Been riding my Ghost Grappler a week now.. feels like a great gravel bike on steroids.. tires are smooth and eats everything up... solid ride.. best all around bike l ever ridden. Gave my 2017 ECR to my nephew... he is happy and so am l
It looks like a slightly dialled back version of the Salsa Fargo. The Fargo is a bit extreme in almost every aspect so this bike might be a really good bridge for someone who wants something capable of handling deeper, heavier, rougher gravel than the majority of the offerings out there. I smiled when he said that it feels smoother and more planted when loaded, which is exactly how my Fargo feels.
People don't talk about seat tube angles very much but with the more recent trend of seat tube angles getting steeper, this 73 degree seat tube angle is what I prefer, falling in line with more traditional geometry, and would make me consider this bike over other options, particularly on a smaller frame (as a reference: Fargo, Sutra ULTD, and Gorilla Monsoon all have around 74 degrees on their smaller frame sizes). I'm 5'8", and a slightly slacker 73 degree seat tube angle makes me feel more "centered" over the bike. Your miles may vary, of course, but I'd consider the Ghost Grappler over the other options for that reason alone.
Setback/no setback and adjustability of the saddle on the seatpost is able to change the position by a few degrees. (Moving the saddle 4.5cm would change the angle by 3 degrees for my height)
Currently gathering parts for my Timberjack gravel build, so your comparison of the Cutthroat + Timberjack cross makes me feel like I don't need to sell it to buy the Ghost Grappler...yet haha.
What you guys need to do is mount those tires on a skinnier rim. Something like an ID of 29 or even less. I've done this kind of big wheel skinny rim combo on number of my bikes over the past couple years and absolutely transforms a bike. Not only will it make it more playful and lively but it will make it faster and more efficient overall. One other thing, and this something people either don't talk about or don't realize is that when you do this kind of combo you get more "pressure range." This means that you have more range in air pressure adjustment before the tire simply has no performance. For example, from my experience on something like my fat bike if I use a 4" tire on an 80mm wide rim the pressure has to be fairly high to maintain handling and some-kind of speed and efficiency. But If I mount a 5" tire on the same rim it results in a more rounded profile and more adjustability before the bike becomes a total terd. I've taken this the extreme with a set of 5" tires mounted on 50mm rims and I won't go back! I ride in groups with other fat bikers running the typical setup and they're all bouncing around, moving like slugs working their arses off, getting soaked in sweat while I'm doing half as much to keep up. I'm surprised no else has done this but then again looking at the tire/rim charts the tire companies push you toward wider rims.
That's a really interesting read. Thanks mate. I'm wanting a bike packing bike something like this bike here bit with 29" wheels. Going to screen shot this so I can re-read it if I get this bike. Thanks mate👍👍
I wonder if they will make a dedicated 29er version of this bike? Makes sense considering the bikes they discontinued over the last couple of years. Great review!
He mentioned that the krampus shared a lot of similarities in geometry with the grappler. Just gotta wait for someone to make a drop bar build of a krampus!
Man, that reach…I thought I misheard and had to check Surly’s geo chart. My AWOL (size L) has a similar stack as the size L GG, but has 40mm *less* reach, and I still am slightly stretched out on a 70mm stem. Those of us long legged folks really hate this long geo trend.
I have been riding mine for about a month now and love it. Would agree with pretty much everything you said about it, great review. One thing I did find was that the handlebars were a little wobbly and hard to control with the bike loaded on steep inclines, could just be me as I am a novice!
Was thinking the same thing. Surly and Black Mountain cycles all have tall head tubes for some reason. I'd pick the black mountain cycles over this though.
Love the review. I’ve been looking pretty seriously at the Tumbleweed Stargazer as a dedicated bikepacking bike, specifically for an AZT thru ride I’m planning for next year. This is substantially more affordable (less than half the price) and seems to offer many of the same features though. Between the two, would you say the Tumbleweed is twice as good or would I be better off trying to get my hands on one of these? All the best.
Well, if you are doing the Arizona Trail, you will be underbiked on both. But the more trail forward Ghost Grappler would be the better of the two for that route. I don't think the Stargazer is twice as good, I think the tubeset is lighter for sure, and the full build components are much better on the Stargazer, but that Ghost Grappler framset is hard to beat.
Hi there! Nice video review! Two questions raised up : 1. There is absolutely no info ( literally nowhere ) about the weight of the frame set ,whatever the size ( usually size L ) !! 2. Can you suggest a carbon fork as an replacement of the original one ( i will appreciate that a LOT ) . Kind regards
Finding a carbon fork deel hard. Ik have not succeded yet. Main issue i see is the non tapered headset. Let me you isf domeinen finds something. Sorry i die not measure the frame weight. Ik halve into the built.
Hi there! Thanks to reply! In fact it isn't all clear - i'm wondering if it's in english ... So i just hope to catch the idea in general , but no quite sure .
@@emiliansabev4108 He/she is saying that a carbon fork will be difficult to find. I’ve done a lot of looking myself and don’t believe one exists due to the straight 1 1/8 inch head tube. Carbon forks designed with that measurement are non-existent for this size tire unfortunately.
@@Misterdunham Hi Ryan! Thanks for your reply. I believe that somehow Surly knows that the people would may be like to have the option for a carbon fork...
I like how it looks with the rigid fork. It looks like a non.suspension corrected frame. Kind of is? And it can have single speed set up. I probably would build it up as SS 29er. But then again there are options like Kona Unit that are cheaper and ready to ride single speeds. That is if flat bars are ok. Anyway it is an interesting bike. Much more in my taste as fully ridig, big tires and single speed. Once I valued the drop bar option much more but now I use alt bars. Surly seems to just get it in some ways. We want fun and reliable bikes. But the dropouts from surly have sometimes let us down. Pugsley 2.0 had terrible ones.
Hi Buddy, i see you had a great time on this little ghost Jasper ;) Any hoo I am exactly 176 cm tall with 81 cm inseam (exact conversion of your size in metric) question is I have found an L size GG but you felt awesome on an M size GG. According to the recommendation of Surly I am (we are within L range. Any comments, recommendations on that? Well, trying to figure my direction in this jungle of bikes with the goal of having some more sided bike (Drivetrain, tire clearance, mounting points etc) for fff (Scandinavian climate and Harsh terrain conditions) and to be able Bikepack/Tour on a longer (thousands of Miles hopefully) in one go.. Any comments or recommendations on that? Thanks for the informative videos and all the rest on the Website. Mr M :)
Sure, the downside is that there are limited options for 27.5" wheels, tires and tubes in some countries. That said, this bike is compatible with a 29" wheel.
Agree about the bar choice the Woodchippers are a very unique and personal design choice I don't think most riders will appreciate, the choice to use Cowchippers is a far more broadly accepted bar style. I too wish they had suspension corrected the frame for at least a 100mm fork, also wish they had chosen to slack the HTA a bit more into the 67 degree range especially if marketing it specifically as a dropbarmtb. It feels as if the industry is just not as willing to commit to a true dropbarmtb design and yet they keep marketing in that direction, a few have come closer than others but overall it feels as if the designers of these bikes aren't actually riding in the way they are trying to design or are not riding very aggressive terrain and sticking more to flow trails rather than any sort of tech.
27.5 is far better for ups when it gets shit steep and start sucking on the down in terms of stability. But you did caveat with, “your opinion”. That it is.
Speaking of which, kudos for making 27.5 in a market where even kids strollers have 29er wheels on them, but the company is aged and gonna go out sooner than later. These things are heavy, most of the time awkward and just not what most people that have ridden bikes for a long time will gravitate towards. Or, they’re just weirdos…
I wonder why they went for the 4-in-a-row style mounts on the fork. I really love the braze-on pattern they use on the Krampus, ECR, Ogre, Troll etc... and this doesn't do it for me in the same way. Other than that, I really dig it. I ride an XL and I bet I could get a monstrous frame bag in there!
They look good but the ogre that I have has a shitload of frame Flex I bought the bike thinking that it would be stronger than what I had but the opposite is true what I had is stronger than my new bike so if you pack heavy you probably want to pass on a surly
@@bendekker6552 1970 Cycle Pro mountain bike outfitted with Velo orange fenders Velo orange hubs velocity rims custom cut California spokes with Schwalbe Marathon Plus and saddled with Brooks I was looking for a stiffer frame I thought that the ogre was it but under full load my 70 frame is way better than the ogre
Everything functions properly ru-vid.comUgkxHL1v1R3NE5x4KiYfyt8dnQmyNYz7qi5L Nothing was damaged in the box aside from a decal on the fork. The decal was missing a piece of a corner but I ended up peeling them off anyways. Assembly is easy BUT make sure you tune up the derailleurs. Both the front and rear need adjusting. I'd advise going to a bike shop but I opted out and put in 10+ hours with the help of RU-vid. Ended up fraying a shifter cable but all in all I learned from the experience. The Brakes work well but the front caliper needs adjusting or at least mine did because the rotor was rubbing against the pads. Make sure you swap out the seat, grips, and pedals. For the short run you'll be fine though. I've read that this bike isn't built yet for hard trails but I just need it for the city. PA has some of the worst roads and being in a mountain this was a great choice. Worth the investment!
Seems pretty similar to a Poseidon Redwood, albeit steel vice aluminum. Seems to me like if you’re going to go this far into the mtb range, especially since it’s heavy, you could just get a nice hardtail.
I don’t understand drop bar bikes with massive stack heights. I finally admitted to myself that I’m too old and too injured to ride drops. I’m having a lot more luck with a Jones Bar on my gravel bike and some Ritchey Kyote bars on my MTB.
I have no problems with the microshift stuff but given the rest of the drive train (Somax?) and the price, this is a frame purchase and self build. I see no reason to buy the full build unless you just have zero access to bike parts
I am continually amused at why gravel riders use drop bars and almost never go into the drops. It's almost like they won't go to flat bars because then they would be "out of the gravel club".
For me it’s hand position for drops is natural, flat bars are not natural and feels uncomfortable. I have the skill to control a bike without wide flat bars…. But it makes zero difference to me if someone uses flat bars, because why would I care what someone else chooses to use???
