# Mongoose MTBs...Any good?



## freebie_10 (Jan 31, 2012)

I just want to know if Mongoose brand is any good?
I know it has history but I always see other brands as a recommendation.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

They make everything from total junk bikes, to really pretty high end stuff thats a good value. 

Theres a stigma to riding the high end mongoose bikes. Theres nothing wrong with them at all, and frankly they have one of the better suspensions (and definitely one of the better overall values) on the market, but theres that stigma. Cycling is kind of a fashion show sometimes. 

If one of their bikes fits you, I wouldnt hesitate to ride it.


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

I am strongly suspecting a troll here, but here goes anyway. There is total crap sold under the name Mongoose at Walmart, Toys R Us and such. Then there is decent to great stuff sold at bike shops and various online outlets. But it all takes a bad rap because of the toy store stuff. As far as I know, you can pretty easily tell the difference because the garbage stuff has a cartoon Mongoose emblem while the good stuff has a stylized M logo. The Tyax line are competitive entry level hard tails, the Teocali is a solid full suspension line. There are other good Mongooses, can't remember the names off the top of my head though.


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## freebie_10 (Jan 31, 2012)

I am planning to buy the Mongoose Salvo Comp 2011.
So I'm just asking for feedback if it will be a good buy cause I have not seen any recommendation on the beginners corner.
I like the bike, it fits me well and also my budget but, I am afraid if I buy it it is just a lemon. 
Or there are other brands better than this model?


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

freebie_10 said:


> I am planning to buy the Mongoose Salvo Comp 2011.
> So I'm just asking for feedback if it will be a good buy cause I have not seen any recommendation on the beginners corner.
> I like the bike, it fits me well and also my budget but, I am afraid if I buy it it is just a lemon.
> Or there are other brands better than this model?


I am not familiar with that specific bike but I doubt the term "lemon" applies. Like One Pivot said, Mongoose generally presents a pretty good component spec/dollar. If it fit you well and you like it then its probably a great buy. I will look up that model in a few minutes and I might be able to provide some competitive models.


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

Ok, that is an entry level full suspension bike, the closest comparison I know of from the big name brands would be the Giant Yukon FX. My personal opinion, and one shared by many (but not all) of the other posters here is that at that price point your better off to stay with hardtails, depending on your intended riding of course.


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## freebie_10 (Jan 31, 2012)

Ok, thanks for the help, will look into hard tails instead


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

You might want to 1) Provide more details on what kind of riding you intend to do, and 2) Wait til normal daytime hours and wait for more feedback from some posters with considerably more full suspension experience.

On a side note, I see from Mongooses website that their 2012 models aren't even available in the US. Apparently the destruction of the name here was so thorough that they have given up on selling the non toy store stuff here. Yikes!


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## freebie_10 (Jan 31, 2012)

Crash Test Dumby said:


> You might want to 1) Provide more details on what kind of riding you intend to do, and 2) Wait til normal daytime hours and wait for more feedback from some posters with considerably more full suspension experience.
> 
> On a side note, I see from Mongooses website that their 2012 models aren't even available in the US. Apparently the destruction of the name here was so thorough that they have given up on selling the non toy store stuff here. Yikes!


Well, practically an all mountain bike? Trails, downhill, jumps.


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## zer00aeon (Nov 2, 2011)

I went to local LBS couple of month ago to see Mongoose Salvo 11 for myself , maybe its just bad luck or something , but the seatpost kept being unfixed , the shopkeeper was trying to fix it but nothing helped , so I took another bike also Salvo 11 , and the brakes werent working , so I gave up and bought a KHS 525 few weeks later from different LBS


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## freebie_10 (Jan 31, 2012)

Actually, regarding the seatpost it was the same for me and the brakes were a bit soft, but the mechanic checked the post and there was oil on it he just wiped it and also bleed the brakes and I was able to test it.


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## zer00aeon (Nov 2, 2011)

the price was also suspiciously cheap , around 600-700$ , for dual suspencion this is very low , I also dont remember where I read a review regarding the frame and it was defined as bad , so its your call of course but I would suggest looking for something with good review and good frame for sure . I didnt like how the bike "felt" for me . Hope this helps .


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## SlimTwisted (Jun 14, 2006)

Indeed the Mongoose name spans many tiers of product but that is in no way to assume equality across the boards. The high-end Mongoose products found at bike shops and reputable online dealers like Performance Cycle actually share a corporate umbrella (Dorel Industries) with GT, Cannondale and Schwinn. In fact Mongoose's freeDrive linkage system is the same as GT's iDrive. The bikes you find at department stores are affiliated only by brand name and are manufactured by a company called Pacific Cycles. This is why you'll never find the WalMart models on Mongoose's official site.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I'd skip that one. With a little luck, you can get a hardtail with a nicer fork.

Actually, this came up on another thread recently.

KONAWORLD

Kona positions it as kind of an AM hardtail.

People's ideas of what the different riding disciplines are can sometimes lead them onto the wrong bike. AM are generally built quite heavily, for banging into things, riding flowlines, some owners even use them for lift-served DH. Keep in mind that the XC and Trail categories are still bikes designed with the assumption that both wheels may occasionally leave the ground and that descending is part of (the most fun part of) mountain biking. So if you're not actually planning to do dirt jumping, flowlines, or lift-served, AM is likely to be overkill, and sometimes frustrating. People on the site sometimes see XC as riding around on bike paths. If that's their XC, fine, but mine's a bit more robust and my XC bike does fine. (Would probably not do fine for lift-served, though, and isn't really suitable for jumping.) Trail is a bit of a compromise between the two, and very popular lately. So, be a little careful about pigeon holing yourself - it can be misleading.


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## Caffeine Powered (Mar 31, 2005)

As said, Mongoose has a range of bikes. If you're in a Walmart, Kmart, Dick's, Target of similar store, chances are you're looking at a piece of crap. 

If you're in a bike shop... well, you're in a place that sells proper bicycles.

Remember, you get what you pay for. Don't expect that $400 bike to perform at the level of a $2000 bike for very long.


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

Here's a review I found of a Salvo: Mongoose Salvo Sport Review - BikeRadar

Maybe that can be of help. At that price, you usually get better value in a hardtail but since I'm trying not to rain on everyone's budget bike parade lately you might want to also read this thread: http://forums.mtbr.com/all-mountain/dawes-roundhouse-2500-a-691964.html

I still suggest hardtails but if you do your homework and know exactly what you're buying then you can make your own decisions based on what you think would be best for you.


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

SlimTwisted said:


> Indeed the Mongoose name spans many tiers of product but that is in no way to assume equality across the boards. The high-end Mongoose products found at bike shops and reputable online dealers like Performance Cycle actually share a corporate umbrella (Dorel Industries) with GT, Cannondale and Schwinn. In fact Mongoose's freeDrive linkage system is the same as GT's iDrive. The bikes you find at department stores are affiliated only by brand name and are manufactured by a company called Pacific Cycles. This is why you'll never find the WalMart models on Mongoose's official site.


Partially correct, but Dorel owns Pacific so its ALL under the same corporate umbrella. The Wally stuff is not on Mongooses (or Schwinns either) website because there's just too much of it. Each store wants "exclusive" product so the exact same bike is called a Schwinn Traverse at Toys R Us, a Schwinn High Timber at Meijers and a Schwinn Sidewinder at Walmart. And very possibly the same bike is sold as a Pacific ?????? At some other store. Much easier to just let the retailers just do the advertising for whichever brands/models they sell.


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## faceplant72 (Oct 25, 2009)

freebie_10 said:


> I am planning to buy the Mongoose Salvo Comp 2011.
> So I'm just asking for feedback if it will be a good buy cause I have not seen any recommendation on the beginners corner.
> I like the bike, it fits me well and also my budget but, I am afraid if I buy it it is just a lemon.
> Or there are other brands better than this model?


I own a Mongoose Otera, the model that the Salvo replaced. They are fairly similar bikes. Its not fancy but I ride it a lot more than my Trek 4500 which runs in the same price range. 
I feel comfortable on 1 meter drops with it and do feel that the suspension has gotten me out of trouble a few times.

As others have said Mongoose normal sells a comparable bike to the big names (trek, spec, giant) but at ~$500 less. This is to make up for getting laughed at for riding a Mongoose. For full disclosure the welds aren't the prettiest, the attention to detail isn't great and the frame is heavy. I have a feeling that Dorel is got to let the shop quality mongoose name die out so they can focus on GT and C-dale like they did with Schwinn so you may not get good future support.

Shot answer: If your pride can stand riding the Salvo, it is a great bang for the buck.


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

The Mongoose shop brand IS dead in the US, according to their website 2012 models are not available in the US. The cheap crap is not sold in other countries and the name is still more highly regarded so the brand survuves there, for now.

If the Mongoose Salvo actually sells for anywhere near its MSRP then it in not cheaper than its closest big 3 competition. The compoment spec is VERY comparable to the Giant Yukon FX and the MSRP is actually higher. The Yukon has MSRP around $1000 and the Salvo MSRP for 2011 was $1100 according to Bikepedia.com.


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## freebie_10 (Jan 31, 2012)

faceplant72 said:


> I own a Mongoose Otera, the model that the Salvo replaced. They are fairly similar bikes. Its not fancy but I ride it a lot more than my Trek 4500 which runs in the same price range.
> I feel comfortable on 1 meter drops with it and do feel that the suspension has gotten me out of trouble a few times.
> 
> As others have said Mongoose normal sells a comparable bike to the big names (trek, spec, giant) but at ~$500 less. This is to make up for getting laughed at for riding a Mongoose. For full disclosure the welds aren't the prettiest, the attention to detail isn't great and the frame is heavy. I have a feeling that Dorel is got to let the shop quality mongoose name die out so they can focus on GT and C-dale like they did with Schwinn so you may not get good future support.
> ...


When I went at the LBS I was looking at Cannondale bikes, but the price of this bike caught my eyes.  It looks heavy and bulky when your just looking at it and a simple paint job, my wife said it looks like a Motorcycle already  but I was surprised how easy the handling was, it feels light easy to control but of course, I have accepted that my budget will not get me any top of the line parts.

Yes I saw the lack of attention to details, but for me I am going to a mountain not a bike show. So my priority is the bike's reliability. Will it break in just less than a year? or I can depend on it and trust that I will not go face down cause something broke.


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## freebie_10 (Jan 31, 2012)

Crash Test Dumby said:


> The Mongoose shop brand IS dead in the US, according to their website 2012 models are not available in the US. The cheap crap is not sold in other countries and the name is still more highly regarded so the brand survuves there, for now.
> 
> If the Mongoose Salvo actually sells for anywhere near its MSRP then it in not cheaper than its closest big 3 competition. The compoment spec is VERY comparable to the Giant Yukon FX and the MSRP is actually higher. The Yukon has MSRP around $1000 and the Salvo MSRP for 2011 was $1100 according to Bikepedia.com.


If I were you, which one will you pick?
I have to find a Giant Yukon FX to test so I could compare.
Maybe this weekend I will have another road trip. :thumbsup:


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

freebie_10 said:


> If I were you, which one will you pick?
> I have to find a Giant Yukon FX to test so I could compare.
> Maybe this weekend I will have another road trip. :thumbsup:


Im really not the best to answer that question since I am still a hardtail fan, but I would heavily lean towards the Giant unless the Mongoose is selling for considerably less. I just think Giant is the more reputable brand at this point with a MUCH better chance of being around for your potential warranty/service needs.


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## Call_me_Tom (May 26, 2008)

My boss rides a high end Mongoose. It's around 31-32lbs with slime tubes. It's a AM rig & he uses it in races. It came with very good components but he paid $3-4k back in 2009. 

Given that, there are a lot of nice bikes at that price with stronger customer service that will be around in the future if you need them. I wouldn't risk my money on a Mongoose if I wasn't sure they'll be around in a few years.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

freebie_10 said:


> Yes I saw the lack of attention to details, but for me I am going to a mountain not a bike show. So my priority is the bike's reliability. Will it break in just less than a year? or I can depend on it and trust that I will not go face down cause something broke.


I would be worried about that.

Every bike ridden off-road suffers some mechanical problems in a year of riding. The minor stuff is inevitable, I think.

But I'd be worried about failures that actually matter. Read some threads and reviews on that fork. I haven't owned one myself, so I won't say more than that about it.

BikeRadar also mentions that adjustable travel business worrying them in terms of long-term ownership.

The bike's got one of my pet peeves - a Suntour crankset. Most of the ones that show up as OEM parts have a non-standard BCD. It means you have to throw out the whole thing when you damage a chainring. Kind of a wtf if you ask me.

I'd look for some long-term reviews (if there are any) on the suspension linkage. With the company pulling out of the US market, you may not be able to replace it if you break it.

Some of these things (crappy fork, disposable crank) are becoming more and more of the norm on bikes at this pricepoint. Although the Kona has a reasonable fork and crank... If you can't replace a broken suspension link, though, that's pretty much the end for the whole frame. These usually have much more limited warranty coverage too. So read the Mongoose warranty.


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## freebie_10 (Jan 31, 2012)

AndrwSwitch said:


> I would be worried about that.
> 
> Every bike ridden off-road suffers some mechanical problems in a year of riding. The minor stuff is inevitable, I think.
> 
> ...


I did not realize that there are a lot of factors in buying a mountain bike. With the limited budget I have I need to consider all of this or else it will all go to waste.

Thanks all for your feedback I will take my time to check on reviews. I have to research more.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

LOL. It's really not that difficult.

Budget under $2000?

Get the nicest hardtail you can afford.

You're welcome. 

Used, you might find a good FS for the cost of the Salvo. One of my friends got a Giant Trance for a bit over $800 that way.


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## zebrahum (Jun 29, 2005)

AndrwSwitch said:


> LOL. It's really not that difficult.
> 
> Budget under $2000?
> 
> ...


You can even get a new FS bike if that's what you like. Just go test ride stuff and buy the bike that you like to ride the best. Are you buying a bike to ride or are you buying a bike to talk about on the internet?


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## DannyHuynh (Sep 13, 2011)

the only mongoose bike you should get is the teocali. try to find a used one. if you want a FS dont get a HT because you will always have that hanging in the back of your head that you want a rear shock. 

theres a video of Chris Akrig killin it on a teocali so it is very capable of all sorts of riding.


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## lakenrockstar (Mar 5, 2012)

i've never rode one myself, but from what i understand they vary. If you buy one from walmart it is going to be a horrible bike. They do make higher end bikes though. Go to your lbs and see if you can test on out and see how it feels. it will be obvious based on components if it is a good bike or not. So to answer your question, yes, mongoose is a good brand depending on the bike you get.


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## Caffeine Powered (Mar 31, 2005)

Call_me_Tom said:


> Given that, there are a lot of nice bikes at that price with stronger customer service that will be around in the future if you need them. I wouldn't risk my money on a Mongoose if I wasn't sure they'll be around in a few years.


What? I still have my Mongoose Team BMX bike from 1978. A shop I worked in in 1987 sold hundreds if not a few thousand Mongoose MTB and MBX bikes. Mongoose is part of the Pacific Cycle group of brands. I ride, race and ski with several of their employees here in Madison.

They're not going anywhere.


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## nampla (Jan 10, 2005)

I still ride my Mongoose Rockadile Ltd from 2002. It was marketed as an entry level racing hardtail  - Deore drivetrain, Judy TT forks, and Mavic 119 wheels. It has done well over 40,000km by now, and was converted to rigid 1x9. It is reasonably light and is a joy to ride.


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## mgcook (Mar 19, 2010)

Caffeine Powered said:


> As said, Mongoose has a range of bikes. If you're in a Walmart, Kmart, Dick's, Target of similar store, chances are you're looking at a piece of crap.
> 
> If you're in a bike shop... well, you're in a place that sells proper bicycles.
> 
> Remember, you get what you pay for. Don't expect that $400 bike to perform at the level of a $2000 bike for very long.


This.


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

Caffeine Powered said:


> What? I still have my Mongoose Team BMX bike from 1978. A shop I worked in in 1987 sold hundreds if not a few thousand Mongoose MTB and MBX bikes. Mongoose is part of the Pacific Cycle group of brands. I ride, race and ski with several of their employees here in Madison.
> 
> *They're not going anywhere.*


As I already pointed out in this thread, Mongoose's 2012 models are not available in the US, as directly stated on their website. The Walmart stuff isn't going anywhere, but as a shop brand its already dead, sorry to burst your bubble. Based on conversations last summer with shop employees at a Schwinn dealer in business since 1948 , Cannondale and GT are the focuses of Pacific/Dorel and the Schwinn brand (WAY more history than Mongoose) appears to be ready for somewhat of a revival as a shop (non Wally) brand as several shops in my area have added Schwinn to their lineup recently.


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

I got a Schwinn mountain bike that was part of their 2000ish revival attempt.

So, I'd say we're due for another. Perfectly good bikes when they try... Ironically, Schwinn's business model has always straddled the specialty shop/high end and mass market worlds.


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## Juang8 (Mar 11, 2012)

I use a cheap ass walmart mongoose frame. I bought it from a friend jut cause I liked the frame shape. I installed some decent part on it and it rides pretty well. Of course I changed pretty much everything. From cranksets derailleurs shifters wheels and shocks. And of course I REMOVED THE MONGOOSE DECALS hahahahahaha! I dont know how good this alluminum frame is but Im getting a good experience with it. As right now its worth 500 dls in parts but thr only reason I expend this money was to learn how to fix and build a bike. Its been more like a lerning experience


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## HotJoint (Mar 11, 2012)

I dont think so, you better get a trek, GT, specialized


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## Cobra8d (Aug 3, 2010)

2011 Mongoose Teocali Mega $1,499.99 
2011 Mongoose Teocali Mega Mountain Bike (All Mountain) - Giantnerd®








2011 Mongoose Teocali Elite $999.99 .
2011 Mongoose Teocali Elite Mountain Bike (All Mountain) - Giantnerd®









I am not on the market for new bike, but if I was these would be on the top of list


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## mickeydesadist (Oct 15, 2007)

Find a new KHS Velvet. Great components on a slightly heavier AM.


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## floydlippencott (Sep 4, 2010)

If Mongoose can't be bothered to sell a real MTB in the U.S. I say screw em. There are to many good choices to even consider them.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

For the price, you cant even find a sort of comparable bike to the teocali. Thats a nuts price.


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## Loudviking (Oct 23, 2011)

That Mongoose is very nice, and for the price is
a good deal.


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

One Pivot said:


> For the price, you cant even find a sort of comparable bike to the teocali. Thats a nuts price.


Really? What about this one?

Diamondback Mission 1 Mountain Bike (All Mountain) - Giantnerd®

The drivetrain is a little lower spec, but the Fox fork is pretty nice.


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## One Pivot (Nov 20, 2009)

Thats more comparable to the $999 teocali, and frankly id rather have the RS fork on the teocali. A 150mm 9mm QR fork is kind of an oddity, not something id want to ride on in the least. Its still a decent deal, but that $1400 teocali is just crazy priced. Thats a ~$4K bike.


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

One Pivot said:


> Thats more comparable to the $999 teocali, and frankly id rather have the RS fork on the teocali. A 150mm 9mm QR fork is kind of an oddity, not something id want to ride on in the least. Its still a decent deal, but that $1400 teocali is just crazy priced. Thats a ~$4K bike.


$4000? I guess we'll just have todisagree on that one. I can find MUCH better bikes than that Mongoose, from brands that will bw around to back up their product, for $4000. Its very nice at $1400, but $4000 is just getting WAY overboard.


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## Crash Test Dumby (May 3, 2011)

...


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## hadique (Oct 9, 2011)

All my local dealers dropped Mongoose one or two years ago. And Mongoose corporate located three hours west refused to sell me parts. I re-engineered the pivots on my 2008 Otero to eliminate the factory weak points because of it. Its not the lightest bike but for $550 delivered and a bunch of upgrades.... I've been beating on it for three seasons now. Four starting any day now....


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## JaxRox (May 3, 2011)

The Teocalis ride pretty much like my GT Force. Price tells you a lot about Mongoose. A $300.00 Mongoose isn't in the same ballpark as a Teocali. Most of what the have on giantnerd.com are decent Mongooses.


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## Meek Meek Meek (May 24, 2011)

Yes, the Mongoose bikes at Walmart are total garbage generally. They do make some high end stuff though. For an example take a look at this:

Redirect Notice


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## huffster (Nov 14, 2011)

One Pivot said:


> ...but that $1400 teocali is just crazy priced. Thats a ~$4K bike.


Better hurray...price is $1599.99 now!


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## DMehalko(DM) (Sep 8, 2008)

Coming from someone who rides top name brands, I can say Mongoose Pro line is right there with them, at better value.

This is my first mongoose, and am loving every minute of it!


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## mullen119 (Aug 30, 2009)

Crash Test Dumby said:


> $4000? I guess we'll just have todisagree on that one. I can find MUCH better bikes than that Mongoose, from brands that will bw around to back up their product, for $4000. Its very nice at $1400, but $4000 is just getting WAY overboard.


No, it really does retail for almost $4000. ( $3750) The only thing that confuses me is that the picture shows the bike with a Lyrik and says its speced with Revelation.


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## arizona noob (Apr 20, 2012)

not to thread jack or anything, but my cheap walmart bike just got stolen so im looking at a tyax is that any good?


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## downhillur (Sep 2, 2009)

My son has this bike and it's been dealing well with what he has been putting it through. He once hit another bike frontally, both were still going about 5mph. Thank you to the guy who invented the helmet.


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## Trail Addict (Nov 20, 2011)

They used to be good back in the 70s through 90s. Now they are mostly K-Mart bikes. However they do have some very high quality downhill bikes that run in the $4,000 range.


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## S_Trek (May 3, 2010)

Crash Test Dumby said:


> Ok, that is an entry level full suspension bike, the closest comparison I know of from the big name brands would be the Giant Yukon FX. My personal opinion, and one shared by many (but not all) of the other posters here is that at that price point your better off to stay with hardtails, depending on your intended riding of course.


You owe me a keyboard. When I read Giant Yukon FX in the same sentence:skep:


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## DaPharoah (May 10, 2012)

I purchased a 2007 Mongoose Teocali Elite Womens model for my wife when she first made the step from hard tail to full suspension. I just could not pass the deal with the components they included on their builds, Pike fork, xt rear der., hayes hydraulic discs. It was a done deal. The downfall, is the thing is a freaking tank. My wife likes to bomb on the downhills so it is good for that, but if there is any climbing it turns into a real slug fest to the top for her. If you are looking into getting into MTBing and want good components that you know will not break on you while riding, but know you aren't going to beat any speed records either. And don't sweat the stigma of riding a Mongoose. Who gives a hoot! If you are having fun that's all that matters!


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## Desertride (Nov 1, 2012)

Hi all. This thread has one of the few mentions of the 2011 Teocali Mega. I was looking into upgrading my Marin HT, but after pricing out some components on Amazon I came across this baby for about 1500. At that price (presumably deep clearance after Dorel pulled Mongoose's high end product out of the US) this bike is ridiculously well speced (the only place I see corners cut is the hubs and tires). For the money I figured I'd finally jump into FS and leave the HT with slicks for my daily commute.

I'm about 5'10" but have very short legs so the dip in the TT is just what my boys need to keep em out of trouble. Hopefully I ordered the right size (medium) but based on my estimate of the effective TT length compared to my current ride it should be fine. Now I just have to decide whether to get another pair of huge wellgo DH pedals for my 4E feet or finally try to get into clipless.


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## Cobra8d (Aug 3, 2010)

Congrats on the new ride.
I tried to convince a coworker/friend into getting one of these from the giantnerd sale, he waited to long and ended up with a Force 2.0 for about $200 less. 

On the hubs I have the same hubs on my 2009 Super and they are still spinning smoothly after 2 years riding. I wouldn't worry too much about them. I also like the Kenda Excavators, enough that I put them on my other bike and bought new ones for the teocali when the original ones wore out.


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## Desertride (Nov 1, 2012)

I'm sure they'll hold up fine. I've been riding on formula hubs for a long time without any issues.

Do you (or anyone else here) know someone who does own this bike? I'm curious on the weight.


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## fullsusalltheway (Apr 2, 2013)

Bro, ive got one and to be honest I was surprised at how good it was after I put a little bit of work into it. But honestly I would have been better off saving up and going for a gt distortion 3.0, that's what im doing now and im selling mine to buy one. If you are going to buy it I will tell you one thing you must do. Change the rear shock to a cheapish air shock. The ones that come on it are absolute junk. Hope that helped mate!


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## SlimTwisted (Jun 14, 2006)

Here's a fairly recent review of one of their junkier models:

Bike Review: Mongoose XR200

I think you'll find the info on why there are different tiers of Mongoose quality very interesting!


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## rger8 (Mar 12, 2012)

Wow, this Mongoose thread is interesting!!! I remember their BMX bikes way back. Well so has it that I just bought a 2016 Mongoose, "Ruddy" Comp 27.5 Plus/Boost spacing hard tail in Craig's list for about $550.00. I was skeptical before I looked at it and did some research on it. It appears the higher end bikes they make that people talk about are pretty nice and an incredible value. I believe there is a write up on a few of the higher end bikes that showed up at the 2017 "Sea Otter Classic". Anyway, I went to check it out and I was duly impressed! Internal cable routing, beautiful paint job, Very nice welds on the Aluminum frame, over sized Axles front and rear with a (unique to me) rear axle that screwed into the frame, eliminating the end nut. They come set up for tubless and this model comes with 50mm rims & 27.5 x 2.8 WTB Trail Blazers. The rims look a lot like WTB scrappers but are made by a Taiwanese company called "Shinning". The tires look fat on this baby but I don't really care for them, to square of a profile. Fork is a Suntour Radion 27.5 + with 120mm travel & handlebar operated lock-outl. No doubt, not a FOX shock but extremely nice. ( look up the reviews!). It also came with Deore Hydraulic disk brakes & 35mm oversized handlebars. You can look up the specs online. I think it's only a 2x9 drivetrain. Mine was upgraded to a 1x10. I really cant say enough, I was stunned this was a Mongoose! I have had it out only twice now but it was really solid, smooth and predictable. I couldn't believe I only paid $550. If this was a Trek or Specialized it would have gone for a whole lot more. I believe you can find the 2017 Expert model of this online and appears it goes for $1800 and much more upgraded. Funny thing is there is very little info on these bikes and I don't even know if they can be acquired in the U.S. anymore. See Wikipedia under Mongoose Bikes. It looks like they are owned by a Canadian company named Doral as noted in a previous thread. I would seriously check these out if possible. Do I feel funny riding a Mongoose? Yes, but its such a sleeper and its different so that's why I like it! My other bike is a FS Specialized Camber 29R and it great but this will be my Hardtail and I couldn't be more happy! No one will probably read this cuz who will read a Mongoose thread, considering the last post was 2013. Oh well, I'll update in the future.


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