Paul Petch

GT Peace 26″ – rigid steel single speed

Hello to my new toy!

After throwing the current single speed together at the start of the winter and absolutely falling in love with it since it first hit the dirt… last night after work I eagerly picked up a new ride for the collection to replace the current aluminum SS with some more steel :)

Say hello to the GT Peace! which at $930.00 (retail is $1100.00) is a fantastic buy. First impressions are that the welds are not a Cove or Lynskey (read robots) with more weight at the rear than I’m accustomed too due to GT’s “triple triangle” welds – but the finish and geometry are really good. Also, with its eccentric bottom bracket and chunky BMX chain- it looks like it means business! Another thing that really stood out when I first picked up this bike is the paint job is kind of iridescent, and looks much better in person than the pictures on the net promote. With some cool typeface choices and decals reading “smokin since the 197o’s” the retro vibe of the bike really shines through….. and I like that :) I must admit too, that the whole experience from researching through to laying down the cash was a pleasant one, and kind of fun too. I cannot remember the last time that I walked into a bike shop and purchased an off the shelf bike! It even has reflectors, manuals and warning stickers- now that is retro!!

Finding a steel single speed was not easy

So why GT? Well put simply, they are the only manufacturer that are providing a fully rigid single speed in steel with disk brakes…. within my budget of $1000. Apparently only 25 of these bikes were shipped to NZ for 2008 so it was a tough cookie to track down! I’ve heard a lot about how GT’s geometry just “works” and I must admit, after throwing a leg over it I agree. It does feel fantastic. It might just be a case that GT are using the same tried and tested specifications from their roots… who knows…. who cares….it feels right… so all is good.

After Swapping over a few items from my current single speed, wheels, tyres, handlebars, brakes, seat, pedals, and soon to be crank… it is looking like an even sweeter build. Once I get a chance to take it out on the dirt proper, I’ll add a review of how it rides.

Meanwhile, here are a few pics with stock parts.

See my review here

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Related posts:

1. GT Peace single speed review
2. The GT Peace single speed is for sale
3. GT Peace as a single speed commuter
4. Single speed riding – an introduction
5. Singular Swift single speed 29er – mini review

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008 at 7:29 am and is filed under Bike & Gear Reviews and tagged with Gear and Reviews, gt, gt peace, rigid, single speed. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.