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$