Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Gravity Attack Bikes

I hadn't seen these before on BD. Anyone have experience with them?

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/attack_track_bikes.htm

Here's another thread about them, but no one seems to actually *have* one....

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/711402-Goodbye-Dawes-SST-Hello-Gravity-Attack?highlight=gravity+attack

Gravity strikes again!

Gravity always win. :(

I'd be interested to know too. If anyone knows what a Gravity Attack weighs post it!

I really dislike the sloping top tubes.

I really dislike the sloping top tubes.

+1

I picked up a "Gravity Attack Track" back in February and have been riding the hell out of it since. As the bike is set up from the get go, it weighs probably about 20 lbs and rides nicely. The saddle feels comfortable just sitting on it... but for any ride greater than 10 miles or so, it's really terrible. I did have some trouble with pedal strike at first (my first fg) but the frame is stiff enough to be able to easily rescue and get back on to riding. The pedals that come with the bike are pretty... well... nothing fancy. I quickly replaced them with these: http://www.giantnerd.com/vp-vp-399t-road-bike-pedals.html which are also nothing special, but will work until my budget allows clipless.
Also, don't expect much from the stock tires as I burnt through my rear in just over 400 miles and I really don't skid much.
BTW: I'm 5'5" and riding a 52cm (using a single 2mm stem riser that I had laying around from a bmx build).

Hm.. what else...
The fork has a cromo steerer (Kinesis' base model fork - separately $99 I believe). Kalin seatpost looks pretty standard... VP logo on the seat and stem cap. Alex r450 rims are pretty heavy at 450g for a 27mm "semi-aero" rim. Sealed bearing Formula hubs... All-in-all pretty standard imo for $300.

I don't mind a slightly sloping tt but that is a little excessive.

I don't mind a slightly sloping tt but that is a little excessive.

It's actually a dirt jumper...

ooooops

http://www.twiceisniceonline.com/home/twicehp.gif

I don't mind a slightly sloping tt but that is a little excessive.

Those bikes are the same type of frames as comfort bikes or touring bikes like the new Salsa Casseroll, which many on this forum consider ugly. They have much longer head tubes for a given frame (seat tube) size in order to raise the bars and provide a more upright seating position. They actually make a lot more sense than using a bunch of spacers under the stem and / or a stem with almost vertical rise. The sloping top tube is required to provide a reasonable standover height. They are not very stylish and don't appeal to fashionistas who place style above practical function. I think it's great that bd has finally provided at least one practical SSFG bike for folks who just want something comfortable and could care less about hipster fashion.

Those bikes are the same type of frames as comfort bikes or touring bikes like the new Salsa Casseroll, which many on this forum consider ugly. They have much longer head tubes for a given frame (seat tube) size in order to raise the bars and provide a more upright seating position. They actually make a lot more sense than using a bunch of spacers under the stem and / or a stem with almost vertical rise. The sloping top tube is required to provide a reasonable standover height. They are not very stylish and don't appeal to fashionistas who place style above practical function. I think it's great that bd has finally provided at least one practical SSFG bike for folks who just want something comfortable and could care less about hipster fashion.

hipster says what?

sloping forever.

Looks like a Specialized Langster to me
http://www.specialized.com/OA_MEDIA/2009/bikes/9094-90_EL_LANG-langster_d.jpg

It's a good frame... I mean sure, it's a bit hefty for aluminum and the welds (ugly welds don't necessarily mean weak welds) and paint suck... but it's as stiff as the hulk's nipples and you don't have to suck up your nuts when stopped standing at a traffic light. It's a good bike for the money, nothing more, nothing less. Is it hipster? Probably not. Will it travel 50 miles and beg for more? Yes. I guess it's not particularly aero... but neither is my gut, so not really my primary concern atm.

Today I went on a 10 mile ride with a friend that hadn't been on a bike in years at a casual pace of ~8-10mph. After our ride, I rode another 5 miles home at ~21mph. Same bike, comfortable in both scenarios. (Speaking of the frame anyway, the seat is pretty terrible).

Also I guess worth mentioning... I got my cranks to flex today as I did a short sprint through a hole in traffic to cross a 7-lane street onto a side street (3N, 3S, +1 center turn lane). I started at roughly 16mph and peaked at just over 28mph during the sprint, and slowed back down to 18 once I left the main road.

For those who haven't seen yet, here's my 2011 Gravity Attack Track in action:
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w96/edisme518123/IMG_20110329_100453.jpg
http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w96/edisme518123/IMG_20110404_175123.jpg

(My real camera broke a couple weeks ago and I have yet to replace it. Cell phone pics only for now... :().

I'm 5' 8" but have short legs (about a 29 inch inseam), so the sloping tt appeals to me. I agree that it doesn't look as good as regular tt, but this seems practical.

Wow, that stem is short.

Aluminum frame for a city ride = yuck for me. Keeping it real with steel baby!
Still a sharp bike tho!

I prefer steel for city riding. I ride both aluminum and steel bikes but prefer feel of steel. That's a preference. Some people will say the Kilo flexes and want something "really stiff" so its more "efficient". I think a little flex in a street bike is a good thing. The only place where I would not want any flex is a track bike for short races at the track.

Wow, that stem is short.

In hindsight, I probably should have ordered 1 frame size smaller and gotten a bigger stem...

Critical issue? I think not.

BTW, I'm officially clipless as of yesterday and absolutely love it.

As the bike is set up from the get go, it weighs probably about 20 lbs and rides nicely.

First off, thanks for the review. It's nice to see someone who's bought the bike give some feedback on it. Forgive me for nitpicking, but have you put the bike on a scale or are you estimating? I'm just curious about the weight.

I wish manufacturers would list weights for their bikes. On Trek's website (for example) they give some lame reasons why they don't. But really, it wouldn't hurt anything to say: this bike weighs xx pounds as pictured, in a size 56cm. Or whatever. To at least give some idea for potential buyers.

Rant/

That was just an estimate on the weight. The stock brake calipers are heavy, the stock wheels are heavy (for non-aero-type rims), the seatpost is heavy, and the bars are heavy. Replacing all of those bits with weight weenie parts would bring this bike in the 15-16 lb range for sure. As I have it set up currently, (in 52cm) with two 24oz aluminum water bottles (filled), a newly added tektro crosstop brake lever, 1 stock brake caliper on the front, new "no contest" saddle @ 240 gr (http://bikeisland.com/cgi-bin/BKTK_STOR20.cgi?Action=Details&ProdID=1842), front and rear lights, Hutchinson Intensive tires on front and rear, and a cateye strada wired computer it's about 4-5 lbs lighter than my friend's stock 58cm Vilano. I may take a couple pics for you guys sometime in the near future.

Edit: Forgot to mention that the stock forks have a cromo steer tube, not alloy. Expect that to weigh a bit.

Damn. Just tried to order one and they're out of stock on 52CM's in both colors.

I own one and it's my only bicycle right now. I've owned a Dawes SST, Windsor Hour, Kilo TT, and various road bikes. I like it a lot and especially the price. Didn't care for the aesthetics of the sloping top tube, but I told myself I was going to ride it and not model it.

It rides great. There is a tiny bit of toe overlap on the 54cm, but not Kilo TT status. I don't know how heavy it is, but it feels about as heavy as my 54cm Dawes SST, which was noticeably heavier than my 50cm Kilo TT.

aluminum frame, carbon fork, road geo and more upright riding position were all pluses in my book.

I own one and it's my only bicycle right now. I've owned a Dawes SST, Windsor Hour, Kilo TT, and various road bikes. I like it a lot and especially the price. Didn't care for the aesthetics of the sloping top tube, but I told myself I was going to ride it and not model it.

It rides great. There is a tiny bit of toe overlap on the 54cm, but not Kilo TT status. I don't know how heavy it is, but it feels about as heavy as my 54cm Dawes SST, which was noticeably heavier than my 50cm Kilo TT.

aluminum frame, carbon fork, road geo and more upright riding position were all pluses in my book.

would you recommend this over the bikes you mentioned for a first fixie?

http://i174.photobucket.com/albums/w96/edisme518123/IMG_20110511_100042.jpg

Just finished my first group ride of a total 42 miles. First 15 was @ ~19mph, short break then 15 @ ~24mph, then short break and return for remainder @ ~19mph.

In the pic: new bottles/bottle holders, seat, added front brake, shimano clipless, Mavic shoes and my tired ass out of frame. Btw, gearing as pictured is 46x18.

Just finished my first group ride of a total 42 miles. First 15 was @ ~19mph, short break then 15 @ ~24mph, then short break and return for remainder @ ~19mph.

In the pic: new bottles/bottle holders, seat, added front brake, shimano clipless, Mavic shoes and my tired ass out of frame. Btw, gearing as pictured is 46x18.

Were your companions also riding fixed or were they geared. That's a pretty serious pace for that gearing. You were turning about 120 rpm for that 24mph stretch, which is really good cardio. I like the fact that those frames have 2 sets of bottle mounts, whereas most others have only one or none. For serious riding there is no substitute for clipless pedals /shoes. Looks like your chain is a bit tight and it needs at least another half link.

Were your companions also riding fixed or were they geared. That's a pretty serious pace for that gearing. You were turning about 120 rpm for that 24mph stretch, which is really good cardio. I like the fact that those frames have 2 sets of bottle mounts, whereas most others have only one or none. For serious riding there is no substitute for clipless pedals /shoes. Looks like your chain is a bit tight and it needs at least another half link.

I was the only one on a fixed gear and the fast portion was definitely rough. The chain length I have now is the shortest you'll ever see it. Need it short enough to fit my whole range of cogs (13-18). The 15t puts the chain right in the middle of the dropouts and the 18 (as seen) is pretty well slammed. The chain tension is right where it should be at .5" horizontal deflection.

On the last portion of the ride we split into two groups (one going north and one going south, or back home for me). Everyone in the south group was joking about how if I was this good on a fixie... just wait until I get a "real bike.' They dropped me from the group somewhere in the middle of the 24mph portion when the leader decided he felt like speeding the pace up to 28... I just couldn't spin it that fast. I managed to catch up a little bit later as they were all struggling to climb an inter-coastal bridge before the split-up point. Serves 'em right imo.

There was one guy out there that really impressed me though. We started at the same time and at some point during the ride he got a slow leak in his rear tire and just kept on going. By the time we made it home it was completely flat and he was still just tugging away keeping pace. Not to mention he was about 3 times my age...

How's the AL frame?

Just got an email from BD... new Gravity Attacks are due in August.

:(

How's the AL frame?

I like it a lot... but as it's been said already... it isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea.

If there's anything I have to say that I really don't like about the frame is that the chainstays are a bit beefy and I'm not sure if a much bigger chainring would fit. Although... this doesn't really matter to me as I don't plan on changing it any time soon.

If there's anything I have to say that I really don't like about the frame is that the chainstays are a bit beefy and I'm not sure if a much bigger chainring would fit. Although... this doesn't really matter to me as I don't plan on changing it any time soon.

Wait, you want to go bigger than 46 x 13 ?

People mention it's resemblance to the Langster, but the similarities are in appearance alone. The Langster is lighter and the tubing is more sophisticated while the Gravity Attack seems to use regular tubes. I dig the fact that the Gravity Attack has a relaxed geometry and comes with a carbon fork for $300 shipped, but I had a chance to look at a buddy's and I was overall unimpressed. It seems mediocre in the two aspects that an aluminum frame is supposed to excel at: weight and responsiveness. It is definitely on the heavier side, heavier than the Kilo TT and Dawes SST AL. Some of the weight could be due to the componentry differences but I expected less weight from the Gravity Attack. As for responsiveness, it just didn't have the "zip" that I had come to expect (in comparison, I've found the Langster and Dawes SST AL both to be quite responsive). This could be due to the tubing used (e.g., non-shaped downtube on the Gravity Attack) as well as the geometry (although I've ridden frames with compact geometry that were still quite responsive). Still, the Gravity Attack seems like a good bike to cruise around town on. I actually don't mind taking an aluminum frame through rough streets, as I could easily pop on some 28's (the carbon fork is a plus in this aspect as well). Ultimately, I decided against purchasing it as a commuter mostly due to its lack of rear eyelets for rack mounting.

Thanks, tFUnK. I just ordered a polished SST AL, since I can't really wait until August. Sounds like it's probably for the best.

If there's anything I have to say that I really don't like about the frame is that the chainstays are a bit beefy and I'm not sure if a much bigger chainring would fit. Although... this doesn't really matter to me as I don't plan on changing it any time soon.

Wait, you want to go bigger than 46 x 13 ?

Being able to choose between 46x18,17,16,15,14,13 is plenty for me. I'm saying that someone looking at this bike may dislike that their ridiculous 70t chainring isn't going to fit and they won't be able to run their 70x12 gearing @ >150gi. BTW, I got the cogs as a set of 6 from bikeisland for $30... I think some of this forum's members have paid that much for just one.

On a side note: a 51x17 for 78.78gi would be marginally better suited for riding with roadies than 46x15 for 80.53gi. I've also seen roadies with top gears as high as 55x11 (131.3gi)...

People mention it's resemblance to the Langster, but the similarities are in appearance alone. The Langster is lighter and the tubing is more sophisticated while the Gravity Attack seems to use regular tubes. I dig the fact that the Gravity Attack has a relaxed geometry and comes with a carbon fork for $300 shipped, but I had a chance to look at a buddy's and I was overall unimpressed. It seems mediocre in the two aspects that an aluminum frame is supposed to excel at: weight and responsiveness. It is definitely on the heavier side, heavier than the Kilo TT and Dawes SST AL. Some of the weight could be due to the componentry differences but I expected less weight from the Gravity Attack. As for responsiveness, it just didn't have the "zip" that I had come to expect (in comparison, I've found the Langster and Dawes SST AL both to be quite responsive). This could be due to the tubing used (e.g., non-shaped downtube on the Gravity Attack) as well as the geometry (although I've ridden frames with compact geometry that were still quite responsive). Still, the Gravity Attack seems like a good bike to cruise around town on. I actually don't mind taking an aluminum frame through rough streets, as I could easily pop on some 28's (the carbon fork is a plus in this aspect as well). Ultimately, I decided against purchasing it as a commuter mostly due to its lack of rear eyelets for rack mounting.

We must have gotten different frames... Mine isn't terribly heavy and it does have rear braze-ons for rack mounting.

It's pretty difficult to compare this bike with the Langster imo considering the Langster sells for more than double the price of the Gravity and obviously should be expected to associate with a higher level of quality.

I'd be willing to say my bike weighs roughly the same as the 2011 Langster Pro hanging up in my local lbs collecting dust with its $1100 price tag.

Thanks, tFUnK. I just ordered a polished SST AL, since I can't really wait until August. Sounds like it's probably for the best.

To be honest, I considered buying the sst al instead of the Gravity Attack but ultimately shied away when I noticed the sst al was $70 more and doesn't even come with a fixed cog or lockring...

Aside from those two points, the sst al is a clear winner in this debate.

I'd be willing to say my bike weighs roughly the same as the 2011 Langster Pro hanging up in my local lbs collecting dust with its $1100 price tag.

Put it on a scale and find out. One measurement is worth a thousand opinions. I'm still waiting for someone to weigh one of these...

(sorry I keep bringing it up..)

lol, I would have long ago if I had a scale laying around...

My major complaint is the BD pictures. What's with the angle of the bars? Looks stupid to not have the drops level.

My take on it is a hybrid between a comfort bike and racier geometry like the SST AL. It's definitely a more relaxed posture with a taller headtube. That's probably a good thing for the majority of potential riders.

Can't wait to see one of these with some ridiculous slammed negative rise stem.

If these are anywhere near as stiff as my SST AL a carbon seat post is practically a mandatory purchase.

My SST AL ran much smaller than listed size but it worked out ok. Had to run a long stem that slowed down the twitchy steering some and having all that extra seatpost exposed really helped dull the road vibration once I stuck a carbon post in.

I need to start saving up to get a proper road bike... or at least to restore an old one. The advantages of multiple gears are beginning to present themselves. I can't argue that a single fixed gear is still some of the most fun you can have on two wheels though. It's also pretty ego boosting when the roadies you drop notice you only have one speed...

We must have gotten different frames... Mine isn't terribly heavy and it does have rear braze-ons for rack mounting.

It's pretty difficult to compare this bike with the Langster imo considering the Langster sells for more than double the price of the Gravity and obviously should be expected to associate with a higher level of quality.

I'd be willing to say my bike weighs roughly the same as the 2011 Langster Pro hanging up in my local lbs collecting dust with its $1100 price tag.

I could be mistaken, but from the pictures on BD and on this page, it looks like there are no mount holes on the track ends for a rack.

I agree, that it's definitely a lot of bike for $300. But folks specifically wanting that lightness/stiffness typical of an aluminum frame might be disappointed.

I misunderstood you. The frame does have braize-ons on the seatstays for rack mounting, but does not have holes or bosses etc on the track ends.

It isn't going to be the go-to bike for everyone, but it's quite a piece of gear for the money I think.

I went on another 40-miler today with the same guys as last time and this time switched to the ss side of the hub. The freewheel on this bike is either installed incorrectly or is some horrible piece of crap garbage. I was in fear for my life the entire ride thinking my rear wheel was pending explosion while listening to the freewheel going buzzthumpthumpbuckthumpcrack etc etc as I was peddling. I doubt I'll be using that side of the wheel again.

I'm 5'6" with 30" inseam, do you guys recommend the 49 or 52cm frame?

I'm 5'6" with 30" inseam, do you guys recommend the 49 or 52cm frame?

http://www.competitivecyclist.com/za/CCY?PAGE=FIT_CALCULATOR_INTRO

Looks like the Gravity Attack has been replaced with the Swift 2: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/swift2_track.htm#size

This is tempting. I'm torn between 49cm vs 52cm. I'm pretty fall right in between...

Looks like the Gravity Attack has been replaced with the Swift 2: http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/swift2_track.htm#size

Looks like the only change is a $10 increase in price. :lol:

http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/gravity/attack_track_bikes.htm

Exactly...

About the sizing, if I order from BD, I get to choose from 49 or 52CM. But on the manufacture site, they go by a different medium of measurement (http://gravitybikes.com/specialty/attack.html). Based on the manufacture site, the XS has a standover of 29" but set tube is only 43", is that correct? http://gravitybikes.com/specialty/attack.html