Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail
Bike Review
Words & Photos by Chili Dog
Guerrilla Gravity may not be a household name, yet the small company from Denver, Colorado has made a solid impact drawing a diehard fan base. They take pride that each frame is made in-house, by skilled frame builders, not factory robots. Bikes can be custom ordered factory-direct with specs to suit the buyer’s wallet and riding needs, offering a truly individualized experience. Given the trails that inspired this bike, its aggressive nature and bombing intentions should be no surprise. But is this 165mm Megatrail, which GG dubbed, “The Big Mountain Liberator” just a brutish behemoth, or a finely tuned weapon of trail destruction?
The Lab
The “I like goin’ fast” slogan emblazoned on the top tube offers a succinct summary of the aluminum Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail’s geometry and intent. This is not a delicate bike to be babied. It’s a gravity junky begging for its next flogging. A robust build balances durability, performance, and cost. Buyers should be aware though as GG’s sizing leaves a lot of room up front, leading us to choose a size large frame instead of the XL my 6’4″ self would typically ride.
Our test rig is based on their Ride 1 build kit with a few upgrades. Industry Nine Enduro S i30 Wheelset, an SRAM GX drivetrain with an E-Thirteen TRS Plus cassette and Race Face NextR cranks spin inside a threaded BB are some of the highlights. We also put in a request for a set of Shimano brakes– something that anyone else ordering a bike from Guerrilla Gravity is more than welcome to do. In fact, because of their small size, the company encourages the custom tailoring of their bikes. One of their main selling points is a personalized ordering experience that lets riders pick from a wide range of frame colors and parts to fit their needs.
The Freedom Link suspension design is simple yet effective, with each pivot spinning on Premium Enduro Maxx cartridge bearings. The bike’s travel and demeanor are easily changed with the removal of a single bolt at the rear of the shock. Simply adjust the mounting position and you have two entirely different bikes. Trail Mode, puts the bike at 150mm travel, with a 13.4″ BB height and 66-degree head angle. Gravity Mode adjusts the bike to 165 mm travel with a 13″ BB and a slack 65.5-degree head angle. Those numbers are measured around a 170mm fork. Make no mistakes about it, this bike is designed to be ridden hard.
The Dirt
The Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail has a split personality, enabled by one of the more noticeable geo flip chips we’ve ridden. The largely perceivable differences in ride characteristics make the Megatrail a solid climber and a capable descender. Each time we flipped the chip, we had to double-check that we were on the same bike. It really was that noticeable. We also appreciated just how easy it was to change the chip, which meant we found ourselves actually using the adjustment more than many other bikes we’ve tested. To be clear, the Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail climbs does not like a 20-pound XC rig, but it does hide it’s downhill preference pretty damn well.
On our home trails the bike was undoubtedly overkill, but thanks to the 150mm trail mode, the Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail was still lively and light-footed. Scooting up hills with little to no pedal bob during seated fire roads, the bike surprised us thanks to the supportive shock and climb-friendly kinematics. Out of the saddle efforts on technical trails saw a bit more bob, but nothing out of the ordinary for a bike of this genre. Even on gentle flowing trails, testers still enjoyed the bike. It’s snappy cornering in both geo settings let the bike tackle much mellower trails than it was intended for, but that didn’t mean we forgot to let the bike loose like it was intended to be.
To get a better sense of the bike’s capabilities, we brought it up to Mammoth Bike Park for a full beat down. On jump trails, the bike was an absolute blast. Stable at speed, the Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail welcomes long airtime with open arms and slays berms with the best of them. Landing to flat is encouraged and corner slashing is all but mandatory aboard this rig. Even on the biggest hits of the mountain, the Megatrail was more fun in the air than the dual crown DH bikes we brought along on the trip. In its slackened Gravity mode, the bike rides like a nimble and lightweight DH rig without the sluggish front end. We do have one regret that became apparent when we took the Megatrail into the big boy tech lines.
When discussing the build with Guerrilla Gravity, we opted to go for the cost-effective suspension spec, selecting a Rock Shox Super Deluxe RCT shock and a Rock Shox Lyric RC fork. Though the duo is a solid performer for the price (and we’re big fans of value) we struggled with the lack of adjustability in the rear shock over the high speed, chunky rock gardens in the bike park. When riding full-gas, race pace through repeated large hits, the rear end left us feeling like we were clinging to a bucking bronco. Despite tinkering with any and every adjustment that could be made, the shock just simply didn’t offer the damping tunability that an experienced rider would need to fully let the bike do its job. We couldn’t help but wonder what a monster the bike could have been if spec’d with the Push ElevenSix shock. If you’re an aggressive, expert-level rider that’s planning on riding this bike like a full-blown DH rig, we’d recommend ponying up for the high-end coil shock. For anyone else, the Super Deluxe RCT or even the midline coil Super Deluxe are plenty capable and will get you over 90% of terrain without a hiccup.
Though the bike is in a slightly shorter travel bracket, we couldn’t help but draw comparisons to the Pivot Firebird. Both are gravity-influenced senders, yet the Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail does a markedly better job of balancing that ‘send it’ attitude with daily driver manners. Most of us aren’t doing bike park lines and dropping DH trails every day, so it’s important that a bike in this category can be well rounded and versatile. Thanks to the adjustable geo on the Guerrilla Gravity Megatrail, it excels as a do it all bike for the aggressive rider that still needs to climb to keep up with that one annoying friend wearing lycra.
The Wolf’s Last Word
Guerrilla Gravity is a brand that caters to riders who like to send it. Are you the type that favors aluminum for its durability and frequently finds yourself landing flat and foot out? If so, this olive drab green Megatrail was made for you. It’s a capable and remarkably well-rounded bike that can take a serious beating. While we may regret not adding the higher end fork and shock, the best thing about Guerrilla Gravity is that riders are encouraged to custom spec their ride within a build level using the drop-down menus on their consumer-direct site. Cutting costs in one area of the build to spec higher-end parts in another to please anyone’s needs and pocketbook, it’s hard to find something not to rave about in our closing list. A bike that’s American-made, easily customizable to your liking, rides well and is affordable, Guerrilla war has been declared.
Price: $4,960 as tested
Sizes: XS, S, M, L
Weight: 30.1 lbs
Website: ridegg.com/
CHASSIS
Frame: Aluminum; 150-165mm
Fork: Rock Shox Lyrik RC; 170mm
Shock: Rock Shox Super Deluxe RCT
COCKPIT
Brakes: Shimano XT
Handlebar: Race Face NextR
Headset: FSA
Saddle: TB Volt
Seatpost: KS Lev i
Shifter: SRAM GX
Stem: Race Face Aeffect
WHEELS
Hubs: Industry Nine Torch
Rims: Industry Nine Enduro S i30
Tires: Maxxis Minion DHF WT 2.3 (f), DHRII 2.3 (r)
DRIVETRAIN
Bottom Bracket: Race Face
Cassette: E-Thirteen TRS Plus; 9-46t
Cranks: Race Face NextR; 30t
Derailleur: SRAM GX
We Dig
Adjustable Geo
Build Customization
Made in USA
Aggressive
We Don’t
Rear Shock
Paint Chipped Easily
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