Kelloggs voucher for 10% discount. This makes it now £728, which seems a real bargain!

thedktor

Well I have been using mine lots over the last month and remain very pleased with it indeed!

TD

dtanderson

I'm yet to buy my first mountain bike, and I was concerned that there are only 18" and 20" versions of this bike. I have a Specialized road bike (Allez Elite) with a 52cm frame. I am 5'7" and I think that even the 18" version may be slightly too big for me.

I know I need to try it out etc. but it might take some time to discover I have bought the wrong size. I can't find any guide to sizing for this model. Any ideas?

thedktor

I would say the 18" would be a bit on the large size, though only a ride will confirm. It fits me perfectly - I'm 5'9" and a bit. The stem is short-ish already so that might not be the solution

canada16

Hey i got a cycle to work voucher from halfords and i am seriously thinking of buying the gt xcr 5

but have seen the trek fuel ex5.5

and the giant trance 3

i am in such a boggle, the gt has great parts but the trek and giant are nice looking bikes.

I will use it for light cross country and back and forth to work and very very light downhill.

So got a couple of questions.

is the gt xcr that good and what do you think of my other two bikes i have in mind?

thanks so much

supersonic

As the doc says, the GT is more of a heavy duty bike - the fuel and trance would be a touch lighter. Need to test them, all good bikes.

canada16

Well guys knew that bike would not last long at that price.. they have sold out.

So im down to 2 bikes now

GIANT TRANCE 3

TREK EXFUEL 5.5

Both are about the same, it just comes down to which one is lighter.

supersonic

Weight isnt everything - test them.

toasty

Since my new bike was in a similar price range I thought I'd contribute.

I bought a Spesh FSR XC recently, the local shop was selling them off for £750. Before this I had an old Specialized Enduro '01 (with BETD link) which I ebayed, oddly I found longer travel to be more effort than it was worth, I'm much faster and smoother on the local trail with the new bike.

True the gearing isn't top notch, it's fitted with LX derailleurs which are worth about a fiver less than the XT on the GT. The shifters are the same, perfectly functionaly, just a bit plasticy. I have to admit, I would prefer the brakes on the GT but the big rotors on the XL size FSR XC was a well thought out move (203mm/180mm).

Fork wise I'm fairly content, the Tora 302 SL seems quite light and nippy, especially combined with the Resolution tires that came fitted. I'd imagine I'd want some Rebas fitted sooner or later anyway which will knock it's weight down even lower.

The new BG Rival saddle is, much to my suprise, the best saddle I've ever owned and I'm hunting down another now for my Stumpy HT

Ride wise it feels much closer to my Stumpy HT than it does to my old Enduro, which I'm really liking, the extra weight is hardly noticable, partly because of the fast rolling tyres I think. Oh and the BB is very low, for some reason this angered me on the Enduro, barely notice it on this except the odd catch as I pass by things.

canada16

hi mess for the doc or anyone

Guy at halfords is amazing he found a bike in remote corner of england and is getting it shipped to my store so i can have a go,

Now i dont really like the colour of the bike, blue is not my thing, but should i be thinking that when they have offered me the bike at 719.00. the shox are great, and with my cycle to work 1000.00 voucher, i have almost 300.00 to spend in store on bike bits. so it comes down to this.

You say bike is weighty, how can i reduce with my 300.00 remaining, and also does anybody have any close up pictures they can send so i can have a close look at bike, and also are the rear rock shox forks any good?

Thanks so much guys..

supersonic

The emphasis with this bike is toughness, so that is one reason why the weight is slightly higher - its just the sum of a lot of tough mid weight parts. Its not going to be easy to reduce it that much with 300 quid of Halfords stuff. Tyres are a good start, and maybe the bar to a carbon one. Saddles can hide a lot of weight too. I'd use the rest of the money for a good helmet, backpack, tools, lights etc.

toasty

Given you'll be forced to using that £300 in Halfords I don't think you can lose too much. You might be able to pick up some lightish folding tyres and new bars.

Are there any bits you might want from there in the future, minor things like a multitool, track pump, lock, helmet, computer possibly?, water bottle/hydration pack, jersey, bike cleaning bits, wet and dry lube, car bike rack (assuming this is on there, would be a nice saving).

canada16

lady from halfords just e-mailed me and they have a new xcr5 with upgrades coming out soon but she has not got back to me with date, and its in black. and under 1000.00

dsmiff

I used my "change" to get a road bike for my daily commute.

Wouldn't worry about the weight, mine climbs loads better than the avalanche I used to use, guess the suspension helps?

Swap the tyres as well - bit slippy in the wet, and the tyres weigh around 900g each so you should be able to save about 400g per tyre. The handlebar is huge so you could replace with a smaller lighter one.

Really love the bike, not noticed the suspension behaving differently when stood, don't really sit down when riding over the rough stuff, maybe mine is set-up right however I don’t have any experience of other full sus bikes to compare it to.

Also look at other 5.0 - 5.5 travel bikes for weight, the FSR is only 4" so I guess it is always going to weight less.

dsmiff

canada16 wrote:

hi mess for the doc or anyone

does anybody have any close up pictures they can send so i can have a close look at bike, and also are the rear rock shox forks any good?

Thanks so much guys..

Added them to this set.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/98234388@N00/sets/72157594588563134/

canada16

sum good video and pics dude.

thanks

that gt does not look too bad close up, not as blus as halfords picture.

when you say replace wheels, do you me tyres and rims or just rims?

thanks

dsmiff

Just the tyres.

I have replaced the seat, £20 a "charge" from wiggle, saved about 100g.

canada16

i never knew some rubber could make that much of a difference.

looks like your son is following you, and nice wipe out on his face, looks painfull.

oh well it comes with the job, were you from dude? im in cardiff, some good trails around like afan forest and the wall

dsmiff

From Wrexham, we both ride up at Llandegla every week.

The tyres on the Christians Kraken weighed about 1.1kg each, so along with lighter tubes we saved about 1.3 kg off his bike!!!

doon65

picking up my gti 5 xcr on friday and im gagging to get on it.any tips on getting weight down without changing most of the running gear which with tyres is where the weight gain comes in.

toasty

Assuming they're the kevlar model (best case scenario) the tyres are supposedly 820g, nice and wide though. The wheels are fairly standard for that sort of price bracket, Shimano hubs with Alex rims, you could lose another pound on these with a new wheel set. GT's finishing kit can be heavy as well, swapping seat, seatpost, stem and bars will get your another pound back.

I don't think it's really that important though, I'd personally ride it like that and see how you get on. If you start putting too light components on it'll lose its strength, it's not a lightweight XC bike.