GT Force Carbon Review: This Enduro Bike Can ‘Roll Over Anything’

GT’s 2022 bigger, badder, better Force Carbon has a high-pivot idler and bike-park-ready geometry. And it doesn’t suck on climbs.

The GT 2022 Force Carbon full-suspension mountain bike makes riding through rock gardens a breeze and jumping off features and landing drops as smooth as riding manicured berms. The bike has 160mm rear and 170mm front four-bar suspension with a high pivot for traction and a ground-hugging, controlled ride that smooths out the most teeth-chattering terrain.

GT’s high-pivot design is uphill-friendly thanks to the addition of a high-pivot idler that makes this one of the season’s most fun enduro bikes to ride downhill. And it climbs up for the next lap just fine.

“We wanted to bring something fresh to the race scene,” said John Barreira, product manager. “Our team wants to go fast and have fun. Enduro tracks are more like downhill courses this year, and this bike is the bike that will put riders on the podium.”

We tested the Force Carbon Pro LE in size M.

2022 GT Force Carbon: Bigger, Better, Faster, Stronger

Not only does the new version have bigger wheels and more travel, but GT engineers also fine-tuned the bike’s kinematics for better anti-squat. That means that the bike feels like a downhill bike on descents, but it doesn’t bob around when pedaling uphill.

Besides its sleek lines and sexy paint job, the Force’s idler pulley, a cog that looks like an extra-large jockey wheel positioned above the front chainring, is the bike’s most eye-catching feature. A high pivot in the four-bar suspension makes this single-crown enduro bike soar seamlessly through the most chunder-y rock gardens, across fields of baby-head boulders, and over mats of wheel-grabbing roots.

In high-pivot bikes, when the wheels roll over a trail obstacle, the bike’s wheelbase gets longer. That creates chain growth when you’re in the saddle, which can feel jerky and like it’s pulling unpleasantly on your legs.

GT solved the chain growth problem with its idler pulley. It keeps the chain a fixed length as you pedal and gets rid of that jerky, energy-sapping feeling.

2022 GT Force Carbon: Design

The Force Carbon’s design is sleek, durable, rugged, and sporty. The triple triangle gave me a perfect place to strap a tube, CO2, a tool, and some levers. And the bike’s dropout flip chip is significantly easier to use than past GT designs.

Two pucks slide into dropouts and change the rear center length by 10 mm. The longer mode gives the bike a more stable platform. The bike also has lower standover than previous versions.

An integrated chain guide, as well as custom chainstay and seat stay protection, keeps you pedaling and protects the frame when things get rowdy. And tube-in-tube cable routing keeps the bike’s lines clean and the ride quiet while also allowing easy maintenance when a cable needs to be replaced.

“We had the DNA and know-how to take it to the next level,” said Barreira. “We struck a balance between an agile, fun bike and a bike that can roll over anything.”

Barreira said that the Force Carbon’s 33-pound 12-ounce (size M) weight is on par with the weights of previous GT 29ers. “These days, bikes are bigger and bigger. The weights creep up,” said Barreira. “Where the Force Carbon sits is an aggressive weight target.”

The Verdict

If you’re an enduro-focused rider who wants to take your descending up a notch — you pedal the uphills but revel in rolling from the top as fast and furiously as you can — this is the bike for you.

On downhills, it gave me the confidence to go faster more aggressively. I’ve ridden other enduro bikes that pedal better up, but this one did just fine. All I was thinking about as I climbed was how to get more air and speed — and have more fun on my next lap.

The Force Carbon has a carbon front triangle and an aluminum rear triangle. It’s available in S-XL and goes for $3,800 to $6,000.