Throwback Thursday: GT Titanium Edge & Shimano 9000 Dura-Ace

Our project bike from 2013 reflects where we've been

Trust us, we know. Rim brakes?! External downtube shifter bosses and seat binder?! 23mm tires?! 11-speed?! Did people ever actually ride bikes like this? They sure did and at the time this GT/Shimano project bike was the cat’s meow in new road bike tech.

Wait. Has it already been seven years since Shimano invited us down for a ride camp in San Diego to learn about and ride their latest (then) Dura-Ace 9000 parts? When the invite arrived it announced that we would need to send a frame to Shimano to get built out. Our choice was a limited edition re-release of GT’s titanium Edge as part of a “Heritage” collection. At the time the frame sold for $2200.

In addition to the carbon Mavic hoops, the rest of the bike was outfitted with a GT carbon fork, Pro Component seatpost, stem and handlebar. The machined from billet headtube was another nice touch.

We still hold the GT Edge dear…and keep it nearby just in case as we recall the Mavic wheel launch just two years ago that called for a bike with rim brakes and the GT was literally the only bike in the RBA stable that still ran the outdated binders. My how time flies!

Seven years later our GT/Shimano Dura-Ace project bike is still a runner. The most dated aspect of it is the narrow Mavic wheels and narrow as a razor 23mm tires….eek!

Although Colnago (and others) had experimented with “triple-triangle” frame designs, GT made it their signature for the entire brand. We were told that the pierced top tube was a significant manufacturing hurdle. The polished cap is a nice touch.

With the advent of the evolutionary improvements, the 2013 Dura-Ace parts are downright primitive – and still work great!

While the original titanium bikes were made in the States, the new version was made in Asia. The welds were still tight and even.

THE LUNCH RIDE VIDEO

It may not be Throwback Thursday but we can still throw it back on a Tuesday with this GT Bicycles Titanium Edge! This was our Shimano-Road project bike from 2013 with the release of the new at the time Dura-Ace 9000 group, plus some sweet carbon Cosmic hoops from Mavic…but oh those 23mm tires.

Posted by Road Bike Action on Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Here’s where to read that original test of the 2013 GT Edge

In the modern world, GT is still running with the triple-triangle frame design, only now it’s used for the carbon Grade gravel bike for an impressive level of small-bump compliance.