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| Ultimate Ride |
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GT's I-Drive
Here's an excerpt from a review from one of our favorite riders - Santo Criscuolo (www.DirtWorld.com)
Without a doubt, the I-Drive annihilates any pogo-ing effects that you'll feel on typical full suspension bikes. The ride is smoother than glass. And it should be - with 4.6 inches of travel! However, it's more than just the amount of travel that makes the I-Drive so smooth.
How do they do it? Essentially, the position of the I-Drive's bottom bracket never moves. The suspension, or eccentric as GT calls it, moves around the bottom bracket much like a threaded head set works. The I-Drive however, is turned on its side and much beefier than a normal head set. But to say that the I-Drive is just a headset laid on its side isn't saying nearly enough.
The result is what's really important here. Because the eccentric moves separately from the bottom bracket, the distance between the bottom bracket and the saddle never changes. Moreover, the distance between the rear hub and the bottom bracket doesn't change either. The consistent distances between all these crucial point's means more efficient pedal strokes. Which means all of your energy is transferred to the rear wheel.
The eccentric is connected to the front triangle's down tube by a small aluminum rod GT calls the dog bone. Shaped like a dog bone I asked GT about the part because it looks too small and fragile to hold up under big loads. Apparently it doesn't have to. The bone is a relay arm and serves mainly to force the eccentric to rotate around the bottom bracket. OK, next question...
The eccentric looks more exposed than a flasher with his trench coat open. There are more nooks, cracks and crannies in there than you'd find on Roseanne Barr. What happens to all the mud, grime and grit? GT built in a small window that allows sludge to drain out but what about thick, slimy, sticky, clay ridden goop. Won't this foul the works?
"No," says GT. Besides the fact that there are only two pivot points in the entire system, the big ball bearing the eccentric rotates on is sealed tight. We are talking low maintenance. Simply squirt a hose at it and watch the gunk drain away. It is that simple. As a test rider I felt it my duty to run the bike through the deepest mud I could find at Leguna Seca and make sure this was the case. Fortunately, after four days of rain I found several bogs to play in. All I did was get wet and dirty while the I-Drive kept right on going like the Energizer Bunny.
And this brings me to the meat of the review - namely, how does it ride? Out on the trail it rocks. If you're headed downhill, it screams while descending. Let me put it to you this way: Leguna Seca's single track is like velvet. Problem is however, during a race there aren't too many places to pass because the trail is so narrow. Get off the trail and you're riding through lumpy, gopher-hole infested, rocks-hiding-in-the-grass terrain. Still, passing on the outside was easy! I was amazed at how many hits, big and small, the I-Drive could handle. Literally, I found myself passing riders at will.
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