Submitted by
Jay
a Weekend Warrior
from Anaheim, CA
Date Reviewed: August 30, 2011
Strengths: good frame, shifters, stem
Weaknesses: wheels, seat post
Bottom Line:
I bought this from my buddy, he had it for like 10 years and never rode it. It was apparently the first "Wal-Goose" back in like '99 or so... he said he paid like $350 at a mart in NY. I turned it into a "hybrid" since I use it mostly on the street and groomed trails. The Kenda K-Rad tires and riser bars made it much better. I'm too old to go into the woods anymore. I love the rapid-fire shifters, they are so much better than the twist shift on my Trek. This is a good solid bike for a hybrid, not sure how great it would be off-road with the rims it has. Overall though I like it... RST forks are kinda crappy, they might be frozen now since they don't move, but again for the road this is fine. I might replace them with solid forks anyway.
Strengths: I use the mega range gear often when climbing steep asents and travling in mud. V brakes. strong frame. light wieght. rapid fire shifters
Weaknesses: cheap rims. cheap suspenson.derauler has a hard time shifting into the 7th or 1st gear
Bottom Line:
I use this bike for riding on 45 degree desents and on steep inclines. It works good for me bucuse i also do a little road riding on it. great deal for the price. if your on a tight budget I would advise this bike . but if you do more extreme rideing go with a higher end bike.
Submitted by
eane
a Weekend Warrior
from Reedsville Pa, USA
Date Reviewed: October 12, 2004
Strengths: Great Frame, brakes and Shifters, good front and rear suspension, good bottom bracket and Headset.
Weaknesses: Wheels, Cassette, Seat sucks, Derailers are kinda flimsy, comes with a freewheel, need to upgrade to freehub
Bottom Line:
GREAT BIKE for the price, i recommend upgrading the drivetrain you will not regret it!, Great bike to upgrade. i have had the bike for 5 years, everything worked great untill i wrecked it a few times and smashed in the derailer recently, at that point i upgraded. I bet it would keep up with a bike costing 4 times as much! I plan on upgrading all the components on this bike and eventually will change it over to a 9 Spd. Well worth the money to upgrade! I trashed the Old Mega Range Cassette that was on it, Smashing in the Derailer, Bent the wheels, Tore the seat, busted off the Bar ends, Pretty much Trashed this bike, and had it fixed, and it runs better than when i bought it bran new from wal-mart (now that i have premium parts on it). It will Take a serious BEATING!!!
Bike Setup: Upgraded to lx Derailer, new cassette and wheels, new seat, new cables & brake pads. stock shifters and suspention,
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Submitted by
Arthur
a Cross Country Rider
from El Paso , Texas, USA
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2003
Strengths: This is a great bike. I bought it at a Wal Mart with my first paycheck when I was 16. I have ridden it hard at least twice per week for the last 2 of the 5 years that Ive had it. I have never had to replace anything on it except the pedals and the lines. It takes a beating, Im 6'5 and weigh 195lbs. and it doesn't seem to want to quit on me any time soon.
Weaknesses: The shocks could have more travel, but for the price, I wouldn't dream of complaining. And its too bad that the bike didn't come in larger sizes.
Bottom Line:
This is the absolute best bang for the buck. They really pulled their stuff together over at mongoose for this one. Its too bad you still get the looks from the "hardcore" bikers with all their garb. But it really does hold its own, I ride alot of hard trails and it doesn't fall behind the rest of the higher priced bikes.
Bike Setup: the bike is stock with a set of sharkbite pedals for traction on my big feet.
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Submitted by
Jessica Lore
a Weekend Warrior
from Lexington Park, Mayland
Date Reviewed: August 11, 2002
Strengths: very stable and trust worthy
Weaknesses: heavy...can't do wheely very well
Bottom Line:
It is a great bike for freestyle and could use a pound or two to lose so it wouldn't be so hard to do a wheely.Very sturdy and rides very smoothe like a luxury bike or something.I just purchased this bike today at Target and I knew it was the one.It is a boy's bike and I am a girl but who cares it works right.I love to go over jumps w/ it and ride on long trails through the woods.
great bike for your average trail beginner. the wheels are really weak, gets warped really easily. the seat does a number on you and is murder on looooong rides. decent rst 281 forks. the chain gets hung up every now and then when shifting to a higher gear. drivetrain got noisy after a while but something a good lube job probably will fix. great frame to work with. i'm probably going to toss out all the stuff on it and build around the frame. for the money, you really can't beat the weight and looks.
Submitted by
Mikko
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa Canada
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2002
Strengths: very good frame, super strong and great feel. I like the stem and bars too.
Weaknesses: wheels - they are not very durable, but are OK for smooth rides.
Bottom Line:
It's a nice bike with a wonderful frame. It looks cool with the buffed aluminum and it's worth the money. They had bikes right next to it for $700-$1200 bucks that just didn't seem much better. I only wish they made it still in other frame sizes. It was only made in 18in which is about the average I think.
Bike Setup: I have all the stock parts on it expect the pedals, seat, and wheels. I also had to replace the rear gear-switch after I clipped some rocks, I got another Shimano. I like the Shimano stuff that came on the bike, but if you upgrade to the next level up you'll be even happier.
Strengths: great frame: very strong and geometrically brilliant stem: strong and solid neck: strong and solid bars: nice bend, pretty strong cranks: decent, could be better shifters: quick and responsive, if adjusted correctly. brakes: nice power even on soft setting. they aren't disc, but they are the best pads-to-rims brakes I've ever used. RST-281 Forks: good, but read below.
Weaknesses: wheels: rims are too flexy for aluminum framed bike. RST 281 forks: they are good at low speeds, but there is too much head-shake at about 30+ MPH in the harsh terrain. They are fine for cross-country but they are not stiff enough for hard downhill hits.
Bottom Line:
I paid $300 for this bike because the frame was good. I figured I can't go wrong for even just the frame at this proce. Mongoose has always made great bikes and this one is no exception. Too bad they were only limited edition. Anyway, even for an avid hard-core rider this bike can be great. If you spend $300 on the bike and another $300 on upgrade components, you still have a $600 bike that preforms like a $1200 hard-tail from GT, Gary Fisher, Trek or Cannondale. I'm telling you, sprocket heads that laugh at your "Wal-Mart Mongoose" have never ridden one. The frame is as snappy and responsive as anything out there. There were not many of these Mongooses made. They were designed to help get 'Goose back on their feet, the A50R and the D60 (Orange dual suspension bike) were both great bikes by Mongoose. Some real bike stores did carry them, but others were just pissed that "Wal-Mart" was selling a better bike than anything they had for under $800...You know how I know this?.....BECAUSE I OWN ONE OF THOSE DAMN SHOPS!!!
Strengths: Great frame.....Super cool looks ('cause they matter) and strong as a house. I'm a bike courier during the week in NYC mid-town and down-town, and I hit the hard-core trails on the weekend, so I beat the crap out of this thing. I figured it would last about a year or two but I can't kill it! Forks are still intact after a cabbie thumped me into a paper stand at about 30mph. Neck and handlebars won't die either. This neck and stem must be bullet proof. Frame geometry is spot on and is very comfortable. It gives you TOTAL CONTROL and the frame is snappy strong in hard turns.
Weaknesses: I killed the rims after about a year. The cranks also bent after I hit a big rock in some North Jersey trails. In fact I hammered both the cranks and the front sprockets in that crash. Seat was a joke. But I like the seat post shock, it works pretty damn good.
Bottom Line:
WAY WAY better than expected. Great all around bike for street and trail. Be prepared to replace wear parts if you really beat on them.
I've always likes the Mongoose name back in the BMX days they were cool. The limited edition Wal-Mart 'Gooses were supposed to help Mongoose get back into the public eye and boy did they ever. The only sad part is that you can't get the nice Mongoose's at any Wal-Mart anymore. I know a guy who works for wal-Mart and they are only allowed to sell a certain number of the bikes with the good stuff. Each store only gets a few of each and when they are gone they are gone.
I wouldn't recommend getting a Mongoose at Wal-Mart unless the store just opened. Otherwise you are getting a typical department store bike.
Similar Products Used: I have a Cannondale (nice looking but rides like crap), Martin (mega expensive and a broken frame), and a really good Trek I got from a police recovery auction.
Bike Setup: Almost stock except for the seat (gel) and rims I got off the Martin. Brakes/rapid shifters/levers are stock, and so are the brake hardwares. Except of course pads and springs.
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Submitted by
Shane
a Weekend Warrior
from Roxbury NJ
Date Reviewed: April 15, 2002
Strengths: Amazing value. Great frame, very strong and stylish. Solid RST-281 forks that work well with a heavy rider. Brakes are very good and most components are better than expected. A great all around bike. Rapid fire shifters are great, and usually not found on bikes of this price range.
Weaknesses: First off, rip the bike apart when you get it, the Wal-Mart flunkies can't be trusted to grease/adjust things, although I didn't find much wrong with my bike. Rims are a bit shakey but they will hold up longer than expected if you keep the spokes tight. Stock pedals are hellish and need to be tossed right away. Seat is a hemeroid waiting to happen.
Bottom Line:
This bike cannot be beat for the value. Nothing even close in this genra. Some people complained about the components, but I can't see why. Either I got a special edition or the other riders are practically pros. I actually tossed some quality components off my Trek when I got this bike because I was so impressed with the Shimano V-brakes, high quality neck and bars. The Shimano rapid fire shifters are very good and the bike shifts well if everything's adjusted right. The bottom line is: Compares favorably with many $500-$700 bikes off the rack. Great bike, you won't get more for your money.
Bike Setup: Virtually stock: New gel TricoSports seat. Odyssey Triple Trap pedals. I'm an ex-BMXer (freestyle/racing) and I need big grippy pedals. I don't buy into the lock-your-feet-in type, I can't ride with them.
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Submitted by
Danial Warbritton
a Cross Country Rider
from Huntingdon, TN, USA
Date Reviewed: January 18, 2002
Strengths: -light and strong frame -inexpensive
Weaknesses: -components and wheels -painful seat
Bottom Line:
Great inexpensive fun bike, but the original components really suck. They are okay for a weekend warrior, but will break or hamper performance on long distances rides, 60 miles or more. The frame is awesome, it is strong and fairly light and I really like the design and look of the polished aluminum. Great frame to upgrade. The Mega-Gear cassete blows chunks except on hills, but even then the Mega derailleur jumps the chain sometimes. Novice to Moderate riders will like this inexpensive and stylish alternative to a more expensive hard tail. Yet with upgraded components which release its true potential this bike can still be very appealling to avid riders.
Bottom line, I'd rather speed a few hundred to upgrade this frame than spend $1000+ to by a comparable Trek or Cannondale.
Similar Products Used: Velo, Trail Master and Rhino
Bike Setup: Cycle design seat, Yeti grips, Deore Hollowtech Crank, XT shifter/brake levers, XT cassette( 8-speed),XT front derrailleur, STX-RC rear derailleur, Zac19 rims with Coda hubs.
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Submitted by
BUM
a Cross Country Rider
from Laredo, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: June 1, 2001
Strengths: -good strong frame -fairly light -good rear shock, still alive after all the abuse its taken -holds a heavy rider well -great for upgrades
Weaknesses: the stock components could use an upgrade. rear hub and cassette jammed and broke easily
Bottom Line:
this bike held up well for the first six months but after that it started to brake apart and i just began replacing all the parts. the rear shock is pretty bad ass and has held up well. the frame is a great foundation for upgrades and it hasn't broken yet. its a fair bike for weekend warriors and does well for cross country riders
Bike Setup: judy xc, LX cranks and drivetrain, time atac pedals, mavic x517 rims with LX hubs, sram 7.0 cassette, specialized seat(must), Maxxxis mofo xc tires.
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Submitted by
Jack Hall
a Weekend Warrior
from Austin, Texas, U.S.
Date Reviewed: May 17, 2001
Strengths: Its a good all around aluminum bike. very light and very inexpensive
Weaknesses: The only weakness has got to be the wheels. But that is the only weakness, which does not stand alone. Almost all spoke wheels will bend or un-true, so is it really a weakness among the bike itself? or a weakness of the overall product of spoke wheels?
Bottom Line:
what can I say? for the design, it is a well rounded bike that offers superior weekend warrior ability. I sure as heck am not going to pay $1000 for a bike that does the same thing, except is a different color.
Bike Setup: Stock setup, with Gel seat, new grips.
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Submitted by
Ed Cruz
a Weekend Warrior
from San Antonio, Tx, United States
Date Reviewed: April 24, 2001
Strengths: The aluminum frame is the coolest I have seen. It has no flashy color scheme, no uneeded material, and it is strong as hell. It is a light bike which allows you to move and jump with ease. The price was a good strength. I saw other bikes for $400 more which were specialized solid suspensions, with rusted components as well as a GT with a few mods,but looked like it just wasn't worth it. Oh yeah and i got the thimb shifters instead of the grip style which suck to high heaven!!!
Weaknesses: Hmmm the weakness. The only weakness I found was the rims, they seem weak, but havent let me down yet. The tires were a lil worn, but hey, who has lifetime tires?
Bottom Line:
The bottom line is....this bike rocks for the price. Like all makes and models, they have their POS bikes and their elite bikes. This bike is an elite for the price. I have yet to find another like it. All I do find is the competitors which are either way too heavy or way too expensive. Here I found a jewel who has kept up with the specialized and other "hi tech bikes"
Similar Products Used: I would have to say, this bike has been quite unique. I used to have the heavy sister of hers which was the D70r I believe, the yellow belly (I pawned that one off to a friend, who pawned it off to another friend for $100) it was just too heavy!!!
Bike Setup: Bike setups all stock with a gel seat ( the stock seat does suck)couple of slime gel in the tubes
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Submitted by
Ryan
a Cross Country Rider
from Sodus, NY, USA
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2001
Strengths: great alum. frame, good suspension, good headset.
Weaknesses: crank, i have a shimano lx ready for spring '01, drivetrain is poor quality, but works ok, pedals suck, handlebars with barends are only good for long long rides, otherwise useless
Bottom Line:
Awesome frame, takes a lickin', but if you have one, please upgrade components, and you will love it even more :) it is worth the 300 that my mom payed at walmart, and it may take another 300 to make it more off-road worthy, but its still better than dishing out 1000 for your first bike. Overall, i love it, and i will use it till she breaks down.
