1987 GT freestyle decals and Team Model differences

1987 GT Performer, Pro Performer and Pro Freestyle Tour / Team Model decal differences and how to tell if they are genuine or reproduction. With the white border or without? Both!

[@pyvanpham9895]

Great video! Brother very educational. I have one og TM and didn’t know it was that rare.

[@andrewjphillips]

As always great stuff.

[@80sCustomBMX]

Thanks for the video

[@monkist]

Need more of these! Can’t get such wisdom from anywhere else but you man! Keep them coming!

[@corrioliseffect]

I would love a video discussion on the color difference between the '87 Performer frame decals vs. the '87 Pro Performer/Pro Freestyle Tour decals. Why were the Performer decals printed in a different color (faded pink/darker blue)? Was this because they were printed in Taiwan? I also notice that original '87 Performer decals came as a set on a large square sheet of slightly yellowed backing, while those of the Pro Performer/Pro Freestyle Tour came individually cut in separate pieces in clear plastic bags. Thank you!

[@DinkResponsibly]

Had an 86' GT Performer in Battleship Gray. I dig your videos! Keep em coming..

[@atrains]

Battleship gray was Uber rare! Nice stuff

[@jasonorlandini7118]

The Team Model back in the day was very expensive & no one in my south Jersey neighborhood even had one from what I remember

[@atrains]

Yup exactly my point. Almost every PFT you see is set up as a TM. I am guilty of this myself as I restored an ‘87 to TM level. I wonder what the actual TM production numbers were between the Pro Series and the PFT in 1987. I wonder if Gary could recall that if asked. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@regiescarberry2509]

I still have the reciept for mine .just under 650 i think.check out ballpeene genes chanel the bikes on there

[@thashoeboy]

One of the most beautiful designs of all time.

[@atrains]

If you want to argue….change the subject! Oh yeah

[@The_Bike_Finder]

I am currently building a REAL Team Model 1987 GT PFT and I got new decals for it and the E and the A do touch in two places, so sorry, that is NOT a good indicator to determine if a GT PFT is a Team Model or not. I actually own 3 of these bikes, all GT Pro Freestyle Tours from 1987 and I have seen a lot of videos about how to tell the difference between regular PFT's and Team Model PFT's. Most say the difference is the cranks, other say decals, others say different stuff as well, but I actually know the TRUE difference between them, the 100% guaranteed way to know and actually see the difference at a quick glance and I will let everyone know as soon as I am done with my current build and make a video of it.

[@atrains]

You mentioned you got “new” decals for it. Not NOS so I’ve already shown you examples of original decals in my video which show the E/A touching in two places and I never said it’s the only way to determine if it was a true team model just an indication it could be. These decals are by far the most repoped and reproduced over the years including Team Model stickers that have the E/A touching in two places so yeah I agree it’s not a true indicator of authentic actual team model from the factory. The only difference between the 1987 GT PFT and the team model was the peripheral accessories, TM decal and color choices. Strip off the power series cranks, superlace wheels, etc you are left with the same frame set as the Pro Performer. Without decals and parts (just frames) there is no way to tell the PP from the PFT to the TM. Thanks for watching and commenting.

[@The_Bike_Finder]

@@atrainsActually, there is a very simple way and I will show everyone once I post my video later this month.

[@The_Bike_Finder]

@@atrainsI never said that you did say it was the only way, only that you said it was a good indicator, which if they are original decals it might still be a good indicator, but I know a 100%, guaranteed way to identify a "TRUE" Team Model which I will show when I make my video later this month. I will send you a link when I do.

[@atrains]

I never said it was the only way. I believe what I said is “if you do see the original decals and the E/A are touching in two spots, and you have a good indication that it’s a survivor, then you can kind of bank on the fact that it’s real, it’s legit” There are a lot of “ands” in there to make sure it’s not set in concrete because you could simply purchase perfectly reproduced Team model decals and stick it on a PFT survivor and poof. The fact is there is no difference between the Pro Performer the Pro Freestyle Tour and the team model in 1987 when you remove the brakes, cranks, decals etc. All things being equal there is no way to tell the difference and the reason why many survivor Pro Performers have been turned into PFTTM when being restored. I can’t wait to see your video! Thanks for sharing your thoughts and feedback. Much appreciated.

[@The_Bike_Finder]

@atrains yeah, between pft's and Pro performers from the same year there is no for sure way to tell once they have been re-done. The only thing I will be able to show is the definitive difference between a regular PFT and an actual Team Model PFT.

[@allan1brown]

Had a gt pro race bike got it powder coared pink to look like performer was 1983 model i think performer came out later im in uk so £ to dollar was 2 to 1 so half price bike in uk really

[@Mandark1986]

Hey I always wondered how they came up with this white Border design . Is it like a piece of torn paper or like maybe a part of a shoreline. Do you know if this design has any significance at all or is it just random? Super cool videos man 🤘🏼

[@atrains]

No idea who designed it but it’s a great look. My favorite is ‘87, ‘89 and ‘92. Great question for Gary to answer

[@BMF247]

Can you tell me the difference between a 85 gt performer 85 gt pro performer 85 gt pro performer world tour 85 gt pro performer world tour team model ? Is it the parts like the crank an mallet an gyro ? Can u do a video or ?

[@atrains]

First things first there was no team models until 1987. So speaking 1986. The entry level freestyle bike was the Performer. Essentially OGK mags, chromoly frame set, entry level brakes and components. One piece cranks, etc. The Pro Performer was an upgrade with better peripheral accessories. Slightly expanded color selection. White, Maui Blue, green, lavender, bubblegum pink, chrome plate and battleship grey. The Pro World Tour was upgraded with better brakes, Forkstander and framestanders. Better chain ring and in the frame sets (only frame sets) you could get Dayglow Pink, Dayglow Orange and Dayglow yellow on top of all the Pro Performer colors. Again there was no team model. Fun fact the 1986 GT had two different frame geometry headtube angles and half way through the year GT changed the name of the World Tour to Pro Freestyle Tour.

[@BMF247]

@@atrains so in 85 an 86 it mostly accessories to make them a pro or pro world tour nothing on the frame that makes them a world tour just the add-ons or paint color ? ...and team models were only on the pro freestyle tour witch is the different frame with the coin roll witch started late 86 an called 87's the PFT

[@atrains]

@@BMF247 In 1987 and 1987 only The entry level Performer was not full chromoly. This is the single bend frame and carried over from the previous years. OGK mags, Non mallet stem. No 990 mounts. Cheese grater sprocket and Cheaper brakes. The Pro Performer revived the brand new double bend or S bend frame. Full 100% chromoly. OGK mags, slightly better brakes. Using Dia Compe 880 front and Dia Compe 990 rear. RX-3 Odyssey levers on most but not all. One piece cranks, chain ring and powder disc. The colors added the Dayglo pink which was not available on the 1987 Performer. The Pro Freestyle Tour was the next level up. Used the exact same frame as the Pro Performer except for decals. The front brakes were mainly Dia Compe 883. Rear used the Dia Compe 990. Brake levers went with either Odyssey RX-3 or Dia Compe Tech 7. Still one piece cranks and loose ball bearings. Frame and Forkstanders were standard. The Pro Freestyle Tour Team Model was the crème de la crème. You could get it with either OGK mags or GT Superlace 36H wheels on UKAI hoops. The team models used GT Power Series 3 Pc cranks with sealed bearings. This upgrade forced the pedals to 9/16”. Most came with Shimano DX pedals but many had the SR SP-474 pedals. The brake levers were almost always Dia Compe Tech 7. Most Team models were $500 in 1987. Very rare and not many of them. Each year was slightly different but you get the idea.

[@BMF247]

@@atrains so I have an GT frame serial numbers indicate it's an 85 so it's just a plan ole GT performer until I add the high end parts an paint it to make it a pro performer or Pro Performer world tour Talking Just 85 models

[@atrains]

@@BMF247 what’s the first 4 digits of the serial number