GT was one of those BMX companies during the 1980's that always captivated my attention because of the unique design they pioneered starting from a practical need. two icons of the BMX world, Bob Morales and Eddie Fiola are credited with the design of the original 1984 GT Performer, the first freestyle BMX by GT. Eddie wanted to mount the front caliper brakes behind the forks and to spin the handlebar a full 360 without obstruction from the front brakes. thus came the famous Performer's down-tube bend from the neck that allow enough clearing to do just that. this unique design did not stop there with GT.
the next iteration of the GT Performer was the Pro Freetyle Tour (a.k.a. Pro Performer). the 1987 design was more sophisticated than before featuring a second bend on the down-tube, and a "pass-through" channel through the down-tube for the rear break line. also was the fatter, bolder top-tube freestyle platform. the frame design was years ahead of itself, and , i feel, is more attractive than today's BMX bikes. it was ridden by my favorite and most influential professional freestyle factory rider Martin Aparijo. this was the bike i wanted back then, and still want to this day.
the closest i came to owning one was after purchasing the 1990 GT Agressor. it featured the double bend down-tube, but it was missing the freestyle platform to make way for a bash guard. it was a beautiful bike, and i regret ever selling it. however it wasn't as stylish as the Pro Freestyle Tour, and it lacked some of the pro-level features such as the 990 mounts for both the front and rear breaks.
today i am a proud owner of the long distant cousin to the Pro Freetyle Tour. my 1999 GT Tour 2 is a heavy beast with fat 4130 chrome-moly steel tubing running from the neck of the frame to the rear drop-outs. also made from chrome-moly are the forks, handlebars, crank arm, seat post, and axle extenders. it's gotta be at least 40lbs. it's among the last of it's kind built in the USA out of Santa Ana, California. it's 10 years old and it rides like it came right off the shelf from the bike shop where i got it, and - as if history couldn't repeat itself - it's design rivals that of today's BMX bikes.
here are some detailed photos i took of my GT Tour 2; a complete factory original with exceptions to the bar-ends and the GT Airbag tires. i do have them; i just just didn't want to damage the GT bar-ends any further, and the tires were pretty much worn.
so long as i'm allowed ride i hope to never part from it.
peace,
@riel
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