Gravity FSX – Gravity Bikes Review

Gravity Bikes Review
Gravity FSX Review

Gravity FSX is an affordable Full/Dual Suspension gravity mountain bike. If you have been in the mountain biking circles you know that dual suspension and affordable don’t go hand in hand, because dual-suspension means more moving parts. If you are not familiar with the concept of full-suspension mountain bikes here’s a quick overview.

Depending on which type of suspension you get, your mountain bike is classified into

  1. Full suspension mountain bike
  2. Hardtail or front suspension mountain bike
  3. Rigid bike or no suspension mountain bike

For this instance, full-suspension mountain bikes feature a front stanchion suspension fork and a rear spring shock. Front suspension is used to absorb impacts from jumps and landings as the front wheel is the first to receive the impact of the landing. The rear shock provides more flexibility in landing position, this allows your bike to be more forgiving during the times where you don’t perfectly stick your landing.

The front and rear suspension work as a system which is known as suspension linkage or simply linkage which allows for a smoother and flowy ride.

This is an overarching Gravity Bikes Review, we will also be covering other bikes from this manufacturer so stay tuned. And we hope this in-depth guide helps in answering all your questions.

Gravity FSX Specifications

Brand Gravity/ BikesDirect
Frame Aluminium Frame with Hydroformed Tubes
Suspension Front: SunTour stanchion fork, preload adjustable
Rear: KS CoilOver, preload adjustable
Derailleurs Front: Shimano FD-M190
Rear: Shimano Acera
Shifters Shimano ST-EF51, EZ Fire Triggers
Cassette Shimano’s MegaRange 8 speed
Crankset Powershift Rings 22/32/42T from SunTour
Colors Yellow, White, Black or Gray
Sizes XS-S,S-M,M-L,L-XL

Aluminum Frame and assembly

Gravity Bikes Frame
Gravity Bikes Frame

This Gravity Bike features a CantiBeam link Single Pivot Aluminum frame with Hydroformed tubes. Aluminum is a widely used material for making mountain bike frames because of the relatively less density when compared to steel.

Because of this, you will get pretty good welds on the bike and with a good paint job, the bike looks high above its price range. This Gravity Bike comes in about 30 pounds, which in the realm of mountain bikes might not sound impressive. But considering that it’s a full-suspension mountain bike it is pretty impressive at this price point.

Most of the people who purchase this bike also praised that it performs well on the descents which is one of the essentials for any good mountain bike.

Handlebar and Stem

The Handle Bar is also made of aluminum with a 20-degree rise. The stem is 1.125 inches or 2.8 centimeters threadless aluminum comp which provides pretty snappy handling, which you will appreciate during many unexpected turns.

Kraton Black stock tapes that come with this bike wear down pretty quick and fail to provide enough grip for the ride after some use so I recommend you to get a good MTB grip and they also don’t cost you that much anyway.

Dual Suspension

Front Suspension Fork

Gravity FSX features a SunTour long travel stanchion suspension forks with adjustable preload. SunTour is a common name for budget-friendly suspension forks and offers good value for the money. The adjustable preload enables you to surprise surprise adjust the forks’ initial compression to your weight and riding style/terrain.

Generally the more the fork is compressed, the stiffer your ride feels. So If you are riding your bike on a flat road where there is a less likely chance of running into height variations, setting your fork to be compressed allows you to ride your bike without losing much power during the pedaling. And the converse when on a mountain trail.

Rear Suspension Shock

This Gravity Bike is equipped with KS CoilOver rear shocks which are good enough for less technical trails and jumps. This also comes with an adjustable preload.

Rear suspension allows you to attempt moves that you couldn’t pull off with a hardtail. A good example would be a jump with a decreasing elevation landing, if you couldn’t stick the landing perfectly when you are on a hardtail, there is a good chance that you will fall but not with a rear suspension.

 Versatile Drivetrain and Shifters

Gravity Bikes Shifters
Gravity Bikes Shifters

The Crankset on this mountain bike is a SunTour Aluminium Powershift with 22/32/32T when you combine this with Shimano MegaRange 8 speed 11-34T you have many pairings and ranges of speed so you can tackle any climb or descent with no problem.

The drivetrain consists of Shimano FD-M190 Front derailleur and Shimano Acera Rear Derailleur and they pair very well together with Shimano Fire Trigger Shifters and enable for crisp shifting.

Wheels and Tires

The Gravity FSX features a double-walled rim construction which is a good middle-ground for both durability and weight. Wheels are quick release enabled which is perfect for all your mountain trails as flat tires are no uncommon scene during the trails. Quick-release allows you to eliminate all the hassle of carrying equipment and tools for removing the wheel and enables you to remove it and tighten it by hand.

Reliable Disk Brakes

Gravity Bikes Disk Brakes
Gravity Bikes Disk Brakes

If you were to choose a single component to save your life during a mountain trail, your best bet would be good tires and brakes. And Mountain trails normal caliper brakes will not do you much good because they are not well suited for the weather and not reliable when you quickly need to come to a halt. And believe me, when you are up at 2000ft elevation investing in good disc brakes would be in the best of your interests.

Good for you, Gravity FSX comes with disk brakes fitted on both the rear and front. You can put your trust in them to make quick turns and halts.

During trails, you apply brakes more often than on-road, so unlike caliper brakes, these dual disk brakes won’t put any extra pressure on the rims and therefore offer a greater lifetime.

Gravity FSX Sizechart

Frame Size Rider Height
15” XS/S 5’6”
17” S/M 5’8”
19” M/L 6’0”
21” L/XL 6’1” or Taller

Gravity FSX Geometry

Frame Seat tube Stand over at BB Top tube Chain stay Head tube Wheelbase Effective TT
15” 73.0 688.134 533.9 430.0 71.0 1049.0 555.95
17” 73.0 703.135 556.2 430.0 71.0 1073.0 578.71
19” 73.0 745.017 573.0 430.0 71.0 1091.0 595.83
21” 73.0 784.579 597.9 430.0 71.0 1111.0 621.17

Notes: 

  • All measurements are in millimeters unless specified otherwise.
  • The seat tube and Headtube are in degrees

Colors

If you are a person who cares not only for functionality but also for the aesthetics of the bike, then you would be pleased to know that all gravity bikes come in a wide variety of color choices. Gravity FSX comes in

  • Red
  • Yellow
  • Black
  • Gray
  • White

According to me, other than yellow all other variants look like decent choices for a mountain bike. But Yellow can also be helpful in emergencies due to its obnoxious contrast with greenery and if you don’t mind the aesthetics then yellow would be the best in functionality.

FAQ’s

Who makes gravity mountain bikes?

Gravity Mountain bikes are made by the same people who owns BikesDirect. They are known for their quality bikes at a lower than traditional pricepoint.

Is bikesdirect legit?

Yes, apart from their website looking like from the 90’s they are quite reliable and are loved by their customers. If you find your preferred bike on the website, you can be quite sure that you won’t get it for any less elsewhere.

How much does a Gravity FSX weigh?

Gravity FSX weighs in about 30lbs which is impressive considering that its a dual suspension mountain bike.

What is difference between Gravity FSX 1.0 and 2.0

Main difference between Gravity FSX 1.0 and 2.0 is that the newer one comes with a lockout on the suspension fork.

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