GT Titanium road frame - headtube sizes?

[cribbit]

I just purchased this GT: https://imgur.com/a/wj4dZ1D because I'm sort of ish starting to get into collecting interesting/rare titanium bikes. IMO GT wouldn't be anything special except for the obvious - that sweet triple triangle.

EDIT: It's a 1", I am bad with a measuring tape.

[peanutgallery]

It's 20 years after the fact...and a niche within a niche...nothing to get frustrated with

GT began to struggle with deliverables in 97. Their handmade shop was in Longmont. The ti bikes were really late and I can't recall if they were made by GT or someone else. GT made some really cool steel and aluminium hand made, ti not so much. Sandvik?

They broke often

[Kontact]

That's weird that they were using 1 1/8" as early as '98. What fork would they have available at that point?

The 1998 catalog is on Retrobike. It doesn't look like 1 1/8".

[longlist]

i own a gt edge titanium frame. and a reynolds steel one. both 60cm. they are both 1" tubes. the titanium is a 1994 and the steel a 1998. both made in colorado. all their high end frames were made there. a friend of mine raced for gt and his edge titanium frame was from 1998 and has a 1" tube to.

[aaronf]

Yeah, agree with above that 1-1/8" would have been highly unusual in '98. Also cannot come up with what fork would have been used.
Maybe the head tube was replaced? I know of more than a few titanium frames that started with 1" but now have 1-1/8" courtesy of the original builder or otherwise (repairer) like Bilenky.

[MaraudingWalrus]

GT did more Edge Ti frames in 2013 (https://bikerumor.com/2012/06/26/2013-gt-road-cyclocross-titanium-edge-carbon-gtr-di2-and-disc-brake-type-cx/) or so.

It could be one of those, if not 100% sure it's old. But it sounds like you are.

[longlist]

aaron
the fork they used for the original ones was an alloy one by kinesis. thats whats on mine. the newer bikes used a bladed kind of gt fork that was black. the steel bikes were stock with a steel fork.

[Kontact]

aaron
the fork they used for the original ones was an alloy one by kinesis. thats whats on mine. the newer bikes used a bladed kind of gt fork that was black. the steel bikes were stock with a steel fork.

In 1 1/8"?

[longlist]

no. both are 1". both threaded. the carbon one was offered in threaded and threadless. mine are both threaded.
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/246923/

[Kontact]

no. both are 1". both threaded. the carbon one was offered in threaded and threadless. mine are both threaded.
https://www.lfgss.com/conversations/246923/

Ah. I thought Aaron was musing that the OP's 1 1/8" frame in 1998 wouldn't have had a fork available to use.

[longlist]

contact I've never seen that gt fork in the bigger size. only the smaller. but maybe im wrong. but the frames i have are 1" sizes.

[cribbit]

GT did more Edge Ti frames in 2013 (https://bikerumor.com/2012/06/26/2013-gt-road-cyclocross-titanium-edge-carbon-gtr-di2-and-disc-brake-type-cx/) or so.

It could be one of those, if not 100% sure it's old. But it sounds like you are.

I wish it was one of those! Those have tapered headtubes and look distinctively modern. Actually I take that back, as much as I'd like one I hate sloped top tubes. There's a guy with one for sale but he's asking way too much.

[cribbit]

It's 20 years after the fact...and a niche within a niche...nothing to get frustrated with

GT began to struggle with deliverables in 97. Their handmade shop was in Longmont. The ti bikes were really late and I can't recall if they were made by GT or someone else. GT made some really cool steel and aluminium hand made, ti not so much. Sandvik?

They broke often

The information I'm finding shows these as being made in their Longmont, CO factory, by GT directly. Can't find anything indicating that these are more fragile than others, do you have a source on that?

[cribbit]

Yeah, agree with above that 1-1/8" would have been highly unusual in '98. Also cannot come up with what fork would have been used.
Maybe the head tube was replaced? I know of more than a few titanium frames that started with 1" but now have 1-1/8" courtesy of the original builder or otherwise (repairer) like Bilenky.

If this headtube was swapped they did it perfectly cleanly and without reducing the top tube length.

[MaraudingWalrus]

I love the modern ones. I had a frame being swapped out a couple years ago (maybe 2015) via warranty. I worked at a cannondale shop and it was my SuperSix evo. They were out of them for a long time, and when they eventually sent me one it didn't have a fork at all, or eventually one that could match. I tried to get them to send me a GT ti edge frame instead of the Evo hi mod they sent me eventually (that went to bcroslin). Even though the evo HM was like $1500 more expensive wholesale than the GT which was by then several years old on closeout they wouldn't do it.

Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

[longlist]

I've never heard of them being made by anyone but the factory in longmont colorado. at least the ones i have. the newer ones were made in asia. my titanium frame cracked at the bottom bracket. but i loaned it to someone and it cracked when he used it. but I've never heard over tons of problems. my filet welded steel one is really nice.

[aaronf]

Ah. I thought Aaron was musing that the OP's 1 1/8" frame in 1998 wouldn't have had a fork available to use.

Yes, exactly. Sorry I wasn't clear there. Couldn't think of a road fork available in 1-1/8" before about 2001-2002.

If this headtube was swapped they did it perfectly cleanly and without reducing the top tube length.

I've seen several very well executed headtube swaps. And don't forget the incoming headtube diameter is larger which means you have half the difference to work with (removal/re-mitering of TT and DT) to keep TT c-t-c identical.


And agree with posts above that everything I've seen and heard, all of the pre-2000 titanium frames -and custom/high end steel and aluminum too, think Saturn- were Longmont bikes by Forrest Yelverton, David Tiemeyer, and small crew. Not exaclty sure when Longmont was ultimately shuttered and/or Tiemeyer went on his own.

[Kontact]

I really have a had time understanding why anyone would bother replacing their inch head tube. There is no lack of competently executed 1" forks.