GT AVALANCHE

Think of the latest Avalanche as GT’s high-end recreational mountain bike.

It’s a step up from Giant’s Talon mountain bike range; designed for riders who want a little “more” engineering and tech - a bike that’s better than average.

All of GT’s Avalanche level aluminium frames feature a tapered head tube (it makes the frame much stronger), double-butted frame construction (which makes the frame lighter) and internal cable routing (for a clean look).

And the range starts off with the Avalanche Sport. It’s designed for riders who are cruising on bike paths and trails for general fitness rides.

The Sport is the only model that comes with 2 front gears and 9 rear gears (18 gears in total). Plus it has hydraulic disc brakes and lockout suspension. So it ticks all the boxes for an excellent mid-range mountain bike.

Next there’s the Avalanche Comp. It’s the first model in the range to use a 1x (pronounced “1 by”) gear system. This means it has 1 front gear and 10 back gears (or a “1 by 10” gear system). To kinda make up for missing a front gear, there’s a broader range on the back; so you’re less likely to miss that extra front gear.

Moving to the Avalanche Elite, riders get 3 important upgrades - suspension, tyres and gears. Stuff that is crucial to consider if you’re going to be spending time on entry-level mountain bike trails. Or perhaps you’re not, and you simply want a smoother ride on dirt and gravel trails and better quality gears.

And lastly, the stealthed out Avalanche Expert is the best in the Avalanche range. This model is intended for riders who are spending more time off-road on easy mountain bike trails (such as Lysterfield Park or the You Yangs - Kurrajong side). SRAM’s SX Eagle 12-speed gearing is paired to Rock Shox air spring suspension (with a remote lockout) to deliver the best possible off-road experience.