In Review: GT Aggressor Expert Mountain Bike 2020

This is the GT Aggressor Expert, by US company GT Bicycles. There’s a complete video review at the end of this article if you can’t be bothered to read all of the information in this blog 🙂

After significant research I settled on the GT Aggressor as it comes packed full of standard features, making it one of the most competitively priced mountain bikes available on the market today. With its 14.8kg light-weight aluminium frame, this hard-tail mountain bike is perfect to take to the park, enjoy the great outdoors, cruise the commute or take camping.

Let’s take a look at some of the features that the Aggressor Expert comes with.

Frame, wheels and tyres

The frame of the GT Aggressor Expert is constructed of an all-new 6061 T6 Aluminum frame, consisting on a Triple Triangle formation with floating seat stays.

Close up of the triangle frame of a GT Aggressor Expert — The GT Aggressor Expert features a triple-triangle formation, which is excellent for strength can can reduce the amount of space for mounting things.

There is an option of wheel sizes of 27.5 or 29″ wheels, and my bike features the 29” option. 27.5 in. wheels are generally considered to have faster acceleration while 29ers are more efficient on longer rides. Plus, the 29ers look pretty cool against the satin silver grey colour. The standard Ranger tyres from WTB suit the bike very well indeed and are a good choice for a mix of mountain bike usage.

The GT Aggressor Expert in a gravel pit — The 29″ wheels complement the satin silver colour option

Suspension

In addition to the triple triangle frame, the Aggressor Expert comes with front fork suspension consisting of 80mm SR Suntour XCM-DS coil suspension, with a hydraulic lockout and preload, to enable you to get the ride you require whether on or off road.

There is no suspension on the rear of the bike, and this is deliberate. This type of bike is known as a ‘hard tail’. As well as keeping the overall cost of the bike down – making it more accessible to many purchasers – I prefer this system as in my opinion it prevent the loss of energy when pedaling and helps overall handling performing.

Brakes & Gears

The GT Aggressor Expert comes with high quality Tektro M275 hydro brake discs, meaning you can stop in the shortest of distance even in the wet. The brake levers are smooth to operate, especially with the additional assistance of the hydraulic power.

GT Aggressor Expert brake disc/rotor — Disc/rotor brakes mean you can stop quickly and safely, even in the wettest of conditions.

Gears and derailleur are provided by Shimano with the Acera, 12-32, 8-speed system. One of the great features of this mountain bike is that it includes the Shimano M315 Rapid-fire Plus quick-shift gear levers making gear changes quick, smooth and accurate.

Shimano Rapidfire gear level closeup — Shimano M315 Rapid-fire Plus quick-shift gear levers make changing gear a doddle.

GT Aggressor Expert Shimano Acera gears — The Shimano Acera, 12-32, 8-speed gear system is smooth and quick to select up and down gears.

The saddle is comfortable and includes an Alloy Micro Adjustment with a 15mm setback.

Bad points

The only one very slight complaint I may have about this GT Aggressor Expert is that the pedals have limited grip when you’re not wearing very gripping shoes and I might change them in the future.

Summary

I’ve had this bike now for a month and I’ve been very impressed with its durability both on and off road. It’s easy to work on and perfect for someone with a budget of around £400 pounds or $625US dollars.