Guerrilla Gravity, Denver CO

Oh yeah...it fits pretty much perfectly, no small feat for me at 7’0”. Fits me better than my semi custom Ventana does/did (gonna try to sell that one now to defray the cost). The Ventana was crazy fun, but this is next level.

Any big dudes looking for ridiculously capable and fun bikes, even the XL size would be great for maybe up to 6’8” or so.

Forgot to mention the climbing as well. I’ve been consistently shaving 3-8 minutes off of 40-50 minute climbs with this thing. Crazy good climber.
 
Derkderkall said:
I think Trail Pistol might be my next bike, this company ticks all the boxes of how to do it right, and just the whole "personality" of the company is a big draw. Not as tall as @Sassyquatch , but at 6'5" they have an xl size bike that I feel confident I would fit comfortably in the range for the size.
Click to expand...

They are on my shortlist for next spring, as well... Tallboy, Trail Pistol/Smash or Jeffsy. That’s my list as of today.

Nothing else is really catching my eye...
 
Sassyquatch said:
Oh yeah...it fits pretty much perfectly, no small feat for me at 7’0”. Fits me better than my semi custom Ventana does/did (gonna try to sell that one now to defray the cost). The Ventana was crazy fun, but this is next level.

Any big dudes looking for ridiculously capable and fun bikes, even the XL size would be great for maybe up to 6’8” or so.

Forgot to mention the climbing as well. I’ve been consistently shaving 3-8 minutes off of 40-50 minute climbs with this thing. Crazy good climber.
Click to expand...
Nice score, @Sassyquatch. Glad it’s working out. :thumbsup: It looks all business!

Yes, the climbing. I was initially impressed with technical ascending and comfort, but since then have come to also appreciate long-day comfort. Never thought I’d bikepack on it, but here I go. You expect a bike like that to shine going down, but one that also goes up, over and across like the Smash does makes for a very capable b/c weapon. Dig it! :sneaky:
 
Update...first SoCal rides happened this AM for Smashy. He (she?) gets along real well with Exploration trail. Arrow, Comet, jumpline, and another Arrow were also very much to its liking. Also the random XC trails I momentarily got turned around on at the end of Comet....

I was impressed how much traction the DHF WT 2.5’s have on the SoCal looseness. I’m used to my 29 x 3.0 dirt wizard/minion combo on my WW, and the former doesn’t give up as much traction to the latter as I would have guessed. Suspension design may play a role as well....
 
406 said:
I figure Al might hold up better for commute frame bag or if I ever go bike packing again.
Click to expand...
B, I have been kind of merciless on my raw Smash frame with bags and many days of jarring trails. I've never put any frame tape on it. It looks great, and I haven't bothered to buff it up with a ScotchBrite pad. Painted steel, no way. I taped up my (steel/painted) Pedälhead because I saw how hammered by El Mar got after many loaded days. Trying to find a negative in raw al finish, not finding it.
 
mike said:
B, I have been kind of merciless on my raw Smash frame with bags and many days of jarring trails. I've never put any frame tape on it. It looks great, and I haven't bothered to buff it up with a ScotchBrite pad. Painted steel, no way. I taped up my (steel/painted) Pedälhead because I saw how hammered by El Mar got after many loaded days. Trying to find a negative in raw al finish, not finding it.
Click to expand...
Raw is a few oz. less too if I remember correctly. It was a tough decision between Raw and F@ Yeah Blue for me. I just checked out the bike builder on their site and it looks like pretty limited selection on some frames and colors. Out with the old, in with the new?
 
buggravy said:
Raw is a few oz. less too if I remember correctly. It was a tough decision between Raw and F@ Yeah Blue for me. I just checked out the bike builder on their site and it looks like pretty limited selection on some frames and colors. Out with the old, in with the new?
Click to expand...
I was under the impression that the pull down menus in the builder got messed up during the recent site upgrade, because all the color option photos are still there. Maybe I’m off on that assumption...?
 
Can it fit a full sized H2O bottle in the frame? I can't tell, is this a full-sized bottle or one of the smaller ones? The shock seems to take up way too much space the way it bisects the main triangle.


p5pb13712478.jpg


I really like Orbea designs in particular for the way the get their shock out of the way:
0rbea-occam-tr-h10-03-1523990582030-32knctwpcj7i-630-80.jpg
 
whew, I love the idea of the adjustable reach/wheelbase/headset situation but good lord does it make the frames ugly in the short position. Gorgeous bikes as far as function goes, not so gorgeous in terms of industrial design. Either way, amazing bikes. These guys are doing things their own way, and I have a feeling they are going to end up shaping the industry and forcing change.

Awesome company.
 
Ebruner said:
whew, I love the idea of the adjustable reach/wheelbase/headset situation but good lord does it make the frames ugly in the short position. Gorgeous bikes as far as function goes, not so gorgeous in terms of industrial design. Either way, amazing bikes. These guys are doing things their own way, and I have a feeling they are going to end up shaping the industry and forcing change.

Awesome company.
Click to expand...
:thumbsup: Maybe that protruding head tube will look less weird over time. Remember when tapered head tubes hit and some people thought it looked like the fork tubes were bent backward? Guess they got over it... :sneaky:
 
the Trail pistol in red...oh yeah! Although I have to agree the head tube in short orientation looks a little odd, i think while have a blast shredding it no one will notice the 10mm sticking out front.
 
Last edited:
Maiden ride on Smash v2 in the bag. Let me get this out of the way: Totally badass. An incredible ride.

Since I was so dialed with my previous medium, it was easy to note the changes on the extra-medium (a longer-reach medium) frame and upgrades.

The extra length felt reeely good. Slightly harder to wheelie and manual as expected, but a very balanced feeling. No excessive cramping by a 790 mm bar in tight switchies. As with my original Smash after shorter previous bikes, I realize a shorter bike is not necessarily easier to get around tight switchbacks. A comfortable, uncramped position that allows carrying a little momentum often works best. I think the added frame length could justify more fork travel, and I’ll explore bumping it up from 140 going forward. Probably 150 is what the bike needs. The 50 mm stem stabilized everything perfectly.

The wheels: I went from a econo wheelset to the best set I could dream up, so if the improvement was not dramatic, there would be something wrong. The improvement is dramatic. :geek: Not every bike benefits from every carbon hoop, but I assumed the Derbys would work on the bike since GG offers modern CF options. The damping with this hoop with a 3-cross pattern is incredible. It’s like rolling on carpet without the drag. Precision start/stops and insane composure through the roughest jagged outcrops. Tracking as good as you’d expect. The 2.5 Minion in front felt familiarly confident, but even more so. My first outing with an Aggressor on back, the 2.3 met all expectations and seemed a solid choice.

I'm really looking forward to getting my money's worth out of this incredible sled this season and beyond. Another satisfied customer. :thumbsup:


GG 2018 Smash, size extra-medium/Cane Creek Forty headset, Raceface BB
Rockshox Super Deluxe Coil RCT, 450# spring
Pike RC 140, 51 mm offset
Derby AM 35i 29”/Sapim CX-Ray/brass nips/DT Swiss 240s straight-pull/36-tooth ratchet upgrade
Maxxis Minion DHF 2.5WT MaxxTerra EXO/Aggressor 2.3 EXO
Raceface Next R crank/28t/Point One Podium pedals
XT 11-sp drive/e13 9-46 cassette
XT brakes/rotors
Lev 150 dropper/SDG saddle
50 mm x 35 mm Raceface stem/Next R carbon bar 790 mm/Oury lock-on


IMG_2091.jpg
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top