1996 GT Bicycles

Heading into the back-half of the 90s GT's mountain bike roster splits cleanly into four sections — Full Suspension, Aluminum, Steel, and Cross Series — with full suspension finally taking centre-stage alongside a supporting accessories range that shows just how seriously GT is taking every corner of the market.

The Full Suspension section alone accounts for seven models, led by the USA-made flagship Team LTS, built around a 6061-T6 double-butted aluminum frame with a titanium link arm and Rock Shox front and rear suspension. Below it sit the LTS-1, LTS-2 and the all-new LTS-3, which introduced a GT-designed double elastomer stack to break the performance-to-price barrier in full suspension. The RTS-1, RTS-2 and RTS-3 complete the section, continuing the patented Rocker Tuned Suspension philosophy that GT had made its own and with the RTS-2 remaining the weapon of choice for serious cross-country and downhill racers alike.

The Aluminum hardtail range fields nine models — Zaskar LE, Zaskar, Avalanche LE (new for 1996), Avalanche, Pantera, Ricochet, Backwoods, Tempest and Arrowhead — all receiving the radically redesigned dual oval downtube that became the defining frame detail of the year. The Zaskar LE sits at the sharp end as a proven race-circuit hardtail, while the new Avalanche LE slots in as a dedicated competition machine inspired directly by Zaskar geometry. The Steel section adds a further ten models from the hand-built Psyclone and legendary Karakoram down through the Bravado, Tequesta, Timberline FS, Rebound, Timberline, Aggressor, Talera and Outpost family, ensuring the iconic Triple Triangle frame design remained accessible at every price point. The Cross Series caps the catalogue with six models including two new additions, the Nomad and Virage, plus the Rapid Transit recreation bike featuring a Shimano Nexus internal shifting system — GT's most complete cross offering to date.