2021 GT Force 29 Elite, Review long term and Bike check. The good, bad and the awesome.
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- čas přidán 21. 07. 2021
- *Worth noting my head angle is 64.6 and seat angle is 76.6 in the low setting .
Long term review of my custom spec 2021 GT Force Elite 29. What I’ve changed, what it does and doesn’t do so well and who’s it for? POV.
I was torn between a few bikes and bought this one. The colour is amazing! Bike looks great- I love it!
Hi Nigel, really appreciate the time you spent going over your bike for us. I am considering buying myself a GT and your thoughts and knowledge on the subject is getting me closer to knowing what I want. Thanks a lot.
That’s awesome, really enjoy making these clips and if it helps at least one person then, job done as there wasn’t anything out there when I was doing my research late last year. Glad it helped and good luck with your search.
If you haven’t made the leap yet I got my hands on a Force Expert and it’s amazing. Only “downside” of the spec is the Sram NX eagle drivetrain but I prefer Shimano over Sram so I’m a bit biased. It’s been great for harsh technical dh tracks and isn’t even that bad on some more xc style trails.
Thank you for the reviews. I'm looking for the 2021 force gt comp 29. The price is descent for the components.
I watched the initial review when I was looking at getting a gt force as my new bike, ended up getting the Expert build and it feels way more nimble than I expected. It’s a monster on the way down, climbs surprisingly well even on technical climbs, and the way I set mine up makes it surprisingly playful. I’m 5’6 170 on a Medium. Running it in low as I have it set up runs a 64.6 degree headtube angle since I have a 170mm fork up front and it feels just as stable as you’d expect.
They’re such a great bike. Glad to hear you’re happy too! Thanks for watching
Amazing video mate. You’ve changed my mind. Im not going to sell the bike! Now I’ll just upgrade drivetrain and brakes
Good to hear man it’s a fast bike, just not as playful as some but still a solid performer 🚀
Good bike , I have a same . Almost same upgrades) w8 for more ride videos.
Wow my GT is only 3,000. No upgrades! Amazing Vid!
Yeah that was AU dollars
Great vid, great bike, keep it up! However, you should know that changing the bar and stem didn't actually change the reach on the bike. The Renthal bar has a 7 degree backsweep compared to the 8 on the original bar which means that with the new bar, the bike would have about 5mm longer reach. I know this because I did measurements on my bikes with different bars. So shorter stem by 5mm with longer 5mm reach on bars equals the exact same reach you had before. Maybe the steering has improved but it could just as well be placebo. Don't get me wrong, I like getting nice hardware for my bikes too, but most of the times you pay more for style. You would have been better off buying one DT swiss fr1950 for the rear which comes with both shimano hg and sram xd freehubs and bonus you can get microspline too from DT for whenever you want to upgrade, keep this in mind for future bikes. Could have kept the front as is. The rear wheel gets more of a beating than the front. Good choice on the brakes and enjoy the bike.
Thanks for the feedback. The 40 stem has quickened up the steering a lot and the 1 degree back I can’t tell, I’m also running 760mm now where before it was 780mm with the original bars, it’s also possible that I have them rolled different to before plus my arms are closer now than before, I much prefer the feel now, also the wheels I chose as a set as I was unable to find the rims I wanted to have a set built due to most things being sold out. These were the closest to what I originally as I wanted 350 hubs and a ex511 rear and 481 for the front. I’ll look into doing the ratchet upgrade down the track.
Nice vid man. I was watching and I'm like that trail looks familiar then realised it was at Kersbrook 🚴♂️🤣. Such great footage. What are you using to film?
Cheers Man.
Cheers, just shot all on my GoPro 8. 🤘🏻
Great bike 🙌 where do you think i can still get one?
is there a big difference between the stock handlebar and the alloy fatbar you are riding right now?
Were the WTB ST I29 rims so bad it needed to be changed? I am about to pull the trigger on this bike or the GT Force 29 COMP for an additional $150. The GT Force COMP version comes with the base Fox 38 (just like Marzocchi Z1 but 38) and Stan's Flow wheels, Deore components. I love the color of the Elite though. COMP comes in an ugly Maroon color. I can't decide.
No the rims were pretty solid but the spokes needed retensioning not long from new but I think that’s normal. The main reason I changed was to get the Sram HD driver hub so I could run the lighter GX cassette which also had the 10-51 tooth where the bike was standard with the SX steel 11-50 cassette on Shimano style micro spline hub. The standard formula hubs are pretty budget but do an ok job no problem. Same as the SX group set on the Elite but wasn’t long before I was looking for better performance from the bike. Good luck with your choice. Personally I’d go the extra $150 but I’m not too fussy on colour. You could always wrap the bike and have the better components straight away but the Deore and SX are pretty similar. The other thing is the Tektro brakes on the elite are strong enough but the Shimano will be better.
Hi. Have You tried installing 203mm rear brake rotor? Looking at my bike... 203 will grind weld in rear chainstay....
No I haven’t sorry
Will you say that the sx eagle is bad or is it decent for beginners, should i change when mine gt commes?
It’s not bad as it works great just the SX derailleur is made of a composite plastic material and is strong enough but not as strong as a GX and also the crank arms are 175mm so can be prone to more pedal strikes through rocks also the cassette is steel. They are working great on my Hardtail and were good on the Force but for that little bit better performance it’s worth upgrading in the future depending on how hard you ride. Although if you’re a beginner to intermediate rider they will serve you great but if you need to replace anything down the track it’s worth upgrading.
Thanks for great video. What is your opinion on weight? Do you fell difference in climbing? Thanks
The bike climbs great, you can lock out the shock for most efficient climbing but it’s fine for climbs and descending.
@@nigehill thanks. Sorry I might not ask clearly. Is it 2kg heavier than most bikes? Do you feel this extra weight in climbing? The weight is my only concern now thanks
@@yliu4093 it’s not much heavier than other similar bikes, lighter than a norco sight, I don’t notice the difference, it’s heavier than my old bike but also better at climbing due to the suspension kinematics. The thing I notice more is the longer wheel base more than anything
@@nigehill thank you so much it is very helpful I appreciate it
@@yliu4093 no problem good luck with your choice
I’m a very aggressive rider and do you think i could set it up to be playful also. Looking at the expert. Thanks
I would be looking at the new 22 Force as it had adjustable rear chain stay length which will make it very playful as well as the slacker geo. The 21 force has 442 rear chain stay and quite a long wheel base so it is playful to an extent with being a 29 but the newer model is more so.
I would love the new force but the problem is the price for what you get. I like the gt firce expert 29 because of the price and components but we will have to see which one I can get.