Bicycles Online > Mountain Bikes > GT Marathon Carbon Mountain Bike Review

GT Marathon Carbon Mountain Bike Review

If you are looking for a competitive edge or just looking for a durable, light weight mountain machine to get you through the toughest terrain, the GT Marathon Carbon bikes are our top, overall, full suspension mountain bike choice.

Each rider is unique and we all have different needs and requirements in a mountain bike. With that said, our top overall, full suspension mountain bike pick goes to the GT Marathon Carbon, which just happens to fall into the "Trail/Marathon" category.

GT builds some of the best BMX and mountain bikes in the world and the Marathon Carbon line is their high end, Trail/Marathon bikes. For 2010, this series includes the Team, Pro and Expert.

GT Marathon Carbon Features at a Glance: All GT Marathon Carbon bikes have GT I drive 4 monocoque carbon fiber frames, front triangle and rear triangle with 4 inches of travel. Integrated headset, and Tires are Kenda Karma, 26x 2.0 120 TPI with Kevlar bead and DTC compound. Other components are dependent on the specific model.

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Note: As of 4/17/2011 the GT Marathon Carbon s no longer available online at our merchant sites. The 2010 GT Marathon Carbon Pro was previously selling for $2,799 (new)

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GT Marathon Carbon Model Comparisons:

The 2010 GT Carbon Marathon series has 4 price/frame/component levels. The 4 primary levels are based on frame materials and include the Team and Team SRAM at the high end followed by the Pro and then the Expert at the entry level.

The Team and Pro forks are FOX 32 F RL with 120mm of travel, rebound adjust and remote lock out and Rear shock is Rear Fox Float RP23 with rebound adjust lock out and adjustable pro pedal

The Expert fork is a Rock Shox RECON RACE Air, 120 mm travel, with aluminum steerer rebound adjust and motion control and Rear shock is Fox Float RP2 Shock with rebound adjust and lock out.

See the Performance Bike links (above) for their automated comparison feature to see the specific details.

GT Marathon Carbon Negative Reviews:

After an extensive search of online reviews, I was not able to find any consistent negative reviews on the Carbon Marathon Bikes. There were a few negative comments, of course (such as "Rear suspension is little bit too bumpy for me...", "I-Drive and headset units require constant cleaning, lubrication, and tightening..." (at mtbr.com)) but I none of these were consistent with any other reviews and the "cons" did not have much of an effect on the customers ratings and satisfaction with the Carbon Marathon bikes.

About-Bicycles Review:

Although the GT Marathon Expert is still an excellent entry level selection, I think that GT would have been more consistent if they had left this one out of the Marathon Carbon bike line up.

GT mountain bikes, in general, are some of the best mountain bikes on the market and the Marathon Carbon series are arguably the best full suspension mountain bikes that GT offers.

The biggest problem with the GT Marathon at this time is that GT only built a limited number of these bikes and they no longer produce the Marathon (since 2010). Therefore, there are a limited number of these bikes and limited sizes left to be purchased new.

It's not hard to recommend GT bikes at any level but with the GT Marathon Carbon being their high end "Trail/Marathon" bike I can easily recommend the GT Marathon Carbon as the best mountain bike in its price range.

Customer Reviews:

There are plenty of reviews of the GT Marathon bikes to be found online. Most customers have rated all of the GT Marathon Carbon models very highly and, as I mentioned above, the few negative comments were inconsistent.

Most Relevant Customer Review Comments included...

GT Marathon Pro: "Lightweight (though not the lightest carbon frame) good spec for money, fast, and really responsive suspension...." "...A really good climber - flies up hills and maintains traction over loose stuff. Good on the down too - I have yet to find the bikes limits. Although carbon its a tough frame - lots of carbon in the right places. " - from mtbr.com

GT Marathon Expert: "first of all this bike has a Red hot killer look overshadowing other high end brands.... "

"...Great price, superior handling because of geometry and the I drive system, great on climbs as well as descents, just watch out for the size, its slightly larger than standard sizes... "

"...Not much of a review on this bike when i did my research, but I guarantee you will be very happy with it for the looks as well as the ride itself truly GT stands by its name...."

- from PerformanceBike.com

See the GT Marathon links above for more information, additional customer reviews or to get this bike online.

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