Colorado based Guerrilla Gravity has just rolled out a new edition to its growing line-up of trail-friendly bikes. The new Trail Pistol comes in "Crush Mode" and "Plush Mode", which is achieved via a shock mounted flip chip that optimizes the geometry and suspension for 29" wheel "crushing" or 27.5+ "plushness."

Guerrilla says the bike's, "Designed to explore miles of endless singletrack with its efficient pedaling platform and rally the descents with its stiff chassis, progressive leverage curve, and playful geometry. The Trail Pistol allows you to keep in mind what's really important: riding fast and having fun."

Guerrilla Gravity is using what it calls a combination of Horst Link and the single pivot used on its Megatrail bike.

Guerrilla Gravity is using what it calls a combination of Horst Link and the single pivot used on its Megatrail bike.​

Bikes are built in Guerrilla Gravity's Denver HQ. Frame highlights include a roomy cockpit, 429mm chainstays, 120mm of rear travel, and a 66.6-degree head angle that can be adjusted by +/- 4 degrees per 10mm of travel above or below the standard 130mm fork.

When set-up plus, the bike maintains a consistent BB height between wheel sizes, but steepens the head angle a degree, and reduces the progression in the suspension. No fork swap necessary to use either wheel size. Claimed tire clearance is 29x2.6" or 27.5+x3.0".

Frames in various stages of assembly and powder coat prep.

Frames in various stages of assembly and powder coat prep.​

Other features include low standover for improved agility, specifically on smaller frame sizes, and an optimized seat tube angle that helps maintain consistent geo as the saddle is raised and lowered. Rear hub spacing is boost 148mm and the frame utilizes 210x50 metric shock sizing.

As for suspension linkage, Guerrilla Gravity is using what it calls a combination of Horst Link and the single pivot used on its Megatrail bike.

"It's a BS-free platform that eliminates unnecessary complication while maximizing performance," read the launch announcement. "It's a platform that's made for going fast, yet is easy to maintain and built to last. It has excellent pedaling characteristics and mid-stroke support, and we were able to reduce braking influence by 8 percent."

Frame highlights include a roomy cockpit, 429mm chainstays, 120mm of rear travel, and a 66.6-degree head angle that can be adjusted by +/- 4 degrees per 10mm of travel above or below the standard 130mm fork.

Frame highlights include a roomy cockpit, 429mm chainstays, 120mm of rear travel, and a 66.6-degree head angle that can be adjusted by +/- 4 degrees per 10mm of travel above or below the standard 130mm fork.​

Guerrilla Gravity are believers in the advantages of roomier cockpits, but also note that their frame sizes are designed to run shorter stems than average and, therefore, run a slightly longer front-center.
Sizing

Pricing

  • Frame w/ deluxe RT3 shock: $2195
  • Complete builds:
  • Ride 2 build: $2995; features SRAM GX 11 speed and Level brakes, KS dropper post
  • Ride 1 build: $4495; features XT 8000 11 speed and brakes, Race Face Atlas and Turbine components
  • Race build: $5495; features SRAM X01 drivetrain and Guide RS brakes, Race Face SIXc and Next SL components
  • 27.5 Plus wheelsets and tires available on all models
  • Build kit customization options available on all models
  • Nine powder coat colors and five decal colors available


For full geometry numbers and pricing information can be found at RideGG.com. To learn more about Guerrilla Gravity, head over to page 2 to read an interview with PR boss Will Montague.

Continue to page 2 to learn more about Guerrilla Gravity and their take on the consumer direct model »

If you're in Denver, you can stop by the company's showroom.

If you're in Denver, you can stop by the company's showroom.​

Mtbr: Tell us about your bike brand and products.
Will Montague:
Guerrilla Gravity bikes are designed and manufactured in-house at our Denver, Colorado facility. Our chief engineer, Matt, comes from auto racing and Toyota, so has an extremely good sense of what it takes to make bikes that excel at going fast (up and down, but especially down), yet are also designed with a high level of refinement in mind. We do everything we can to eliminate complication from our designs, which leaves riders with a bike that's not only high performance, but is built to last and easy to maintain.

On top of that, riders can customize their bike, making it unique to them. We have our base build options, but each of these can be tweaked for preference. Then there are 10 frame color and six decal options available to boot. Our price point falls right in line with the main of the big box brands.

Our mission at Guerrilla Gravity is to make mountain biking more awesome, and what makes mountain biking the most awesome at the end of the day is the community. Our new Shop Direct model fulfills this mission perfectly by supporting local shops who are at the core of so many mountain bike communities: facilitating group rides, helping build trails, and spreading the stoke in their corner of the world.

The Guerrilla Gravity team: Left to right Kristy Anderson, Matt Giaraffa, and Will Montague.

The Guerrilla Gravity team: Left to right Kristy Anderson, Matt Giaraffa, and Will Montague.​

Mtbr: Okay, so explain how shop direct works.
WM:
It's pretty dang simple: Step 1: The rider goes into their favorite shop. Step 2: The rider works with the shop to figure out their build. Step 3: Rider pays the shop, gives them a high five. Step 4: The shop calls us up and orders the bike (via phone or website coupon code). Step 5: We ship the bike with the rider's custom spec to the shop (pre-built, if a complete build). Step 6: Shop preps bike for rider pickup. Step 7: Rider picks up their new bike, gives one more high five. Some shops will stock a handful of our demo bikes. They're listed on our website, and get a bump in margin. This will help drive more traffic to their shop and showcase the options available. The ordering process is the same, though.

Mtbr: So involving the shop is the big difference between what you do and traditional consumer direct?
WM:
Exactly. Consumer direct does not involve a local bike shop for the purchase. Our rider direct channel is still available for riders who don't have a favorite local shop close by. These riders can feel confident that they'll still get great customer service and support from us directly, as this is the channel we've been working on and refining the last three years.

The Builder Wall in Guerrilla Gravity's Denver showroom.

The Builder Wall in Guerrilla Gravity's Denver showroom.​

Mtbr: How does it differ from the traditional buy a bike from the shop model?
WM: Given the options available (build kit to frame color) and the opportunity for riders to build a bike that's unique to them, the process is a lot more personalized. This means it would be difficult for shops to keep "the right" bikes on the floor for a customer to by at that time. For our "Outposts" shops, they can sell the demo bikes on the floor to the impulse buyer, or simply use these to showcase the options available.

Mtbr: Why is this better for the consumer in your opinion?

WM: They are able to buy our bikes wherever works best for them. If they have a favorite local shop, they can support that shop. They get the assistance and guidance of a shop they're familiar with. For riders with no mechanical inclinations they get the reassurance everything is assembled correctly, especially if they're purchasing a frameset only. Our complete builds come pre-assembled (only putting the handlebars and wheels on is required), but a frameset can require quite a bit of assembly depending on the components selected.
Welder Kevin Witte welding up a Megatrail frame.

Welder Kevin Witte welding up a Megatrail frame.​

Mtbr: And what are the benefits for the shop?
WM: They can fulfill their customers request for a Guerrilla Gravity bike versus selling them on something they may not want or risk losing a sale. They can offer extensive customization options to their customers at a very competitive price. There are no inventory requirements, so the shop doesn't have to take a risk on tying up cash in inventory that moves slowly or that they have to discount at the end of the season. And they get all of benefits of attaining or sustaining loyal customers: accessories sales, on-going service and maintenance, future bike sales, etc.

This new color offering seen on the Megatrail is dubbed, "safety third."

This new color offering seen on the Megatrail is dubbed, "safety third."​

Mtbr: How can you assure that any bike shop will participate?
WM: There is no territory or exclusivity component to the Shop Direct model. Margin is dictated directly to how many bikes you sell. It's a pretty laissez faire model that relies on individual shops to attract and retain loyal customers. Even locally in Denver where we have our showroom and retail shop, the shop up the street is welcome to purchase our bikes for the rider with whom they have built the relationship.

Mtbr: So what are the benefit for Guerrilla Gravity?

WM: We get more riders on our bikes and support local bike shops along the way. We are really excited about the level of performance we bring to the market, especially for riders who like going fast. And we didn't want barriers to getting these riders on our bikes. So we did some head scratching and came up with a solution that works for everyone involved.