How does it compare? The Gnarvana's handling reminded me a lot of the Banshee Titan, and a look at the geometry numbers reveals why. Both bikes have a 470mm reach, with chainstay lengths in the 450mm range. The Gnarvana is a bit slacker, with a 63.7-degree head angle vs. 64.5, which does help make feel even more at home in really steep terrain.
The Titan does have 5mm less rear travel, but its suspension design gives it such a bottomless feel that the slight travel difference between the two bikes isn't noticeable.
The Titan's aluminum frames goes for $2,299 with a Float X2 shock, while the Gnarvana is priced at $2,825 for the same configuration. When it comes time to play the weight game, you're looking at around a .5 pound (227 grams) difference, with the slight advantage going to the Gnarvana. That's not much at all, especially considering that the aluminum Titan isn't exactly underbuilt...
How about a comparison with the Transition Sentinel? I had both bikes on hand at the same time, which made it easy to suss out the similarities and differences. The Sentinel's head angle is 63.6-degrees, the reach is 476 millimeters for a size large, and the chainstays are 440mm, which gives it a 10mm shorter wheelbase than the Gnarvana. The Sentinel also has less travel - 150mm in the rear and a 160mm fork, along with a lighter frame weight. When it comes to price, the Gnarvana's frame costs $374 less than the full-carbon Sentinel.
On the trail, all those numbers give the Sentinel a livelier feel than the Gnarvana. It's easier to make quick direction changes and to transfer from one section of trail to another on the Sentinel, but when it comes time for really charging through rough terrain the Gnarvana has the edge. The Sentinel is more of an all-rounder, a bike that I'd happily take on longer trail rides, while the Gnarvana is more purpose-built for rougher trails with bigger hits.
Temple of the downs
Shredgarden or
Ascendingslave
But wait! the bike does better with "triangular elevation profile rather than a sine wave" ... thanks the gods! All that weight does better on a steep incline rather than a rolling terrain! miracles!
Slip-Not
(Levy, you made it bro)
Careful, your monocle might fall out on your next ride.
That being said, if GG didn't exist, I'd probably be on a Last (if I could get one.)
@mikekazimer, you say the Titan feels bottomless, more so than the Gnarvana with coil? How do either of them compare with the newest Enduro?
www.pinkbike.com/news/review-guerrilla-gravity-smash.html
also "Stay tuned for a long term review with head-to-head comparisons, but for now know that the 38 is an excellent choice for big bikes designed for big terrain"
seen a few users already complain about CSU creak it's also a pound heavier than the competition.
The 38 is heavier than which competition? I'm curious.
The 38 is 2450g from folks on MTBR who have weighed them. Worst of all is that they still have a CSU creak!
What im trying to say is that it’s telling they avoided that direct comparison.
And sure, a pro like Sam Hill is going to be wildly fast regardless of the bike he's piloting. That said, a bike can absolutely help make a given rider faster.
The Nicolai seems to derive a lot of its praise from the incredible EXT Storia shock as well - one could just as easily imagine getting similar results from a well-tuned EXT Storia being added to any other bike, including the Enduro.
Well, first, you are lying. If you go by reviews, both Pole Evolink, Machine, and Stamina as well as 2020 Enduro were said to be too long for tight technical trails and not super "playful" (whatever the f*ck that means in todays age) so they are definitely not 10/10, but that is expected from DH focused bikes.
Secondly, there is no standardized testing for bikes that you can point to, so you selectively pick the reviews for a bike, look at the fact that there is no negatives, and conclude that its the best bike. Enduro-mtb.com picked the Nicolai G1 as editors choice, so I can say that that bike is the best, and my argument would be as valid as yours.
The Nicolai G1's suspension platform also seems entirely focused on DH performance. From the very review that you are citing: "The Nicolai climbs best on relaxed fire roads, where it makes its way up in a relaxed fashion." This hardly sounds like a bike that will offer the same pedaling platform as the 2020 Enduro.
Additionally, most/many reviewers from Enduro-MTB, BikeMag, Pinkbike, VitalMTB and MBR have given the 2020 Specialized Enduro universal praise. It won "best in test" for Enduro-MTB's 2020 issue comparing 17 Enduro bikes (including the Pole Stamina 180). It won multiple editors "best bike in test" for 2020 Bible of Bike testing for BikeMag, beating out not only other Enduro bikes, but bikes from other categories as well. It won Pinkbike's Field Test "editors choice" and Mike Kazimer recently said in comments that it is still the king of DH performance for the category. It also won the field test for MBR, where they literally said "performance is a 10/10" and "while we talk about the fact that it is the most capable bike downhill, it is also the best climbing bike in the test..." Frankly, I am not sure how much more evidence you need. There is not another single bike currently in production that has the same amount of universal praise for the category as the 2020 Specialized Enduro. That is a literal fact that you can google/research for yourself.
The simple fact is, there is no other bike which has nearly the universal praise for both downhill capability, overall suspension performance and pedaling platform. This doesn't mean every other bike is rubbish, or that people cannot have individual preference. It DOES mean that it is probably fair to say that the 2020 Specialized Enduro is a hit bike, with praise across the industry, and therefore is most likely to represent the current "best of class" bike based on these facts.
Then what is the GG The Smash built for?!
"Climbs like a 38 pound trail bike. Descends like a 160 travel DH. Next!"
It’s not about us vs. them, it’s about (on both/all sides):
- having a healthy work environment.
- having meaningful employment with a wage that allows for security in food & shelter for your family, and ideally some time off for recreation.
- reducing unnecessary environmental costs.
If Guerrilla Gravity can build a business where they are paying American workers, adhere to American pollution laws (not the best but better than much of manufacturing Asia), and offer a competitive product at LESS than the overseas-made competition — how is that not a win? If nothing else, it should bring to light all the $$$$ sucked up by middlemen offering no value-adds to the boutique alternatives.
I for years bought Taiwanese produced frames because that's all that was available aside from Reeb, Lenz, and numerous (very expensive) hardtail builders based in the USA. Now, we finally have a good value USA manufactured full-suspension bike (with modern geo, no less) and I couldn't think of any other brand I wanted to give my money to.
Horst Link after patent expires: Every company rushes to use it.
So, which one is it?!
For what they cost on the used market (I got a set for 200 bucks) they are an amazing deal. Even new, they aren't bad. I tend to like the on-off feel of shimano brakes, but I like the control the codes give on really steep sections.
The carbon front triangle is less complicated to build and to finish than aluminum, and once the mold is complete they can turn out frames faster.
Not to mention, you did know the rear triangle is aluminum AND the entire bike is make in Denver.
They are also selling like hotcakes.
Jealous are we?
do people do this on purpose just to piss those who can think off?
Both my Revved bikes are run this way AND I still have roomy to strap a tube under the top tube above the shock.
So yeah, real water bottles on a real bike!
Another geo chart oversimplification trend being pushed by the media that will probably be called stupid in a few years.
How about "bike reviewer is commenting on geometry that he enjoys riding"?
1.04 reach to CS ratio... so that suggests that someone with 440mm reach should have about 420mm CS. You ever see a bike that changes its CS by 30mm between two diff sizes? Even the Druid doesn't come that close.
The FC to RC ratio by Vorsprung was a better idea, but making it a "ratio" is an oversimplification that doesn't scale well between different bikes, like a 1100mm WB HT and a 1300mm WB Enduro bikes. This led to him judging Pole bikes unfairly.
Over the winter I changed my Shred Dogg into a Megatrail by swapping out seat stays and changing suspension, used a short lower cup and ran it in the short position.
I just swapped in a tall lower cup on my Mega, it now feels kind short, so before this weekend I will swap the headset back to long.
On my Pistola I use the tall lower cup, but due the frame geo with a shorter travel fork, I actually prefer the short position.
So it's not about what people start with or what they prefer at any one time, it's about progression and the option to choose. Imagine how this adjustability plays out when you sell a bike, new or used, I would think a shop guy would see those benefits right away.