VANDAL METAL WORKS GT (2 of 13) There were many standout bikes at the inaugural Brazin’ handmade bike show this year, but this modified 1999 GT LTS mountain bike especially caught our eye.
Created by the owner of The Vandal Metalworks, Ande Dallas-Murdoch, the GT LTS frameset has had an extensive rework to modernise its geometry. It now features a 64-degree head angle that wouldn’t be out of place in the current line-up of best enduro bikes .
Dallas-Murdoch has been making custom and modified bikes for five years, after originally taking up the brazing torch for connecting plumbing pipes. He soon taught himself how to build bike frames through trial and error, rather than any formal training.
Dallas-Murdoch ended up reviving this GT LTS because he wanted to modify a retro mountain bike, but he says he found it difficult to find a classic 90s MTB due to their recent popularity. Sustainable steel
The bike features a new design, forward of the seat tube. Jack Luke / Our Media
The GT LTS was available in two frame materials, with the top-end model made from aluminium and this entry-level frame from steel.
“The good thing about steel in particular is that it’s so repairable,” says Dallas-Murdoch. “So long as it doesn’t turn to rust, this bike will be around forever.”Most of the modification on the bike has taken place in the front triangle, with everything from the seat tube forward being a new design.To get the desired 64-degree head angle, Dallas-Murdoch has brazed […]
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