Shredding an EWS stage on a 25 year old GT mountain bike

Ric McLaughlin scares himself silly on this rigid blast from the past

Check out Ric McLaughlin shredding the gnar on this rad(ish) 25-year-old GT

Jack Luke

Published: November 22, 2017 at 2:00 pm

_{Watch Ric McLaughlin shred a 25-year-old GT harder than you could}

We’ve just spotted this excellent video on the CRC YouTube channel that features Ric McLaughlin — presenter and ex MBUK staffer — shredding an EWS stage on a 25-year-old GT Outpost.

The bike Ric rides features a clapped-out 3x7 drivetrain, a stem that’s nearly as long as the bike's perilously narrow bars are wide and 0-whole-mm of suspension.

Out back, the Outpost is even graced with a U-brake — for those of you that don’t remember these, well, count yourself lucky…

Despite the outdated tech and essentially useless brakes, Ric does a far better job of shredding along the bike on the rocky stage than I could ever dream of managing.

Any retro mountain bikers shredding the gnar out there? Share your snaps in the comments below.

Digital editor

Jack Luke is the digital editor at BikeRadar and has been utterly obsessed with riding and bike tech for his whole life. Jack can primarily be found whizzing about at a moderate pace on his array of road bikes from his home in Bristol, but his greatest passion is for cycle touring, bikepacking and ill-advised gravel-flavoured long-distance hike-a-bike-peppered adventures. Jack is also interested in fixed-gear bikes, tandems and anything else that’s a wee bit weird. With a near-encyclopedic knowledge of cycling tech – ranging from the most esoteric retro niche to the most cutting-edge modern kit – Jack takes pride in seeking out stories that would otherwise go unreported. After years spent working in bike shops, and as a photography technician and tutor, Jack joined BikeRadar in 2016. He’s now responsible for shaping the overall output of BikeRadar, editing, planning and – when he gets the chance – writing content for the site. Jack’s also a regular host on the BikeRadar YouTube channel and BikeRadar Podcast, and has contributed to articles for the Guardian and been a guest on BBC Radio Scotland.

Height: 181cm
Bike size: 56cm/Large