Situated just a stone’s throw away from Denver’s Mile High Stadium sits an unassuming shop cranking out some of the best bikes in the business… and chances are most riders have never heard of them: Guerrilla Gravity.
After pioneering a largely successful downhill bike with the local Colorado crowd, the GG DH, Guerrilla Gravity (GG) tapped into the enduro movement with a unique offering dubbed the “Megatrail.”
There isn’t another bike quite like this on the market.
For starters, this American-made wunderbike was designed to be the “one quiver” shredder for aggressive riders that can handle the long, lung-busting climbs in the Colorado Rockies, then rip down them with the character of a downhill bike. The guys at GG made no compromises to cultivate this aluminum rig as the ultimate backcountry machine. That sounds like a lot of hype (and hyperbole), but the fact is: this bike may have no equal when you factor in cost, quality, capability, and overall cool-factor.
Frame Features (from GG)
- Trail Mode and Gravity Mode™
- Front and rear triangles optimized for 26″ or 27.5″ wheel options
- Water bottle mounts for Small – XL sizes (Small frames only compatible with a water bottle mount with a non-piggy back shock)
- Universal Syntace rear axle and derailleur hanger (no quick release thru-axle, which is more secure)
- Premium Enduro Maxx cartridge bearings last longer (they have more balls)
- Threaded bottom bracket to retard creaking and loosening (vs press fit)
- Stealth cable routing for adjustable-height seatpost
- 6.9 lbs. (3,130g) frame with hardware (size Medium, no shock)
- 30.9mm seatpost (34.9mm clamp)
- 142 mm rear wheel spacing
- 73 mm BB spacing
- 200×57 mm shock
- 1.5″ head tube (49 SHIS – compatible with all steerer tubes and Cane Creek Angleset)
- Max tire size: 2.4
- Bolt-on ISCG05 chainguide mount
Carefully handcrafted using durable, high-quality, heat-treated aluminum, the superior welds buttress every angle of the frameset to withstand almost anything you can throw at it. With a frame/shock at over 7lbs, the Megatrail wasn’t designed to win races uphill, but this bike is no beast. My test bike, spec’d with burly components to handle “the whole mountain,” came in at a respectable 31lbs. A few upgrades could easily put this bike in the 28lb territory.
If how much a frame weighs is your top priority, then this bike probably isn’t for you. Few other bikes in the enduro/trail/all-mountain category can hang with the Megatrail, however, which was also designed with simplicity, versatility, and durability in mind. This frame was designed to be relevant years down the road if you dig this kind of riding.
The most obvious, and noteworthy, feature that sets the Megatrail apart is its adjustable geometry. Designed around the Cane Creek DB Air, the two bolts connecting the shock to the frame can be repositioned on the trail in seconds to re-configure the bike into four distinct personalities: Trail Mode, Gravity Mode, Super Trail Mode (i.e. “Flannel Mode”), and Super Gravity Mode. When these bolts are moved, several things happen. The bottom bracket height changes. The suspension changes by10mm. The head and seat angles change. Ultimately these modes have been optimized to alter the leverage curve for the entire suspension to transform the Megatrail from a pedally bike to an all-out ripper.
Coupled with an efficient single-pivot pedaling platform, it dishes out mega traction, too, with excellent mid-stroke support as it crawls its way uphill in search of the next descent to slay.
My Test Bike Build
- Megatrail frame optimized for 27.5″ wheels
- MRP Stage Fork 170mm
- Cane Creek DB Air 160mm (150mm in Trail Mode)
- RaceFace Turbine Cranks with 32T Cinch Chainring (I swapped this for my personal 30T for some steeper trail climbs)
- SRAM X1 shifter, cassette, and rear derailleur
- Custom red Spank Oozy rims laced to DT Swiss 350 hubs
- Rockshox Reverb dropper post
- SRAM Guide R brakes
- RaceFace Atlas Stem 35mm
- RaceFace Turbine aluminum bars 760mm
- RaceFace grips (tested, then swapped for thinner Easton grips for rider preference)
- WTB Volt Saddle
- Schwalbe Magic Mary 2.35in tire (front)
- Maxxis High Roller II 2.3in tire (rear)
MSRP for the “Race” build is $5,495 and while similar, it differed slightly from the build I tested. The Race version comes stock with handbuilt DT Swiss 350 Hubs/EX 471 Rims and a SRAM X01 drivetrain. A frame-only options retails for $1,925, and the more affordable “Trail” build hits the cash register at $3,995.
Sizing and geometry seems to be spot-on for rides who prefer longer top tubes, medium reach, short stems, and wider bars
Sizing and geometry (from GG)
FRAME SIZE | XS | SMALL | MEDIUM | LARGE | XL |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sizing Guide | 4’10”-5’3″ | 5’3″ – 5’8″ | 5’9″ – 6′ | 6’1 – 6’4″ | 6’4″ – 6’8″ |
HA – Trail Mode | 66.5 | 66.5 | 66.5 | 66.5 | 66.5 |
HA – Gravity Mode | 65.5 | 65.5 | 65.5 | 65.5 | 65.5 |
SA – Trail Mode | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 | 74 |
SA – Gravity Mode | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 |
BB – Trail Mode | 13.2″ | 13.2″ | 13.2″ | 13.2″ | 13.2″ |
BB – Gravity Mode | 12.7″ | 12.7″ | 12.7″ | 12.7″ | 12.7″ |
Effective Top Tube* | 23″ | 24″ | 25″ | 26″ | 27″ |
Reach | 15.75″ | 16.75″ | 17.75″ | 18.75″ | 19.75″ |
Stack | 23.5″ | 24.2″ | 24.2″ | 25.1″ | 26″ |
Wheelbase | 44.8″ | 46.3″ | 47.3″ | 48.4″ | 59.8″ |
Standover | 26.5″ | 27″ | 29.5″ | 30″ | 31″ |
Chainstay – 26″ | 16.8″ | 16.8″ | 16.8″ | N/A | N/A |
Chainstay – 27.5″ | N/A | 17.3″ | 17.3″ | 17.3″ | 17.3″ |
Headtube Height | 4.3″ | 4.3″ | 4.3″ | 5.1″ | 5.9″ |
Seat Tube Height | 15.5″ | 16.5″ | 18″ | 19.5″ | 21″ |
I’ve already spent a few weeks riding this bike with some hard trails underneath the tires. No bike is perfect for every ride, but so far I am very impressed with what the guys at GG have come up with. The Megatrail is amazing, but it is not for every rider. It is designed for those who like to ride on the ragged edge, and push the bike and themselves to their limits. It seems to reward speed, and is still capable of monster trucking over slow, chunky terrain.
Look for my final review in the coming weeks. Check out more details regarding this bike’s spec below, then configure your own Megatrail on GG’s website found here.
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