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Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

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When it comes to frame design and construction, there’s a lot of debate between metal or carbon and domestic or overseas manufacturing. Since their introduction, Guerrilla Gravity has been all about “making mountain biking more awesome,” which not only applies to the bike design, but about the cost, durability, and other factors in frame design. For a company that has focused on steel and aluminum frames, the decision to enter into the world of carbon fiber was not one to be taken lightly.

GG states that they wanted to create something with the best qualities of aluminum, steel, and carbon. That meant it would have to be tough enough to be durable in the long run for seasons of abuse, cost effective so that it wouldn’t price riders out of the market, and well, made in America, because they’re all about that.

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

That has all given rise to their revolutionary carbon technology they’ve named Revved. Rather than just use traditional carbon manufacturing methods, GG claims that they have sourced new materials and tech that allow for carbon production process that is not only more cost effective, but one that yields a stronger frame in the end.

How much stronger? GG claims the resulting build is 300% more impact resistant than typical designs. Apparently the technique uses a “cutting-edge resin that has only been available within the last three years. It features 300% higher fracture toughness compared to the typical traditional carbon fiber materials used in the bike industry. In engineering terms, toughness is defined as the ability of a material to deform plastically on a microscopic scale to absorb energy before fracturing.” This new group of materials has been used in recent large scale engineering feats like the Boeing 787.

Not only that, but the resin is able to be cured in just 30 minutes compared to the typical three hours since the new resin is able to tolerate faster heating and cooling cycles without affecting the final product. While a standard carbon mold may take an hour to heat up, an hour dwell time to cure, and an hour to cool down the mold, GG’s Frame Maker 3000 takes only 30 minutes from start to finish.

When combined with an automated carbon fiber layup procedure, the result is an 80% reduction in labor time while simultaneously increasing the quality and consistency of each frame.

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

That has allowed GG to eliminate human error in terms of layup, while creating a finished product that needs substantially less finishing work before heading into powder coating. Yes, powder coating. On a carbon front triangle. Since the resin is more tolerant to heat, GG is able to powder coat their carbon frames which is more durable, but also more environmentally friendly than traditional paint methods.

All of these changes have allowed Guerrilla Gravity to enter into the world of U.S. made carbon fiber with what is apparently a better final product, while keeping the costs down to an impressive level.

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

While the front triangles utilize the new Revved carbon tech, the stays are still made with good ol’ aluminum. Over the years we’ve heard from many frame manufacturers that this actually makes more sense since the metal stays are generally more durable, and you don’t stand to lose much weight from the use of carbon here. But it also is part of GG’s new modular frame design which results in four different models out of one front triangle.

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

Modular Frame Design

In what may be the ultimate quiver killer, GG’s modular frame platform starts with the bike in any base platform that you want. From there, Seatstay Tuning Kits allow for the frames to morph into The Smash, Megatrail, Trail Pistol, or Shred Dogg. That gives you the option of running up to 29 x 2.5″, 29 x 2.6″, 27.5 x 2.6″ or 27.5 x 2.8″ tires depending on the platform. When paired with the correct length shock, the tuning kits will change the frame’s travel from 120mm to 165mm.

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

Add in the GeoAdjust headset which changes the reach and wheelbase by 10mm, and the twin suspension settings on their Freedom Linkage with Plush/Crush or Trail/Gravity, and you have one of the most adjustable bikes on the market (that works with both air and coil shocks).

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

Frame Details

If that wasn’t enough, the frame has other smart details like the “Frame Storage System” that provides a spot for you to mount your spare tube and tools with a velcro strap, as well as a bottle cage mount above the rear shock for a stubby bottle. Cable routing is called “integrated-external” meaning there is a bolt on cover that goes over the cables on the downtube. This gives the look of internal cable routing with the serviceability of external routing.

Built with the Revved carbon front triangle and 6061 aluminum stays and linkage, the frames start at 6.5lb (2,950g) with hardware for a size 3 with no shock. Frames run a 30.9 seat post with stealth dropper routing, and feature a removable ISCG05 mount, 73mm threaded BSA bottom bracket, 12 x 148mm Boost spacing, and a universal Syntace X-12 Type 1 derailleur hanger.

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

Models (Text from GG)

2019 The Smash:

The rebel spirit of Joe Strummer lives on in The Smash, inspiring riders to choose their own path, no matter what stands in your way.

Details:

  • 29 x 2.5 max tire clearance
  • 145 mm rear travel
  • 160 mm front travel (150 – 170 mm)

Vitals:

  • 64.6° HTA
  • 76.8° STA
  • 13.6” / 345 mm BB height
  • 17.1” / 434 mm chainstay length
  • Ride Modes (accessible via a flip chip on the seat stay with no change to geometry):
    • Plush Mode: Ultimate traction with plush, active feel through midstroke
    • Crush Mode: Supportive and playful for goin’ fast

Changes for 2019

  • 5 mm greater rear wheel travel
  • 10 mm taller fork compatibility
  • 230 x 60 metric shock sizing (previously 230 x 57.5)
  • 1 degree slacker head tube angle
  • 1 degree steeper seat tube angle
  • 5 mm longer chainstays

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

2019 Megatrail:

As a highly refined and extremely versatile trail bike, the Megatrail is built for everything from conquering high-alpine adventures to shredding bike park laps, or just slaying your after-work rides.

Details:

  • 27.5 x 2.6 max re clearance
  • 170 mm front travel (up to 180 mm)

Vitals:

  • 77.2° STA
  • 17.0” / 432 mm chainstay length
  • Ride Modes (20-second, one-bolt geometry toggle)
  • Trail Mode:
    • 155 mm rear travel
    • 65° HTA
    • 13.5” / 343 mm BB height
  • Gravity Mode: 165 mm rear travel
    • 64.5° HTA
    • 13.2” / 335 mm BB height

Changes for 2019:

  • 5 mm greater rear wheel travel in Trail Mode for better all-around performance
  • 1.2 degree slacker head tube angle
  • 5 mm longer chainstays

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

2019 Trail Pistol

As the “Singletrack Flyer,” the Trail Pistol inspires the kind of fun you only experience flying through the pit of a punk rock show. The kind of reckless fun that reminds you why you started mountain biking in the first place.

Details:

  • 29 x 2.6 max tire clearance
  • 120 mm rear travel
  • 130 mm front travel (120 – 140 mm)

Vitals:

  • 65.9° HTA
  • 78.2° STA
  • 13.4” / 340 mm BB height
  • 16.8” / 426 mm chainstay length
  • Ride Modes (accessible via a flip chip on the seat stay with no change to geometry):
    • Crush Mode: More supportive through the midstroke for trail-bike response and playfulness
    • Plush Mode: More active suspension, ultimate in traction in rough terrain

Changes for 2019:

  • .7 degree slacker head tube angle
  • 1 degree steeper seat tube angle
  • 3 mm shorter chainstays
  • Optimized exclusively for 29” wheels
  • Plush Mode no longer raises BB for 27.5+ wheels

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

2019 Shred Dogg

This is the bike that turns your local trail into your very own pump track. The Shred Dogg provides an exceptionally lively platform for those that value playfulness more than smashing the super-gnar.

Details:

  • 27.5 x 2.8 max tire clearance
  • 150 mm front travel (140 – 160 mm)

Vitals:

  • 65.8° HTA
  • 78.2° STA
  • 13.3” / 337 mm BB height,
  • 16.7” / 427 mm chainstay length
  • Ride Modes (20-second, one-bolt toggle with no change to geometry)
    • Trail Mode: 130 mm rear travel
    • Gravity Mode: 140 mm rear travel

Changes for 2019:

  • 1.2 degree slacker head tube angle
  • .5 degree steeper seat tube angle
  • Reduced travel by 5 mm in Trail Mode and Gravity Mode
  • New 210 x 55 shock size (previously 230 x 57.5)
  • Trail and Gravity Modes no longer change geometry, just ride quality and travel

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame

Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame
Geometry tables. Click on the photos to enlarge.
Guerrilla Gravity gets Revved Up for U.S. made carbon with 4 bikes in 1 frame
Pricing & Builds. Click to enlarge.

Pricing & Geo

Each bike is offered in four sizes, with each of those sizes having a short and long version depending on the position of the GeoAdjust headset cups. Pricing starts at $2,195 for the frameset, and complete builds run from $3,695 to $5,995 with Ride 1, and 2, and Race level builds (which vary based on the travel of the initial frame configuration). Guerrilla Gravity is taking orders for the bikes today, with an expected lead time of 4-6 weeks.

ridegg.com

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30 Comments
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VazzedUp
VazzedUp
5 years ago

29×2.6 like though would love it to go up to 2.8

Are Tonneau
Are Tonneau
5 years ago
Reply to  VazzedUp

A buddy of mine prefers 2.8 either. This bike should be awesome getting to 2.8.

Craig
Craig
5 years ago

Wow all that sounds amazing, including the price. I hope they do well. Great looking bike.

El Pataron
El Pataron
5 years ago

Automated. The kiss of death. Made in USA… By robots.

roadstain
5 years ago
Reply to  El Pataron

Maybe they use lasers too….come on man, lasers! (maybe).

That said, worst bottle placement I think that I have ever seen on any bike – ever.

JBikes
JBikes
5 years ago
Reply to  roadstain

Have you ever ridden a GG? For folks with long legs and hence long BB to saddle numbers, the bottle placement is ace. First bike I’ve ever use where the bottle was reachable by simple dropping my arm down to where it was at. The “traditional” placement requires me to drop my upper body and actually reach down.

I know, 1st world problems, but it was an unexpected bonus when I demoed a Smash (which I will eventually buy)

Andrew Fleming
Andrew Fleming
5 years ago
Reply to  El Pataron

Robots? Whatcha mean? I guess I’m missing your point.

El Pataron
El Pataron
5 years ago
Reply to  Andrew Fleming

These bikes are built in America from carbon because they’ve figured out how to automate the lay up schedule.

G
G
5 years ago
Reply to  El Pataron

Still, what is your point? How is that a kiss of death? Sounds like they’re keeping jobs here, maybe even adding a few. Better than sending them overseas, right? And making a better product to boot, if the hype is to be believed.

JNH
JNH
5 years ago
Reply to  El Pataron

Better that GG employs 10 people to make a living running their own highly automated set up than go to a factory in China that has 100 people working slave wages.

Patrick Roenicke
Patrick Roenicke
5 years ago
Reply to  JNH

Oh, do not mistake me–I am absolutely hopeful that you are right. However. Look at the NYTimes recent article on automation. Companies are discarding workers left and right. That stuff is for real, and this is the most recent, real-world example of it. It only looks positive right now. Again, dont mistake me–I am now considering a Gorilla Gravity as they are made in America, but this automation thing? That stuff is for real, and the ¨robots take over¨ thing is too. If shareholders get their way, companies will be run by as few haves as possible, and the have nots will remain permanently separated and left behind–most importantly, unemployed. This is a huge step in that direction. Ask all of the GM employees with high-school educations that were displaced and discarded in the 80ś because robots replaced them on the assembly line. I dont want to be right, but this disruption is a net negative, and my suspicion is, given the greed that is now so prevalent… what happens going forward is pretty predictable.

Antoine Martin
Antoine Martin
5 years ago

Automation is replacing humans in all industries for the last 30 years so nothing new under the sun. I still think that when autonomous driving will be cheap and safe it will destroy jobs at a rate never seen before.
The funny part here is that despite those advances in automation and productivity gains people are always spending more time working and less time enjoying life, everything is fine in our environment destructive system.

Loki
Loki
5 years ago
Reply to  El Pataron

This is a potentially massively disruptive step to the industry, the first time that the industry is stepping away from Toray T700, potentially changing pre-ordered production models to a just-in-time modular system, opening up the local market to become competitive by re-thinking the labour and inventory costs and ‘robots are the kiss of death’? ‘Cos no-one has to control the robots, program the robots etc.? Do you drive a car? Use a phone? Internet?

El Pataron
El Pataron
5 years ago
Reply to  Loki

Good grief. Next time I’ll post a trigger warning.

Antoine Martin
Antoine Martin
5 years ago
Reply to  Loki

Time bike in France is waving and manufacturing its own carbon fibers tubes and frames. There are robot and human involved in this rtm process. They don’t do mountain bikes tho. They are quite experience dive too but a specialized is not cheap either.

DeafDaddy
DeafDaddy
5 years ago

I’ve always been intrigued with GG; now that they have carbon with more modern geo numbers I may just end up putting them on my list since I sold my 2 bikes (trail & fat bike)…

Wuffles
Wuffles
5 years ago
Reply to  DeafDaddy

More modern geo numbers?

They’ve never been conservative- they’re right up there with Mondraker/Nicolai/Pole, longer lower and slacker than all of the big name brands. As far as I know, the 525 mm reach on the XL Megatrail is the single longest number on any production mtb sold by anyone.

i
i
5 years ago
Reply to  Wuffles

XL Pole machine and evolink Reach is 535. XL on a Nicolai G13 is 530, XXL is 550 (though I’m not sure it’s fair call any Nicolai bike ‘production’) . Megatrail is not the longest as far as you know anymore.

Still, nice that they’re making bikes for adults, unlike Trek, Spec or Santa Cruz. It’ll be nice when the big companies figure out that if you’re 5’7 you should be on a Small or Medium, not an XL.

Tom
Tom
5 years ago

this description sounds pretty hyperbolic. Curious to see what reality looks like when they are on the market and in the field.

Padrote
Padrote
5 years ago
Reply to  Tom

I’m guessing the degree to which the process is automated is being drastically overstated, since far less complex composite parts have yet to be automated in industries with way more resources.

Wuffles
Wuffles
5 years ago
Reply to  Padrote

Why would you think that? AFP is a well established technology, and a bike frame is not a particularly challenging application for it. There are plenty of more demanding use cases in the automotive and aerospace fields.

Padrote
Padrote
5 years ago

Also you’ve “heard from many frame manufacturers” that using alloy for swingarms is better because making good carbon swingarms is hard.

JBikes
JBikes
5 years ago
Reply to  Padrote

Can you specify what makes a CF rear horst link set up better than an aluminum one? Single piece rears like a DW-link, I can see some weight and geometry advantage. Horst link? Don’t see it,

JBikes
JBikes
5 years ago

Will they still offer Al frames with the same updated geometry?

Luiggi
Luiggi
5 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

Will stated the Al line is done in Ridemonkey, they wouldn’t be able to keep both production lines and are betting all on the carbon ones.

Are Tonneau
Are Tonneau
5 years ago
Reply to  JBikes

Pretty sure they will. Many likes that set up.

Tom
Tom
5 years ago

Heckuva a price point for a made in the USA half-carbon frameset. What’s not to love about that?!

Not a fan of the geo, but hoping they kill it with this approach.

Drinky Crow
Drinky Crow
5 years ago

Carbon manufacturing being the dirty business it is, is this new process any less?

Are Tonneau
Are Tonneau
5 years ago

This really looks like a very promising bike. When you get carbon bike, you will not look back.

Carl
Carl
5 years ago

For everyone still curious about this bike an the new manufacturing, I recommend listening to the podcast interview that Vital did with them. It will clear up all of your questions.

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