Individual test GT Fury: Why you should have the big bike on your radar despite the company crisis

Downhillers don't have it easy - and the new GT Fury certainly doesn't. As racer Danny Hart's workhorse, it has to tear down World Cup tracks with Vmax, as freerider Brage Vestavik's stunt vehicle, it must not buckle during XXL stunts and it also has to fulfil the demands of us hobby freeriders and racers. How is that supposed to work?

GT Fury: Between freeride and race

The manufacturer's marketing department doesn't see this as a problem. On the contrary, according to GT, the new model should manage the balancing act between freeride and racing better than ever. We know from the predecessor - the Fury has been in the US cult brand's programme since 2008 - that it was very much geared towards grip. Fun fact: The bike was the first carbon downhiller to win a World Cup. That was in Val di Sole in 2010. Pilot back then: Marc Beaumont. In 2012, GT signed the Atherton siblings and the big title collecting could really begin. This was followed by dozens of World Cup victories and even world champion titles on the Fury. Kyle Strait also proved that the big bike has taker qualities. In his run at the Red Bull Rampage 2013, he dropped 13 metres.

Worthy test terrain for the GT Fury

To test the GT Fury under tough conditions, we travelled to Leogang with three testers. The UCI World Cup downhill course served as a test track to check for smoothness and speed. The Fury had to prove its manoeuvrability and pop on the jump lines. And because individual tests have the disadvantage that there is no comparison, we also took the big bikes from the last duel (BIKE 1/25) with us. This allowed us to compare the GT Fury with the reference bikes Atherton A.200.1 and Pivot Phoenix.

Facts: GT Fury Carbon Pro

• Weight: 18.5 kg
• Suspension travel: 200/200 mm
• Wheels: Mullet
• Price: 7499 Euro
• Frame material: carbon/aluminium

Equipment:

• Fork/damper: Rockshox Boxxer Ultimate/Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil
• Circuit: Sram GX Eagle DH
• Brakes: Sram Code R 200/200 mm
• Impellers: Formula/Sram MTH746 hubs/Stan's NoTubes Flow EX3 rims
• Tyres: Continental Kryptotal Fr Dh 2.4/ Continental Kryptotal Re Dh 2.4
• max. system weight: 138 kg
• Guarantee: 25 years
• Special features: Flipchip for chainstays, rear triangle progression and for Mullet or Full 29 tyres.

From the test lab

• Total weight: 18.5 kg without pedals
• Weight of wheels: 6300 grammes
• Impeller inertia: 5072 kg x cm

What's new about the Fury?

From a purely visual point of view, two new features are particularly striking: the rocker link, which now runs through the two-part seat tube to the shock instead of past it at the side, and a gap in the down tube directly above the bottom bracket. The cables now run into the frame. The pure 27.5-inch version is no longer available; customers now have the choice between 29-inch and mullet tyres. The frame size M is still rather compact. With a height of 1.78 metres, we would have preferred a larger frame. When comparing the geometry data with the predecessor, you have to search for a long time and still find hardly any significant differences - despite the new frame construction. The carbon frame with aluminium rear triangle has shed around 300 grams - but as a complete bike, the Fury still weighs in at 18.5 kilos without pedals.

Flipchip mania

The new Fury is also adaptable thanks to three flip-chip adjustments. The chainstays can be adjusted from a short 435 to a moderate 445 millimetres. New: The kinematics can be set progressively or linearly and, depending on your preference, an air shock can also be installed. There is also the option to switch between 29 inch and mullet - as on our test bike. We would also have liked a reach adjustment in the headset.

¹ BIKE measured values: Wheel inertia: the lower the measured value, the easier it is to accelerate. Weight without pedals. Wheel weight per set with tyres, cassette, brake discs. Frame stiffness: Lateral stiffness in N/mm separately for the front frame triangle including the installed fork (front) and the rear triangle (rear).

... and action!

Sit on it and feel good? Almost. It takes a while for us to get used to the somewhat squat position on the bike - but then we feel right at home. The bike steers itself lively and directly over the trail. Super! In contrast to the reference bikes from Atherton and Pivot, manual rides on the Fury are child's play.

As we turn onto the World Cup track, the real aha effect follows. The suspension spoils the rider with plenty of comfort and shields the rider from hits from steps, drops and roots - like a secret service agent shields paparazzi from the US president. The Ultimate suspension from Rockshox does a great job and harmonises like no other downhill bike. Fast, small bumps or drops into the flat: the Fury suspension has the right answer for all eventualities. The bike is also nice and quiet. The low front end provides a lot of pressure on the front wheel, but takes a toll on your energy in steep sections and makes your hands tire more quickly.

On jumps, the Fury shines with plenty of pop for airtime interludes and proves its suitability for the park - more than the reference bikes Pivot Phoenix and Atherton A200.1. Despite the high stack and low bottom bracket, however, we miss the "standing low in the frame". On rough downhill sections, the geometry rather than the suspension limited us. With the fork crown, the maximum height is quickly reached, so we screw a handlebar with significantly more rise to the cockpit and lo and behold, better! In short: the geometries of the reference bikes are more geared towards racing, but the Fury manages the balancing act between park and race much better - as promised by the manufacturer.

Conclusion on the GT Fury

Promise kept: The new GT Fury now makes racers and park freeriders happy. The front and rear harmonise better than on any other downhill bike I've ridden so far. The bike can handle a lot of speed and is playful and lively enough on park trails despite its high weight. The bike would benefit from a higher front end and more powerful brakes.

Have you got a taste for BigBikes? You might be interested in the following tests:

• The Atherton A.200.1 versus Pivot Phoenix Pro