The year GT introduced its most technically adventurous dual suspension flagship yet, the 1997 catalogue also marks the moment the STS — Single Tube System — steps up to lead the entire mountain bike lineup. Built from a continuous carbon fibre and thermoplastic nylon matrix, the USA-made STS-1 tops the tree as what GT describes as the most advanced suspension bike in the world, paired with Shimano XTR throughout and Rock Shox Judy SL long-travel forks. Alongside it sits the STS-2 sharing the same thermoplastic frame but dialled for either XC or downhill via the new dual mode rear link, and the terrifying STS-DH — a dedicated downhill weapon refined over a full season of racing with Mike King, featuring a Rock Shox Judy DHO triple clamp fork and Formula hydraulic disc brakes.

Below the STS trio, the aluminum dual suspension roster continues with the newly redesigned Team LTS and LTS-1 — both receiving all-new 6061-T6 butted frames and the dual mode link system for 1997 — joined by the LTS-2, LTS-3, LTS-4, and LTS-5, the last two featuring a refined and improved elastomer MCU stack that GT had made its own. Mountain Biking Magazine’s 1996 Dual Suspension Bike of the Year award for the LTS-2 is a badge the catalogue wears proudly. The aluminum hardtail section fields the Zaskar LE — now further lightened with all-new CNC-machined junctions at the head tube, bottom bracket, rear dropout and seat clamp — alongside the Zaskar, Avalanche LE, Avalanche (now featuring a made-in-USA 6061 butted frame for the first time), Pantera, Ricochet, Backwoods, and Tempest. A notable new addition among the aluminium models is the Lightning, GT’s production titanium Triple Triangle hardtail built from USA-made 3/2.5 titanium alloy using an evacuated welding chamber — making it the highest quality production titanium bike in its category according to the catalogue.

The steel mountain bike series — led by the iconic Karakoram as the self-described “King of the Tough Guy bikes” — covers the Tequesta, Timberline FS, Rebound, Timberline, Aggressor, Talera, Saddleback, Outpost, Outpost Trail, and Palomar variants including junior and ladies sizes, ensuring the Triple Triangle Cr-Mo philosophy remained accessible across the entire family range right down to the Outbound and Little Timber 20-inch wheel kids models.

The Cross Series rolls on with the Virage, Nomad, Cirque, Vantara, Arette, Legacy, and Rapid Transit models covering urban commuters, fitness riders and leisure cyclists, with 700c wheels standard throughout and the Rapid Transit retaining the Shimano Nexus internal 7-speed hub system for truly low-maintenance city riding.

Perhaps the biggest statement in the 1997 book is the Road section, which expands significantly following GT’s work supplying the US Olympic Team and USA Triathlon. The headline model is the Edge Aero Aluminum — a USA-made 6061-T6 aero downtube road racer with NACA cross-section tubing, a GT Edge carbon fibre aero fork, and a full Shimano Dura-Ace 18-speed package. Joining it are the Fury, Rage, Strike, Force, and Rave road bikes, plus the extraordinary Vengeance multi-sport machine with full aero tubing and SPIN thermoplastic 650c wheels, and the Pulse — a made-in-USA Easton 7005 aluminium track bike with Shimano Dura-Ace components. The GT Tech Shop rounds out the catalogue with frame-only options spanning the STS, STS-DH, LTS, Zaskar LE, Zaskar, Psyclone, Xizang titanium, and the full road Edge family, confirming that GT’s custom build culture remained as alive in 1997 as it had ever been.