Submitted by
shawn007
a Weekend Warrior
from Erie, CO USA Date Reviewed: July 6, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Hall Ranch
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$650.00
Purchased At:
Performance Bikes
Strengths:
value
Weaknesses:
does not install confidence
Similar Products Used:
Orange-Patriot
Bottom Line:
This bike is a great value for moderate terrain. If it gets really nasty this bike makes your confidence suffer and speed slow down consequently. I've ridden it about 20 times now and moderate and difficult terrain. Here in Colorado it's really rocky and steep on the trails. Full suspension is a must and I don't really mind additional weight to compensate for additional travel and stability on the downhill.
For me this bike comes up short. The geometry puts too much forward weight bias for my taste, the frame is not stable, and the hydrolic brakes don't work that great (not enought stopping power... good feel though). For the money it is fantastic for what you could get at this price point 5 years ago. If I were to spend $650 again though I'd find a better used free ride bike that was banged up already. I will keep playing around with settings and try to improve the bike and report back though.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
oteroer
a Weekend Warrior
from UK Date Reviewed: January 21, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Haldon
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$900.00
Strengths:
Good strong and solid frame and all components are good value for the money. Been riding it a year XC and rock solid with no problems at all.
Weaknesses:
Grips needed replacing but generally happy with setup. Is not too light at 33lbs but good upgrade potential to lighter setup
Similar Products Used:
Giant Boulder
Bike Setup:
All factory setting
Bottom Line:
Great value for the money, rides like a bike twice the price and looks great as well. Would be a fantastic 2nd hand but too.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
bikerman24
a Cross Country Rider
from Date Reviewed: October 10, 2008
Favorite Trail:
whistler
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$600.00
Purchased At:
jensonusa.com
Strengths:
good frame, i like the rear shock.....not the best, i really like the hydraulic discs
Weaknesses:
the fork sucks it started to rust from the inside out on like the 10th day.........
Bike Setup:
fork= rock shock tora 318, it owns! tires= scorpian something i dont remember 2.3 inch
Bottom Line:
overall i think its a good bike, i put a new fork on it and now it looks sweet and new tiers and its perfect
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mattft86
a Downhiller
from croydon Date Reviewed: July 12, 2008
Favorite Trail:
surrey
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$795.00
Purchased At:
evans cycles
Strengths:
great for the money well happy with it
Weaknesses:
none
Similar Products Used:
Mongoose Otero Super 2008
Bottom Line:
will tell all my m8ts about it 3 of them have gone out and got the same if i had to choose anouther bike it would be the Mongoose Otero Super 2008
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joe Scolastico
a Weekend Warrior
from Dedham MA, USA Date Reviewed: May 1, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Dedham Bike
Strengths:
Good frame and geometry. I liked the beefed up head post and body tubes. The brakes were strong being that they are hydraulic and offer good stopping power. The alivo offers a good shifting response on the fly and also provides reliability.
Weaknesses:
The front shock seemed soft while on trails. Its not a problem though because im only about 170 pounds on a large frame. The stem was a bit extended for my taste and I replaced it with a shorter higher rising dimension one. The tires loose their grip on some of the wetter trails but they are inexpensive to replace. Most people replace a bike’s stock tires after purchase.
Similar Products Used:
Haro Shift R1
Bike Setup:
Stock for now. Will be getting Kenda 2.6 or 2.7 tires
Bottom Line:
I like the mongoose otero elite. I have the 2008 model with the epicon rear shock in the back and it supports me well. I feel like the front shock is a little soft but it also has lockout, which is a plus. I plan on getting new tires and that’s about it for now. I looked at the Haro Shift r1 and thought that it was far too heavy, compared to the mongoose. My old Iron Horse Hard tail seems like it has at least 7 or 8 pounds on the newer mongoose. If you are looking for a bike in the 7 to 8 hundred range, this bike is for you. For the price, you cannot beat this offer from Mongoose.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Thomas Lau
a Cross Country Rider
from Australia Date Reviewed: November 4, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Durban Cycle
Strengths:
Very Strong frame, realible. Good geometry. Comfohttp://www.mtbr.com/reviews/postreview.asp?ProductID=129229 MtbREVIEW - XC Full Suspension - Mongoose Otero Elitertable,my friend said it's like a "Mercedes-Benz". Do well in muddy track, downhill, hp hill ... Alivio runs smooth. Looks unique! GOOD VALUE, 700 for dual sus and hydraulic. Brakes works well! Good for long term upgrade and "learner" on dual sus bike.
Weaknesses:
The fork, suntour is kind of low level stuff, 100mm travel is not enough for rocky trail and little All mountain ride and too heavy. Rear shock is... u know too week and too heavy and some cracking noises start coming out from that after 2 months, but think it 's still alright. The handle bar is too wide, always hit trees. Steering is alright but the height of the front is a bit low which always makes me over and under steer. Wheels can improve. The original tires sucks. Alivio is quite heavy to run ... 8 speed only ... The whole bike is too heavy and it weight around 36 lbs and when i put the maxxis minon on, it weight 39 lbs !!! Too heavy
Similar Products Used:
EM ... dont really have any
Bike Setup:
Changed maxxis minon coz i always go downhill and muddy track on this bike. Then i'm going to upgrade the wheels to mavic crossride, shimano deore LX gears, RockShox revelation fork, rear shock fox float bla bla bla ... convert it to a AM bike haha.
Bottom Line:
Again, this bike is very very good for $700 although the stuff is not as good as i thought (it's smooth but heavy, not too useful) but the frame works well and it's worth to upgrade. Remember one thing, u pay for what u get. Cheap bike always have disadvantage like the parts(fork, shock ...) but if u are running out of money or wanna buy a weekend mtb just for fun. This is what u want. Seriously, i ride this bike almost every single day, except sunday and some days around 18kms each time, this bike still works very well under my abuse =p . So i recommand this bike! And also, don't forget the new mongoose otero elite 08!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Roman
a Cross Country Rider
from Israel Date Reviewed: October 17, 2007
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$750.00
Purchased At:
rosen&mintz
Strengths:
Good strong frame, full alivio (works great), strong rims, price.
Weaknesses:
fork is not usefull for downhill, original shock is weak and i changed it to manitou radium rl platform shock. may be a little bit heavy?
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
mongoose otero elite with manitou radium shock
Bottom Line:
good package for the price, nice color, working hard and withought problems!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gordon
a Weekend Warrior
from Cairns, Qld Australia Date Reviewed: July 1, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Smithfield
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Bikeman Cairns
Strengths:
Feels strong, rigid, comfortable.
Weaknesses:
Front springs a little weak for 79Kg rider
Similar Products Used:
Several Konas, a Mongoose Teocali Elite that someone stole
Bike Setup:
Slightly heavier spring in front forks, about to get SRAM shifters and derailleurs, Da Bomb pedals
Bottom Line:
This has to be one of the best value-for-money bikes around. With the adjustable-travel rear suspension to make life even easier, it handles well. Sure, the components aren't the best on the market, but they can be slowly upgraded as money becomes more available.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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