Reply To: Worth the money?

[rmap01 ✓ supporter]

Check the reviews to make sure the feedback is consistent with your needs/expectations.  There are plenty out there.  Here are a couple:

https://bikexchange.com/gt-avalanche-review/#:~:text=This%20bike%20is%20for%20the,It’s%20a%20true%20workhorse.

https://www.icebike.org/p/gt-avalanche/

The one thing you should do if you buy from Dicks is actually bring it to your LBS to look over.  It’s extremely likely that the person putting the bike together knows very little about bikes (it’s probably a college kid) and may not install the parts correctly or torque bolts appropriately.  PLENTY of horror stories out there where many people usually blame the bike for a fail but a number of these are likely due to poor install/set up.