First Ride: Guerrilla Gravity's Updated Smash
After debuting their Revved carbon technology a few years ago, Guerrilla Gravity has been incrementally updating their lineup to feature more of this novel carbon construction. The thermoplastic carbon fiber composite touts a host of different qualities to traditional carbon fiber, and can be manufactured in-country with relatively little waste. GG has started making the chainstays of their bikes out of their Revved carbon, starting with the Trail Pistol and Gnarvana before moving to the Smash.
The updated Smash still sports the ability to convert into any of the other GG models, with their lineup of aftermarket seat-and-chainstay kits that provide different geometry and kinematics. Sitting in the middle of their travel range, the Smash is positioned as the ride-anywhere all-mountain bike, with enough travel in reserve for some pretty serious terrain.
The updated Smash still sports the ability to convert into any of the other GG models, with their lineup of aftermarket seat-and-chainstay kits that provide different geometry and kinematics. Sitting in the middle of their travel range, the Smash is positioned as the ride-anywhere all-mountain bike, with enough travel in reserve for some pretty serious terrain.
Guerrilla Gravity Smash V2
• 29" front and rear
• 150mm frame travel, 150mm fork
• 64.7° head angle
• 440mm chainstays
• 10mm reach adjust headset
• Sizes: 2, 3, 4 (446-510mm reach)
• Weight: 33.5 lb / 15.2 kg
• Made in Denver, CO
• Frameset: $3,295 USD
• MSRP: $6,995 USD (Race Build)
• ridegg.com
• 29" front and rear
• 150mm frame travel, 150mm fork
• 64.7° head angle
• 440mm chainstays
• 10mm reach adjust headset
• Sizes: 2, 3, 4 (446-510mm reach)
• Weight: 33.5 lb / 15.2 kg
• Made in Denver, CO
• Frameset: $3,295 USD
• MSRP: $6,995 USD (Race Build)
• ridegg.com
The updates to the Smash are subtle, but significant enough to warrant some attention, so let's dig in.
The V2 now features a carbon chainstay.
And still sports a hanging water bottle mount.
Frame Details
The front triangle of the Smash is unchanged from the prior generation, and as a result the front-end geo remains the same. There are some geometry tweaks that come along with the Revved rear end, primarily in the form of longer chainstays.
When the original aluminum Smash came out, it featured 429mm stays in all sizes, but that number grew to 434mm for the V1 Smash and now to 440mm for the V2. Stay lengths are not size-specific, but should be better balanced for the range of reaches available. I think size-specific rear end geo is the way to go, but given GG's aftermarket stay kits and the logistical nightmare that would ensue with a sizing component, I understand why they didn't go that way direction.
The biggest changes brought on by the redesigned rear end of the Smash come in the form of weight, stiffness, and kinematics. The Revved chainstays achieve a claimed 50% increase in lateral stiffness while also reducing weight by 90 grams when compared to the aluminum predecessors. The V2 Smash sees a 5mm increase in travel, now sporting 150mm in the rear, with a 5% increase in suspension progression. Guerrilla Gravity has also done away with the Crush/Plush flip chip, opting instead for one position that optimizes climbing and descending performance slightly better than the prior generation.
A clean exit.
This one, less so.
Guerrilla Gravity continues to employ their unique solution to cable management, with a bolt-on cover that requires no cutting or zip-ties. It seems some GG owners have found this solution a bit frustrating, as containing all 4 cables while installing the cover can be a bit of a mess - so one clever owner came up with a 3D-printed cable management solution that integrates with the existing bolt holes.
I haven't found the cable cover to be all that fussy, and definitely prefer any form of external routing to the fully-internal game most brands are playing these days. The upper exit of the cable cover is a little funky, though, as the cables tend to push up against the handlebar as opposed to lying naturally in front of the bike. Some creative arrangement could probably solve this, but it's a bit of a frustrating quirk in the meantime.
Terminator Grey
Colorado Racing Green
Build Options
There are 3 build kits, with 2 color options for each kit, plus one special Launch Edition build with a corresponding colorway. The V2 Smash is also available as a frameset, and in GG's custom a-la-carte builder.
The available builds are as follows:
Ride ($4995 USD)
NX drivetrain, Code R brakes, RockShox Select suspension, and Sun Ringle Duroc wheels.
Rally ($6295 USD)
GX drivetrain, G2 RSC brakes, RockShox Ultimate suspension, and DT Swiss M1900 wheels.
Race ($6995 USD)
XO1 drivetrain, Code RSC brakes, Fox Factory suspension, and Crank Brothers Synthesis Alloy wheels.
Launch Edition ($6995 USD)
Same build as the Race, but with a GX/XO1 mixed drivetrain, and a DHX2 instead of a Float X shock.
For folks who own a V1 Smash, updated aftermarket stay kits will be available for purchase in the coming months. You'll be able to update your existing bike to the latest model without swapping the entire frame, and GG will even offer the kits in current and old-model colorways.
Riding the Smash
I've been riding a Size 4 Race build Smash for the past few weeks, and have a few thoughts to share on the updated all-mountain ripper.
As one of the more well-populated travel brackets in the current market, the 150mm all-mountain bike can go a variety of directions these days. Some brands are pushing that travel as their race-focused enduro rig, others are maximizing efficiency and simply keeping some extra travel on tap. Within that spectrum, Guerrilla Gravity has slotted the Smash right into the middle, as a bike that feels pretty happy doing just about anything.
The do-it-all nature of the Smash makes for a bike that's easy to spend a day on, be it on relatively tame terrain or scraping up big climbs to reach nasty descents. The pedaling performance was quietly impressive, with enough traction for janky maneuvers, but plenty of support for buff singletrack and long logging road grinds. I tend to prefer a more active suspension for grip on both climbs and descents, and the Smash delivers that without feeling too wallowy.
Descending on the new Guerrilla Gravity is best characterized by how balanced you feel in the bike - neither too far over the front or off the back. I'd chalk a lot of this up to the longer rear center, but also to the high native stack of the frame. This makes it possible to really maximize the rider space over the bike, allowing for a more neutral body position through changing terrain. I've been riding the size 4 Smash with the reach adjustment in the short position, as the 500mm reach feels like the ideal max for me on a bike of this sort. All that reach and a longer chainstay make for a pretty sizable wheelbase, but the Smash doesn't feel too tricky in tighter terrain. A bit more body language is required to get things set up for steep and tight turns, but you're well-positioned in the middle of the bike to get things pointed in the right direction.
One little complaint that might bother long-term owners was the water bottle clearance. With the toptube-mounted arrangement, it's hard to fit a full-size bottle, and even on the size 4 frame a large bottle would rattle against the downtube on descents. That said, you do have a second mount location below the shock, so conceivably you could fit a second micro bottle down there, if you're not using the space for tools or spares.
Goes to 11.
Ample room for better rubber.
Build Kit Thoughts
For the most part, the build kits on the V2 Smash make sense to me. I've been riding the Race build - the most expensive of the bunch - and though it works quite well, there are a couple things I changed to better suit my needs. I swapped out the EXO/EXO+ tires for stickier and meatier options, as the slimy roots here in Bellingham don't look kindly upon hard compounds or thin casings. On the wheel front, I found the Crank Brothers Synthesis Alloy wheels to be quite comfortable, though the hub engagement was bad enough to be frustrating at times. Pedaling out of corners was sometimes met with an awkward lurch until you hit the point of engagement, though this is something one could get used to after a while.
The e*thirteen cockpit is solid and hard to fault, but I swapped it out for my personal preference of a 40mm stem and some higher-rise bars. Luckily, as I mentioned earlier, the Smash has a fairly high stack as-is, so I didn't have to employ any crazy-high bars for the steep tracks around here.
The Fox Factory 36 has been excellent so far, with a ride feel that complements the rear suspension quite nicely. I'm sure a lot of people will be running the Smash with coil shocks, but I think the air spec suits it nicely for the majority of riding. One little detail I loved seeing was the BikeYoke Revive Dropper; this is a truly excellent component, and the longevity and serviceability make for a great investment.
Photo by Yoann Barelli, Rider: Nate Spitz
Overall, I think Guerrilla Gravity has made some nice incremental improvements to their jack-of-all-trades bike, with plenty of room to adapt to a variety of use cases. I really enjoyed the balanced feel, and though the bike was quite neutral it stood out in just how easy it was to ride in a wide breadth of terrain. Add to that the aftermarket adjustability of the modular frame platform, and you have a very wide range of use out of just one American-made frame.
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Must Read This Week
Most people think the head tube is too large.
The Last Tarvo looks A LOT like the GG front triangle but lacks the GeoAdjust headed and has a different shock mount orientation, are those more appealing to GG haters?
Aesthetics are highly subjective. For example, I think the new Bold/Scott hidden shock bikes are freaking gorgeous but so many people hate them, and instead think a farmgate looking high pivot idler equipped downhill bike is the sexiest thing.
You also buy a GG if you want a carbon bike without an expiration date. I've yet to see comparable carbon enduro bikes last as well as these.
Then you get into arguments with dentists who think that their Pivot or Yeti is for sure manufactured in AZ or CO because the company is based out of those respective states.
Nah man, your shit is made overseas. My "ugly" bike is made right down the proverbial street.
Customers drawn to the machine / brand for function & value (pre-2021 GG price increases). Refinement takes a backseat to performance and brand ethos. Small companies doing it well but can't keep up-to-date & polished as fast as the bigger players. For the owners that cherish them, attributes that start out as ugly become the quirks make the thing special. Personally I dig the not-so-serious metal asthetic, and I like the quirks - I appreciate droolworthy bikes but don't need mine to resemble a Ferrari if I'm going spend my time beating the shit out of it. And I love that it's been the most durable bike I've ever owned. Can't say whether the rest of the Subaru / Mitsubishi owners' cliches transfer though (dunno how much GG owners are into vaping at meetups ;P )
I'd love to see a new lineup refinement with a slimmed revved front end, geoadjust headset V2 with angled cup options, internal frame storage, and a raw carbon color option. That may justify the current MSRP.
Also, I’ve never witnessed any turf wars in Colorado between roving bands of local Yeti “tribes” and GG riders. Far more people own Specialized out here than both those brands combined. It’s just not happening.
Agreed. I've been patiently waiting for GG to refine it's manufacturing processes to give us lighter weight frames with the same level of durability.
Also wouldn't mind having more space in the triangle for bottles and traditional cages, but at that point the frame ends up looking a lot like a LAST.
Was willing to overlook some of that when GG frames were competitively prices. Now not so much.
I don't throw shade on any other brands unless someone is misinformed about where their stuff is produced. I don't like people thinking their Yeti or Revel is made in the USA, simply because I think we need clearer information about what is, and isnt' made here.
Not that I can afford to or even attempt to keep up. I'm proud enough knowing my humble Commencal was made in Taiwan or elsewhere in Asia just like every Yeti, Revel, and Alchemy I see on the trails.
Before I get downvoted by some boutique brand bootlickers look it up yourselves. Yeti in Vietnam, Revel moved to Taichung in February, and Alchemy hasn't made an Arktos in-house for years.
But, when seeing the prevalence of "local" brands there is a reason that is not rooted in practicality or performance. It isn't supporting local either, since these brands barely do.
In my honest opinion, it has got to be the trailhead "flex" aspect that sells some of these. Because there are options that cost less, perform better, and actually support local. These bikes are not so unique that they should be as prevalent as they are here.
These brands actually do a lot for the local community. Yeti, GG, Reeb, Commencal, Orbea, Canfield, many more are very supportive of the local community, cycling but also business, engineering, manufacturing, etc. in both highly visible and under that radar ways. These things definitely play into why people buy the local brands, aside from having local customer support and employing friends at said companies
They deserve lots of credit for fostering support here. My mind was more on the labor-intensive side of bike production- manufacturing domestically, a far costlier endeavor. That is where a lot of my respect for GG comes from because they're keeping it all here. I quite like Taiwanese frames too (I ride one and it rocks), but some of the brands here aren't very upfront about their production origins.
www.bikesdirect.com/products/motobecane/full-suspension-mountain-bikes/hal-boost-eagle-dtcf-27plus-29er-mountain-bikes.htm
If I'm spending money on a bike, looks don't matter nearly as much as function.
If the best riding bike looked like crap, I'd ride it.
Aesthetics are for art and fools who don't ride, just saying ....
I don’t know if it’s just the looks or if it’s because the shock is mounted mid downtube and more perpendicular angle than other downtube mounted designs but it doesn’t look quite right to me.
The thing is, with the shock mounted that way you can actually fit two water bottles: one below the top tube and one below the shock. That's the way I roll. So, yeah, it's function over form but it works well when you need to load up on liquid.
100% hit the nail on the head.
I miss my old '06 STI for the same reasons. Box fenders, rumbly exhaust, simple durable AWD, and readily available parts that fit like Legos. If it was a wagon not a sedan I'd have kept it forever, I tell myself.
If I sold my GG I'd be singing the same song about the bike that could be any 3 bikes in less than 2 beers' time.
Also, there’s nothing technically special about the suspension design so it should be more refined looking imo. That shock angle in the middle of the downtube just does not look purposeful at all.
One small additional plus to this shock location / linkage design: super minimal rotation at the shock eyelets.
Like, I'm so proud of you for inhabiting the Denver metro area for your whole life! Here's a sticker champ!
GG came outta the gate hot with claims of significant strength increase with their Revved carbon. However, I have yet to see them follow up with further information on this like reduced warranty rates or anything similar. Additionally, if their strength claims are true it would seem like Revved carbon to be an ideal choice for a number of bike manufacturers to move to either through licensing or doing a similar knock off.
Most other brands aren't interested in improving the materials they make bikes out of because their frame providers in Asia are very efficient at providing high-quality low-cost carbon/aluminum. If the factory isn't domestic there is no quick way to test new manufacturing methods.
Revel is prototyping a thermoplastic frame, but since they now manufacture in Taiwan it could be a long time before that technology makes it to the production line.
GG: here’s a bike that’s the same or lower price than overseas carbon
Pinkbike: f*ck that.
GG: here is a bike that looks likeit was sketched by a motorcycle designer to a paper towel and accidentally it went to production like that.
Pinkbike: f that
I love my GG.
The bike looks much better in person, it’s the lack of dimension/ depth perception in the photos that make all the angles look out of plumb and awkward looking. I am fan of the GG.
But, to be fair, I am a big fan of ibis bike designs. My opinion may be skewed…
But really, we're talking about being centered in the bike, but how is this supposed to work if reach difference from smallest to largest frame is 50 mm having the same chain stay length. I'd rather have an aluminum frame that has 7 sizes with specific geometry and anti-squat values than an 500 lighter fancy carbon frame that is offered in 4 sizes. And I won't even start questioning how the same bike is supposed to work perfectly for both 60 kg and 90 kg riders in terms of strength and stiffness.
Since they're manufacturing everything in-house on a common front triangle platform, buyers should have a rear triangle option for the shorter rear center. (hopefully this is in the works)
I do love the idea that 10 mm of chainstay length radically affects weight distribution.
I know you're a fellow Canfield-stan, the lithium has 430 stays, which is plenty short. i do like the spastic nature of my ESD at 417, but that's mostly because you're always up and moving on a hardtail anyway.
in terms of space for the 29-er rear wheel: there is a solution for this, it's called super boost. Pivot bikes manage to have 430 mm chainstays in the smallest size at 165 mm of travel in Firebird and they even have a dual link suspension layout that requires extra space for the linkage behind the bottom bracket. I hate to say it, but I think long term super boost offers more options for frame designs, maybe it will domintate in the future.
Actually I like 27,5" front and rear, currently waiting vor my Nomad 5, 425 mm chainstays in size s, can't wait
Even if you add the same shock, their frameset is is $160 cheaper than the new Smuggler, and $559 cheaper than the Hightower 3 framset. And the build kits feel like a pretty good balance between (inflated 2023) costs and performance.
Does seem like you pay a bit of a weight penalty for GG carbon vs the way other manufacturers are doing it. Aka, GG lists this bike's frameset + shock at 8.0 lbs, and Transition (generally known for chonky frames) puts the 150mm Sentinel at 7.0 lbs for a framset + shock.
From what I've read about GG, the founders had previous aerospace experience with the Thermoplastic manufacturing, so a lot of their R&D was figuring out how to build bikes cost effectively. Kind of like silicon chip manufacturing, all of the secret sauce is in the manufacturing efficiencies.
Questions... how quickly are these things blowing? And when they get rebuilt by Fox, are they updating the internals to fix the issue or do they just keep blowing?
I just know that personally, I wouldn't run one again simply because I got burned. I don't feel the performance is much better than other shocks that i've had zero issues with.
What am I missing here? Years ago I figured out if you want a durable, great performing rear shock go coil. Unlike an air fork, which for me feel good and are durable, an air spring on a rear shock is always going to be a weak link. The pressures it has to deal with seem to overwhelm available tech. When we are dealing with 33 plus # bikes does it really matter if an extra pound is added due to a coil?
My first 2022 was busted out of the box and second lasted about 5 rides. I also thought about buying a sale super deluxe from knolly as a backup haha.
What is your new frame?
They still have stock of them, including the coil version for a great deal, you should grab one.
New bike is the Chilcotin 151 in Teal Cosmos... arrives on Thursday!
Enjoy the Chilcotin, it’s a sweet bike! That teal is a stunner
"... We do have updated parts and I'm confident to say that you are not going to experience any problem after this warranty claim."
I've also noticed the Trail Pistol seems to be gone... I wonder if there is an upgrade coming.
Stepping off my soap box now
The first picture shows a frame with a different looking top tube and top tube-to-seat tube junction. In fact, the frame in the first picture looks different than the frames on the current website. What's up?
Yes, was going to say something similar.. I have an aluminum Megatrail and follow GG . . . Got their press release on this bike yesterday, and there’s mention of front triangle changes, including location of main pivot. Dario, get us the rest of the scoop!
That front triangle looks like the existing size 4 to me. The "main pivot moving" is the pivot on the seat stay not where the yoke attaches to the frame. It looks like they're re-using a similar piece to the Gnarvana vs what the V1 Smash has, which would account for the removal of the flip chip. I've got V1 Smash stays hanging on the wall and a Gnarvana build in my garage.
I think I'd take the Gnarvana over this updated Smash honestly, and I actually kinda wonder if this is just the Gnarvana with different dropouts to create a 1cm shorter wheelbase, so you could probably bump the shock stroke on this version of the Smash to 65mm and get a "Gnarvana with shorter stays". I was running a 230x65 DVO Jade on my V1 Smash and it cleared the seat tube at full compression w/ a 2.4 rear tire.
Would also make my Smash seatstays irrelevant since they wouldn't work with the carbon chainstays.
A "update program" to connect people exchanging chainstays would be sweet. Closest to that is the Guerilla Gravity facebook group, that's where I snagged my Gnarvana says for cheap.
Those colors though, esp the green are verynaice.
I'm cheating and running a 65mm X2, scraped once. But I think a 62.5 would be the right move, actually set the progression correctly.
But...ended up grabbing the gnarvana stays and decided to try them. Absolutely love the longer chainstays, suits my riding style really well. Bike feels much more balanced than the Smash. I like the "inside the bike" feel, and really don't feel like I lost a lot in climbing (at least for steep PNW road climbs). The longer stays actually feel really planted and centered on technical climbs.
I'd be more curious about carbon stay ride quality than weight. But again, maybe for...$600 or something, not $1200+ haha. That's more than I spent on the used Smash + Gnarvana I have lol.
Amazing how GG was so ahead of the game in 2019 that these frames are still relevant. These things used are one of the best values out there for a modern GEO bike.
But I didn't get along with the long stays, preferred the shorter rear end. Old habits.
I think in the Smash V2 GG has found a great compromise in the 440mm stays.
I was blown away by how the Gnar climbed though, absolutely great for a big 170/160 29er. Long stays probably helped.
Agree - GG geo was years ahead. Designed in 2019, still relevant now. And if you raise the front end of a Smash, Trail Pistol, or Mullet the Megatrail you are right in line with modern ~63-64 HA bikes with a seat tube steeper than 76 degrees.
Had a Specialized Stumpy Evo, always rode that in short mode. The long/low mode was just too low. And that was just 443ish mm with a slammed BB of 331mm. I almost felt like the back end hung up too much over drops, like it felt way too long. Wonder if I was feeling the BB too far below the axle. Whopping BB drop of 44mm, I think that was the actual issue I was feeling vs. CS length.
Sold that (broke the evo chainstay and could never trust the frame again), got an alloy patrol. 440mm CS, 340 bb height. 27.5" rear wheel definitely influences the overall feel and reduces the "BB DROP" compared to a 29er with the same CS + BB height #s (only 15mm of drop). LOVE IT. Keeping that build with a boxxer as a park bike.
Now onto the Gnarvana, 450mm CS, 347mm BB height. Not sure the BB drop, guessing around 25-ish mm. LOVE IT.
I think you're right in that the "in the bike" feeling can come from both, more "down" in the bike with a low BB and "centered" in the bike with long chainstay.
The best back-to-back I've done has been switching between v1 Smash / Megasmash / Gnarvana.
Smash at 347mm BB (160 fork) 435mm stays, Megasmash at 337 low BB, 343 high, and Gnar at 347mm BB 450mm stays
337mm BB is about as low as I can ever go with ~160mm travel. Below about 340mm BB has the "in the bike" feeling to me but the short stays keep me from feeling centered fore/aft. (which I like, I prefer to pivot on the rear wheel a bit). While the Gnar felt "too far forward" for my liking, it definitely was easy to control on chunk and did not require any thoughtful forward shift to weight the front tire, it just worked. I've been faster in the high-BB configurations over rough chunk, and maybe the rear end is getting hung up less because of the extra height. Dammit now I want to go ride...
@dirtdiggler agreed, riding style and body type probably play a lot into it too. I felt like Smash V1 was way too unstable on steep chunk and shuttling. 160mm fork would have probably helped a bit, but something was just off for my style. I do like to keep weight pretty centered and pump hard on everything. Short legs and long torso might contribute to that. But either way, my Patrol alloy 440 CS length, not super far off of Smash v1 at 435mm and it feels just fine haha. Maybe it's the combo of +5mm CS and lower BB on the Patrol vs. Smash that makes the difference for me.
All this thread tells me is more brands need to step it up with adjustable GEO. But they won't do that, because they have to justify having a SB115, SB140, and SB165, or Santa Cruz's ridiculous line parsing out mullet vs. 29er (5010/tallboy, hightower/bronson, megatower/nomad).
Even being a Transition fanboy...would be pretty sweet if I could turn my Patrol into a Spire easily. Which you could do because I'm 90% positive the front triangles and linkage are the same, rear triangles are different (not sure if it's seatstays or chainstays or both).
Kona kind of nailed this with Kona Process X (change chainstay length and wheel size with flip chips). But more expensive, I don't want 490mm reach on a large, and not built in US vs. GG.
+100 for brands stepping up with adjustable geo. Someday GG should figure out how to accomplish all their adjustments with chips and dropouts instead of stays, would make swaps even easier.
I'd take adjustable geo over internal frame storage or a 1lb weight savings anyday.
They are loaded with things that don't break.
Buyers getting smashed
Maybe it was supposed to be an april fools post?
I'm 6'2" and fit well on a bike with ~480mm of reach. I can see lots of people be happy with the above reach figures - there are 4 different options spanning a total of 39mm of adjustment...