Annie's Shred Dogg Review

About The Rider

The author Annie Stokely is one of our Front Range Ride It Grrrl BAMFs. She’s been riding mountain bikes since before they were cool (1991 specifically) and loves pushing herself to higher heights at the local municipal bike parks and bigger mountain resorts. Coil suspension and wide tires are her trademark, whether on her Shred Dogg or Pedalhead.

This Review in Context

Annie’s review compares the new Revved™ Shred Dogg to her ‘18 Shred Dogg. Last year she spent time tinkering with several different forks, shocks, wheel, and tire combos to find the setup that works best for her at the trail and the park.

Initial Shred Dogg Expectations

Going into 2019, Guerrilla Gravity designed the Revved Shred Dogg from the ground up, taking advantage of the capabilities of the Modular Frame Platform. The Revved Shred Dogg uses completely new geometry and kinematics compared to my older aluminum version. Having experimented with anglesets on my older bike I was really looking forward to putting time on the new bike with its 1.2 degree slacker head angle, shorter chainstays, and other refinements.

Shred Dogg Ride Impressions

Aside from the immediate change in handling due to the geo changes, the biggest difference I've noticed with the Revved frame is how stiff it is. I mean like really stiff. This makes the ride really responsive, but I have had to spend some more time dialing in my shock to get the ride I want. While descending on a bike this responsive is a blast, the stiffness manifests as power transfer and climbing efficiency on the way up.

I've found with suspension tuning on GG bikes, less suspension damping is needed than on other bikes I’ve had. As a result of the frame stiffness, I ended up changing out my handlebars to more-forgiving carbon bars bars and rebuilding my wheels with aluminum rims instead of the carbon rims I previously had.

I immediately noticed the shorter chainstays, making the rear really easy to maneuver, wanting to launch off just about everything in its path. The Shred Dogg is such a playful bike that doesn’t sacrifice it’s ability to be a workhorse uphill when needed.

Most of my summer riding consists of the Front Range dirt jump parks and weekends at Trestle Bike Park. Dropping into Gravity Mode’s 140 mm of rear wheel travel it handled endless bike park lap. And now that the weather is cooling off, I’ve spent more time on singletrack, using Trail Mode (130 mm travel) to pop off all the little rocks, roots, and features that litter our trails.

Rider and Build Details:

  • Rider: 5'4" female, with long arms and legs.
  • Size: 2 Long configuration, 15 mm lower GeoAdjust Headset cup (standard Shred Dogg configuration)
  • Rear shock: Fox DHX2, with a higher spring rate (500 lbs) to fit my riding style.
  • Fork: Fox 36 160mm with PUSH ACS3 kit
  • Seatpost: Bike Yoke 160mm
  • Cranks: Raceface Atlas 165mm cranks, 30t round chainring
  • Drivetrain: Shimano XT M8100 drivetrain
  • Brakes: Trusty Shimano Saint
  • Wheelset: Industry Nine Hydra/DT Swiss M542 Rim wheels
  • Handlebar: 780mm PNW components handlebar
  • Stem: Deity Copperhead 35mm stem
  • Cockpit: Ergon grips and saddle
  • Tires: DHR2 2.6 front, Rekon 2.6 rear
  • Pedals: Deity TMAC pedals
  • Decals: Custom Stikrd Tiger Stripes

Interview with Annie

GG - What do you like most about your Shred Dogg?

I like that the Shred Dogg is a playful short travel 27.5 bike with aggressive geometry and short chainstays. I wanted something that I was comfortable riding on singletrack, dual slalom courses, and dirt jumps. What amazes me about it is how composed it is at speed.

GG - What drew you to the shorter travel 27.5 bike?

The Shred Dogg was one of the few bikes that fit my new bike criteria -- I wanted a short travel 27.5 bike with a slack head angle and low bottom bracket that feels stable at speed while being playful at the same time. The steep seat tube angle lets me climb all day without losing any downhill capability. All of these characteristics have enabled me to grow my skills with my new Shred Dogg, as I have to focus more on finesse with a shorter travel bike than my older, longer-travel bikes.

GG - Do you find yourself swapping between Trail Mode and Gravity Mode frequently or mostly set-it-and-forget-it?

Since I picked up the Revved Shred Dogg this year, I find myself riding it 90% of the time in Trail Mode, even on long downhills. I spend a lot of time on the Front Range dirt jumps and dual slalom runs, and the shorter travel setting feels more responsive. Similarly, when trail riding it surprisingly feels more composed in Trail Mode even if Gravity Mode offers a more plush ride.

However, when I took my Shred Dogg to Trestle Bike Park, I dropped it into Gravity Mode because the extra 10mm of travel makes a big difference when you’re screaming at mach-chicken on a fast run.

GG - What is your favorite MTB trail ever?

I really enjoy the trails off 18 Road in Fruita. The climbs aren’t horrible and there’s so much variety of trail depending on your mood.

GG - What’s your most anticipated ride of 2020?

I have two riding zones on my bucket list for next year: getting back to Grand Junction/Fruita and going back to the Sugar Showdown in Issaquah, Washington. The Sugar Showdown is a women’s mountain bike clinic and jump jam, and I’m hoping to take my improved jumping skills up there and see how much more I can learn for riding and flying. GJ and Fruita is a great weekend trip from Denver and I’m looking forward to exploring more of the Lunch Loops and 18 Road systems.

GG - Knowing that you just ordered a Megatrail Seatstay Tuning Kit, when do you see yourself swapping to the long-travel Megatrail and when will you stick with your Shred Dogg?

My current plan is to use the Shred Dogg for most rides, most of the year. Once the chairlifts start running I’ll swap my bike over to a Megatrail and alternate between it and my big DH bike depending on the park and people I’m riding with. I’ll be swapping over a 170 mm fork at the same time as the Megatrail Seatstay Tuning Kit (running a 160 mm fork on my Shred Dogg) but it’ll still be an easy swap as needed. I’ll be testing out the Megatrail in the off-season and who knows, maybe I’ll enjoy riding more chunk with longer chainstays and end up keeping it as a Megatrail most of the time.

Tags: Bike Checks
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