Bike Test: GT Sanction Pro
Just as there is more than one way to skin a cat, there is more than one way to build a bike specifically for enduro racing—not to be confused with all-mountain riding. When we talk about enduro racing, we mean rocky deathtraps called courses, starting gates abuzz, long and seemingly endless transfer stages, red course tape and hordes of hollering fans. The most common way to build a bike for these conditions is to beef up a trailbike by adding a high-speed-hit worth of travel and slacking out the head tube angle by a degree or two. But, GT took a different approach to building a purpose-built enduro bike. The engineers knew that it must hold its own through climbs and descents, but they wanted to emphasize improving the split times of those descents. With a World Cup downhill bike already in their quiver, why not model a bike after it that was also efficient on the climbs and nimble through tighter trail conditions? That’s exactly what GT did with its Sanction Pro race-specific enduro bike.
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Pointing the way: Our test rider sure had the end destination in mind! Pointing forward with a focused stare that seems to be burning a hole in the finish line, he reserves room for a little extra style.
Pointing the way: Our test rider sure had the end destination in mind! Pointing forward with a focused stare that seems to be burning a hole in the finish line, he reserves room for a little extra style.WHAT IS THE IDEA BEHIND IT?
The desire to make enduro bikes more marketable to a larger group often results in bikes that are over-built for most all-moun- tain trail riding but still aren’t capable of dominating the most demanding enduro racecourses. GT set out to create a race-spe- cific enduro bike that specialized in devouring rock gardens at pinned speeds for riders who keep one eye on the trail and one eye on the podium. What’s the catch? Although enduro racing is popular in Europe, the relatively small number of enduro racers in the United States only justified the bike being sold as a frame and shock (Fox Float X) set. For intermediate-level racers, this may be a deal breaker, but the Sanction Pro is designed for avid racers who are used to replacing a majority of OEM parts with ones that better fit their riding style and needs anyway. Racers are able to purchase the frame and shock for $2170 and build their dream machine from there.
WHAT ARE THE FRAME FEATURES?
Constructed using aluminum alloy from end to end, the frame is available in small, medium, large and extra large. Its slack geometry is designed around 27.5-inch wheels that attach to the rear triangle via a 12×142-millimeter rear axle. GT’s Independent Drivetrain Suspension system provides 160 millimeters of travel, damped by a Fox Float X CTD Remote Kashima shock. While switching the shock over to Climb mode may be easy to do before starting a transfer stage, the remote enables riders to make on-the-fly adjustments to the shock damping when transitioning between massive senders and flat-out sprints.
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Dan’s the man: We had the opportunity to put this custom-built GT Sanction to the test on the racetrack at the Sea Otter classic amongst the fastest racers in the world, including GT’s fastest race family, the Athertons. Dan Atherton here gives his personal Sanction a quick inspection on practice day.
Dan’s the man: We had the opportunity to put this custom-built GT Sanction to the test on the racetrack at the Sea Otter classic amongst the fastest racers in the world, including GT’s fastest race family, the Athertons. Dan Atherton here gives his personal Sanction a quick inspection on practice day.HOW DOES IT PERFORM?
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Blur inducing: We’ve found the GT Sanction Pro to excel at high speeds where the low-slung geometry and long wheelbase really come to life.
Blur inducing: We’ve found the GT Sanction Pro to excel at high speeds where the low-slung geometry and long wheelbase really come to life.Cornering:
The faster we could pitch it into a corner, the hap- pier it was. While the high speeds of enduro racing are naturally conducive to leaning low in corners, the long wheelbase and front center of the Sanction Pro made bar drags a possibility, and we found ourselves allowing the front tire to guide us way out in front. Even in an aggressive attack position, the long front center of the bike left the front tire lofting out in front of us, finding every little bit of trail to grab onto. The wide (800-millimeter) bars we built the bike with provided cornering confidence and responsiveness, but had us scraping trees on the tightest sections of trail. In this category of racing, riders carefully determine their handlebar width to strike an optimal balance between steering responsiveness and the ability to blaze past trees without getting snagged.
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Flying high, very high: One of our test riders, is known notoriously around the office for his “Reynoso bar turn.” Here it is in full effect, playfully pushing within the hefty limits of the GT Sanction Pro.
Flying high, very high: One of our test riders, is known notoriously around the office for his “Reynoso bar turn.” Here it is in full effect, playfully pushing within the hefty limits of the GT Sanction Pro.Descending:
It only took one run on the Sanction Pro for it to become clear that 95 percent of the design focus went into building a bike able to slay racecourses at speeds that truly test the limits of the sport. By the end of the first run, we were already riding in scary-fast mode, but the bike inspired the confidence required for us to keep it up. On level stretches of trail and mild descents, the bike certainly doesn’t hop around like a nimble rabbit, nor did we expect it to; however, as momentum builds, speed increases and the trail steepens, it’s quickly apparent where the Sanction Pro feels most at home. Once up to speed, it’s a hard- charging bike that requires an equally determined pilot. It plowed through rock gardens that would have left us quivering or pitched over the handlebars on many other long-travel bikes. That being said, it certainly isn’t going to make bombing through chunder a mindless act. It’ll work hard for the rider who puts in equal work throwing it around, being playful with the front end, preloading it through rollers and cranking it out of corners. Remember, this isn’t a downhill bike, regardless of how much it tries to convince you it is. Enduro racing finds riders pinned with their heels down on rough descents, yet also requires them to push through technical corners and grab hold of off-camber traverses. The Sanction Pro is a great descender for the racer who understands how to capitalize on such aspects of the discipline.
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Full race support: There’s little better than receiving full race support. Racers are used to it because their bikes are completely overhauled before they ever hit the track. However, anyone who races at the Sea Otter classic can get a taste of what it’s like to be catered to like this. Think of it as being a “faux-pro.” If you buy a wrist band at the Otter and have issues, there are plenty of the best techs in the world to sort the issue before it derails your race weekend. Here, Fox Race Technician Louis Angely gives our 36 Float fork the special treatment.
Full race support: There’s little better than receiving full race support. Racers are used to it because their bikes are completely overhauled before they ever hit the track. However, anyone who races at the Sea Otter classic can get a taste of what it’s like to be catered to like this. Think of it as being a “faux-pro.” If you buy a wrist band at the Otter and have issues, there are plenty of the best techs in the world to sort the issue before it derails your race weekend. Here, Fox Race Technician Louis Angely gives our 36 Float fork the special treatment.Climbing:
The Sanction Pro won’t win any medals in this category, but it certainly gets the job done, which is all we ask of a bike built specifically for enduro racing. Without the rear shock in Climb mode, we found ourselves bobbing up and down with each pedal stroke. The Climb mode still didn’t provide a firm climbing platform, but at least it enabled us to summit climbs without burning a bite of our breakfast with each pedal stroke.
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Ideal Race Weapon: The Sanction proved to be the ultimate race weapon for the Sea Otter downhill course, because it’s simply not steep or technical enough to warrant a true downhill bike to improve overall speed. While the Sanction is capable of handling some very gnarly terrain, it’s also relatively snappy and handles well on courses that require some pedaling in addition to all-out technical prowess.
Ideal Race Weapon: The Sanction proved to be the ultimate race weapon for the Sea Otter downhill course, because it’s simply not steep or technical enough to warrant a true downhill bike to improve overall speed. While the Sanction is capable of handling some very gnarly terrain, it’s also relatively snappy and handles well on courses that require some pedaling in addition to all-out technical prowess.
TRICKS, UPGRADES OR TIPS?
While the frame does provide an option for routing a stealth dropper post, the external routing actually provides more secure attachment points. The stealth routing option either leaves the dropper hose tapping on the shock or requires the rider to loosely zip-tie it to the frame in a way that allows the cable to move in and out freely. Additionally, while a 150-millimeter-travel dropper post would certainly be the most ideal for such a bike, ones closer to 125 millimeters will likely provide the closest clearance without interfering with the shock upon compression.
Last, there’s no way to sugarcoat the unbearable amount of chain slap we encountered before wrapping the chainstay. Unfortunately, we were unable to remedy the issue with any sort of frame tape, and eventually resorted to our high school days of wrapping it with an inner tube—sweet silence followed.
Once you take the time to deck it out with your components of choice, the GT Sanction Pro is a thoroughbred race machine that hones in on one thing and one thing only—winning enduro races. For racers who want to push their bike and skills to the limit on race day, the GT Sanction Pro is a bike that will take it on as a welcomed challenge.
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