The GT Grade is now on its third iteration. Having morphed from a capable endurance bike into something more off-road ready, this latest version seeks to maximise its credentials when facing the rough stuff. It attempts this via a reconsidered geometry and a triple triangle frame that mixes carbon and glass fibre to provide around 30mm of suspension-like travel.
Its other attributes have also been pumped up to match its new persona. There’s now clearance for tyres up to 50mm wide, plus a bevvy of mounts on the frame and fork for bikepacking gear, along with more traditional mudguard fittings. Elsewhere in the Grade range, you’ll find a version with a suspension fork and dropper post. While we’ve opted to go without, you’ll find the necessary compatibility on all bikes should you wish to fit them later.
GT Grade Carbon Pro LE background and development
When I was young, the coolest bike you could own was a GT. Not only did the brand sponsor my childhood idols, the mountain bikers Steve Pete and Hans Ray, its bikes also had the instantly recognisable triple triangle frame. Quite what this assemblage, whereby the seatstays bisected the main triangle of the frame to create a third and highly covetable extra triangle, achieved was beside the point. Now, several decades later, the design has found its raison d’être. Applied along with a clever carbon and glass fibre layup, the uninterrupted seatstays on the new Grade allow it to achieve several centimetres of vertical compliance.
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Introduced in 2014, with each reappearance the Grade has become more capable. Now on the third go, it’s shifted from endurance road bike to light gravel machine before finally morphing into this more fully formed off-roader.
GT Grade Carbon Pro LE frameset
The Grade is designed to be fast yet competent off-road. ‘We built this generation to be more capable than before,’ explains Patrick Kaye, GT’s product manager.
‘We wanted the bike to be light enough for racing while still being a fun, playful bike for your local stomping grounds. We pulled back on some of the bikepacking features, like the flip chip fork, to focus more on improved vertical compliance.’
This streamlined yet more aggressive Grade now promises 30mm of rear travel without resorting to the more involved mechanical solutions found on bikes like Specialized’s new Diverge or Cannondale’s Topstone. Not only does this look nice, but it avoids the increased servicing and weight such systems entail.
The flexible back end isn’t the full extent of the frame’s talent either. There’s heavy shaping of the whole frame, including a cutaway in the seat tube to provide clearance for the back wheel. The neat dropouts house subtle mudguard mounts plus a tough yet replaceable derailleur hanger. Fixings for bottles and carry cases are dotted across both sides of the down tube, plus the top tube and fork legs.
The top tube is flattened for comfort and drops away to provide tons of standover. A bolt-on bash guard at the bottom of the down tube protects the frame from rough and tumble use, while a reinforced rubber bumper guards against chain slap. The fork is extremely burly yet lightweight. Its crown is taller than average to make up the space that accommodates a suspension fork on other models while maintaining a similar geometry.
The cabling is semi-internal and pierces the frame just behind the head tube. The conventional seat clamp avoids doing anything silly, while a standard external bottom bracket makes for easy servicing.
GT Grade Carbon Pro LE build
The Grade Carbon LE uses Shimano’s new mechanical 12-speed GRX groupset. This comes in three tiers, with the highest 800 series found here. It’s roughly equivalent to Shimano’s Ultegra road group, although comparisons are complicated as this is now electric-only.
You get all the qualities you could hope for, including a wide 12-speed cassette, single-ring drivetrain, excellent brakes, and a clutched rear derailleur. It’s rugged and relatively low maintenance. I also think mechanical is the way to go on a bike like this, while it’s good to have a drivetrain that lets you drastically vary the ratio with only a couple of shifts.
The WTB SpeedTerra wheels look pretty conventional but offer features you’ll benefit from. Their low-profile rims and medium spoke count impart a bit of extra give without feeling spongy. At the same time, by removing weight from their outer circumference, they ensure the bike is quick-rolling. They’re also lovely and broad to support the bike’s fat tyres.
These are WTB Vulpine TCS Light models. I tested the bike as autumn set in and found them quick on road and gravel. They’re also competent on dry trails. However, their micro-nobbles play less well in the mud. At 40mm wide, they’re big enough to avoid bottoming out against the rims even when used at low pressures and are not too slouchy on smoother surfaces.
Looking at the finishing kit, you get a very short stem paired with vast bars with a significant degree of flare. These feature a flattened top that’s easy to keep a hold of. The seatpost is carbon to save weight and add a bit of extra flex. Atop it, you’ll find a well-padded WTB Silverado saddle, an easy going choice that suits the bike down to the ground.
GT Grade Carbon Pro LE geometry and sizing
Its extensive redesign has seen the Grade gain a raked-out profile that now bears a passing resemblance to an XC mountain bike. This features a relaxed 70-degree head angle. The head tube has shrunk, and although the fork has expanded into most of this space, the stack has dropped slightly for a lower front end. At the same time, the reach has grown significantly while the bottom bracket has become lower.
The intention is to add stability, while a steepish seat tube, short seatstays, and extended reach prevent the bike from being too sluggish, upright or prone to wandering when climbing. There’s also a load of spacers under the stem, so you’ve plenty of scope to play around with the fit, which is handy, as the bike is offered in just four sizes.
Riding the GT Grade Carbon Pro LE
Hopping onto the bike does nothing to dispel the idea that it’s ready to tangle with the rough stuff. It’s upright and comfy but not cloyingly so. The first thing I wanted to do was throw it down some twisting, trail-style descents. Here, it did superbly. The combo of fat tyres, reassuring geometry, broad bars, and powerful brakes did much of the work.
However, the frame is also highly comfortable. It’s hard to quantify how much the back end is doing because you barely notice it. It’s only when you think back to how jarring such descents are usually that you realise the effect. It’s a bike that’s happy being popped into little chutes and gullies or bounced over broken ground. And yet, there’s no downside. The system adds no extra weight. There’s no bobbing, and when you jump on the pedals, there’s no perceivable flex through the frame.
I had wondered if the combo of rear suspension and rigid fork might make for an unbalanced bike. However, you simply take care of what happens beneath the front wheel, and the back follows along without complaint. The fork is similarly disinclined to contorting when pushed on by the rider or battered by the terrain. The broad span available at the bars via the hoods or drops means plenty of leverage, making the Grade an easy bike to keep on track.
Yet, despite these gnar-taming capabilities, the Grade is also talented on more sedate bridleways and smoother gravel. Here, its low weight and smooth ride help it feel efficient. It’s also easy to shift onto the short-reach drops to get an athletic position, although you might want to swap in a slightly longer stem to take on race-style events.
The tyres and wheels are also versatile. Despite their all-over tread, they roll quickly, even on the road. Pump them up hard, and you’ve gone a long way to converting the Grade for use on the tarmac. If you want to go further, stick on slick tyres and mudguards. You might find the geometry a bit slow, but only when compared to a road bike.
While some speed-focussed gravel bikes promote themselves as having a side hustle as capable road racers, the Grade is a tad too progressive for this to be entirely true. Nevertheless, for touring or generally tooling about, it’ll work fine. GT’s design team says bikepacking capabilities weren’t a priority, but they’re still present in the form of generous mounting points and a comfortable all-day ride position.
As it is, it’ll still suit a wide range of riders as a sole bike. Practically anyone who wants to prioritise off-road riding will find it’s a blast. It’s exceptionally competent for a bike with 40mm tyres, yet it doesn’t lag in terms of weight or efficiency.
GT Grade Carbon Pro LE review summary
I liked the Grade a lot. It could easily kill off my mountain bike for more sedate trail riding. Yet it’s capable of absolutely ripping around on faster gravel. It’s also pleasingly simple in the way it works and the standards it employs. It’s gimmick-free and also happy to be used on the road or for touring.
Overall, it’s pretty much everything I want in a gravel bike. To push it further in another direction would be to play against what I find most attractive about the genre. It’s fun and fast across a wide range of scenarios, yet while it treads on the toes of multiple other styles of bikes, it never compromises its essential nature.
Although the Grade comes in a version with a suspension fork, I can’t see this having the same utility. Instead, the rigid Grade makes an excellent case for where the datum point should be regarding gravel bike design. It’s simple, capable, versatile, and lots of fun.
- Buy the GT Grade Carbon LE from gtbicycles.com (£3,500)
GT Grade Carbon Pro LE spec
| Price | £3,500 |
| Brand | GT |
| Frame | Grade Carbon |
| Fork | Grade Carbon |
| Weight | 9.1kg (Medium) |
| Sizes available | S, M, L, XL |
| Headset | FSA No. ACB |
| Levers | Shimano Dura Ace Di2 R9270 |
| Brakes | Shimano GRX BR-RX820 |
| Rear derailleur | Shimano GRX BR-RX822 |
| Crankset | Shimano GRX BR-RX820, 40T |
| Bottom bracket | Shimano BB-RS501 |
| Cassette | Shimano CS-M7100, 10-45t |
| Chain | Shimano CN-M7100 |
| Wheels | WTB SpeedTerra i23 TCS 2.0 |
| Tyres | WTB Vulpine TCS Light 40mm |
| Bars | GT DropTune Super Light |
| Stem | GT 3D Forged SL Alloy |
| Seatpost | GT Carbon |
| Saddle | WTB Silverado SL Fusion |
