GT announced an expansion to their Force mountain line, with a new aluminum frame platform featuring 29″ wheels. Using 170mm front and 150mm rear suspension travel, GT aimed it as the perfect do-it-all bike that bridges the gap between all-mountain and DH. It sticks to their LTS suspension design with adjustable flip chip for tunability, and even fits a water bottle.
GT Force 29 aluminum Enduro mountain bike
The Force name isn’t new to GT, but a new aluminum 29″ platform is. Designed for maximum big-hit capability without a dual crown fork, the new Force 29 is built for aggressive riding while still maintaining stable climbing ability.
The heart of the system is GT’s Linkage Tuned Suspension, or LTS, said to increase traction for better control. A flip chip adjusts BB height by 6mm, and also shifts the head tube and seat tube angles by half a degree to tune your handling based on your preferences and terrain.
The 150mm-travel rear end is both air and coil shock compatible, paired with a 170mm travel front fork on all models.
GT says that they’ve taken the LTS suspension recipe and optimized the kinematics around 29″ wheels, pushing the geometry longer and slacker.
Need data to back that up? They’ve got you covered…
“The Force 29 is for riders who prefer descending and like to go fast. It hits that sweet spot right in between all-mtn and dh, it’s low fuss and provides more versatility than a dual crown bike.” -GT Bicycles
The Force 29 comes in four sizes, with both flip chip settings listed above. As a bonus, GT said that all sizes will fit a standard size water bottle in the main triangle.
The Force 29 Pro uses a Fox Float Performance Elite 36, along with a Fox Float X2 Performance 185x55mm rear shock. Build kit includes SRAM GX Eagle 1×12, with Stan’s Flow MK3 rims.
The Force 29 Expert uses a Fox Float Performance 36 fork, along with a Fox Float Performance DPX2 185x55mm rear shock. Build kit includes SRAM NX Eagle 1×12, with Stan’s Flow S1 rims.
The Force 29 Elite uses a Marzocchi Bomber Z1 fork, along with a Fox Float Performance DPX2 185mm rear shock. Build kit includes SRAM SX Eagle 1×12, with WTB ST i29 TCS rims.
The Force 29 is officially slated as a 2020 bike model, with pricing and availability TBD. GT makes proud mention of the fact that the bike uses no proprietary components, making the bike user and mechanic friendly once they do hit the trails near you.
