All City Gorilla Monsoon Review

The Gorilla Monsoon is a beast of a bike. Translated to “Monster Cross-bike’ the Monsoon is one of those bikes that allows you to take it pretty much anywhere, from road riding to bikepacking gnarly terrain. Basically a beefed up all rounder. According to All City this steed can do it all. “Want to do mixed pavement and single track rides? Put in long days off-road? Do some fire road touring? Camping? Ride across the continent? No problem.”

A test rider Conor reported that the Gorilla Monsoon, “is seriously a do-everything machine. I have owned the orange fade Gorilla Monsoon for about nine months. It is a fantastic bicycle that is capable of everything. With the appropriate tires (I use Byway 47s 650b) it can keep up with carbon road bikes. In the winter, I used the stock Riddler 2.4’s and kept up with fat bikers on single track in the snow/slush/ice/mud. The Riddler 2.4’s also tackle some gnarly downhill and singletrack.”

But before we get into the bike itself, what is the monster cross bike category all about, and why do you need a monster bike if you all ready have say a gravel bike?

If you are considering a monster cross let me convince you. no, really there are some legitimate, and practical reasons to consider one. If you are on a ‘budget’ (keep in mind this bike is on the pricey side), when I say budget I mean saving you money from spending on multi bikes that are designed to tackle different types of riding. This is almost like the one in all type of bike. Meaning it could very well be the bike that does everything for you. Then there is space saving with having all these bikes, if you are more of a minimalist it is a comforting idea to know you just have one bike that does almost all that you need in a bike. Also the monster cross bike’s ability to tackle their local terrain is another reason for consideration.

Simplicity and versatility is why you would want a monster cross. Some say that the monster cross scene is another way of just selling more types of bikes.

But these dirt drops with 42 to 45mm-wide tires, serve a real purpose, in the cycle travel niche. Being truly the one bike you ride the most, negating any perceived need to buy other bikes.

Comes with a all steel frame and fork made from a Select CroMoly steel, double butted, select tubing and features a lovely bi-plane crown steel fork. Hayes CX Expert, 160mm Disc breaks front and rear. With 27.5″ x 2.4″ WTB Riddler tires that are tubeless ready. Has all the eyelets and mounting options you need with, front rack, low rider rack, rear rack potential. And also compatibility with Surly-8 and 24-Pack racks. With the option to fit fenders. Three mounts for bottle cages.

The GM is made and designed for utility in mind. Allowing you to take it touring, bike commuting or bikepacking. The Salsa Cowchipper handlebars come as standard. With a Shram drivetrain, a FSA Comet 1x, Direct Mount 36t front Ring and a rear Sunrace 11spd, 11-42t cassette. Directed by a SRAM Apex1, Long Cage rear derailleur. Depending on your expected type of riding, if you plan to ride fully loaded. You may want to swap out to front for a smaller ring or change drivetrain to a double which can be done. The bike is designed with a slightly lower bottom bracket which results in slightly better manners when under load.

Great Things About The Gorilla

• Front end handling feels incredibly stable, providing stability on a rocky decent.
• Good looking bike, the aesthetics are stunning. That color is on point.
• Cool build with contemporary geometry
• Provides well for todays bikepacker and dirt tourer.
• This rig goes everywhere! It is built for a huge variety of different conditions and terrain
• Overall it is fun, versatile, and robust 
• Depending how you look at it, it is a quiver killer. Eliminating many other bike options, providing the goods to be that bike that essentially does it all for you.
• The frame is solid. The shifting is smooth. And the dropper post is very handy

Not So Great Things About The Gorilla

• This is a heavy bike, the all city gorilla monsoon weight comes in at around 29 pounds (13.15 kg) for a 58 cm size. You can shave weight her and there, but overall it is a heavy bike and takes a lot of energy to accelerate.
• Lacking other model options, say with a shorter chain stay length. Something like the Surly Midnight Special (read the review) would work wonders.

Keep These Things In Mind 

Some customers who have owned this bike for around 9 months have reported a few issues with the bike, that i think are worth mentioning.

The stock Hayes brakes proved to have poor performance over time. “I used them for a month after buying the bike, and after a month they continued to make a screeching/grinding sound when stopping, even after many adjustments. Finally, I decided to replace the rotors. The brakes improved for a couple days, but then went back to the normal, screeching and grinding sound when stopping. About a month ago, I replaced the brakes with TRP HY/RDs. These new brakes have about twice the stopping power and do not make the horrible sound that my Hayes brakes made.”

After riding this bike for around 9 months their front and rear bearing were shot. “I would expect to get at least one full year out of stock bearings, if not a few years, so it’s quite disappointing that the bearings already need replacing.”

If you want the bike to be a true shredder tailored to you, buy the frame and build it up with better parts.

Due to the front end being very stable, this means it is a little less responsive when cornering and does not have as quick response like a road bike. This is part due to the meaty stock WTB tires.

This leads onto the neat thing to consider about this bike. And that is the tires are very meaty indeed. So unless you are planning epic dirt and off-road tours or live somewhere where you can enjoy some gnarly shredding. This bike as is out of the box may not be your best option, if you plan to be riding most road that is. You may want to consider swapping out for a everyday tire option. Something that is around a 1.9′ to 2.1″ like the Gravel King that would work for everyday use. And intern if you make this small adjustment then you could expect the responsiveness and the handling to improve, making steering quicker.

All City Gorilla Monsoon Bikepacking

Specifications

Geometry

Size	46cm	49cm	52cm	55cm	58cm	61cm
Head Tube Angle (A)	71	71	71.5	71.5	71.5	71.5
Seat Tube Angle (B)	74	73.5	73	72.5	72.5	72.5
Top Tube Length (C)	520	535	555	565	585	605
Seat Tube Length (D)	470	500	535	565	595	625
Chainstay Length (E)	430	430	430	430	430	430
Bottom Bracket Drop (F)	71.5	71.5	71.5	71.5	71.5	71.5
Fork Offset (G)	50	50	47	47	47	47
Total Fork Length (H)	395	395	395	395	395	395
Head Tube Length (I)	110	125	145	165	190	215
Standover (J)	736.6	759.3	792.2	817.5	844	870.8
Wheelbase (K)	1001.6	1012.3	1015.3	1030.9	1045.9	1066.4
Stack (L)	542	556	579	597	621	644.7
Reach (M)	363	369	372	381	389	401
Handlebar Width	400	420	440	440	460	460
Stem Length	80	90	100	100	110	120
Crank Arm Length	170	170	170	175	175	175

Final Thoughts

If you are looking for a do all bike that is a good looker, that is more inclined for off-road compared to road riding. Then the Gorilla Monsoon is defiantly for you. You should check it out.

If you predict more paved surfaces in your future then the Midnight Special is your better option. But in my own opinion. As I am loving exploring local outback Australia trails on dirt and gnarly off-road. I would choose the Monsoon. It also just looks bloody stunning.

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