{"id":187527,"date":"2018-07-06T08:58:30","date_gmt":"2018-07-06T06:58:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mtb-mag.com\/?p=187527\/"},"modified":"2018-07-06T09:18:09","modified_gmt":"2018-07-06T07:18:09","slug":"first-ride-the-gt-sensor-with-new-lts-suspension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mtb-mag.com\/en\/first-ride-the-gt-sensor-with-new-lts-suspension\/","title":{"rendered":"[First Ride] The GT Sensor with New LTS Suspension"},"content":{"rendered":"

Something was boiling in the air\u00a0at GT\u00a0for some time and it’s\u00a0long been known\u00a0that there is a new enduro\u00a0model on the way from the American brand. It had already been\u00a0discovered<\/a>\u00a0some time ago,\u00a0during a stage of the EWS in Chilea<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After a few months, we were invited to Trysil, Norway to discover all the secrets of the new\u00a0\u00a0Sensor\u00a0<\/strong>and the new\u00a0\u00a0Force<\/strong>, with the new,\u00a0LTS (Linkage Tuned Suspension)<\/strong>\u00a0suspension layout.<\/p>\n

The new LTS<\/h1>\n

The new Sensors and Force represent an important turning point for the American brand that completely abandons\u00a0their most recent interpretations, namely the AOS (Angle Optimized Geometry) and the I-Drive, which they have finally forgone for a 4-bar style suspension scheme<\/p>\n

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The change is quite drastic, because the\u00a0I-Drive has been the hallmark of GT for many, many years. Executed in a rather daring way, a floating\u00a0bottom bracket\u00a0allowed a very high main pivot, first with the I-Drive then with the AOS,\u00a0this general layout has been the workhorse of GT.\u00a0Now it is no longer.<\/p>\n

There were those who liked it (personally, I found it very fun to ride, but it has a problem: it is very much affected\u00a0by braking input<\/strong>.\u00a0As long as you let the bike\u00a0go a bit, the rear end eats everything, but when the braking got heavy, the suspension no longer worked as it should.\u00a0The more brakes, the more it breaks down, thus requiring\u00a0you to brake even more.\u00a0A vicious cycle.\u00a0In reality, the secret to remedy this situation is to\u00a0let off the rear brake to make the bike more stable, but this requires a certain malice that the average rider hardly finds in times of difficulty.<\/p>\n

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The new LTS was designed precisely to mark a turning point, to create an\u00a0extremely independent braking<\/strong>\u00a0bike that is perfect for every type of rider, even the one that\u00a0grabs a bit too much brake.<\/p>\n

The acronym\u00a0\u00a0LTS<\/strong>\u00a0stands for\u00a0\u00a0Linkage Tuned Suspension<\/strong>\u00a0and identifies the new suspension scheme that GT will use on the Sensor and the Force, but not solely those bikes (in the future we will see further changes on other models).<\/p>\n

This is a\u00a04-bar<\/strong>\u00a0suspension scheme , obviously interpreted personally by GT.\u00a0To those who comment “yes, but it’s the same as …” Let’s say right away that aesthetics is one thing, but from a technical point of view two bicycles, even if they have ballpark suspension patterns of the same type, can have very different behaviors, so every bike must be analyzed independently based on its characteristics,<\/p>\n

At the\u00a0compression curve<\/strong>\u00a0level,\u00a0\u00a0the new LTS has a more progressive curve and a high initial sensitivity on small impacts.\u00a0It is compatible with both modern coil spring and air shock absorbers.<\/p>\n

The value of anti squat<\/strong>\u00a0has been optimized to ensure maximum traction, without giving too much emphasis on pedaling efficiency.\u00a0The LTS was born to make the bike fun to ride, therefore, it is not\u00a0an XC bike where what only matters going uphill.\u00a0In any case, to make the pedaling behavior as neutral as possible,\u00a0\u00a0pedal kickback<\/strong>\u00a0has been reduced to a minimum, with a low placed pivot that is\u00a0optimized for Eagle 1 \u00d7 12 transmissions<\/strong>,\u00a0with 32-34T crowns.<\/p>\n

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The rear shock has a\u00a0Trunnion<\/strong>\u00a0upper mount, on bearings and with the damper placed between the linkage.\u00a0This allows the use of a longer shock stroke and\u00a0helps make the most of the\u00a0improved smoothness and durability of the bearing mount.<\/p>\n

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A lot of work has been done on\u00a0the chassis’ linkage hardware and pivots<\/strong>, completely redesigned, reinforced and with sturdy MAX Enduro bearings.\u00a0We all know the delicacy of the old I-Drive hardware, and the GT engineers have worked to avoid this kind of problem.\u00a0The maintenance of the frame is now extremely simple.<\/p>\n

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According to the GT tradition, the\u00a0cable passage<\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0completely external<\/strong>\u00a0, for easier maintenance.\u00a0In order not to compromise the aesthetics of the bicycle, on the upper part of the\u00a0downtube of the carbon frame a space has been created to house tubes and\u00a0hoses called the\u00a0groove tube<\/em>\u00a0.<\/p>\n

The frame will be available in both aluminum and carbon, with an important novelty: the carbon frame will have only the\u00a0main triangle in carbon<\/strong>, the\u00a0rear end<\/strong>\u00a0and the\u00a0linkage<\/strong>\u00a0will be in\u00a0aluminum<\/strong>\u00a0.\u00a0The reasons for this choice are essentially twofold: the aluminum\u00a0rear end resists impacts better and is more durable, secondly it costs less and allowed GT to keep a lower\u00a0complete bike price.<\/p>\n

The new Sensor<\/h1>\n