[bballe336]

so i was wondering what happened with this company? are they still around? do they still make bikes?

thanks,
Elijah

 

[ioscope]

I don't know but their hardtail looks sweet. All downhill and stuff with a burly monocoque downtube and box stays. But it has 17.5" stays. Ick
And they have a 14" travel DH bike.

 

[Jm_]

GSR, "Ghetto Speed Research".

The company was plain stupid. It was something like 9" of travel from a 2.0" stroke shock, or 11" from a 2.25" stroke shock. It was probably THE WORST leverage ratio ever.

A buddy of mine had one, I took him down a pretty gnarly 2000' singletrack that I found. At the bottom, I felt pretty bad for showing him this trail as it blew out his shock.

 

[ChrisRobin]

I remember hearing about them trying to come up with a type of suspension with a coil wound up in the frame??? Picture a HUGE derailleur cage spring with one end attached to the swingarm and the other attached to the frame.

 

[Jm_]

Yeah, the spring was inside the pivot, I don't know what kind of damper they were using, but I remember something about some sort of big "mcu/elastomer".

 

[dump]

Yeah, the spring was inside the pivot, I don't know what kind of damper they were using, but I remember something about some sort of big "mcu/elastomer".

ah... I saw that bike @ snowshoe in 2002... haven't heard anything about it since.

 

[lovebunny]

pics?

 

[static9]

i would definitely agree it looks like a pretty dumb idea, notice the "New Bikes" are 2001... http://www.gsrbikes.com/bike_fr.html

 

[WheelieMan]

5:1 leverage ratio? And they act as if this is something to be proud of?

 

[Jmight..]

looks like they were killin it in 00'

 

[vitox]

"regressive to linear design with built in sag"

hmm whats that supposed to mean?

 

[bballe336]

ok well i know the designs are absolutely rediculous. but no one knows if they are still around?

 

[DHS]

its not a spring inside that piece. its elastomer. they were trying to bring that back........................
i saw it at the 2002 interbike. gah

 

[ChrisRobin]

its not a spring inside that piece. its elastomer. they were trying to bring that back........................
i saw it at the 2002 interbike. gah

Ahhhh...brings back memories of my trusty Proflex 854. When the elastomers started to harden, I drilled holes into it to make it INSTANT soft!

 

[scurban]

ok well i know the designs are absolutely rediculous. but no one knows if they are still around?

I don't think you'll ever get the answer. you've opened up the flood gates for DH nerd talk.

good luck on finding out if they're still around man! I have no idea if they are myself.

If I were you, I'd just try calling the # from the website.

 

[xy9ine]

Ahhhh...brings back memories of my trusty Proflex 854. When the elastomers started to harden, I drilled holes into it to make it INSTANT soft!

awesome. i did the same with the elastomers in my old mountain cycles suspenders fork.

 

[oly]

Ahhhh...brings back memories of my trusty Proflex 854. When the elastomers started to harden, I drilled holes into it to make it INSTANT soft!

You should have just microwaved them.....

 

[ZEDMAN]

i believe that they are still around. about a year and a half ago i bought the hooligan frame and about a year ago i emailed them to get some derailer hanger and i got it with in a week. not sure if they shut down between then and now though. that frame was crazy stiff and worked really well as a drum when just sitting around.

 

[Steven]

GSR bikes (Galeoto Speed Racing), owned by mike Galeoto in California. I own a hooligan and have called mike to order derailuer hangers, great guy and the best best customer service beacause you are talking to the owner. Last time I talked to him he was having someone update his website...

 

[bballe336]

ok thanks for the help. i really want more info on the dh bike. its really silly but looks cool.

 

[trailhacker]

The company was plain stupid. It was something like 9" of travel from a 2.0" stroke shock, or 11" from a 2.25" stroke shock. It was probably THE WORST leverage ratio ever.
A buddy of mine had one, I took him down a pretty gnarly 2000' singletrack that I found. At the bottom, I felt pretty bad for showing him this trail as it blew out his shock.

I bought a GSR Mach 8 in '97 I think. I rode it until I bought my M1 in '00.
I collapsed the yoke on the seatstay at the end of '98 (Titus rear-ends) and had that repaired, then I broke the (chromoly) main-frame at the end of '99. I thought this was pretty good considering that the people I rode with on other frames were having their frames warrantied after less than a year.
As far as the leverage ratio, I don't claim to be a a techno-geek, but it was probably the best feeling frame I rode at that time. Other people agreed with me. The only problem I ever had with the shock (this was the era when EVERY Rockshox rear shock blew) was when the frame broke and bent the shaft.
Now, the frames weren't the most appealing looking, but they did what they were supposed to do. The biggest knock against Mike was his HORRIBLE delivery record. We ordered ours in like Feb-Mar and didn't get the first ones until the end of July, early Aug. The next year a guy on the team was still waiting in Aug and had to threaten a lawsuit to get his money back.
I still have the frame in my garage - I repaired the broken mainframe and made some alterations to accept the new generation of rear-ends. I was waiting for him to send me a new rear but after 3 months of "the parts are at the heat treaters" I gave up and stopped calling. Some day I might actually try to give that frame life again.....
BTW, the new fangled suspension he was working on was a type of "radial" suspension involving elestomers. If you believed what he was saying it was going to revolutionize MTB as well as motorcycle and car suspension. Also, he was doing design work for some foreign bike companies so his own bikes were to take a back seat. He was sort of a minor version of Karpiel as far as customer problems.