2024 BUDGET BIKE ROUNDUP

GT SENSOR SPORT REVIEW

Words by Travis Reill  |  Photos by Dusten Ryen & Brian Niles
Sponsored by Leatt & Tifosi Optics

Our “budget” in this budget bike roundup ranges by $500, with our most affordable bike at $2,000 and the top of the lineup at $2,500. GT Bicycle’s Sensor Sport sits comfortably between those two ends of the spectrum, offering quality trail capability at a very reasonable price. We were excited to throw a leg over the GT Sensor Sport and see where it falls in the pecking order of our Budget Bike Roundup.

ABOUT THE GT SENSOR SPORT

GT has a decent lineup for its full-suspension trail bike, the GT Sensor. Seven bike build options live under this banner. These range from the $2,300 Sensor Sport we have on test, to just under $6,000 with the Sensor Carbon Pro LE. GT boasts the Sensor Sport as an all-around trail killer with a price tag that doesn’t sting. With 140mm travel up front and 130mm rear, the Sensor Sport may be all the bike you need for most trails, and at a reasonable price.

FRAME AND FEATURES

Like every bike in our budget shootout, the GT Sensor Sport has an alloy frame in one color option, which GT calls “June Gloom.” The frame is offered in four sizes, from small to X-large. Simple yet clean branding and internally routed cables keep the Sensor looking fresh.

The bike is built around 29-inch wheels, with no flip-chip or options to run a mixed-wheel setup. In the back is an SRAM UDH compatible rear triangle, which makes replacing a derailleur hanger easier and allows running SRAM’s new T-Type drivetrains. A roomier front triangle and trunnion-mounted shock provide plenty of room for a water bottle cage. GT considered bearing accessibility on the Sensor Sport, ensuring that the componentry didn’t block bearings and bolts.

SUSPENSION

GT uses its Linkage Tuned Suspension (LTS), their name for the Four Bar suspension platform. They boast that this platform can take the big hits you throw at it while remaining consistent and providing good small bump sensitivity. GT takes advantage of the generally highly tunable Four Bar suspension system to produce a bike that is easy to pedal but remains planted during the descents.

GEOMETRY

The geometry numbers for the GT Sensor Sport remain relatively consistent across the size range. All sizes sport a 65.5° headtube angle and a 77.5° seat tube angle. They also all have the same chainstay length at 440mm; the same BB height of 345mm, and a 35 mm BB drop.

Reach, which ranges from 425mm to 510mm, grows a consistent 25mm from size to size, except for the jump from large to X-large, which sees a larger 35mm reach growth. Our size large had a reach of 475. The Wheelbase grew similarly to the Reach but in 29mm increments, except for the 39mm jump from large to X-large. Our size large stretches 1234mm at the wheelbase, with a 633mm Stack Height.

BUILD SPECS

The Trek Fuel and GT Sensor share suspension components. Both bikes are spec’d with a 140mm Rockshox Recon Silver up front and an X-Fusion Pro 2 shock to deliver 130mm rear travel. The Recon Silver is equipped with Rockshox’s Motion Control damper, which controls low-speed compression until locking out, and features a rebound adjustment. The X-Fusion shock has rebound adjustment and a lockout.

A Microshift 10-speed drivetrain takes care of the shifting, although our bike was equipped with Shimano’s 11-speed Deore. Tektro 2-piston hydraulic brakes handle the stopping, with 180mm rotors mounted front and rear.

Potentially the most contentious spec choices for our test group were the wheel and tire spec. WTB STX rims with a 25mm inner width are laced to Formula hubs, then fitted with WTB Trailboss 2.25” tires. The narrow width of both rim and tire look notably fragile and don’t inspire confidence, but the resulting feel wasn’t problematic for our team.

Wrapping up the build is a 170mm TranzX dropper and WTB Silverado saddle. Other touchpoints and cockpit parts are in-house GT components. Our size Large Sensor Sport tipped the scales at 36.3lbs/16.4kg.

THE DIRT

The GT Sensor Sport caught us all by surprise. It is a bike we didn’t anticipate performing so well and enjoying so much. If we are being entirely honest, the old saying “don’t judge a book by its cover” certainly applies when considering the Sensor Sport.

It’s not that there is anything seriously wrong with the GT, or that it is a particularly unattractive bike. But a quick glance showed a dropper lever that looked less than par, with the dropper cable housing climbing much higher than the other cables and hoses on the front of the bike. We were also concerned with traction, as the 2.25-wide WTB Trail Boss tires didn’t inspire extraordinary levels of confidence. However, throwing a leg over the GT Sensor Sport would start the process of changing our minds.

Robert was the first to take the GT for a rip and couldn’t stop telling us how much fun the bike was. And he wasn’t wrong. A moderately high 633mm stack height paired with a GT-branded handlebar with a 30mm rise brought the bike’s front end up. This gave a confident upright feel while riding the Sensor Sport, adding confidence in steeper terrain. It helped the bike to get off the ground a bit easier and be a tad more active than we had initially anticipated. The 475mm reach felt perfect, and the moderate 1234mm wheelbase helped in the Sensor Sport’s spry and lively feel. The pedaling position and platform made for a competent climbing machine, too.

While the GT Sensor Sport was a fun and active bike, it did have its drawbacks. Like every bike on test, the brakes lacked power. With that said, some considering a GT Sensor Sport may not be doing shuttle laps down some of the types of trails we rode, and the current stoppers may be fine. Either way, seeing 4-piston brakes on trail bikes is always a nice touch. We also had an issue with the dropper post cable when inserting the seat post. We determined that the cable taking such a drastic turn from the downtube as it enters the seat tube doesn’t allow it to move freely. Instead, it sort of bunches and coils up the more that the seatpost is pushed down until the leverage on the cable pops it out of place.

Similar to the Ari and Trek, the suspension on the GT Sensor Sport was anything but plush and smooth. While it didn’t completely lack support, it suffered from its fair share of bottom-outs. Any adjustments on the suspension either didn’t change the feel notably, or changed it drastically. The skinnier WTB Trail Boss tires had us getting loose around corners, providing a lot of fun. However, for more serious riding and trails, we would probably be reaching for a more aggressive, wider tire. Overall, this would probably be fine for the average trail rider who wants to get out a few times a month on the weekends.

The Wolf’s Last Word

The GT Sensor Sport lacked several of the same areas that the other budget bikes struggled in; namely brakes and suspension. However, solid geometry goes a long way and led the Sensor Sport to being a bike that all of our test crew enjoyed. 

Price: $2,300
Website: GTbicycles.com

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