Submitted by
Fyro
a Downhiller
from Adealide, South Australia
Date Reviewed: August 13, 2010
Strengths: ** 2006 Model**
Looks really nice. Good spec. Takes a thrashing. Good frame for DJ, 4X and DH. The Marzocchi Drop Off II's have plenty of travel which can be adjusted for lighter riders like myself.
Have taken this to some DH tracks and performs pretty well. Will do more than you may think seeing as it is a pretty stable bike.
Smooth ride, but begins to be harder to ride on the rockier stuff.
Weaknesses: Single track rims buckle easily if you hit something like a tree at average speed.
Not so much of a DJ bike as much as a DH/4X frame.
Seeing as it is a hardtail, not good for rocky tracks. But rides alright on moderately rocky tracks.
Bottom Line:
Fantastic bike for someone who wants to start out on a hardtail for DH. Looks a treat and rides fairly smooth. Good geometry with the cranks in the perfect spot to be able to easily ride up steep hills for getting around.
I use for DH, street, fun stuff and riding around. Good all-round bike, but I would suggest to have a dually for the more intense tracks.
Would reccomend to anyone who wants a decent hardtail. There are better, but this is a bombproof frame.
I pulled this frame out of a junk box at a junky bike shop and built a decent ride to kick around on. I don't jump or anything but ride it out in the woods on rough trails, it will really hammer your, but the geometry makes it super stable, easy to ride down hill, easy to ride through stuff. It's only draw back is weight, those gussets and huge tubes add up, but I never see myself breaking this monster.
Similar Products Used: Bauer Wild Thing, Wheeler 4900
Bike Setup: Bomber DJ III Fork Mavic Rims Monkey Bars Shimano Mechanical Disks 6" rotors
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Submitted by
jake
a Cross Country Rider
from Northern Vt. and NoCal
Date Reviewed: December 11, 2002
Strengths: Very stiff aluminum frame with a cool spiderweb paint job.
Weaknesses: most of the spec is lower-end stuff but at this pricepoint it is pretty damn good
Bottom Line:
this is really the first bike i have ever gotten serious about riding and it has been an excellent get-on-and-ride rig! i just tuned my firts 1000 wiht the bike and its seems like there is a lot left in it. the frame is super beefy so i am sure that i will be able to keep hanging new parts on it as the old ones die.
Similar Products Used: specialized hardrock, couple of different mongeese`
Bike Setup: came with kore bar, stem seatpost wtb wheels, tires and saddle. avid brakes and rs judy c fork. swaped out for go fast bar, thomson stem, lazer v saddle, panaracer tires, xt r derailer, rs sid fork, mavic 517 rims, upgraded avid levers and xt cartridge pads.
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Submitted by
rooster
a Weekend Warrior
from sale creek, tn
Date Reviewed: January 24, 2002
Strengths: stiff frame, good geometry, nice paint, good components except...
this is a great bike for the money. there are only a few things that scream "beginner"-maybe the deore front derailleur??...or the avid AD3 brake levers?? the front derailleur i can live with and the rear does fine, but I would have liked to see maybe avid speed dial 5 levers or something comparable...the judy c performs well for its price range...and anything would have been an upgrade from the wtb speed c2 wheelset-maybe rhyno lites on lx hubs???...the truvativ firex cranks are also decent for the price range but are very flexy(this is very noticable with such a stiff frame). the point of my rambling is that a few upgrades could have this setup in screamin shape-for a hardtail. But if you have any doubts look at what other bikes are composed of- both factory setups and consumer built bikes.
Bike Setup: mostly stock, upgraded to mavic rims, and race face cranks are coming soon
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Submitted by
zach
a Weekend Warrior
from chapel hill NC, usa
Date Reviewed: December 6, 2001
Strengths: the frame is bulletproof, the components are very good for the price, disc compatible, the handlebar and stem are good.
Weaknesses: the judy c has the alltravel system but has no real dampening. the bike is heavy, but not that heavy.
Bottom Line:
if u plan on buying this bike get it on sale ( dicks has a sale going) this is a good intermediate, competition setup, only really 4 or 5 upgrades that i can think of... therefore i'm thinking about getting this bike for my hardtail. it's a good all around bike, and MONGOOSE still has a little bit of quality life in them....the 2002's are really good. so i think that despite the fallout period, that they're making a comeback.
Similar Products Used: other (good) mongoose(s?), specialized, 'dales, fishers, treks, giants
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Submitted by
Sna-FU!
a Cross Country Rider
from Kingston NY
Date Reviewed: November 26, 2001
Strengths: Very nice 7005 aluminum frame. Fat tubing and welds. Huge reinforced headtube gusset on that baby. Looks like it cost more than it does. Not a straight XC bike, not a freeride bike--How about plain-old "Mountain Bike?" Anyone remember those? All-WTB wheels, strong for an entry-level bike. WTB 2.2 Enduroraptor tires, grip unbelievably well. I have railed down steep muddy hills without crashing, something I could never do on my old Hardrock. All-around solid parts for $500. Shimano Deore/LX/Truvativ drivetrain, Avid Vbrakes. Not flashy but it works well. Nifty-looking paint. Kind of a dark-purple color.
Weaknesses: Judy C fork has no real damping adjustments, but that is liveable. What is noticeable is the lack of stiffness in the fork. It really feels kind of noodly especially considering how stiff the frame feels. Koski clipless pedals are death traps. Time Aliums are on their way as we speak. Overpriced at $700. The only reason I didn't get this bike over a Giant Rainier SE was because the Mongoose was on sale and I couldn't justify paying $200 more for disks. Integrated headset. Good luck finding a replacement if something goes wrong.
Bottom Line:
A great all-around bike and probably the one of the last good Mongoose bikes available now that they've been bought out by Pacific. Big step over my ancient Hardrock. I take this bike everywhere--Plattekill, local rail-trails, rides around the block, and this bike simply shines. I weigh 180 and ride 3-5x a week. Nothing has gone wrong yet. The only upgrades: New pedals (soon!), and maybe a Marzocchi fork. If you can get this bike for a heavy discount, go for it--but there are nicer bikes these days. If you find one, don't ever buy it@MSRP. If you want one, wait till Dick's or your local LBS has a sale. Very few complaints with the actual bike however.
Similar Products Used: Giant Rainier SE GT Avalanche 2.0 Specialized Rockhopper A1 Comp Gary Fisher Hoo-Koo-E-Koo Marin Bear Valley Marin Nail Trail
Bike Setup: 17" Stock
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Submitted by
Scootems
a Weekend Warrior
from Midwest
Date Reviewed: October 27, 2001
Strengths: Excellent components. Aluminum frame. RockShox Judy C. Eye-catching paint job. Kicks butt! Rapid fire shifting and serious brakes get you going and stopping. They've done everything possible to lighten the components.
Weaknesses: Color choices would have been nice. Instructions as to how to set shock would have been helpful. Saddle sucks. Bad "rap", though this "Ain't No Wally's World Mongoose".
Bottom Line:
This bike carries its own along with any other "decked out" MTBS: Trek, Cannondale, Kona, Specialized, GF. Look closely, and you'll see why: the entire bike is outfitted with close to "top of the line" components. It boasts an aluminum frame with eye appealing black accessories/components and a RockShox Judy C. Light, sturdy, nimble, attractive, and chock full of pizzazz. Excellent gearing and fast on pavement. Mine was on sale from $800 down to $500. With lay-away I was able to get it easily.
Similar Products Used: Trek 4900, 6000, 7000. Cannondale F series. Diamondback MTBs. Many others similarly outfitted.
Bike Setup: Stock with new saddle. Will add suspension seatpost soon. What else could I possibly need? It is primo now.
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Submitted by
alex
a Cross Country Rider
from lake orion, michigan, usa
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2001
Strengths: fairly light frame, cool spiderwebby paint, decent deore shifters, decent fork (a little short on travel but fair)
Weaknesses: costs way too much for what it is. before mongoose went under, i would've paid 700 quid for it in a heatbeat. i own a pre-fallout rockadile sx and love it. this would be anawesome deal at 450-500, but not at closer to a grand. the frame has a weird, blocky head tube reinforcement that throws the balance off and looks ridiculous. clipless pedals a minus given everything else on the bike screams "beginner".
Bottom Line:
it's a decent beginner bike, but i only added this review to emphasise that it costs too much for what it is. you could get a us-made trek 6700 with a manitou fork and bontrager rims for less. a good beginner bike overall. if you see one for less than 600, snap it up. otherwise, it ain't worth it, kiddies.
Similar Products Used: rockadile sx, trek 4500, raleigh m80
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Submitted by
Nick Ingalsbe
a Weekend Warrior
from Corfu,Ny USA
Date Reviewed: July 19, 2001
Strengths: good light frame. lot of after market parts. holds up good. reccomened for a beginner moutain biker.
Weaknesses: a little over priced. rims were bent a little when i got it and got worse
Bottom Line:
Perfect bike for a beginner who plannes on getting more into mountain biking. This was my first "good" mountain bike so i can't say too much about it. This ain't no cheap walmart MONGOOSE.
