[MTB maintenance] GT i-Drive 2.0 Full Rebuild Procedure

Detailed procedure of 2004 i-Drive 2.0 full rebuild.
DHi, i-Drive Pro and i-Drive Team have slightly different configurations but this video will be of help for proud owners of those frames too, I think.
I have actually own the following GT i-Drive frames:
2004 i-Drive 2.0 (build, in use)
2005 iDXC 1.0 w/ RP3 not DT shock (built, in use)
2011 Mrathon Carbon Team (brand new, still unbuilt)
2013 Zaskar Carbon 100 Team (built, in use)
I like i-Drive system yes, but not exactly a GT freak.
The following two online shops in UK have spare parts for some GT old full suspension frames:
BETD Components
www.mountainbikecomponents.co...
Westbrook Cycles
www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/com...

[@yuri_on_youtube]

This is great and I appreciate that you really made a thorough video of this - I have this generation iDrive and these do take some patience to work on.

[@MindDesignFactory]

Glad if this video would be of some help for you. Thanks for watching!

[@cesarricardolozanoleanez5026]

Thanks. I'm a newcomer to your channel from Venezuela. I'm a GT fan, My 1st bike was a zaskar in 1992 when I started MTB. I have always been curious to know how this system works and you have given me a great insight. Best regards and keep up the good work

[@MindDesignFactory]

Hi, I am flattered to know that you find my channel interesting. Your comment is really encouraging. Thanks for watching and greeting from a beautiful country 😉

[@paulschmidtke425]

Thanks heaps for this great clip, i have a idrive three love it , recently purchased an old xcr 3000 for spares and or rebuild, but seems a little to hard and parts sourcing might prove impossible, im sure i would need bearings seals and races , as just removing the three retaining screws was a nightmare, only one came out without stripping , had to weld nuts to the other 2 , so at that point i turned to your fantastic clip , thanks heaps you are a born mechanic

[@MindDesignFactory]

Hi, so glad to know that my video has saved your day 😉 We don't really need a latest fancy 27.5 or 29er to savour trails, right? The first generation i-Drive is and will ever be one of my favourite bikes. Have a nice weekend!

[@AC-sr3pb]

Brings back so many memories of cracked frames and ridiculous hours spent servicing those units! Sigh. DHi rode very well for its day though.

[@MindDesignFactory]

This i-Drive unit works fine but is certainly not user-friendly when it comes to servicing it. I somehow like riding this bike better than my other newer bikes. It doesn't feel faster nor more comfortable, but it is still fun to ride. Maybe its geometry fits me better. Thanks for watching!

[@Renato_Bmc]

Gosto muito das bikes GT desde criança. Tive anos atras uma Zaskar Elite 29er, gostei muito dela, porém meu foco é gravidade Faz duas semanas que adquiri a Sanction Pro 27,5, fiz uma montagem toda customizada, suspensão Yari 180mm, amortecedor traseiro fox dhx rc2, sram guide ultimate com discos rt86 e xt freeza 203mm. Estou adorando a bike, e nesse meio tempo fiquei curioso em saber mais sobre os i drive anteriores e me deparei com esse video fantástico. Um abraço de um mtbiker do Brasil 🇧🇷.

[@MindDesignFactory]

Olá, obrigado pelo seu comentário encorajador! Infelizmente, GT não é mais um grande nome no MTB. Mas ainda existem muitos fanáticos por GT em todo o mundo. Na minha opinião pessoal, os modelos mais antigos do GT têm um design elegante, são fáceis de manter e funcionam rapidamente mesmo em terrenos acidentados, se configurados corretamente. Bom final de semana e um ótimo passeio! Saudações do Extremo Oriente! (translated in Google)

[@supervortex8363]

those pivots are a nightmare ,,i had to drill mine out make new hat washers and a pivot

[@robertkoleczko3987]

As a mechanic, good video, something really useful if you need to know that. My other opinion is about the I drive system. It's really not bad, and it works pretty good! And it's really a piece of engineering art, of that time! But, since around 2010, almost all full suspension bikes were working really proper, and even more important, the rear Shoxs performance became so good, and so much adjustable, that this amount of extra Technics and parts, isn't necessary anymore. And GT stopped the production of this technical solution, right?

[@MindDesignFactory]

On the now dominant 1x system, designers probably have much more freedom to achieve a simpler and more effective suspension system without the need to incorporate the front derailleur into their design. Plus, as you mention, the rear shock technology has evolved much and, especially with compression damping, today's shocks are so much adjustable that you could somehow alleviate anti-squat or pedal bob to a certain extent, I think. I don't know why GT ditched i-Drive system. For me, i-Drive makes me ride faster and climb more comfortably. Thank you very much for your feedback!

[@robertkoleczko3987]

@@MindDesignFactory you're welcome! About the comments, I talked to bunch of funny and interesting people, work pretty well! Because you wrote about it, the new shifter groups with all their 1x12, in my opinion is not really the best solution, for all! On my DH Bike, super! A hard core Enduro bike, Wich most of its time fight to survive bike parks, ideal gear group! And on a Ebike, specially on an EMtb, it's super! But for a cross country bike, a bike for the city, a customer who's riding by him self mountains up and down, and all the other fancy expensive bikes of people who are no sports gladiators, for all these bikes and bikers was 3x 10 the best shifting, or 2x 11 at least, almost as good. But a lot of my costumers, can't pedal uphill more than 2 min with 1x 12. But hey, the industry tells us, we have to take it.......

[@MindDesignFactory]

All of my bikes, at the moment at least, has triple rings at front. My best bike is GT ZASKAR 100 carbon team equipped with full XTR Di2 3x11. I originally was very marathon-oriented and like to ride a very long, say 100km or more, ride with insanely steep climbs and long fast sections both on off- and on-roads. Many people say that I'd better run 1x system and give up those obsolete 3x system. But the fact is that 1x drive simply couldn't bring me back to home. I completely agree with you! Have a nice weekend!

[@paulschmidtke425]

​@@MindDesignFactorytotally agree with you, should never of ditched I drive gen 1 best climbing bike I've ever ridden, GT claims that the system helped you climb were true in my opinion,

[@supervortex8363]

you can find inside 3,5 inch hard drives washers to use as bushings yr wellcome