What’s the Deal with the GT GTB/Pulse/Kinesis
A few months back I gave you my personal take on the Cannondale Track along with some facts about the 90s track king.
And before I could say a word, my DMs blew up with people asking me to do the exact same thing with what is probably the second most thought after 90s aluminum track bike… I’m of course talking about the GT GTB and other Triple Triangle Temptations like the pulse and the kinesis.
1 - General Track Bike
Let’s start with the most popular, the GTB. And for everyonw thinking it’s a fancy racecar reference, “GTB”, literary, means “General Track Bike”. It was an affordable, durable and quite rigid bike meant for to be abused and getting some velodrome time before you’d hop on your real track machine. With its reasonable price-point and square geometry, they were also easy to set up as loaner/training bikes, and that’s probably why American velodromes were so full of them. Welds are not particularly pretty, and a bit rough around the edges on quite a few spots. But it was in line with its original purpose: Beating the crap out of it on training sessions, and not feeling guilty about it.
2 - One More Triangle
Its durability made it a perfect candidate to import it to the streets and test it to its limits. But of course what was the most attractive to a lot of people was the aesthetic of the triple triangle geometry or “Hellenic chain stays” if you want to get all fancy about it.
To be clear, hellenic chain stays do look cool, but they are also full of unfounded myths and legends like:
- They will make your frame stiffer
- It’s to reduce the wheelbase
- The more triangles you have, the faster you go….
That extra triangle might be there because it’s been part of GT’s visual identity since almost the beginning, but other than making your frame slightly heavier, that third triangle doesn’t really do much.
3 - Sharp Lines and Good Looks
On the other side, the GT GTB is a good-looking and great-riding bike, that I would recommend anyone to try at least once. It’s made with the thickest aluminum tubing I’ve ever seen on a track bike, while staying surprisingly light. Riding it feels like getting a front row seat on a SpaceX rocket, so to sum it up: it’s very fast, and looking damn good, doing it.
The GT has one major problem from the factory though. The original fork is just not a good fit for this frame. A bunch of straight vectoring lines crossing each other are drawing in front of you, what might be the sexiest geometry you’ve ever seen… It’s literary like a fighter jet and a bike had a baby… But hold up… what’s that all the way on the front…. A flaccid, and bendy fork that is only there to be replaced with a woundup or anything else straighter than this eyesore.
4 – Kinesis, Pulse, and other variants…
Now that you know most of what makes the GT GTB so attractive, you might get confused with its other, very similar, cousins, especially since they (almost) all only came in black. So here is a quick guide for you:
- GT GTB: 7005 aluminum tubing, lugged steel fork, made in Taiwan, “GTB” inscription on the top tube.
- GT Pulse: Easton Aluminum tubing, Aluminum fork, made in the US, “Pulse” inscription on the top tube, “USA” stamped on the bottom bracket shell.
- GT Kinesis: Same as the Pulse but without any inscription, but if you see an additional “K” in the serial number under the bottom bracket, that’s probably it.
There is also the GT Meetball, Guterball, 2011 Pulse, but these are completely different bikes, and are pretty easy to tell apart.
Finally, here is the big question: You’re probably here because you might want one for yourself, but the prices are making you double-check on this potential investment.
Here is my personal take on it:
The Gt GTB/Pulse/Kinesis is a tremendously good riding frame. It’s quick, feels solid, and it will distribute every watt you put thought that crankset, directly to the ground.
I’m personally confident enough to use it as a daily and putting a few scratches on it has never been a big deal. Being a black bike, with decals that are easy to find online, you can always repaint it if it’s a big issue for you. But compared to the Cannondale track, the paint seems to be way more durable, and I’ve never ever seen a GT with a ding in it. (It probably exists somewhere, but the tubing being so thick will not make it easy for you to do some real damage.)
Me telling you it’s not a good bike would be a total lie (I owned four at some point, so, that’s how “into it” I was). But with the price they go for nowadays, you could also look for some alternatives. A repainted and well-built GT Gutterball might be your best bet if you’re on a budget, like this one from Orian in Paris.
Another option is Vendetta Bikes from Peru, but apart from the triple triangle, they have nothing in common with a GT.
Truce is: triple triangle frames are kinda hard to come by. And the GT is probably the best looking of them all.
You’re in luck if you find one online (including the SSS shop), but be ready to put some cash down if you want the real deal.
You can have any GT you want… as long as it’s black…
🎞: Kodak ColorPlus 200
📷: Nikon F100
📍: Anglet
