The GT is one of a few bikes here that straddles the line between hard-hitting trail bike and mini downhill rig, thanks to its slack angles and lengthy 1,225mm wheelbase. Another similarity to its DH counterparts is its weight – it’s the heaviest bike on test by some way. Thankfully, the combination of a 32t chainring and 11-42t cassette means it’ll still crawl up the nastiest of climbs, though it does growl a little in the biggest sprocket.
GT’s own-brand dropper post works OK, although it’s a little slow at times. The seat tube design means you can’t totally slam the post (there’s a stop at the base to prevent the post hitting the shock) and you’ll need to be mindful of overall length if upgrading the dropper in future. Up front, a 170mm-travel RockShox Yari does a sterling job of swallowing up the hits, remaining stiff and accurate as you pummel through the chunder. While the Motion Control cartridge isn’t as refined as the Charger Damper in the Lyrik and Pike, it still works impressively for the most part, though it needs a little extra air pressure to gain the same support when being pushed hard.
At the rear, while things don’t feel super in the car park, up on the hill the Sanction really comes to life. There’s enough support and progression to allow you to really let loose through the big hits and in burlier terrain. Flat-out fast tracks can be ridden at serious pace if you have the bottle. The solid feel through the Sanction’s chassis means it’s no slouch when being muscled from turn to turn too, as long as you can keep the hard Performance compound Schwalbe tyres on track. Hit a root or rock mid corner and you’ll need to be prepared to get a foot out quick. The Sanction is quite noisy too, so a bit of time soundproofing it would be time well spent.
SPEC
Frame 6069-T6 aluminium, 160mm travel
Fork RockShox Yari RC Solo Air, 170mm travel
Shock RockShox Monarch Plus R DebonAir
Drivetrain SRAM GX with Race Face Chester cranks and SunRace cassette (1x11)
Wheelset WTB STP i29 rims on All Terra hubs, Schwalbe Magic Mary tyres
Weight 15.2kg (L)
Price $4500