The All-City Gorilla Monsoon is a monster-cross machine

The All-City Gorilla Monsoon is a monster-cross machine

First look at this massive, meaty drop bar bike

The All-City Gorilla Monsoon is a drop bar monster designed for 27.5x2.4in tires

Courtesy

Josh Patterson

Published: February 19, 2018 at 5:00 pm
The All-City Gorilla Monsoon is a drop bar monster designed for 27.5x2.4in tires - Courtesy
The Gorilla Monster is designed to be as versatile as possible - Courtesy
Here's a port on the back of the down tube to for an internally-routed dropper - Courtesy
All-City offers the Gorilla Monsoon in seven sizes - Courtesy
The Gorilla Monsoon uses the 15x100mm front thru-axle standard found on pre-boost mountain bikes - Courtesy
All-City's elegant bi-plane steel fork - Courtesy
The Gorilla Monsoon can fit 650b or 700c wheels and tires - Courtesy

Hot on the heels of the release of Surly’s Midnight Special, All-City Cycles has launched the Gorilla Monsoon, a drop bar bike with fat tires that go well beyond the boundaries of ‘road plus.’

All-City Gorilla Monsoon highlights

  • Designed around 27.5x2.4in tires
  • 4130 steel frameset
  • Front and rear thru-axles
  • Dropper seatpost compatible
  • $1,999 complete / $850 frameset (UK and Australian pricing TBC)
  • Available in April
The Gorilla Monster is designed to be as versatile as possible - Courtesy

Let’s cut to the chase; what the heck is a Gorilla Monsoon?

According to all-knowing Wikipedia, Gorilla Monsoon was the ring name of super-heavyweight WWF wrestler Robert James Marella. Outlandish names are All-City’s forte, and this moniker seems fitting for a drop bar bike designed to run 27x2.4in mountain bike tires.

If that’s bigger than you’ve bargained for, the frame can also fit more reasonable rubber with some changes to geometry.

The Gorilla Monsoon can fit 650b or 700c wheels and tires - Courtesy

According to All-City, a 38mm-wide 700c tire will keep the bottom bracket height about the same. Going to the maximum 700c tire width of 42mm will raise the bottom bracket by about 8mm.

Switching to 47mm-wide 650b tires will lower the bottom bracket, which the company notes would be good for riders using the Gorilla Monsoon for loaded touring.

Before I delve any further into the details, let’s pause and ask who and what is this bike for?

“We’ve taken the capabilities of our famed 'cross bikes and built a monster. Our most densely featured bike ever, fully hitting everything on our checklist for a steed that can take us far into the unknown in comfort, style and elegance. 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,” All-City writes on its website.

The Gorilla Monsoon uses the 15x100mm front thru-axle standard found on pre-boost mountain bikes - Courtesy

In keeping with the theme of versatility, the Gorilla Monsoon has plenty of rack and fender mounts, and three sets of water bottle bosses.

Features that point to the Gorilla Monsoon’s off-road bias include a port for an internally routed dropper along with the use of a 30.9mm diameter seatpost. This bike also sports a front 100x15mm thru-axle, rather than the 100x12mm thru-axle used on most road and gravel bikes.

Here's a port on the back of the down tube for an internally-routed dropper - Courtesy

Unlike many other bikes of this breed, the Gorilla Monsoon has a straight 1 1/8in head tube, which rules out the ability to run most modern carbon forks or gravel-centric suspension forks.

All-City's elegant bi-plane steel fork - Courtesy

One tradeoff for large tires with short chainstays is chainring clearance. The maximum 1x chainring the frame will clear is a 38t; for riders wanting to run a double, clearance maxes out at 42/28t; and for anyone who still clings to triples, 48/36/26t is max gearing.

The Gorilla Monster is designed to be as versatile as possible - Courtesy

All-City offers the Gorilla Monsoon as a frame and fork for $850. The complete build sells for $1,999. (UK and Australian pricing have yet to be announced.)

All-City offer the Gorilla Monsoon in seven sizes - Courtesy

The complete bike features a hodgepodge of components. The drivetrain consists of SRAM Apex 1 shift/brake levers, a 36t chainring mounted to a FSA Comet crankset, and an Apex 1 rear derailleur that shifts across a SunRace 11-42t cassette.

Stopping power comes from Hayes CX Expert mechanical disc brakes with 160mm rotors.

As for the rolling stock, the Gorilla Monsoon gets its monster-cross credentials from 27.5x2.4in WTB Ridler TCS tires mounted to WTB STP i25 rims on Novatec hubs.

The Gorilla Monsoon will be available in April. Visit allcitycycles.com for more information.

Josh Patterson

Contributor

Josh Patterson is a BikeRadar contributor and former technical editor. He has spent most of his career working in the cycling industry as an athlete, mechanic and journalist. He holds a master's degree in journalism and has more than 20 years of experience as a cyclist and 12 years of experience riding and writing for BikeRadar, Cyclingnews, Cycling Weekly, Dirt Rag, RoadBikeReview and Outside Magazine. A native of the Flint Hills of Kansas, Josh was a pioneer in the gravel cycling movement, having raced the first Unbound 200 and many other gravel events around the globe. He considers himself a cycling generalist and enjoys road, gravel and mountain biking in equal measure. When not traveling for work, he can be found exploring the singletrack and lonely gravel roads that surround his home in Fort Collins, Colorado. In addition to his love of cycling, Josh is an enthusiastic supporter of brunch, voting rights and the right to repair movement.
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