Review: GT's 2019 Fury 29" Combines 4-Bar & High Pivot Suspension Designs

Feb 18, 2019
by Paul Aston  




After seeing prototypes of the Fury under the GT Factory Racing Team on the race-track in 2018, this new model was much anticipated. It marks a departure from GT's I-Drive suspension design to the LTS design, with a high main pivot point and idler pulley. The current iteration's carbon frame can change between 29" or 27.5" wheels with a Switch Kit in order to offer a bike for shorter and bike park riders, as well as tall racers.

The Fury is available in three complete builds with the Carbon Team 29 being tested here, which is inspired by the bikes their race team ride. It retails for $7900 USD and comes with Fox Factory suspension, using a 49 fork and Float X2 shock. It also features a Shimano Saint drivetrain and RaceFace finishing kit. Other models available are the Carbon Pro for $5775 with either 29" or 27.5" (blended wheel – size S is 27.5, M = 27.5 or 29, L = 29) wheels, the Carbon Expert 27.5 for $4200 and the frame kit with Switch Kit for $3000.
Fury Team 29" Details

Intended use: DH
Rear Wheel Travel: 190mm (29") and 200mm (27.5")
Wheel size: 29" (27.5" with Switch Kit or different build)
Frame construction: carbon front triangle and aluminum rear
Fork: Fox 49
Shock: Fox Float X2
Sizes: S (27.5" complete only), M, L (tested)
Colours: Blue / Yellow
Weight: 17.84kg / 39.06lbs (L, tubeless, w/o pedals, actual)
Price: $7900 USD / €7499 EUR Carbon Team build
gtbicycles.com


bigquotesThe suspension set with the coil shock had great beginning stroke suppleness, midstroke support, and ample bottom out resistance. Out of the box and on stock settings it really hit all of the marks. Paul Aston




Contents




Construction and Features


GT Fury Review
The Groove Tube recess in the down tube blurs internal and external routing.

GT Fury Review
The flip chip provides 0.75° of adjustment at the head angle and 6mm at the BB.
GT Fury Review
A rubber down tube protector to fend off flying rocks.

The frame mates a carbon front triangle with gigantic diameters to an aluminum rear triangle using a forged aluminum linkage for strength. Up front, there is a straight 1.5" head tube to allow adjustable headset cups to be used if you so wish – the bike is supplied with +/-3.5mm reach adjusting cups.

Plenty of features have been included that should please mechanics. The cable routing is fully external, but a side profile view of the bike gives clean lines you might normally expect from a bike with internal cable routing, thanks to the amusingly named Groove Tube. There are also LockR Pivots, which use an expanding through axle design for additional durability, a threaded bottom bracket and replaceable ISCG05 tabs in case they are damaged.

Other notable mentions are the geometry flip chip, providing 0.75° of head angle and 6mm of BB height adjustment, 10mm of chainstay length adjustment and a 12 x 148mm rear end.

GT Fury Review
Sturdy idler pulley with plenty of rubber to mute chain noise.
GT Fury Review
The fork bump-stop doubles as a cable guide.


Geometry & Sizing


photo

GT only offer the complete 29" Fury in sizes medium and large, presumably due to that large rear wheel getting too close to the bum of smaller riders, while the 27.5" bike is available in small, medium and large. This means that people wanting the 29" complete bike have the choice of 445mm or 470mm reach, which should please all but the tallest riders. Riders wanting a small 29" bike have the option of buying a frameset and building it as they choose.

The head angle is slack at 62° (all measurements in low flip-chip position), the chainstays are a neutral length at 440mm and the BB height is low, with 22mm of BB drop on my test bike with a 200mm travel fork, for a wheelbase of 1288mm for our large test bike. All sizes use the same 105mm head tube length, which is slightly unusual, but riders can use the top crown and handlebar rise to make adjustments if it doesn't suit you.


Suspension Design


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GT have employed a design that blurs the line between a 'looks like a Session' and a 'looks like a Commencal'; in reality, it is most similar to the Ghost DH9000 from a few years ago in terms of looks. Luis Arraiz, the man behind the K-Nine brand from earlier this decade is the lead suspension engineer at GT, so he already has experience with idler driven bikes.

The system uses a simple Horst-Link driven four-bar linkage, but with a slightly higher main pivot than we would normally see on this design. An idler wheel is placed inline with this pivot to neutralize pedal kickback and tune the anti-squat. Supplied with a frameset are two spare idler wheels, one bigger and one smaller to tune the anti-squat to your needs - the smaller wheel will make it pedal more efficiently, and the larger will further reduce pedal kickback.

photo

photo

photo

photo


Specifications
Specifications
Price $7900
Travel 190mm
Rear Shock Fox Float Factory X2, 225x75
Fork Fox Float Factory 49, 190mm, GRIP2
Cassette Shimano Saint, 11-25, 10-speed
Crankarms Shimano Saint 165mm, 36T Ring
Chainguide E13
Bottom Bracket Shimano Saint, 83mm
Chain Shimano CN-HG96, 10-speed
Rear Derailleur Shimano Saint Shadow Plus
Shifter Pods Shimano Saint, SL-M820, 1x10
Handlebar Race Face Atlas, 1.5" Rise, 785mm
Stem Race Face Atlas Direct Mount, 30/50mm Length
Grips GT Double Lock-on Grips
Brakes Shimano Saint 203mm rotors
Hubs 20x110 Boost DH front, 12x148 rear
Spokes DT Swiss Alpine II, 2.3/2.0 Stainless
Rim Stan's Flow MK3, 32h
Tires Schwalbe Magic Mary 29 x 2.35" Addix
Seat Fabric Scoop Shallow Elite, cro-mo rails
Seatpost Race Face Turbine, 31.6 x 400mm



GT Fury Review








Test Bike Setup

The Fury is designed to work with either coil or air shocks; GT provided a choice, but I went with the DHX2 coil as this was mainly tested against other coil-equipped bikes. Initially, the sag was set around 30% with a 450lb spring, but after some advice from Arraiz, he suggested the bike will work better with a harder spring and around 25% sag so I upped the rate to 500lbs. On Fox's recommendation, the shock was set with -10 clicks on each of the four adjusters. The fork was set the same as all other 49 Grip2 equipped bikes with 67psi, LSR -7, HSR -6, LSC -10, HSC -14

A challenge with the Fury was getting the handlebar high enough, but with some changes, we raised it to 1090mm measured from the floor. Tire pressures were 24/26psi and the bike was ready to shred. Testing took place on a variety of tracks, from Whistler, Finale Ligure, Pila, and some of Piemonte's best kept secret bike parks.

Paul Aston
Paul Aston
Location: Finale Ligure, Italy
Age: 32
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 75kg
Industry affiliations / sponsors: None
Instagram: @astonator


GT Fury Review

Riding

With a 470mm reach on paper, but a low stack height, after jacking up the front end to a suitable height the bike does size up small against many other 29er downhill bikes considering it's the biggest offering from GT.

Pedaling out the gate is really neutral, but at 39lbs the Fury is the heaviest 29" downhill bike I've tested to date and this was noticeable. Weight is a tough subject for downhill, and after trying many different machines I think that 37lbs is the magic number for me – any lighter and things start to feel sketchy, towards 39lbs they take a bit more effort to play around with, although still continue to plow with more stability through terrain at speed.

The idler wheel does a great job of eliminating feedback through the pedals caused by pedal-kickback, and this does help the bike flow and takes some fatigue out of the rider through rough sections. But don't expect the 'magic carpet' feeling of a true high-pivot bike, as a more rearward axle path seems similarly important as reducing kickback for the best bump-eating ability.

GT Fury Review

The suspension set with the coil shock had great beginning stroke suppleness, midstroke support, and ample bottom out resistance. Out of the box and on stock settings it really hit all of the marks.

The Fury is a stiff machine, and although not harsh feeling it doesn't track as well at low speed and on cambers as some other bikes. A few times when I really got on a charge the bike did come alive and showed a great balance between all aspects of the design, but this didn't happen on every lap – super strong downhill racers or heavier riders might get this great feeling full-time on the Fury.






How does it compare?

The Fury really does hit the middle-ground between true high-pivot bikes like the Commencal Supreme and Norco HPP, and four bar systems like the Trek Session and Cube Stereo. Simply adding the idler wheel doesn't give the pure forgiveness of the high-pivot weapons with their rearward axle paths, but it does take away lots of force through your feet (again good for flat pedal riders) and the bike does cruise through rough sections better than without an idler.
Cube Stereo DH 29 Review - hero image


Technical Report

GT Fury Review
The Saint drivetrain is still a regular spec choice for good reason.
GT Fury Review
Stans Flow Mk3 rims shod with Schwalbe Magic Mary tires

Tiny shock bolt: The original shock bolt snapped within about 10 meters of riding; this was replaced by GT in Whistler. According to GT, the bikes were originally built by the factory with the wrong bolts, which should now all be replaced. However, the correct bolt lasted only a few more weeks before snapping. I replaced this with a huge bolt from the hardware shop that survived, but it did bend and was difficult to remove. The fourth bolt has survived two whole days of riding and looks good, although it's certainly something to keep an eye on. This solid steel bolt is now fitted from the factory. Given how burly everything else is on the chassis it's unfortunate that the shock bolt doesn't seem to be up to the task.

Low front end: For a large sized bike it took some work to get the handlebar height up to a usable level, largely due to the short head tube. To raise the bars, I bumped up the fork travel to 200mm from 190, swapped the flat crown (the only one on any 49 I've had) to a drop-crown, and installed a different stem. It is possible to flip the stem for more rise, but that also shortens its length from 50mm to 30mm.

Stan's Flow Wheelset: These rims took some big hits and needed replacing after a few weeks, but worse than a few dings were the spokes losing tension. There are two schools of thought here, the first is that a perfectly tensioned wheelset will stay true, the second is that some sort of thread lock compound can be used to keep the spokes at the correct tension. I prefer the latter, some don't as the thread lock can make truing difficult. After using many DT-Swiss wheelsets and their Prolock nipple system with zero issues, I'm convinced spokes shouldn't be coming loose.

Switch Kit: The Fury can be set up with 27.5" or 29" wheels using their Switch Kit, but it's not as simple as it sounds. A full switch means changing the headset cups, fork, wheels, and even the seat stay. It's not something that riders will be doing every other ride, but it does offer many options for tuning and testing with hybrid wheel setups or geometry fiddling.

GT Fury Review
Fox 49 fork and Race Face cockpit
GT Fury Review
Saint brakes with 203mm rotors stop with urgency




Pros

+ Rewards aggressive and heavier riders
+ Stout chassis for hard riders and serial bike-beaters
+ Plenty of tuning options and adjustability
Cons

- Heavy
- Weak lower shock bolt
- Very low front end on size large





Is this the bike for you?


The Fury completes nearly all the requirements of a modern downhill bike. Really tall riders will miss the XL size option, and lighter or slower riders could find the bike too stiff, unless park-ratting is more important than searching for traction on an edge. This is a bike that's best suited to riders who are strong and ready to attack run after run.



Pinkbike's Take
bigquotesThe Fury Team 29 is a capable machine with a myriad of tuning options. It's a bike that does everything well, but is best suited to heavier, stronger and faster riders. Paul Aston







Author Info:
astonmtb avatar

Member since Aug 23, 2009
486 articles

200 Comments
  • 182 11
 Is it just me who goes straight to the pros and cons and ignores the rest of the review?
  • 38 1
 Don't tell me you don't check the photos!
  • 16 0
 @vsense: you got me. That too
  • 32 0
 Nope always scrolling to the comments first, than pros and cons...
  • 97 0
 I like the suspension curve graphs too, helps look like I'm doing work.
  • 5 0
 Depends what my reasons are for reading the review. If it’s just general reading I usually do the same as you just to see the highlights of what the bike is all about. If I’m in the market for a new bike and reading the review because I’m using it to help me make a purchase I will read every word.
  • 3 0
 I'm just reading titles/headlines and ignore the rest Wink
  • 2 1
 Straight to the cons...
  • 2 1
 Aston is predictable, every review is about the same, props for that Aston, but I usually got to the +/- and see if anything gets me triggered and then decide if I want to read the rest.
  • 4 0
 Suspension action video surely, then photos followed by pros and cons. It was all going well until I saw that ugly ass Cube.
  • 8 0
 @Burnhardx: There's something above the comments?
  • 3 0
 @enduroNZ Right? Basically copied and pasted the tech specs & press release info followed by two sentences stated that he road the bike.

Talk about phoning that bitch in.
  • 2 0
 @MaN-oF-STeEL: I go for the suspension action video too. Makes me feel like Alan partridge checking out the 'action' on a hifi in his local branch of Dixons. 'nice action, that really is a nice action'.
  • 3 0
 maybe pinkbike should add a "jump straight to comments" button at the top?
  • 1 0
 @sprecks57: m.pinkbike.com/news/review-gt-fury-29.html#comment_wrap

Or was it a joke?
  • 2 0
 @paulaston Barely any mention of the idler pulley suspension? Its kinda the unique part of the whole bike. We'd like some more info on how it affects pedaling, and more in depth analysis of how it and other high(er) pivot bikes differ from traditional setups.
  • 46 0
 Stil can’t beleive it comes with generic hubs for seven grand. Give me some decent hubs worth of having new rims laced up for thst much money. Even some basic 350’s would do.

Still, while I expect my rims to get destroyed riding (part of the game) I do not expect to be replacing shock hardware more often! Thats scary.

Is it me or did Aston seem very lukewarm on this thing. Def not his first choice.

Really curious to see the V10 review.
  • 42 2
 If anything at all ever goes wrong with a review bike, just remember, that problem was pre-production and will not be an issue for whoever buys one at full retail.
  • 12 0
 @lccomz That does seem to happen a lot. You also have to wonder how some of these things haven't been picked up during testing by the manufacturer, and if they did, don't send the bike out to media until it's fixed. Although another bugbear of mine is when a bike is reviewed and a massive deal is made when something like a fork goes wrong. It's an independent part to the frame and even though testers must have ridden countless other forks that are the same brand/model which have been brilliant all the other times it becomes a focal point of something wrong when it really shouldn't be.
  • 8 0
 Aston admits that he favors longer bikes with a proper HPP, not surprising considering his size, but it does color his reviews that don't fit the bill slightly.
  • 2 1
 @SonofBovril: True, but he did like the Legend, so his bias doesn't sit very deep.
  • 9 2
 Aston, is lukewarm on everything that isn't in his narrow range of likes. He has specific tastes that work for him, but not a very good reviewer to go off if you are serious about a purchase. Unless you also like what he likes.
  • 2 2
 A high pivot bike with little to no useable rearward axle path. Well done GT
  • 1 0
 I'd say "lukewarm" is putting it generously.
  • 39 1
 big $
shock bolt issue
no thx
  • 4 3
 100%
  • 29 12
 @nickkk: No, 100% dont build bikes. Its a GT.
  • 17 2
 Bling price with no bling bike.
  • 3 3
 @Boardlife69: quite the wit you have there. Have you considered a career in stand up comedy? You'd do well I think.
  • 35 4
 Never, ever buy a bike which cracks shox bolts. This generally results from bad frame design (too much force in certain places, sometimes due to flex transfered to the shock) or faulty manufacturing (i.e. skewed, badly welded frame).
  • 26 4
 $7900 worth of bad engineering no less
  • 8 7
 It's a dorel bike. It was set up for failure from birth
  • 10 1
 Right? So you finally find a bolt strong enough to not break, and all you're doing now is transferring that stress to something else. How will that work in a year?
  • 1 0
 Tru Dat !
  • 1 0
 truth
  • 7 1
 This was 100% an issue with the bolt design. The only way to exceed the max force shock mounts would be designed around is to bottom your shit out really hard. It's not like there were running a 1000 lb spring. Looking at the drawing in their manual for this bolt it just looks silly all around. The two flip chips are angled on the inside which would provide terrible force transfer to the frame as it relies on clamping force alone pretty much. Should just be a fat M8 socket head with a nut on the other side... Just like how SC does their flip chip. None of that heavily chamfered crap.
  • 4 1
 The bikes under this parent company often have problems with the small, but important stuff that doesn't get realized until after you made your purchase. I actually liked my Sanction, but sold it because one of the small parts kept wearing, and no GT dealer could get a hold of that vital piece. You can't just look at a bike and say, "that looks like it rides well and has nice colors." It's down to hardware, quality control, reputation, availability of parts, etc.
  • 1 0
 @gtill9000: Rear suspensions are minimally constrained structures so the same forces(or stresses) will be the same through out the frame regardless if the bolt is strong, weak, stiff or soft.
  • 2 0
 the same was with Kross Moon, they were as weak as matches.
  • 34 1
 How does it climb?
  • 7 18
flag Neale1978 (Feb 18, 2019 at 2:19) (Below Threshold)
 Very funny.
  • 37 0
 It's got the bolt snap adjustable geometry which lowers the centre of gravity and also reduces travel so probably climbs really nicely.
  • 1 6
flag Neale1978 (Feb 18, 2019 at 10:54) (Below Threshold)
 @bigtim: Ahh k
  • 6 0
 ti climbs effortlessly with a chairlift.
  • 21 2
 It's crazy something like a shock bolt can literally be the weak link in a product costing this much. If I were in the market for this kind of thing, I couldn't look past that issue- the consequence of that failure is too high. Insane. Looks gorgeous though GT, but not for me!
  • 4 2
 It can't have been the first to do it. All they have to do is increase the diameter surely. Can't the rear end be carbon too? That would bring the weight down a bit.
  • 12 2
 It's also crazy that on a 17kg bike there is still obvious weak link. I mean if Paul breaks it in 2 days, how long does it take to heavier riders/WC riders ?
  • 3 2
 Many GT frames eat bearings/pivot point very fast. I have seen a 2 frames very badly damage due bearing issues,in the place the bearing meet the frame in looks very bad. Those frames went straight to the junkyard as metal scrap...
  • 2 0
 @Neale1978: Carbon rear ends on gravity bikes don't save much weight over aluminium. Thin diameter tubes that have to withstand impacts and have lots of pivots and mounting hardware in them are not the place where carbon shines.

It saves a little bit of weight, which is why they do it on XC-bikes, but given the system weight of a DH bike there is not much point.
  • 1 0
 Some have them though. I guess it depends on the frame design.
  • 2 0
 @Neale1978: True, but a lot of that is probably marketing, to be able to claim a "full-carbon frame". Or to shave a few grams on an already light (enduro) frame (e.g. Scott Ransom).
  • 1 0
 Yep. I think the new V10's started that way. Just the front end was carbon, and then the swingarm too after a while.
  • 15 1
 Heavier, stronger, and faster riders huh? Well I like to think I'm all of those, but in reality I'm just one, and I'm not strong or fast...
  • 18 4
 Just get the 27.5 and all the crits disappear. Lighter, nippier and the wheels are stronger. Its a no brainer.
  • 2 6
flag Xorrox (Feb 18, 2019 at 17:57) (Below Threshold)
 Or leave the 29” in front and switch to the 27.5” in the back and have a winning combination suitable for people under 6 foot!
  • 2 0
 pretty sure thats what a certain tall enduro racer did last year, and won the race to boot... Goes to show...
  • 12 0
 Hey! That's Verbier!
  • 4 4
 How old is the review then?
  • 1 0
 Wouaiy? I love that track. Damn, I miss Switzerland.
  • 1 0
 Last open week-end of the bikepark was like 21ts of october 2018. Seeing the geometry of the bike, he most likely did not pedal up so I would say: at least 4 months old
  • 2 0
 @EvilGarfield: Paul kept riding this bike in Sanremo. Only the pictures are back from October. Spotted him on this bike about 3 weeks back
  • 3 1
 One does not necessarily write the review and take the photos on the same day, just as one does not necessarily only ride the bike once before writing up about it.

This is what I think happened:

He got the bike at the end of summer. Rode it that week and got some sweet photos.
Kept riding it for several months, on and off.
Wrote the review in January.
It was published today.
  • 33 0
 @EvilGarfield:


Yes, I was in Verbier for closing week last October, mainly to shoot photos for five reviews and spend some time on the bikes.

I have been riding 4/5/6 downhill bikes back to back every week since then in various places to give them a thorough run down. If people claim to be giving a full review of a bike days after it is launched, that is not a full review. I aim to put more than 15 days on a bike and use a couple of extra riders to give extra feedback and to test the durability of the parts.

This review has also been ready to post for a couple of weeks, but we have a long term schedule to post articles to make sure the site is balanced. If we posted five downhill bike reviews all on a Monday morning, many would get lost down the news page and people who are interested in them might not have time to read them or miss them.
  • 9 0
 @paulaston: you have the best job, ever !
  • 1 0
 @pigman65: I am told by some folk that the correct term is “well jel”
  • 1 0
 @paulaston:
Just to make it clear. I was not suggesting that there is a problem with the fact that the pictures had been taken late october. Just replying to IluvRIDING Smile
  • 1 0
 @mizzter-b: yes, but i wouldn't be competent enough to do it !
  • 1 0
 @paulaston: When are you going to review Cannondales new top secret DH bike?
  • 2 0
 I saw him, in Verbier, changing out the shock on this bike. Hehe!
  • 1 0
 @Boardlife69: I believe Cannondale are the key actor here. They need harassing, not the Geometroman.
  • 7 1
 I just got on my Fury 29 for the first time this weekend at Windrock Bike Park in TN. GT hit it out of the park with this bike! Yes it definitely weighs in on the heavier side and I was nervous about this but even on the slower stuff the bike was nimble and playful and felt just as light and quick as my old 34.5 lbs V10. In the rough is is so supple and composed and and jumps extremely well out of the box. It's far better in every way than my dead V10.
  • 1 2
 Sure pal
  • 9 3
 Kudos for GT for trying their hand at a 29" Dh bike. I would imagine it is only an adequate rig because other 29" Dh bikes are just amazing to ride in comparison. I wouldn't be happy if I spent the money on one and the shock bolt bent and the wheels lost tension enough to need replacing though. That just shouldn't happen on a brand new bike. Just my .02
  • 10 3
 Ok so this is the machine which on Martin Maes will dominate the 2019 DH WC season
  • 6 1
 nope. 27.5
  • 1 3
 @nug12182: 2019... the return to Gwinning ways I think for someone perhaps!
  • 7 0
 500lb sping and 75kg!! I'd have to run a solid steel bar for my weight (before you ask.....dad bod plus aka Fat).
  • 3 0
 Just look elsewhere, you would not be able to find shock bolt strong enough to suport your big bones Smile
  • 7 0
 Paul Aston looks like Nick Kroll in his profile pic
  • 2 0
 Regarding Groove Tube - I had a mid-90's era GT Psyclone (True Temper steel!) and it had a "Groove Tube", which was a tube for cables hidden under the top tube, similar to this. It was a neon yellow bike with U-brakes, but i still liked it. Being an OG bmx'er, I have a soft spot for GT, and i doubt i'm alone. That being said, i don't own one...
  • 5 0
 For Paul Aston it's still too short and the head angle it's too steep at 62. It could be 60
  • 4 3
 If i would ever come back to dh racing -maybe for racing masters wc as a high set goal -i would get that bike. it looks like it indeed strikes a nice balance between a hpp and conventional dh bikes. and finally gt came up with the graphs and they look beautiful -especially in the 27.5 setup.
  • 5 1
 I'll probably never buy a downhill bike, but i enjoy reading and learning about them
  • 3 0
 After reading the review, it seems to me that running hybrid wheels (27.5 at the back, 29 up front) would be a good idea for this bike.
  • 1 0
 Some questions/notes about the comparison section -

first, I think the Norco is called the Aurum HSP Big Grin .


And second, I don't think Pauls correct in calling the trek a four bar setup.... Aren't pretty much all Treks linkage actuated single pivot designs? Visually four bar yeah, but in reality single pivots?
  • 3 8
flag AgrAde (Feb 18, 2019 at 9:09) (Below Threshold)
 Single pivot bikes with linkage driven shocks are four bar. All four bar means is that there's four frame elements. Front triangle, chainstays, seatstays, rocker. It doesn't describe what the axle is mounted to. Vpp, dw etc are a four bar linkage too.
  • 3 0
 @AgrAde: No, you could call a trek a faux bar, but it's still a single pivot no matter how many extra bars you want to add
  • 2 0
 4 bar has the wheel and brake on the seatstay. It’s not wrong either way
  • 4 1
 @kleinblake: And yet trek ALSO has the wheel on the chainstay, which is directly connected to a frame. It's a linkage activated single pivot.
  • 1 2
 @j-t-g: try googling "four bar linkage" mate.
  • 1 0
 Why is the 29" axle path so different to the 27"? I can't see any geo adjusters between the main pivot and rear axle, so unless changing wheel size drastically effects the angle the whole chassis sits at (which would be stupid) then the axle path should be near as dammit identical... Can anyone explain?

Also, given that this is a Horst link rather than a single pivot, the IC in the first portion of travel should be roughly 2" higher than the main pivot which would put it near or higher than the pivot on a Norco or Commie, so I'm surprised this bike feels to @paulaston like it doesn't "magic carpet" as well as a higher pivot single pivot... Some insight on this would also be appreciated.
  • 1 0
 In fact, in theory this frame should produce a very similar axle path to a Commencal, but with more pedal feedback, which is kinda the opposite of what the write up says. I'm so confused right now...
  • 3 0
 Glad to see the Fury hit puberty and is no longer that awkward looking bike everyone made fun of for having I-drive
  • 9 5
 Paul Aston 6'1" 165 lbs!? Eat a sandwich, man!
  • 8 4
 If you're not lean, your slow.
  • 4 3
 @jclnv: It's true. I'm 6'1" and was 206 at the start of the year. I've been eating well and hitting the gym 4-6 days a week and I'm now 194, aiming for 185 maybe. 165 seems extreme.
  • 23 2
 I love that we can call out people for being light but have to tiptoe around talking about someone being overweight. How about mind your business?
  • 2 0
 @pdxkid: Look at Minnaar.

The more mass you have the stronger you need to be to support it. At the end of a 5min DH it adds up.
  • 1 1
 @jclnv: I'm not disagreeing that the better mountain biker is usually the lighter and stronger mountain biker. According to the internet, Minnaar is 6'3" and 192 lbs. I think my goal of 185 will put me in a good spot. Maybe I'll go for 180. I just want to be strong, efficient and injury resistant.
  • 2 0
 @pdxkid: Likewise!

Have a good season.
  • 3 5
 Yeah, he's a little on the lite side to really push these bikes, that's my opinion and he disagrees, but hey it is what it is...most successful pros have some muscle on their bones.
  • 4 1
 @pdxkid: if at 165lbs he breaks rims and shock bolts, it's probably a good thing he is not heavier...
  • 1 0
 @zede: lol could you imagine the carnage...wow
  • 1 0
 @jclnv: at 6'1 the leanest I've been (skin and bones) was 192lbs. when playing rugby I was 220-230 with a six pack. Some people are built bigger. power/weight is what matters, not being skinny.
  • 1 0
 @pdxkid: weight means nothing. power/weight means everything. If you're starving yourself to hit 180 you aren't doing your body any favors. Its'a load of bs to be as light as possible, this isn't road racing. If you aren't cutting weight to hit a certain weight class (fighting, rowing) then you just train for the sport, eat well and your body will settle at a weight that provides optimum performance, anaerobic and aerobic. Focus on power (speed/strength) and you'll see improvements. focusing on stuff that helps is even better. for instance, deadlifts/squats will add a bunch of bulk via muscle mass but will scoot you up hills and provide immense support for the G-outs. Do this, IGNORE the scale entirely (what matters is how you are performing, not what you weigh) and I wager you'll be faster and heavier than your target, because you'll be more powerful and fueled for the mission at hand.
  • 1 0
 @pdxkid: Well I'm hurt for being downvoted, obviously there are a lot of wannabe riding experts on this site. Ouch.
  • 3 0
 @atrokz: I couldn't agree more. I think what really spurned my 185 lb (or so) target weight was looking at my expired driver license from a few years ago when my weight was 185. Back when I was climbing trees for a living I weighed 185 and was faster and more powerful than I am now. It's crazy how the weight creeps on due to age and inactivity. I'm minding what I eat and sticking to a mtb specific training program. And not drinking. Man am I sore but I'm feeling good and sleeping really well! Cheers!
  • 2 0
 @pdxkid: Tell me about it, I'm 37, so 5 years younger and I can feel my metabolism slowing big time, so I gotta work harder to keep from adding fat if I want to eat the same foods. Before I just ate anything I wanted and it fell off with any sort of movement. f*cking sucks, but that's life! Good thing is, you're still biking and hitting goals and thats what matters.
  • 1 0
 I wish I could weigh 165lbs...
  • 1 0
 Don't know the bolt strength norms/standards most used in America, but from what was written he went from a 10.9 to a 12.9 then a 8.8 from the hardware store and maybe they should try a 14.9 (ISO norm/standard)
  • 2 0
 Freakin BEAUTY. That is one nice looking bike. But broken shock bolt? Are they trying to kill their customers? I smell a recall in the near future.
  • 2 0
 I wanted to like this bike. Unfortunately, at 6'1", this bike is too small.
  • 6 6
 I don't get it.
Dude says 1500 times that it comes with an X2(air) shock, but the bike shown obviously came with a DHX2 If the bike comes with an air shock but the 'review' is with a coil, what the hell good is it?
  • 2 0
 The Fury is designed to work with either coil or air shocks; GT provided a choice, but I went with the DHX2 coil as this was mainly tested against other coil-equipped bikes.
  • 2 0
 Did you read the first few lines of the article?
Personally I would go with whatever felt best on any bike and whatever it is designed for and comment as this is as valuable as head angle, stack and reach information.
  • 4 1
 See axle path pic, that 'high pivot', ain't high enough...
  • 5 4
 @paulaston: Why measure your bar heights from the ground? Not all the bikes have the same BB height. Or do you apply a correcting factor depending on the BB height?
  • 11 2
 im really curious how you'd measure bar height from anywhere else than the ground.
  • 10 0
 If you want to determine bar height in relation to BB height you can just measure the bar height from the ground and subtract the BB height.
  • 8 1
 @hairy1976: Can't make subtractions? Are you being ironic? I hope so for you! Just in case:
Bar height = (bar height from the ground) - (BB height from the ground).
Typically when you ride your feet are at BB height, not lying on the ground.
  • 7 3
 @EnduroManiac: you asked why measure bars from the ground. That's the only way to measure it unless you measure from the sky.
Bar height and BB height are two separate independent measurements. Yes they correlate to the handling of the bike but the bar height is the bar height and it's measured from the ground. Not the BB height. Or the sky.
  • 2 0
 I measure and quote the bar height to the ground as I think it is the most relatable to the readers. For my own references, I also measure things like the axle to stem center, axle to lower crowns, axle to upper crown.
  • 1 0
 @hairy1976: They are separate measurement but I hold my bars while standing at BB height. Of course there's a third parameter which is REACH that brings it all together for finding your sweet spot position.
BTW your pseudo could have been mine Big Grin
  • 3 0
 @hairy1976: Step one: place unicorn directly beside downhill bike with horn at 45 deg angle. Step two: gently stroke horn.....
  • 1 0
 @EnduroManiac: too much information
  • 3 2
 I had Stans Flow MKIII 27.5 on my iddy biddy trail bike and I had to replace them much sooner than I should have. Be prepared to replace them and budget for it.
  • 4 1
 8k for a 40lb bike, what year is it?
  • 3 0
 Boost hub spacing on a DH bike?! Blasphemy.
  • 2 1
 How in the hell does a carbon bike weigh more than a f*cking Vitus Dominer?
  • 1 0
 I know people are complaining about the shock bolt thingamajig, but damn that a sexy bike!
  • 3 2
 I don't get the use of carbon for a bike which is 18kg, the 215 is far lighter without. The size of those fork bumper tho...
  • 4 2
 All about stiffness
  • 1 1
 @endurogan: You can tune more easily the stiffness with carbon that's for sure, but getting stiffer only with carbon means nothing, some AL frames are so much stiffer than carbon ones out there.
So that's not an argument which is worth 2x of the Cube 215 pricetag.
  • 3 0
 Because the word "Carbon" allows you to jack up the price by 1-2k and makes all the bike-fashion victims drool.
  • 1 0
 I always thought that is how a proper carbon frame was supposed to be made, same weight, but strong as hell! The 215 does not inspire hard riding when I look at it and that is indeed what she said!
  • 2 1
 "and some of Piemonte's best kept secret bike parks"....just keep rolling out that tease.
  • 1 0
 Wonder how many errors? well if you look at bb height 86mm difference from low to high chip position?
  • 2 1
 The good news is "looks like a session" will soon die away now that Trek has some quality male riders to get some wins.
  • 2 0
 that bike is sexy and is easy on eyes.
  • 2 0
 When the original headline just doesn't bring all the boys to your yard.
  • 1 0
 Just need a milkshake.
  • 1 0
 @Boardlife69: Is there such a thing as a post-post sub-editor now? And what flavour?
  • 2 0
 WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA WHOA 148MM REAR HUB?
  • 1 0
 Is it possible to shave 1mm off each end of the rear and put a real 150mm hub?
  • 1 1
 Good. Now all the DH bike park rental centers everywhere in the US can speak to the bike.
  • 1 4
 "...'looks like a Session' and a 'looks like a Commencal'; in reality, it is most similar to the Ghost DH9000" and a Ghost DH9000 is just a Kona Stinky/Stab Supreme with an idler pulley. GT just ripped off everyone except for the worse being that 14 year old Stinky Supreme weighs the same without carbon. This is the best April fools yet. Wait...this is serious.
  • 1 0
 Seriously when are we gunna get some 27.5 reviews again pinkbike?
  • 1 0
 Those graphs mean nothing to me.
  • 2 1
 Where is the yellow SLS spring ?
  • 3 0
 I asked Fox about a red one for my new Marzocchi shock. Still haven't made it to the hardware store yet...
  • 2 1
 Im not into or fussed about DH, but that's a classically pretty bike.
  • 2 2
 Hum... can you change out the lower shock bolt that’s weak for a stronger one?
  • 2 1
 They did. It still bent within a relatively short amount of time.
  • 1 0
 @drpheta: dam thats sucks, must be a lot of force going on there. are they using Ti?
  • 1 0
 @drpheta: For a bolt too bend, most likely cause is a loose bolt?
  • 4 3
 $8k?

you can get a really nice MX for that much
  • 2 0
 You new to biking? These are normal prices.
  • 2 0
 If you get it at the right time, you could get a great deal on an MX and a Carbon Tues for that much. Moreover, depending on where you are situated, for instance Bulgaria, instead of a V10, you could actually get an MX, Tues and a small house with a garden and barn, true story Smile
  • 2 5
 Barf.

What’s up with the hideous track for the cable routing? And the fork bumpers with the “internal” cable routing look?

Either true internal routing or your basic down tube with tabs please. Not sure what kind of asthetics they were after with this non color matched track.
  • 1 1
 Crap quality from GT what a shock (talking the bolt here but I had a nightmare with two furys)
  • 2 0
 Great review Paul!
  • 1 0
 Sounds like this should have been a prototype still...
  • 4 4
 Could you please review the Tues 29?
Thanks!
  • 1 0
 It's a revamped yeti dh9
  • 1 0
 Looks like a Session
  • 3 3
 let's get down to brass tacks here: no water bottle mount.
  • 1 0
 It actually does.
  • 2 0
 If you need one so bad, I can think of a few appropriate orifices.
  • 1 2
 It has myriad tuning options, does it?
  • 1 1
 Die goose trumpet die
  • 2 5
 Is there a nerdier looking reviewer than @paulaston?

Who wears a backpack?
  • 8 2
 I'm not arguing that I look nerdy, but it's a back protector.
  • 1 2
 @paulaston: ha. Jokes buddy. I love reading your reviews.
  • 1 0
 Backpacks are Nerdy? Guess I'm a nerd then....
Lemme guess, kneepads are for squids and helmets are for losers right?
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