Components
The MRP Stage fork should get more attention. It has that ‘Pike Smooth’ feel right off the bat, and is easily as stiff. Plus it also has an air spring volume reduction knob to give it some ramp without having to take the thing apart.
I had a hard time getting full travel out of it (about 5-8mm shy), but that equated to a very smooth ramping feel. With a few clicks in on the volume reducer, you can get incredible midstroke support out of it, better than a solo air pike with one or two tokens. I was pleasantly surprised.
As a die hard Shimano brake fanboi the last few years, I was really impressed with the Sram Guide RS brakes. I’d say they have all the power of any Shimano hydraulic, but with a smoother engagement that doesn’t have that punchy feel the big S does. I’m not running out to buy any, but I wouldn’t switch them out if they came on a bike. Considering Sram/Avid’s recent past, that’s a huge improvement.
The Sram X1 drivetrain could have replaced my X01 setup when I wasn’t looking, and I wouldn’t have known the difference. It seems all of these groups across the Sram 11sp range function pretty much equally.
This is also the only bike I’ve ever ridden with no chainguide, that didn’t throw the chain off (yes, narrow-wide rings included). I don’t think this particular setup with the Race Face Cinch ring was magic, it’s just worth noting. On my own bike it happened only a few times before I put on a guide, and not necessarily in the first 5 days.
Schwalbe Nobby Nic tires suck. I gave it a chance for two days. After fearing for my face, I had to take it off the front to feel comfortable enough to push the limits of the bike. I quit riding tires with this round of a profile years ago. This was a reminder why.
700 gram Schwalbe tires also give up the ghost, even when run tubeless at 35psi. I got a rim ding and a tire puncture. That has more to do with the weight class than the brand. But the Rock Razor didn’t exactly lock into turns, either. If you want something fast with some corner meat, I’d go with a Specialized Slaughter.
I get the appeal of those WTB Frequency Rims. Even with double butted spokes, the wheels were fairly stiff. I could feel them load up in some really hard turns, but given the weight, I’m a fan. They don’t knife into turns quite like a good plastic rim, but they also don’t feel as rough on my taint. And I didn’t crack any of the non-eyeletted spoke holes. So yay!
I’m not in the “Cane Creek For Life!” rear air shock club. I can understand the appeal of that rather comprehensive damper system, but the air spring needs some work. I did some of that work by adding two volume reducer bands the last day, and it did help quite a bit. But the shock overall makes it very easy to disconnect from what’s going on with the rear of the bike, very VPP-esque.
Lots of people prefer this feel, with the understanding that bike is handling everything, but I’m not one of them. Losing some feedback in a world of linearly sprung, heavily damped shock response is what makes me break wheels and pop tires because I get less choosy about lines.
Using the Monarch Debonair was a great eye opener for me, because it allowed to me to separate what was bike behavior and what was shock behavior.
Most of my gripes with the Megatrail as sent were with the shock. My only regret is not getting more time on the CC Inline with the volume reducers. That damper system is pretty impressive (although two-stage/notchy if you get too crazy with the HSC knob), and I don’t mean to take away from it. But I don’t feel that I got it dialed for how I like to ride, either.
Bottom Line
There’s a lot to like about the company and the idea behind Guerrilla Gravity.
Even better, there’s a lot to like about the bike they produce, too. The Megatrail is a pretty adaptable player in four very different roles, and it’s damn good at all of them.
You can get plow or pop in either travel or geometry setting. And it’s even more versatile when you consider it has a 1.5” headtube that lets you play with angled headsets, too.
It’s not carbon and smooth all over, but once you see one of these frames in person, it also becomes apparent that this frame could be with you for the next ten years, even when taking into account a number of tomahawks into rock gardens. It might look a little plain in a photo, but it’s a little bit of industrial art in person. And if you’re worried about the frame weight, I’ll remind you that the build I rode is lighter than my size medium 2015 Norco Range Carbon.
The Megatrail is pushing the envelope in terms of BB height, but that’s a very good thing. No matter what shock mode you’re in, this bike is stable beyond its measured angles, which are already on the long and slack end of trail bikes. If you’ve been riding mountain bikes for a while, you can pedal it up technical climbs without nailing your pedals. Don’t believe the hype.The stability is worth it.
With the custom build options, Guerrilla Gravity provides a very personalized ride at prices similar to what’s available from the McMega brands. And the ride quality is head and shoulders above a lot of them.
This looks like a sweet rig, especially for a compulsive tinkerer like myself. Any comparisons to the Knolly Chilcotin? That’s my current rig and it sounds like it might share some similarities in design and ride characteristics.
Also for the record, I bought a CCDB Inline in September. Yesterday I finally got it feeling perfect. That little sucker takes some real dialing in.
I have ridden a Chilcotin for a day. I thought it descended well but the headangle was a little steep for my tastes, and I wasn’t really impressed with how it pedaled. Whether descending or climbing, it seemed like the rear end was in a pretty constant state of squatting and catching on things. Take that for what it’s worth though, I certainly don’t know the bike as well as an owner would and I only messed around with air pressures and rebound damping on the shock. Coasting descents, I thought it was a pretty solid ride. As far as a comparison, I’d say the angles of the Megatrail in one of the longer travel modes make it something the Chilcotin probably couldn’t compete with.
Good to hear about your tuning adventure on the shock. It seems to be a common theme with most of my friends who have ridden them.
Cool, thanks for the reply. Did you try the Chilli in slack or steep mode? It makes a massive difference IME. No doubt in my mind that the Chilcotin is a very suspension dependent bike. When I first bought it I thought I might have made a mistake, but I’ve since discovered that it was just set up wrong for me.
The Megatrail looks really, really cool though. I love the adjustability of it. The range of personalities you can give it seems huge. Badly want to play with one after reading this review, which is really the first I’ve heard about how it actually performs.
I believe it was in the slacker setting but I wouldn’t bet my life on it.
“even when taking into account a number of tomahawks into rock gardens”
I love this phrase. I have had this bike since October last year and been to Moab three times with it, and I plowed through Porcupine significantly faster than any of my friends, several of who are better riders than me, because of both the geometry of the bike (slack head tube, low BB) and how well built it is. Oh, and I was in trail mode. After reading this review, I wish I had put it in Plaid mode, but I am worried that I would’ve destroyed my rims going at warp speed, given how fast I was already going in trail mode. If you want a bike that can handle abuse (I am 195lbs, 6’1″ and ride sloppy), this is the bike to go with.
Kevin, I loved your review. Very open minded and honest. I test rode one at Bootleg over a month ago and am expecting mine to arrive in about a week. For many of the same ride qualities you expressed, I’m selling my SC 5010c wunder bike.
my question is the shock. I put a monarch plus on my 5010 and it was night and day better than the fox it had. I really like the shock, but the guys at GG advised the cc inline. I still have time to change it, what would you suggest? I’m 150lbs, love the gnar…but usually do a ton of climbing. So I need something that has good mid stroke. Also love to play and “pop” on the bike. Thanks for your feedback, Rod.
Thanks Rod. I would say the easy answer is that the Monarch is the simpler setup of the two. I’ve got a CC inline shock that I just put on my own personal bike (2014 Norco Range Carbon) and to be honest, I’m having to revise my opinions a bit. I’ve only got a few rides on it but I’m not getting the same problems I had on the Megatrail. I’m now wondering if there was something up with the individual shock. Neither bike has a very complex leverage curve so I doubt it’s the difference in frames.
I’ve had good longevity out of the Monarch shocks I’ve had. You won’t have the minute precision in damping adjustments that you do with the inline but it will probably get you riding the bike comfortably a little sooner. The few friends I’ve had with inlines had both difficult setup times, and most of them have had to send theirs back for service within a year.
I don’t really feel comfortable making a choice for you as I honestly think either shock will work well, but hopefully that helps. If you do get the inline, I would definitely try to get some volume spacers with it.
Solid review, I’m going to try the “plaid” shock setup next ride. I really like my small Megatrail, Guerrilla Gravity is a great company and has excellent customer service. Will worked closely with me to get the best parts spec for my budget, we went through the parts +$ or -$ and pros and cons. Plus they are equally responsive to questions after I took delivery. Fantastic to get a bike with exactly what you want!
A note on sizing, I am 5’8″ and rode the medium and small. The medium was a bit more comfortable going uphill but the small was better for me going down. I have a short inseam at 30″ and the stand over on the medium seemed a touch high. That said, the small is awesome with a 40mm stem and 760mm bars.
Hey Kevin, what trail is this? I just moved to reno about two years ago and I’m still scouting trails. Thanks.
Thanks for the feedback Kevin. I think I’m going to give the CC Inline a try and see how it goes. The guys at GG have been great to work with so far and I’m sure they’ll stand by their product…so If I can’t get it sorted out in the first month or so, I may get a hold of them to see if I can swap it out for the Monarch Plus.
The MRP fork seems to be getting some good press. One thing that’s especially appealing is their advertised axle-to-crown, which is 10 mm lower than a 27.5 Pike of Fox 34 in the same travel. This means you could potentially run the MRP Stage with 10 mm extra travel without affecting geometry.
That said, I don’t fully trust that different brands measure things such as axle-to-crown the same way. Has anyone measured the Stage in comparison to, say, a Pike?
Multiple leverage rates and geometries are great and all, but I wonder if Guerrilla Gravity could shave a little weight off the frame by eliminating the adjustable geometry. ??
Probably like 7 grams.
Holes surrounded by aluminum don’t tend to weigh that much.
So they’re using holes, then. Dialed.
Great review. I now have narrowed it down to two frames, MT and the Norco Range Carbon, which you mention is your personal bike. I have had a short test ride on the Range and liked it. How does the MT compare to the Range?