GT

Karakoram Elite Complete Bike - 2015

29ers have changed the way we think about mountain bikes. Big wheels make your ride more stable and forgiving. Gone are the days when rear suspension was an absolute necessity. Because of this, true high-performance mountain bikes are available at a fraction of what a true high-performance mountain bike used to cost. The GT Karakoram Elite is a perfect example.

The big wheels really are the key, here. Since big wheels make the ride more forgiving, an aluminum hardtail is a totally legit platform, where it would have been an extremely harsh ride on 26-inch wheels. Because of that, GT can keep the frame cost down and outfit the Karakoram with a 100mm RockShox fork and a 30-speed Shimano drivetrain, highlighted by a Deore XT rear derailleur. That’s not to say that the Karakoram is a cut-rate frame. The hydroformed tubes are manipulated so that you have intense strength and low weight. The Triple Triangle also improves the bike's stiffness, and the geometry is aggressive, so the Karakoram climb as well as it descends.