tpo

Hey Everyone,

I have the opportunity to get an affordable 1999 GT Backwoods MTB. I know it's old and outdated, but I am primarily looking to hit some trails w/my 7yo son and see how we like mountain biking. Plus, I have a soft spot for GT's!

I'm not going to be riding competitively or hitting crazy trails, and I have a road bike for general riding. This will be primarily to hit up local beginner trails and paths, etc.

The frame is 18" (center of BB to center of seat tube/top tube junction.). I'm 6'1" w/a 34" inseam.

Will this be a good fit for me?

I'm in a rural area and have to drive a bit of a distance to see the bike. Just trying to get an idea if it's worth the ride.

Any insight on how vintage GT MTB's fit people would be greatly appreciated, thanks!

Iride01 

Probably way too small. You should google for that bike and try to find the sizing the mfr suggested for that bike. Usually if you can find an old catalog of the bikes they made for that year there will be a sizing guide in it.

Otherwise, I think you are in the 54 cm to 56 cm range (21 to 23 inches). But to be fair, I don't ride mountain bikes. So maybe I'm way off.

tpo

Thanks for the reply. MTB'ing is new to me, too. I think you generally select smaller frames than road bikes. The confusing thing to me, is that there is no standard way to measure bike frames, so the GT 18" may be different than say a Specialized 18".

bikemig 

I do ride vintage MTBs. 18 inch is quite likely too small. I'd look for a 20 inch MTB frame.