My GT RTS-2 did not cost me the hefty price tag it should have done, let me explain.
I bought a Dx equipped rigid giant mtb for less than half price from my lbs as it was last years model. I think I paid around £250. (I forget the model, but it was a lovely pearlescent purple/blue/pink). Went on my first mtb outing to a local quarry with a group. Got home and religiously cleaned it back to new. Went to the pub on it later, had a few beers and went home a little tipsy. En-route I stopped off at the local Chinese to get some food and despite locking it up it was stolen while I placed my order (it was used as a getaway bike in a robbery that same night, but that is another story).
The following day I jumped on my road bike (a Peugeot Aravis, chrome stays, 531 tubing, MA40s, shimano 105, traded for raleigh i built up for about £150) and headed to the lbs to buy a new lock. In the time it took to lean my bike against the window, stick my head inside and ask if I could bring my bike in (it was a small shop), bike number two was gone, so both in around 14 hours.
So now I'm down two bikes and what was to me as a 16/17 year old, a lot of cash. Thankfully they were both somehow covered on my parents house insurance, and the new for old element of the policy meant I was given £1,129 credit at, and wait for it, halfords. After putting a case forward that I didn't need 10 bikes they transferred the credit to the lbs.
After a visit, they showed me lots of bikes and being very indecisive, I couldn't choose what to buy, but while I was here they suggested that I might be interested in a GT RTS-2 that they had 'spare' as they had ordered two for a customer (the bosses sons where I worked) and three had arrived. The price tag was something like £200 or more over my credit, but they waived this as they would rather make a few quid than send it back, so hey presto, a GT RTS-2 for around £350 way back in 1992 rather than the RRP OF £1,350.
Due to the value, and being a poor kid from a poor family, I looked after this, and was literally too scared to ride it and therefore damage it. It was mothballed while I was at uni and a few years ago I decide to dig it out, upgrade it and start using it again. Bizarrely despite the lack of use (it was ridden off road once, and not much other than road riding afterwards to school and back for a year), when I came to strip it the bb mount was cracked, so bein gutted and wanting a replacement, google brought me here and I've barely left since.
