Gt Carbon Sensor Expert 2016 Review Gx 11
PINKBIKE FIELD TEST
GT SENSOR CARBON Proficient
GT's redesigned Sensor pays homage to the famous LTS.
Words past R. Cunningham, photography by Trevor Lyden
LTS stands for Linkage Tuned Intermission (who knew?) and it was also the name of the dual-break trail bike that put GT in the game back in the day. The 2019 Sensor marks their return to a conventional 4-bar, linkage-driven rear suspension, and a concerted attempt to rekindle the one-wheel-to-ride-everything spirit that turned mount biking into a social revolution during GT's golden years.
The 130-millimeter-travel Sensor Carbon Expert carries a $3899 USD sticker price and shares the same half carbon, one-half aluminum frame as the $5000 Sensor Carbon Pro and its more affordable sister, the Sensor Carbon Elite.
GT Sensor Carbon Expert Details
• Travel: 130mm rear /front end
• Cycle size: 29"
• Frame construction: carbon / aluminum
• Head bending: 65.5º / 65.98º
• Seat angle: 76º / 76º.48º
• Sizes: SM, M, 50, Xl
• Weight: 29.5 lb (13.4 kg) size M, west/o pedals
• Cost: $4200 USD
• More info: GT Bicycles
Give the Sensor Carbon Expert a walk-around and it's credible that you are getting a hell of a lot of wheel for nether four grand. Start with 29-inch wheels and add together a 12-speed Eagle XO1/GX drivetrain, a 130-millimeter RockShox Revelation RC fork, paired with a Deluxe RT3 damper. The handlebars are wide and the cockpit is steep in the back and slack upwards front - which is a good matter. GT'due south daze-mountain flip fleck can be used to toggle between a 65.five and a 66-caste head-tube angle, with a corresponding shift at the seat tube angle. Nosotros left ours in the low, slack position, 'cause that's how we similar our trail bikes..
Climbing
Judging from the Sensor Expert's build, 29-inch wheels and modern numbers, I expected it to roll smoothly over the expanse's ceaseless roots and be at-home at the controls. Instead, GT's have on the trail bike pedals and rides almost as firmly every bit I'd expect from an 90 racer. A steep seat tube angle and zealous support from the rear suspension eliminated any settling while climbing. With or without employing the shock's low-speed pinch lever, I could hammer on the pedals willy nilly and the GT would convert my effort into forrad motion.
That didn't necessarily make the Sensor a peachy climber. Its rear end felt notchy while powering over roots, especially at slower speeds. At that place are many zones where high anti-squat values and mega-firm pedaling are hallowed trail bike attributes. None of those places, yet, are located in the Pacific Northwest. The GT would ease into a fast tempo on the smoother sections of a climb only to bog downwards three meters up the adjacent root garden. Experimenting with shock settings (like Cannondale, GT recommends a maximum of 25% sag at the shock) did fiddling to soften the rear suspension. Low tire pressures (21 psi front and 24 rear) helped, but speed was actually my only savior. Like a hardtail, the Sensor hydroplaned over the chunder as long as I stayed on the gas.
Negatives aside, the Sensor was rarely lacking for grip. Overcome your frustrations, keep the ability on, and the GT could top technical sections that would raise the eyebrows of experienced observers. No doubt, some of that traction was generated past its shopping-bag-thin, tan-wall Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires which wrapped effectually nuances in the trail in a way that simply an invertebrate life form could duplicate. More on that later.
Descending
Both riders who field-tested the Sensor Carbon commented that we were being pushed forward on the downs. The solution was to upwards the fork's air pressure and add a touch more depression-speed compression. The culprit was that the rear break was riding high and overdriving the fork. Usually, the solution would exist to soften the shock, but it seemed were were fighting rear interruption kinematics, non damping or spring pressure in this example. The resulting ride was yet business firm, only much better counterbalanced, and the GT responded past becoming a composed descender.
SRAM's Level brakes lacked the composure you'll need to finesse the Sensor downhill at speed, only stay at 80% and the GT will have you dropping down boulders, or drifting loamy corners until you run out of distance to burn. Steering is light, but not wiggly, and the fork's 51-millimeter offset works well with the steering geometry for those times when you need quick steering inputs to thread down a tricky chute. Crude surfaces at speed, will have the Sensor drifting both wheels with minimal drama until the suspension is no longer overwhelmed and the tires find consistent grip once again.
GT needs to upgrade the Sensor before it's going to reach its full potential. The tan-wall Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires were a express mirth. They should exist renamed "El Chapo" considering the air usually escaped before we had put the pump abroad. You lot didn't have to ask if I was riding the GT - the Stan'south sealant on my kit was the giveaway. Another miss was the 120-millimeter-stroke seatpost on the medium-sized bike. Information technology should have been a 150. I am simply 5-foot, seven inches and there was plenty of extra post showing above the clench. Cash can gear up those gaffes, merely GT volition need to tame the Sensor'south ill-tempered rear pause earlier its 130-millimeters of wheel travel will feel adequate for the aggressive trail cycle category.
Note: The shock tune on the Sensor has been changed since we conducted the Field Exam. Our test bike had a medium rebound, medium pinch tune and 2 volume tokens, which has been switched to a low rebound, low compression tune and three book tokens. This should assist improve some of the small crash-land sensitivity issues we were running into.
In add-on, bikes are now shipping with an extra inch of steer tube, allowing riders more room to find the ride height they prefer.
Pros
+ Efficient pedaling activity
+ Light weight for this cost signal
Cons
- Rear interruption isn't all that plush
- Level brakes are underpowered
- You'll need to factor in real tires into the MSRP
Source: https://www.pinkbike.com/news/field-test-gt-sensor-carbon-expert.html
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