GT Edge
The GT Edge
is a Reynolds 853 bike, like Steelman's CC and Eurocross, but with a slightly stiffer ride that may be due to GT's Triple Triangle frame design. Mine seems a little less compliant over bumpy terrain and washboarded dirt roads than the Steelman, and feels stiffer in a sprint or while climbing out of the saddle.A fellow racer took it for a spin in a parking lot during the 1999 Colorado 'cross series and said he thought the steering was a bit twitchier than his Redline; to me, it simply feels lively and aggressive. Nevertheless, I left it in the pit during one particularly mountain-bikey 'cross and went with my trusty Steelman Eurocross.
Like my other bikes, the GT is a Frankensteinian collection of parts cannibalized from other bikes, swagged from accommodating industry friends, or bought from local shops and catalog ops: a no-name stem from Old Town Bike Shop in Colorado Springs; a Salsa Moto-Ace bar with a too-deep drop and Off the Front's new elastomer tape; 105 headset and bottom bracket, 8-speed Ultegra drivetrain (12-28 & 48/39) with bar-end shifters and Ultegra aero' brake levers (I later stripped the STI from my road bike ... I can't deal with bar-ends outside of time trials any more); an STX top-pull front derailleur swiped from my wife's elderly Barracuda; Mavic Open 4CD rims laced to Ultegra hubs, wearing Vredestein Campo 700x32 wire-bead clinchers (I eventually settled on Cane Creek Crono Cross wheels for this bike); an XTR post topped by a Flite saddle; Paul's Neo-Retro canti's with Kool-Stop pads; and Time pedals. The complete bike weighs in at 22.5 pounds. Without STI, I thought, the Edge should weigh a good deal less than my Eurocross; I blame the extra weight on the heavy Open 4CD wheelset, with its unbutted spokes and wire-bead clinchers. I haven't re-weighed the bike with its new configuration, but expect it's slightly heavier.
There's plenty of room for rubber on the GT; I eventually went with the portly Michelin Sprint/Mud combo on this bike and used it for extra-filthy conditions. The top-tube cable routing is a must when the going gets gooey. GT thoughtfully included plenty of cable stops that can accommodate barrel adjusters, so you can tweak brakes and shifting on the fly. The routing of cables around the seat-tube/top-tube/seatstay triangle is particularly elegant, and should eliminate any shifting concerns for those who prefer STI to bar-ends and thus stick to the shorter down-tube cable option.
My Edge was built in GT's Longmont factory, now deceased. It remains available as a custom option, according to GT.
--Patrick O'Grady/Mad Dog Media
