gt tempest 3.0 ??

brad1995

hey my mam and dad said i could get a bike for Christmas and they said i could spend bout £300 and i like the gt tempest 3.0 but i was wondering are they any good for jumping?

hitchen92

Depends what you want to do on it. The forks are crap, and its very heavy to be honest. Your best off going for something like a GT Avalanche 3.0, of something from the 08 range - as you will get it cheaper, so you'll be able to get a better spec!

brad1995

why are the forks crap ??

nicklouse

well what year bike is it? 08 or 09?

brad1995

2008 model

nicklouse

ok simple fork that has no damping. Not great.

Has gears not really needed.

but as a bike for arsing about on it works.

brad1995

what is damping ???

supertwisted

brad1995 wrote:

what is damping ???

I'm no authority on bikes, but I can tell you in general terms:

Damping is a means of reducing unwanted oscillation in the shock as it unloads.

Without damping, a suspension system will 'boing!' around like a pogo stick until it settles. With damping, it wil (in an ideal world)l smoothly compress and then rebound in one smooth motion.

If you're looking to do some jumping, I'd presume a decently damped fork is a must.

brad1995

so is it a good bike overall ????

xtreem

I think it's ok.
At the end there are very few bikes that have damped fork for under 300£, but those bikes can't handle big jumps.
For the money you get very strong frame wich is the most important thing, so by time upgrade most of the parts, starting from fork and wheels.

brad1995

so is it worth getting then ???

xtreem

If you can upgrade most of the parts in one year and keep the frame, then I think it's worth getting it.
£300 in the first year for upgrade will be enough.

darleydirtbikermat

there ok bikes my mate is going yo get one if i was toy id buy it then save up some more and buy some decent forks maby marzocchi dirtjump 3,s or something from rockshock with 100mm travell

brad1995

ok i think i will get one and upgrade forks and gears..... thanks guys :P :P :P :P

brad1995

do the gt tempest 3.0s come in different sizes ?

xtreem

I don't think so, only U size or 16".
About the upgrades, I'll keep the derailleurs and cassete because I think
they are good enough, unless you'll be racing XC with this bike, wich is very unlikely.

First thing will be yes, the fork, after couple of mounths of use and then upgrade
what ever you feel it's crap and weak. (I think that would be the wheels and brakes).

gillathekilla

my brother is thinking of gettiing something cheap for getting into freeride, how do you rate this for a starter bike? he currently trashes a toys r us bike every 6 mnths so needs something that might last a little longer. found an 08 model 3.0 for £229 is there anything better for the price. he doesnt have any more of a budget so any help would be great. thanks

supersonic

It is not a freeride bike - though is designed to take a bit of hammer on the jumps.

gillathekilla

is there anything out there that will suffice as a cheap freeride starter bike?

xtreem

There is no freeride bike at that price range.
Of course, if we are talking about taking 6ft drops with that bike.

Similar bike to the tempest: Mongoose Fireball 2008