Submitted by
Perrysph3
a Racer
from Albany, Ny, USA
Date Reviewed: October 7, 2008
Strengths: A great bike for on-road or off-road riding.
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
I bought this bike NEW in 1995 and have been riding it ever since. I put on 100-150 miles per week, on-road and off. Well over 20k on it. New rims, new pads, new cables... THATS IT! If you maintain this bike it will last a lifetime... MAINTENENCE IS KEY!!
Similar Products Used: Specialized, GT's, KONA's, Cannondales... all hardtails.
Bike Setup: Mostly original components.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Robb
a Cross Country Rider
from Jacksonville, FL
Date Reviewed: June 3, 2008
Strengths: Light for steel, strong & forgiving. Powder coat finish has lasted over 10 years with no issues.
Weaknesses: Hard to find weird setpost size (26.2). short head tube.
Bottom Line:
Purchased this frame new in 1998. After about 2 years of hard riding, it became my backup bike for about 6 years while I raced the XTC. Cracked the frame on the XTC and moved what I could to the Zero-G while waiting for the replacement frame from Giant. Geez I had forgotten how much better the steel frame rides than the aluminum frame. I was even able to ditch my suspension seatpost! The replacement Giant frame got sold on eBay. The 'goose frame only weighs 1.00 lbs more than the Giant did. I have the 'goose at 23.50lbs using Ti bolts where ever possible.
Similar Products Used: 2000 Giant XTC, Jamis Dakota XC
Bike Setup: Current setup: 2001 SID XC, Race face Next LP cranks w/ Syncros Ti BB, XTR/XT drive train, Bontrager Mustang/XT wheels, Avid Ti V-brakes, Ritchey pedals.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
greg harris
a Racer
from west decatur pa USA
Date Reviewed: May 25, 2008
Strengths: The Ride of steel
Weaknesses: NONE
Bottom Line:
I built this bike for XC racing,Been riding it for 13 years with no trouble(I replaced all components at least twice since this frame probably has at least 5k miles on it)I am a clydesdale rider and it holds up well.great ride qualities.
Submitted by
Nelson
a Weekend Warrior
from Baltimore, MD, USA
Date Reviewed: July 30, 2004
Strengths: Great steel frame, climbs like a mountain goat
Weaknesses: Cheap original components, very rare seat tube diameter
Bottom Line:
Great frame, ditch the original components. Indestructable steel frame. Climbs great. After considering purchasing a new frame, I figured that if this frame works this awesome, why the heck would I waste my money. Needless to say, I have decided she's a keeper.
Similar Products Used: Lots of various hard tails. Full suspension sucks for aggressive XC.
Bike Setup: Only original specs are stock LX front/rear deralleur. Upgraded to Rock Shox SID, Titec seat tube, Mavic 618 rims with XT hubs, Crow Bar riser bar, grip shift w/XT V-brake, Deore hollow point cranks, Shimano 515 clipless pedals, etc. etc.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Kyle
a Weekend Warrior
from cary, nc, us
Date Reviewed: September 9, 2003
Strengths: awesome bike with great looks. I just love the strength that this bike has! I love the chrome frame doesnt scratch easy and is easy to take care of. love the grip shift
Weaknesses: stock shocks suck. stock brakes suck. dont like stock ties for my type of riding (psychos). Some times my bike wont shift out of second or 1st all i have to do is shift back down to the gear it's in and tryagain. granted this bike has over 4000 miles on it!
Bottom Line:
awesome bike awesome price awesome value. love the looks. love how it can kick those high end bikes... it's not the bike it's the rider but this bomb proof bike's reliability has been with me always
Bike Setup: tektro's front brakes to go with new shocks, oh what a difference!! manitou black sports LOVE THEM. new super agressive root tires.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Nicholas Good
a Racer
from Charlotte, NC
Date Reviewed: December 12, 2002
Strengths: Great looks, good bike for the price
Weaknesses: Cheap steel frame
Bottom Line:
Nice looking bike, great ride, great geometry. As a racer I was disappointed after trashing the frame in a weekend race and not having the shop or Mongoose honor the warranty because I was racing. I had a hard time believing that Mongoose thought anyone would pay that kind of money for a bike and not race it on occassion. Up to that point I was very happy with the bike, and if I could get my hands on another, I'd love to build up a superlight race bike.
Similar Products Used: K2 Razorback HT, Custom Caloi
Bike Setup: Factory LX/STX, replaced quadra with Mag21 at the shop
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
audrey truss
a Weekend Warrior
from indy
Date Reviewed: October 5, 2001
Strengths: looks good
durable
Weaknesses: I haven't found any
Bottom Line:
well this is my fourth Mongoose. MAybe I'm lucky, but no problems with any of them, yet. This bike was bought for light transport off road and easy riding the local flat trails and rail trail. sometimes I take it to the more technical town trial where it comes out dirty but functional. I'm 5'3 and 135lbs. i love these bikes. the year is 1998. It is a silver hardtail with a cro moly rigid front fork. It was bought as new old stock. I just bought deore 9speed shifters and such to upgrade from 8 speed. It has cantilever brakes. I ride to starbucks and back everyday on this or my mongoose road bike. hubs are fine. No rattles. No stuff falling off. Light enough. NO COMPLAINTS. Feel free to e-mail with questions.
Submitted by
Tony A
a Weekend Warrior
from North Andover
Date Reviewed: August 6, 2000
Strengths: The Mongoose I purchased was on sale for $750 at a place in Salem, NH. It replaced my previous bike of six years communting to work in Boston. I was ready to be thrilled,and was riding it around the parking lot, took some little jumps and loved the suspension, which I had never had. Seemed like a good deal.
Weaknesses: After about a week, I put a few extras on. I switched the tires to some Kevlar Ritchies (1.8s). I sawed off the handle bars by about an inch each side. I moved the controls. I kept hearing a noise when in low gear eminating from the back sprocket. Seems like the chain was too lose, so I started hacking little lengths off on progressive rides to try and cancel the sound, which turned out to be the chain slapping on the back bottom stay. Whap whap clang clang all through the woods. Sounded like a chainsaw chain slapping the bar. My other bike didn't do that. Then I blew the Judy cartidge, which everyone does. Then, because I had taken too many links out, thinking it would stop when I got to the end, over time this stretched the chain and then shifting became a game of "hug the greased monkey while riding a bike"! Replaced the chain, took some soft material and electric tape and wrapped it around the frame where the chain was hitting. Deadened the noise but didn't eliminate it. The Shimano crap that came with it is not adequate to tension the chain and I'll be damned if I'm going to upgrade to the next model because I think its a design flaw to allow the chain so close to the frame in low gears, and it would be an expensive upgrade and might not fix the problem. Also had problems with repeatedly needing to tighten the front and rear bearings, the nuts are under some kind of weird spell than makes them come loose after a couple weeks. When that happens the front brakes get really ineffective and the wheel wobbles. Overall, I have not been excited or pleased by this bike, I ride it and as another reviewer quotes, its adequate, but I don't feel that the product was customized for my -or anyone's - needs. I wanted another bike to last me six years but I will want to do another purchase soon. The construction seems solid but corner cutting is the rule. My wife has a Diamondback snakestays bike with an Al frame, and its got tons more character.
Bottom Line:
Leave this one in the shop if you see one. If you can get the frame cheap, then load your components, its probably pretty good, but don't spend a lot for the bike with the components that come with it.
Submitted by
jan Paeschuyzen
a Cross Country Rider
from Antwerp Belgium
Date Reviewed: July 15, 2000
Strengths: It's cool,looks nice, weight is ok!I think it is better then the 1999 specialized rockhopper A1 fs, the weight is allmost the same...
Weaknesses: I just love it, but i've changed a few things...
Bottom Line:
I really like it, sometimes i think i should change bike, but then i ride it a bit longer and then i think, ohh hell this bike is all right! It climbs verry good, downhill is allright... so i really like it! and the color is nice to! I just gotta change them wheels!
Bike Setup: I've changed the fork into a Manitou Sx, and i like that, i've changed the seatpost,stem, bar and peddals(clipless) all these things made my bike's weight drop, witch i like!by the way, RITCHEY z-max HDK tires really rule! I like them much even in the mud! XT brakes, Odi rampage grips, verry nice!
You have seen an earlier review of me. Now i say that if you are strong rider DO NOT BUY IT!!!! I have broken it in 2,5 years. Double-butted Cro-Mo and yet it BROKE!! Fortunately the retailer gave me a Comp SX of 97 much better but Zero-G really let me down
I bought my 95 Zero-G in early '96 for about $650. Even though I've replaced many of the components, the bike has never let me down. I like the frame geometry and the 'steel feel'. It's a decent climber and a pretty good cross country bike. Back when I bought the bike, it was a great value compared to what else was available.
Strengths: Perfect value for money,strength,lively, eats steep uphills for breakfst
Weaknesses: A little bit nervous on technical downhills
Bottom Line:
it carries you eveywhere ideal for long trials and the perfect entry level bike . Very good at uphills. The zero-g 97 that i have has never let me down despite the fact that i use it vey hardly.
Weaknesses: Mongoose Quality, Cheap Mongoose Parts, Crapy part form other makers, Shady Mongoose dealers.
Bottom Line:
Here is the low down. This is my final review of this bike before it goes into retirement. Mongoose makes cheap bikes. They cut corners and hide things from you. Pluses for the bike were the heavy but adleast stiff(for steel) frames. Other highlights were the Judy XC shock but I blew the cheap plastic cartridge like everyone else. Also it seemed cheap $700 brand new. Here's the negatives. After riding this heavy hunk of crap for 3 years I have realized mongoose cut every corner possibly to offer you a cheap price. Result, a bike that looks like a good bike when you buy it then it quickly falls apart. Here what I would consider junk on this bike and when they broke (Vetta seat bent 1st ride, bottom bracket 2wks.,Mavic 138 rim chronic falure first race, Mavic 138 rear bent badly ride home from bike shop after getting the front fixed, Mongoose h-bar crack 9 mnths.) Here's what what I would consider low quality (brake levers have a large amout of play, Canti brakes have a hard time stopping me, Togia Psyco tire have no traction, after time the gripsh1t shimano shifting combo performs very poorly.) Then there is Mongooses Engineering: this bike is a 1996 which means mongoose probaly swiped the design from someone elses 1995 bikes. The frame sort of has touring geo. In 1996 you would think Mongoose would have heard of a sloping top tube? This bike is tall (as far as standover height) and short (in the reach). It is very sluggish on the trail. Finally the Moongoose dealers: the guy I bought his bike from could have given any used car salesman a run for his money(Bike n' Hike, Rock Island, IL). Sleazeball! When I went back to college there used to be a Mongoose dealer here but there stopped doing business with Mongoose because of there shady dealing. My Schwinn Homegrown will be here in 3 days thank god, and the Zero G-SX will rust it's ways into eternity. The bottom line is DONT BUY A MOONGOOSE,DONT BUY A MOONGOOSE,DONT BUY A MOONGOOSE, and DONT BUY A MOONGOOSE!
Submitted by
Fernando Tibau
a Cross-Country Rider
from Rio de Janeiro - RJ
Date Reviewed: March 19, 1999
Bottom Line:
After 3 years of good riding everything was great until Nov' 98 when the bottom part of the frame broke close to the cogset. After phone calls and 3 e-mails I'm still trying to contact MONGOOSE support (according to the owner's manual the frame warranty is forever). Four less 3 (bad support) gives 1.
Not VRC, probably just an old bike by the standards here, but I only paid 75 for it and I'm happy with the build. And it is VERY 90s.
Frame - DB Tange, Mongoose IBOC Zero G
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