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GT Helion Carbon Pro


Someone didn’t get the memo that these days ‘crosscountry’ means torture device. You’ll find this bike filed in the XC section of GT’s catalog, but the Helion is more interested in having fun than smashing KOMs. It has no problem grabbing segments if that’s what you’re into, but that’s not really its jam. GT markets the Helion as sort of an homage to what cross-country riding used to mean–long, rewarding days in the saddle. Whatever we’re calling that now is what the Helion specializes in. Most people call it mountain biking.

Unlike a pure racing machine that ramps up very quickly, the suspension is incredibly supple, soaking up small- and medium-sized impacts with little effort. Toward the end of the travel it becomes very progressive, making the 110 millimeters of travel feel deeper.

This is what makes the Helion ride less harshly than raceoriented XC bikes, but it’s still plenty aggressive. Most noticeably, the 69.5-degree head angle gives the Helion very sporty handling, especially on the climbs. Thanks to GT’s Angle Optimized Suspension system, the bike will stand up and go when you’re putting the power down, even when the suspension is fully open. In fact, the bike rides better in every condition, with the exception of fire roads, without the pedaling platform engaged. There’s a handlebar-mounted lockout lever that acts on the fork and shock simultaneously, but it’s not necessary. For a bike that GT markets for cross-country riding, not racing, I’d prefer to see a dropper post lever in the place of the lockout lever, but that’s only one opinion.

GT specs the Helion Pro with a 1x10 drivetrain using Shimano XT and a RaceFace Turbine crank with a 32-tooth ring and an e.thirteen 42-tooth cog (shipped uninstalled) to expand the system’s range. Honestly, this single-ring hack is a bit disappointing for a bike at this price. Shifting performance with the expander ring installed is far from ideal–it’d be great to see a true 1x11 drivetrain on this bike. But there are plenty of smartly spec’d parts like the DT 350 Centerlock hubs and Stan’s Crest rims, Shimano XT brakes and RaceFace Turbine 35 740-mil-wide bars and matching 80-mil stem.

I love the ride that the Helion delivers. It’s quick on its toes like an XC bike should be but forgiving like a trail bike, which inspired me to get anaerobic just for the fun of it.

Price 5420$
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