hi,
just a few words about all those re-issues one can still buy: a lot of the frames came with defects - steering tubes uneven, badly cut threads, dings, sloppy polishing. As well, the originally advertised weigth wasn`t true.
I was one of the first to order a frame in Germany, even though I knew it reailed for 1/2 price in the US and 2/3 of the price in the UK.
When I received the frame (they actually weren`t even able to confirm a delivery date) after almost 9 months I couldn`t believe my eyes. Never before have I seen such a poorly finished frame (the welds were okay)...
On top, the frames were welded in the US, but then taken to Taiwan for the ballburnishing. The shipping box would come with huge stickers saying "Made In Taiwan". Nice, u pay 1300€ plus shipping and receive a dirty shipping box with a Taiwan sticker.
Funnily, the local GT importer first got mad and neglected all claims, later took a 3 months hide and finally offered a 100-200 euros discount (hello, the frame is crap, I can`t install the damn head set and u offer me a discount????).
I returned the frame to the dealer, who confirmed having huge problems with his contingent, most went back due to quality issues. And, he had a competitor around the corner selling the frames on ebay for 500€ less... and, this dealer had at least a contingent of 12 frames.
No action taken by GT.
Know quite a few people who had similar issues. It is a sad story, but what had the potential to become a really powerful marketing campaign, the rebirth of the dream of 2 entire biker generations turned into a desaster. A few overstocked dealers are still trying to get rid of their inventory, nobody really cares about these re-issues.
So, yes, there is quite some inventory around, no wonder.