Richard Long, who ran a BMX track, and engineer Gary Turner, who built frames in his Santa Ana garage, founded GT Bicycles in 1979; the name comes from Turner's initials, according to Reference for Business. Wikipedia gives 1972 without a citation. GT started with chrome-moly BMX frames and moved into mountain bikes in 1984. It bought its Bristol distributor, Caratti Sports, in 1996, and Questor Partners bought GT in July 1998.
Key facts
- Founded
- 1979, incorporated; Wikipedia gives 1972 without a citation
- Based
- Santa Ana, California
- Ownership
- Bought by Questor Partners, July 1998
Sources disagree: GT founding year1979 (incorporated) (Reference for Business) or 1972 (Wikipedia).
GT models
Years show the earliest and latest evidence found so far, not exact production dates.
Mountain bike
- ZaskarThe Zaskar was in GT's range by 1991: Mountain Bike Action says Hans Rey first rode one that year and used it in his skills and freeride videos…1991
- KarakoramSanta Cruz co-founder Rob Roskopp took up mountain biking on a GT Karakoram during his pro skateboarding years, 1984 to 1990, according to BikeRadar.1984–1990 (Roskopp's pro skating years)
Sources for this brand
Last updated 19 October 2026. Every fact on this page comes from one of these.