NooBicycle

So I just picked up a pretty bike off of Craigslist for a heck of a price, but I'm having my questions as to whether or not it's a GT like the stickers say.







I can provide more images if need be. The bike has two GT stickers on the down tube, one on the head, and a sticker that says "Laser" on the top tube. The fork appears to be a custom painted CroMo.

It has full Shimano 600 components with STI 600 shifters.

She's super light, super quick, and was a steal at $450. There isn't a single scratch on the body, fully clean components, rides and looks like it was put together yesterday. I just can't figure out what the frame is or how old it is.

From the research I've done, GT has only made one non-triple T production road bike, which was back in '94, but I haven't been able to find any information on it.

Sir Real

How do you know it was a steal at $450 if your not sure what kind of bike it is?

urbanknight

That's a very curious frame. Lugged steal with vertical dropouts and the brake cable routed on top of the tube. Not sure if it's actually a GT or not, but I can't find any references to a "GT Laser" on the internet other than the craigslist ad. Also, the only non triple triangle GT road bikes I'm aware of are the GTR series from the past 6 or 7 years.

NooBicycle

In reality I don't "know" per say whether it was a great deal or not. One can only really guess. The quality of the craftsmanship, the condition of the parts, and feel of the ride all went into my guess. Also the fact that the two LBS's that i've been in over the last three days, as well as many people on the road itself, have been very curious and excited about the bike. Couple that with the amount of money the comp set could draw off e-bay, and I've developed a pretty decent idea as to whether or not it's value is more than my investment. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong, but I won't think I am until someone tells me otherwise.

mihlbach

It sure looks nice, except for that hideous quill stem. Does it really matter if its a GT? I would be more interested in what kind of steel the frame is made of.

NooBicycle

The stem is sort of an eyesore, as are the dirtying grips and the rockhard Italia Sphere seat. I'm going in to a bicycle graveyard today to try and find a decent, flashy white saddle to mount. If I go white with the saddle, I have to go white with the bars too, so that should make this baby pop a little more.

Doesn't matter if it's a GT, although most people have been really excited by the possibility of it being one. Is there a way to tell by looking at the frame and it's welds what sort of steel it is?

RT

Check over in C&V - those guys know more than anyone should about obscure vintage bikes.

urbanknight

There should be a sticker on the seat tube stating what steel it is.

I'm not sure why most people would be excited to find that it's a GT. They weren't really known for anything but BMX back then. I'd be excited to find out it's a European steel frame like a Bottechia or Simonetti.

mihlbach

+1....I see several stickers on the seat tube. The upper one usually is about the type of tubes, but sometimes its the lower one. Need more photos. The tubeset is largely what will determine the worth of the frame.

rooftest

Why can't I ever find people who think paying me $450 for a 20 year old bike is a "steal?"

urbanknight

You live in Los Angeles. Turn it into a fixie and they'll come.

oilman_15106

A steel frame of that age should have a serial number stamped under the bottom bracket. I would start with that in my research as suggested over on Classic & Vintage. Never have seen a steel GT road bike like that but they did make lots of bikes in the day. The other side of the coin is you can get those decals on ebay. Good luck.

NooBicycle

Here's a picture update.
New Fizik Arione Tri 2 Flex and Fizik White Grip Tape
Shimano 600 STI Shifters/brakes
Shimano 600 Brake Calipers
Shimano 600 Hubs
Shimano 600 Cassette w/ an Ultegra Bolt
Shimano 600 Crankset
Shimano Deore XT Headset
Shimano 600 Front and Rear Derailleurs
Sun Ringle Venus Rims w/ DT Swiss Spokes and currently Roadmaster II Tires
GT Cro-Mo Fork

No serial number stamped anywhere. No stickers saying what the Steel/CroMo mix on the frame is. No idea of age.

ahsposo 

I always thought that most GT bikes had the "triple triangle" but I'm no expert on the brand...



A track bike.

NooBicycle

That's the confusing part. There is one frame that i've come across in a catalogue from '94 that doesn't have the triple T

Here enlies the problem. Everything about the bike says early 90's, but from the research I've done, GT only made one road bike without a triple T in '94, which was found in a German GT catalogue. https://www.retrobike.co.uk/gallery2/...2_itemId=10521 found on page 7. I haven't been able to find any other information on the bike, other than later models of the virage had the triple t. I THINK that GT has made road bikes in the mid-later 2000's that are without the triple t, but I could be mistaken.

Another poster brought up the point that the GT stickers are commonly on EBay/ Also, whoever built the bike up could be have just liked the "laser" sticker.