Submitted by
Bilbo Baggens
a Weekend Warrior
from new york
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2003
Strengths: alright frame good seat, good brakes, good for an all around full suspension bike
Weaknesses: EVERYTHING, front fork sucks, rear shock sucks, rims suck, deuraillers suck, chain sucks, peddels suck, no disk brake tabs, crap!!!!!
Bottom Line:
GIANT POS dont buy it, bushings wear out, ive had this bike for a year now and warn it out, i had a huffy iron man that lasted 8 years and is in still better condition than this bike, mongoose sucks PERIOD!!! get a KHS!!!
Similar Products Used: any other bike is better!!!!
Bike Setup: new sr suntour front fork, xt all around drive train, front + back xt deurailleur, 9 speed xt casset, sun ds-2 xc rims, gramica disk brakes (after welding my own tabs on) basicly everything new.
Strengths: Light for a bike in this price range. Mine is 31.5 lbs. totally stock, on an accurate scale. The rear shock is not TOO bad if it's cranked down some. Good tires, wheels & hubs. did I mention it was $299!!! Unreal.
Weaknesses: Fork is sucky, but planned on changing that out anyway. Although, if you're a lighter rider you may be able to keep the Jett for a while. I'm 210 and mush it pretty good.
Bottom Line:
At $300 this is a no-brainer. I was looking at the Trek Fuel 80, but just couldn't justify the $$$ for a bike I may or may not ride much. The bike is light, seems to have a good frame and comes with Alivio, which I understand is not totally horrible. I plan on getting a Psylo XC fork ($199) and I'll have a hell of a full suspension rig for $500. Bottom line...it's a cheap way to "try out" the sport and still get a bike that's easily upgraded if you stick with it.
Similar Products Used: Yamaha WR426...that's as close as I've been the last few years. My previous bicycle was a Nishiki Colorado, circa 1989.
Bike Setup: 2001 ZERO G3, Jett fork, Alivio.
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Submitted by
Erik
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz, CA
Date Reviewed: March 9, 2002
Strengths: Inexpensive entry level F/S bike. Good frame, easily upgradable (a really good thing for some parts!). Disc brake mounts included.
Weaknesses: Color, the Zero G3 is a bright orange that's a bit rough on the eyes. Non adjustable front forks, no lock outs front or back. Terrible pedals with old school toe clips. Heavy tires, replaced with a silica dirt and its a noticable speed improvement.
Bottom Line:
This is a pretty decent bike, especially given its low cost. I'm still planning on upgrading the shocks both front and back. One thing that drives me nuts is the poofing sound that comes from the front forks when you tag something. Distracting to say the least.
But it did hold up very well on some seriously rutted out trails I rode this last week. Too bad the cyclocomputer mount didn't handle it as well.
Overall these bikes are a great deal, especially for lighter riders who won't tax the suspension quite as much as I do and I'm only about 180 pounds. Great unit though and I am very happy owner
Bike Setup: Zero G3 with new pedals, new GripShift shifters, grips, XT brakes, Bontrager stem, wireless computer and a bunch more smaller stuff. Oh yeah, a seat quick release.
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Submitted by
Erik
a Cross Country Rider
from Santa Cruz, CA
Date Reviewed: December 19, 2001
Strengths: Inexpensive entry level with great frame, good components and easy to upgrade everything. It even has easy to add disc brakes! Cool sound on pavement from tires. Easy to bash off most things. Light enough to climb but a bit springy at times. Good vision meaning you're not craning your neck to look forward all the time. Cool handlebars.
Weaknesses: Budget front fork can be bottomed without too much trouble. Completely absymal pedals with stupid, stupid, stupid toe clips on them, they had to go within the first five minutes. A little cramped geometry for an 18" and I'm only 5'9" but a longer stem should take care of that pretty easily. Gets a little pongy on short climbs, needs a shock lockout on the back. Not geared tall enough, plenty of tiny spin-like-mad-go-almost-nowhere gears though.
Bottom Line:
These bikes are going to suffer an image problem now that Mongoose is being pimped by Pacific Bicycles along with GT. But from a performance standpoint as applied to the price point, I do not think a better deal exists on the web currently. I might prefer a less bright color than the orange but heck I can live with it, I am a Giants fan after all! Its a sweet deal and I'm a very, very happy and satisfied customer at this point. Shame the brand will be consigned to being pimped by a quasi-Huffy-esque bike empire. Some models are still available with discs already included. Look on Ebay and great deals can be had on these bikes!
We'll see if I feel the same way in a few months of riding this new beast. I also want to get it on a scale and see what it comes in at. I'm thinking its around 30 but it might be a touch heavier for all I know.
Similar Products Used: GT i-Drive (nice but damned pricey), Klein Rascal with a bad front fork, Specialized FSR (very nice)
Bike Setup: 18" Zero G3 w/o discs yet. Pedals replaced with spare bear traps and Power Straps attached (love them!, weigh nothing and work with any shoe you've got). Got a Lizard Skin to protect the chainstay, even the large is a tight fit, had to cut it down to slide under the cables. Other things to upgrade or buy: wireless computer, light mount, disc brakes (of course! probably the Hayes Mechanicals), at least the outer chain ring for something bigger, its like a 40 tooth or something. The grips are a little funky, as is the color matched (with the grips and frame) seat, might look at something sleeker and less orange. Will likely go back to Gripshifts, the Rapidfire works well but I'm used to twisting to shift.
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Submitted by
Jason
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: November 27, 2001
Strengths: UPGRADABLE - air ride zokes shock take the hits - rims are decent - awesome entry level bike
Weaknesses: stock grips are horrible and will blister your hands almost immediately, seat isn't comfortable, stock pedals are garbage, look for the bb to loosen on you pretty quickly if you ride with any type of aggresion, rear shock bobs like nothing you've ever seen before.
Bottom Line:
this is a follow up review on the bike i praised a few months ago. its been on some very rogh rides. out here in phoenix there are some really rocky trails and this bike takes them well. i did however get real sick of the junk rear shock it came with stock and dropped some $ on a fox. the stock pedals had to go, as its nearly impossible to stay on them. the stock tires are garbage as well. the seat take some getting used to, but it works, and either the grips go like on mine, or you invest in some extremely padded cycling gloves. the main problems i have had with the bike that can be noted as serious is the bb will loosen itself if you ride aggressively. stock from the factory theyre is too much pain on the bb flange where it sits against. it need to be filed off if you want it to stay put. chain suck is a prob every now and then but thats life. only other thing is if you can drop the money upgrade the drivetrain. when i first got this bike the acera stuff held up decent but ive been riding alot and the more you ride, the more unacceptable it gets. im goanna be upgrading almost everything to xt real real soon. also if you ride alot on rocky trails like i do you are prolly goanna want to get a longer travel front fork, which is another upgrade im working on...prolly a manitou x-vert air or something. the frame is really good, but the stock stuff isnt as great as i thought if you really try and oush it. it's still a good entry level bike though. one word of advise...if you can find the 2001 model in shops still, go for that. the 02 model looks like sh*t and with the compentnet line it seems it'll perform that way too. enjoy.
Bike Setup: 2001 mongoose zero g2, frame size L, 24 speed shimano acera drive, fox racing vanilla x coil over on the back, zokes air ride on the front, mosh platform pedals, avenir bar ends, alex rims, smoke classic panaracer on the back, mythos on the front, linear pull breaks
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Submitted by
Don
a Weekend Warrior
from Batavia,OH,Clermont
Date Reviewed: October 17, 2001
Strengths: Price is good. I have the G2.
Weaknesses: Shocks, frame comes in S,M, or L only, front derailer, tires suck, no tread.
Bottom Line:
Don't buy the G1, chain fell off constantly and shifting wasn't reliable. The G1 has an extremely short and rare fat diameter seat post. The shifting is terrible. Front derailer allowed chain to fly off several times. Adjustment didn't help at all. Shocks are too soft. The G2 is OK except for the tires, shocks, and the front derailer.
Submitted by
Justin
a Weekend Warrior
from Ewing, NJ
Date Reviewed: October 4, 2001
Strengths: Smooth ride. Light weight for a budget full-suspension bike. Rear derailler (Shimano Acera) very quick and responsive if adjusted properly. Powerful brakes. Great looks. Rapid-fire shifters
Weaknesses: Rear suspension a bit on the loose side. Front derailler is barely decent. Hope to upgrade soon. Stock grips are crap.
Bottom Line:
Overall, a great deal for the money. I've only ridden this for about a month so far, but am very happy. Highly recommended for anyone on a budget.
The zero-g2 is a much better bike than the base model. If you can afford the g2 get that.
I'll report back in a few months with a final opinion :)
Strengths: frame, good components, super stong all around, disc ready fork, i have the zero-g model
Weaknesses: plastic pedals, seat, front de-railer
Bottom Line:
NO better bang for the buck! good components, nice smooth ride, I ride HARD and this thing has held up without fault for 3 months, I ride 30+ miles EVERY weekend, plus urban riding after school during the week. BOttom line is I love this bike, and for those with a budget is a great bike.
Similar Products Used: None(first dual suspension)
Bike Setup: factory, with front disc
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Submitted by
Stacy Mizrahi
a Weekend Warrior
from 7171 Winter Rose Path
Date Reviewed: September 8, 2001
Strengths: Using the G3, aluminium frame and dual suspension were a plus ....
Weaknesses: ... but the bike sucks! Front struts couldn't handle an average track. Chain kept popping off which I first thought was a link problem. The guys at Dick's thought I was crazy until I made them ride uphill with it. We never did figure out the exact problem was, and trying to contact Mongoose is damn near impossible. I eventually gave up and traded the bike in for a Diamondback.
Bottom Line:
Trust me on this, if you ignore my warning and decide to get this bike, put it under a stress test right away. My problems didn't happen until the chain had some serious tension placed on it. I'm convinced now that when looking a dual suspension bikes, cheaper is not always better.
Similar Products Used: Can't compare it because it was my 1st dual suspension.
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Submitted by
Gary Beloin
a Weekend Warrior
from Plainville, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2001
Strengths: Strong frame (Al frame with Cro-Mo rear tri.), good looking, excellent price, upgradeable components.
Weaknesses: Cheap components (see Price and Upgradeability in Strengths): 7-speed rear (21-speed bike), front derailleur = total crap, flat plastic pedals.
Bottom Line:
The bike is strong - and not too heavy unless you're big into XC (then you would have bought another bike!). I've dumped it, and then I just pick it up and keep going. I bought used Shimano XT 8-speed components (front and rear der., cassette, shifters) but haven't installed them yet. The Shimano TY32 front der. is a P.O.S.! Shifting (via SRAM MRX Grip Shift) is not reliable. The Shimano Acera rear der. is actually OK. The shocks work better than expected. I'll replace them when they're spent. For $300, how can you complain? I just saw it at Dick's for $200, and the "G2" is now at $350! You can't get a bigger bang for the buck.
Weaknesses: Shocks,Brakes, seat, and customer service
Bottom Line:
The shocks and brakes are crap,bottom line. I called Mongoose customer service for bike specs,(Pacific Cycle Sales),for the rear shock and front fork. They did not know the travel of the rear shock or any dimensions on either end of the rear shock, shame on them. Cane Creek was very helpful. All in all the rest of the bike is holding up good. Its a good bike to upgrade.
Similar Products Used: Planet Earth (fell apart) , Cannadale Super V (friends bike)
Bike Setup: Zero Pro G3,Shimmono Deore disc hubs,Rinolite rims,Avid disk brakes,Cane Creek AD-10 rear shock,Rockshox Judy SL fork,Diamondback comfort seat,ODI lockon grips
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Submitted by
Jason
a Weekend Warrior
from Phoenix, AZ
Date Reviewed: August 21, 2001
Strengths: Extremely Strong Aluminum Frame, Zokes Choowha Air Front Fork takes hits well, Shimano Acera Drivetrain shifts nicely, very durable bike for the price, very upgradable. I have the Mongoose Zero g2.
Weaknesses: Grips Suck, Seat Sucks, Handlebar doesnt fit the look of the bike, Rear Shock isnt firm enough, Chro-Mo Rear Fork adds some weight.
Bottom Line:
Great entry bike for someone who's outgrown a 21 speed and wants really good performance without bottoming out their wallet. Perfect weekend warrior bike. Very durable, takes abuse well, but also needs to be taken care of. I'm loving this bike. Very upgradable in its componetry. It's definitely worth the money I paid and it's also a much nicer looking bike than the g3.
Submitted by
Rex Rogers
a Cross Country Rider
from Ga
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2001
Strengths: Strong frame. Handles well. Rear suspension takes hits nicely. Might be the best entry level bike for the price on the market.
Weaknesses: A little heavy. Some of the components are cheap, but what the heck., it's an upgrade bike.
Bottom Line:
This is a really nice bike for the price. Frame is very strong. I ride hard and have piled it up several times since I've had it and it has survived with no problems. Front derailler is quirky. Hope to upgrade soon. Really good entry level XC FS bike. Can handle some freestyle too. I would recommend it to anyone on a budget that wants a lot of bang for the buck.
Strengths: Full Suspension is nice, adjustable, wrist gear changing, quick release everything, comfortable, easy to ride
Bottom Line:
Great bike as long as you aren't going cliff jumping...great for road or trails, good for anyone who doesn't need to be blowing away too much money and wants a great bike at a great price.
Bike Setup: Zero G setup which includes alloy frame, rst Mozo RM110 fork, Coil over in rear, Radius Alloy Direct Pull brakes, Shimano TY32 front deraileur, Shimano Acera in rear, And then... Shimano SH-Mo70 cleats and SPD PDM515 pedals
