GT Fury Carbon Pro 29 first ride review

It’s been two decades since GT stuck its LTS (Linkage Tuned Suspension) tag on a downhill bike. But on the new, big-wheeled Fury, its long-running I-Drive system is gone, and in its place is a new take on the classic four-bar design. Does it live up to its heritage?

• Best mountain bikes tested by BikeRadar
• How to set up your mountain bike suspension

GT Fury Carbon Pro 29 frame

Available in medium and large sizes only (although you can get the 650b-wheeled version in a small), the 29er frame combines a carbon fibre front triangle with an aluminium rear end, which delivers a progressive 200mm of travel.

The high main pivot is paired with a chain idler to help keep pedal kickback to a minimum.

A flip chip lets you knock half a degree off the head angle (62.5 to 62 degrees) and drop the bottom bracket by 6mm (354mm to 348mm), without changing the suspension kinematics. My medium bike had a reach of 445mm.

The frame uses 148x12mm Boost rear hub spacing, more commonly found on trail bikes. A ‘Groove tube’ along the top of the down tube keeps your cables external for ease of maintenance but hides them out of harm’s way, and there’s a bolt-on cable guide/fork bumper up front to protect both them and the frame.

GT Fury Carbon Pro 29 kit

The cheaper of the two Fury 29 models is decked out with some competitive equipment. A RockShox BoXXer RC fork and Super Deluxe RC shock take care of suspension duties. Both are capable units, although the fork could do with more mid-stroke support.

SRAM provides its downhill-specific, 7-speed GX DH drivetrain and four-pot Code R brakes. The Carbon Pro rolls on DT Swiss E 521 hoops, shod with DH-casing, triple-compound Maxxis Minion DHF tyres. Things are finished off with Spank components and a Fabric saddle.

GT Fury Carbon Pro 29 first ride impressions

At 17.94kg / 39.55lb, you might expect riding the Fury 29er to be a bit of slog, especially with its idler pulley, which is always going to increase chain drag. Quite the opposite, I was surprised by how sprightly it feels for a big-wheeled downhill machine.

It gets up to speed quickly when you stamp on the gas, with much less effort required than anticipated, and is keen to stay there too. When pointed down the rough stuff, the GT isn’t as plush as some other high-pivot designs, such as the Norco Aurum HSP, but it feels composed and deals with the bumps effectively.

Over repeated hits, I found the air-sprung RockShox BoXXer RC fork had a harder time keeping up than the Super Deluxe coil shock. The head angle is slack in both settings, so I left the flip chip in the ‘low’ position, where the lower bottom bracket gives the bike a more planted feeling and, combined with the big wheels, means there’s a massive amount of grip available.

I was surprised by how happy the Fury 29 is to be thrown from side to side. Negotiating kinks in the trail or tight berms feels pretty effortless, considering the slackness and weight of the bike.

It’s not the biggest out there, in geometry terms, so could be a strong contender for smaller DH riders/racers wanting to get on bigger wheels.

GT Fury Carbon Pro 29 geometry (M)

• Seat angle: 74.5 degrees
• Head angle: 62 degrees
• Chainstay: 17.32in / 44cm
• Seat tube: 16.54in / 42cm
• Top tube: 23.43in / 59.5cm
• Head tube: 4.13in / 10.5cm
• Trail: 2.28in / 5.8cm
• Bottom bracket drop: 1.1in / 2.8cm
• Bottom bracket height: 13.7in / 34.8cm
• Wheelbase: 49.57in / 1,259mm
• Stack: 24.25in / 61.6cm
• Reach: 17.52in / 44.5cm