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Gravity Bullseye Monster

511K views 3K replies 263 participants last post by  iliketexmex 
#1 ·
Finally got my bullseye monster, and I wanted to post my thoughts about it, but there dont seem to be any threads about the specific models that bikes direct offers.



The bike went together pretty smoothly and was lighter than I expected it to be. I will publish the weight when I get around to putting it on a scale, but it was abouth the same weight as (maybe even a little less than) last year's pug. I will ballpark it around 35lbs.



The stem and possibly the handle bars will be replaced soon. Its way too long right now and wider bars are always a plus.


The bike had a minor scratch on the down tube from where the front rim was attached for shipping. It doesn't really bother me, but I thought it was worth mentioning.



Here's the bike next to last year's pug (14" frame). The head angle looks much steeper on the Gravity. Not sure what the actual number is for the Bullseye, but for reference I know the pug is a 70.0 degree HTA.



The mission on a 50mm rim next to a nate on a 65mm Marge lite. Both supposedly 4.0, although the nate seems significantly wider in addition to being much more aggressive.

First impression is that its a good start. It doesn't ride nearly as well as the pug does, but in addition to costing less than a third what the pug did, I haven't spent much time dialing it in yet. There are a lot of things im going to do to it, first I need to cut the seat post down, because even inserted as far as it will go, its still at least a full inch higher than I want it. Next will be trying to get some power out of the brakes. Even after bedding them in, they are unbearably weak. I have ridden other bikes with the novelas and know that they can be much more powerful. When set up correctly they can feel as good as a bb7. I will try hitting the rotors with brake cleaner, if that doesn't work I will sand the pads down a bit. Also the rear rim is out of true and the front one has a pretty noticeable hop. it's nothing i cant fix but kinda annoying that i have to work on the wheels of a brand new bike.
I was torn between this and the Boris x9, but didn't have the means to get the more expensive bike. I will report back after putting some more miles on the bike, but so far I am a little underwhelmed. I just remind myself that it was only $500 and remember that I have nothing to complain about. I think it is the best way that money could be spent, because it gets you a good, ridable platform to begin with and will allow me to upgrade parts as I need to.
 
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#791 ·
Sorry I've been quiet, school is busy and there's too much fluffy dry snow to do much riding anyway.

I have been trying some new tires though.

Nates on 80's are a tight fit, but they clear.


And I was wrong about larrys, after riding them for a bit, they are actually a pretty good tire. Good balance of grip and smooth rolling.
 
#793 ·
New pedals arrived. Just some cheap $15 VP bear traps in white. I've used them before so I'm fairly certain they will suffice.
Bicycle tire Wheel Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle part Spoke


And I don't want to give people the wrong impression. I'm not unhappy with my purchase. It all started with the thought that a fattie would be nice for winter time. A few google searches uncovered a in stock mongoose dolomite at a local walmart so I went to see it. Turns out there is something riveting about Fat tires. Soon I discovered this thread, then I stopped in at my bike store and held a Trek Farley and I was in love, untill I asked the price. Back to this thread I came and after some more reading I concluded the same as others. I could afford a gravity and ride it as I worked to accumulate cash to upgrade. Its much easier to convince the wife $30 or $50 at a time vs $1800 for a Farley. I know I said I wasn't going to spend much on my back up bike, but who really believed that? My list of future upgrades has grown.

-I have full length Jag Wire White cable housings on the way and I will prep them to give everything the smooth feel it should have.
-Origin8 80mm wheels
-Origin8 Dev8 UL or some Surly tires and probably going tubeless
-The 9 speed XT drive train off my 29er (when I upgrade to 10speed on the 29er)
-BB7s, SD7s, and 180 HS1s
-Race Face NW 32t chainring
-a two bolt seat post and a new saddle
-some Egron GA1 grips, white of course

That will put this bike in at about $1200 which I think is pretty awesome all things considering. Until then I will ride and ride some more and some more and keep you posted. I can't wait to ride the beaches. I have somewhere around ten miles of beach here....

Xethur
 
#794 · (Edited)
I got new pedals and qtube super lights. It's been easy to drop a couple of pounds from the stock weight. I'm quite happy with the drive train. The drivetrain and the wheels/hubs won't be replaced until necessary. The Floaters are coming on Wednesday. After they're installed the bike should be about 33# even and remain there for a while.

Pictures of tube weights. I saved about 0.90lbs (408 grams). I wouldn't necessarily buy lighter tubes for the fun of it, but I needed a spare to carry so I figured I'd give the qtube lights a try as they're actually one of the cheaper options for fatbike tubes at $8.00. The pedals are Redline LoPro model w/ replaceable pins.

Electronic device Technology Display device Electronics Machine
Grey Technology Rectangle Gas Display device
Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle part Bicycle frame Bicycle accessory
Technology Electronic device Leather Electronics accessory Memory card
White Machine Measuring instrument Silver Bicycle accessory
Electronic device Cable Technology Machine Postal scale
 
#795 ·
Forgot to mention that I recently got a ground control too.

It's significantly bigger than the nate, and makes a perfect front. As a pair they are a really good combo.


Did I mention that we have an absurd amount of snow?
 
#796 ·
Some work through the cold

Rust and wear finally got me. I also bent my smaller chainring. So I replaced some parts.

I couldnt afford 250 for 80mm wheels so I ordered Origin8 80mm rims off ebay and laced them to the current hubs. I was actually happy to do that since I had packed the bearings and they spun perfectly. Jeans Denim Electronic device Technology Electronics


Tires on it rubbed on the lowest gear. Figured this might happen so had my stuff to go 1x ready!
Composite material Carbon Synthetic rubber Electrical supply Cable
Bicycle tire Bicycle part Bicycle wheel rim Green Bicycle


Losing the granny gear up front may as well get some range on the rear so I went with the 11-36 10sp cassette and a zee derailleur
Bicycle wheel rim Bicycle tire Bicycle part Spoke Bicycle accessory


Love my new rims Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel rim Automotive tire Bicycle part Rim


And the bars are clean without the front shifter.
 
#797 ·
Rust and wear finally got me. I also bent my smaller chainring. So I replaced some parts.

I couldnt afford 250 for 80mm wheels so I ordered Origin8 80mm rims off ebay and laced them to the current hubs. I was actually happy to do that since I had packed the bearings and they spun perfectly. View attachment 966181

Tires on it rubbed on the lowest gear. Figured this might happen so had my stuff to go 1x ready!
View attachment 966183 View attachment 966185

Losing the granny gear up front may as well get some range on the rear so I went with the 11-36 10sp cassette and a zee derailleur
View attachment 966187

Love my new rims View attachment 966188

And the bars are clean without the front shifter.
How is your chainline in the lowest gear?
 
#800 ·
I went 32 front and 36 rear. I cant imagine needing a lower gear here in IL. There's always the 1-up options for the rear.

10sp stuff is so cheap now its hard to stay away. zee shifter,zee der., raceface chainring, deore chain ad cassette. All $120 shipped. Remember though if you want taller than 36 in the back the zee would need a 1-up cage. better off going XT. I just got Zee stuff hoping to never worry about breaking anything.

Another note.... crank arms are soft. The removal threads stripped on the drive side when using my puller. I've never had that happen. and when punching it off I caused more damage than I would have expected. Not terrible and still useable but a little dissapointing. you will want to be more careful than I was when pulling the arms off.

Removing the front der. because of the direct mount bracket requires taking the non drive side off and cap for the bottom bracket. then the BB appart on the drive side.

I think this helped the chainline issue you bring up DD. The bracket was essesntially a spacer.
 
#803 ·
I went 32 front and 36 rear. I cant imagine needing a lower gear here in IL. There's always the 1-up options for the rear.

10sp stuff is so cheap now its hard to stay away. zee shifter,zee der., raceface chainring, deore chain ad cassette. All $120 shipped. Remember though if you want taller than 36 in the back the zee would need a 1-up cage. better off going XT. I just got Zee stuff hoping to never worry about breaking anything.

Another note.... crank arms are soft. The removal threads stripped on the drive side when using my puller. I've never had that happen. and when punching it off I caused more damage than I would have expected. Not terrible and still useable but a little dissapointing. you will want to be more careful than I was when pulling the arms off.

Removing the front der. because of the direct mount bracket requires taking the non drive side off and cap for the bottom bracket. then the BB appart on the drive side.

I think this helped the chainline issue you bring up DD. The bracket was essesntially a spacer.
Thanks for the warning. My cranks are getting super marred up on all the rocks out here, makes sense that they are unusually soft. Lately with all the snow most of my riding has been less than 10 mph, just trying to stay up in the snow (and that's just the rare occasion when its actually ridable). Out here super low gearing is a must. Even my ss fatbike is a 32-22 and that's pushing it sometimes.
I think in my situation the 26 would be a good compromise (although it would be overkill if running a 10 spd with a 36). The simplicity of a 1x is enticing, but honestly having a full gear range and running 2 chainrings is working out pretty well, and personally I'm in no hurry to change it.
 
#804 ·
My freehub has a rough spot when turning it. Always in the same place of the revolution. I can't feel it with the cassette on, but I removed my cassette to ditch the plastic dork disc and noticed it when spinning without a cassette. Maybe I'll shoot bikes direct am email and see what they say. My last ride I heard a POP loud enought for me to get off and check the frame for cracks. Makes me wonder if that was the freehub? Anyone had their freehub off? I wonder if they're like shimano where I just need a big allen key. Anyways, Im heading out for a ride. Hope it holds up!
 
#811 ·
A little bit. Id rather have slightly less clearence than keep wrecking drivetrain componants because of the extreme chain angles. As it is I run a nate on an 80mm rim and spend a lot of time in the 22. its only the first 2 gears that rub, but they still work. Just smear grease on the green tires haha

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2
 
#817 ·
Hey dawg, I can't help but notice you've tried a lot of tires. I'm curious what you're what your all around favorite setup has been.
Yeah, I've been trying everything I can get my hands on. As for favorite, That's totally dependant on the conditions. For an all arounder that's pretty good at everything, the on-one floater has been my favorite (especially for the price)
Right now we have a lot of very dry fluffy snow, and the nate/ground control combo has been awesome (and the only thing making it possible to ride)
So it really depends on the conditions and what you want the tires to do. Rim width and pressure also changes the handling characteristics a lot.
 
#820 ·
I should have noted that I'm taking readings with a 50¢ stick. I have a accurate gauge on the way, But by feel I would say the stick isn't too far off. I do plan to continue dialing it in, but I've found that at low pressures that front mission drags me all over the place. Of course almost all of my riding is on hard packed snow and ice covered dirt roads. Eventually I'll ride some of the snowmobile trails and I will probably have to change my tire pressures for those.
 
#821 · (Edited)
Rode another 2.6mi shake down ride. Ran the pressures (13 and 8) a little lower and ended up with wobble again. Dawg I thought about what you said and your right I should be able to run lower pressures. So it's got to be the equipment. I'm going to swap the tire from front to rear to see if it's the tire casting or if the wheels are more untrue then I thought.

On another note, I think I'm going to try some Michelin c4 latex tubes. I thought about going tubeless, but then I stumbled across these.

Michelin C4 AirComp Latex MTB Bike Tube | Chain Reaction Cycles

Edit: Well that didn't work. Time to go get the wheels trued.
 
#823 ·
Nice! Can those tubes stretch enough? I've had a 29x2.1 let go on me before.
As for the self steer, it is inherent in some tires. Putting a different tire on the front would solve the problem if its really bothering you. As I've said before, the floaters are really good for the price. If you don't want to give up the fast rolling, The larry is a pretty good tire too. And if you really want to go all out, the ground control is the best front tire I've ever ridden.

Sent from my DROID2 using Tapatalk 2
 
#822 ·
I'll be putting my 9 speed xt cassette and x7 RD and shifters on soon. I just ordered 10 speed stuff to go 1x on my full suspension bike so the 9speed stuff will go to the fatty.

I emailed BD about my freehub having a rough spot, here's their response...we'll see how it goes.

"Hello,
Those freehubs use a loose ball bearing and come set tight so they will seat themselves into the race. Give it a few more miles and it should be looser and roll smoother.
Please let me know how it goes.
Best regards,
Larry @ Bikes Direct"
 
#824 ·
I had my first ride on floaters, first thing that I noticed is lack of self steer on pavement compared to the missions (before I hit the snow). Once in the snow, I immediately noticed was how great they are in corners and downhill. Going uphill I definitely had an advantage too and rolling resistance on didn't feel much different. Deeper snow performance was slightly improved, but not really drastically. This is all coming from one 5 mile ride so that opinion may change as I ride in different snow conditions. The snow was wet, heavy, and deep so I'm not sure any tire would necessarily excel in that. I'd say the biggest improvement for me is cornering at speed and the braking traction going downhill.

Having never really shopped fat tires in person, I've not seen a ton of them and it's hard to really get an idea for knob depth and volume from pictures. I'm really happy with the floater tread. It's exactly the chunky knobs that I was looking for without being over the top. Very happy with them, and that's not even mentioning the price. Speaking of price, I see planet X usa changed their website. I wonder if the $55 free shipping floaters will remain? Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel Tire Wheel Bicycle frame
Tire Bicycle tire Wheel Bicycle wheel rim Automotive tire
 
#826 ·
Hello, new to mtbr, picked up a 20" bullseye monster through a local sale, been out for one short ride and am happy to get my own rig for the world of fat, previously rode a borrowed pugs, excited to get out and ride some trail on my own gear. New to wrenching on bikes, I am a contractor by trade and a avid auto mechanic, any recommendations on stands or tool sets would be appreciated. I don't have a ton of cash to dump but want something that will last more than just a few months. Plan to upgrade my monster as things wear out and would like to learn to do the work myself.
 
#828 ·
Just starting out, I would recommend some all-in-one kit, like this:

Nashbar Essential Tool Kit

Most online places seem to have them for about the same price. If you want to forgo that, you can do 80% of the work on your bike with only a few tools:

4-5-6 allen wrenches
screwdrivers
cable cutters (don't use regular diagonal cutters, get something made for cutting Bowden cables)

Hmm, looking at the Nashbar kit now, I see it doesn't include cable cutters. The next level of kit up (~$100) does include those, and maybe the tools are better:
Spin Doctor Team 33 Tool Kit

The Park Tools website has some good instructional pages for working on your bike.
 
#829 ·
I had a decent ride today on my BEM, I think partly because I added quite a bit of air to the tires and they weren't so dog slow (how much air? I can't say, my pump doesn't seem to read below 20 psi). Going a little faster over any slippery surface exposed the weaknesses of the stock Mission rubber, so I planned on ordering some Floaters this evening. But $66 shipping! From the US website! Their store always seemed to have free shipping before, but maybe they have to pay for that fancy new website... Anyway, how about suggestions for similarly priced tires that work better than the Missions?
 
#834 ·
So I am a complete newbie to fat biking and I have been following this thread closely trying to gain some information on this bike. When I checked Bikes Direct and saw the their list I also spotted the Motobecane Boris x5 which is only $100 more than the bullseye monster. Is the Motobecane worth $100 more?
 
#835 ·
Yes and no. It really depends on what your long term goal is. If you want a budget fattie that you can ride out of the box then Gravity BM fits the bill. If your like me and you plan to upgrade until you have an awesome fattie and you can do the wrenching yourself then the Gravity BM fits the bill. If you plan to upgrade through a bike shop I would say save your money for a Boris Lurch or Surly Pug. The big advantage to the x5 is the 80mm wheels and slightly better drivetrain and they are well worth the extra $100 especially if you're planning on upgrading to those on the Gravity BM.
 
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