Trail Tested | GT Force 29

October 24, 2019

Trail Tested | GT Force 29

Price: $4700

The GT Force 29 is an aluminum-framed MTB that boasts 170mm of front-wheel travel and 150mm of rear-wheel travel, a SRAM GX drivetrain, and a mild-mannered price tag that comes in under 5K. In competition circles, the Force is best known as a 27.5″ wheeled bike that is raced with great success on the Enduro World Series by Belgian Martin Maes. For 2020 GT added a 29″ wheeled option and a fans of big-wheeled bikes, we chose the Force 29 Pro when given the opportunity to spend some time in the saddle of a GT this past summer.

The Force 29 is available at three price points: the $2750 Elite, $3700 Expert, and $4700 Pro. All three of the new models boast aluminum frames, something that might leave some consumers scratching their heads, but as far as the premier Pro model is concerned, the result is an affordable top-end bike that boasts an impressive spec sheet that includes a Fox Float Performance Elite 36 fork, Fox Float X2 Performance shock, a SRAM GX Eagle 12-speed drivetrain, Stans NoTubes Flow MK3 wheels, and Maxxis Minion DHF tires.

The first thing we noticed was that the Force 29 has a very high top tube. In fact our tester Chase Curtis who stands at 5’10” and rides a large in every other bike brand, found himself resting his berries on the top tube with both feet on the ground. He did comment that even while riding, the Force 29 had a larger feel than he was used to.

The suspension action of the Force 29 is what really impressed us, In the firmest climbing setting the Fox 36 Performance Elite fork practically becomes ridgid and does not soak up any of your forward pedal power. The Float X2 shock, meanwhile, also does a great job in the firmest climbing setting of resisting energy wasting pedal bob. A small amount of compliance in this setting, however, allows for some rear suspension movement that helps maintain maximum traction. All told the components, coupled with GT’s tried and true LTS rear suspension design, allow the Force 29 to climb much better than you would expect a 170/150mm travel bike to. The Elite fork features four-way adjustability for high- and low-speed compression and rebound, and it was easy to trust the front end of the bike as we are big fans of the Fox 36 fork.

The LTS rear suspension comes with a “flip chip” at the botton shock mount. This clever design allows you to easily switch beteween a high and steep or low and slack setting for the bottom bracket heights and head angles, respectively, based on terrain and preference. While we did try the bike in the high setting, we felt that it gave the Force 29 an even taller feel and large sensation, so we switched back to the low setting, which offered more high-speed stability and confidence while descending, anyway.

The overall feel of the Force 29 is rigid and precise, which yields a predictable and planted feel in the rock gardens of our local ride spot. Again, we were surprised at the climbing performance of the bike, as it not only seemed to pedal more efficiently than we expected, but the bike has a comfortable climbing position as well and has no trouble keeping the front end planted in technical steep inclines.

We really enjoyed the Maxxis Minion DHF tires as they offer copious amounts of traction in all conditions.While they are not as compliant as some tires due to their firmer sidewalls, they resist rolling and offer consistent, predictable feedback no matter how hard you push them. Mounted to Stans NoTubes Flow X3 wheels, we had no issues with the combo once we ditched the stock tubes and added some fluid.

The Force 29 Pro is available in a cool burgundy color that drew plent of compliments on the trail. While we wouldn’t have chosen bright coral logos personally, the combo is eye-catching and nicely rounds out what is overall a value-packed, great performing trail bike that can hold up to all of the abuse you can throw at it. At under $5000, the 2020 GT Force 29 Pro is quite a piece of equipment. We love it!