I’ve had this bike for about 3 months now and I’ve taken it on a couple good trails like the Fullerton Loop, Fullerton CA (11 mile ride with mixed terrain of dirt and street riding) and Marshall Canyon (uphills and about a beginner/intermediate), San Dimas CA.

The parts are great and the hydraulic breaks are wonderful. Truly a great starter bike and worth upgrading as you go along. It is a little wide at the handle bars but it’s a solid bike and takes a good beating. I’ve dropped it, crashed it and all of it’s parts are still running well. The gear shifts a little slow when coming down from third to second, but it usually transitions pretty well.

This bike comes highly recommended from me. I don’t think I could’ve gone with anything better at the level I’m at. Buy it! Ride it! Enjoy it! It’s a good investment.

I purchased this bike for two hundred American at a sports specialty retailer, Sports Authority. For the relative low price, I got what I paid for. The bike was heavy at 43 lbs. The dual suspension was a very nice feature during downhill terrains and ramps. The mid section suspension also attempts to be adjustable to accommodate road and rough terrains. I got into a new sport with this bike and was able to learn very fast how equipment can cost more than a motorized version.
I took a spill a couple of months back that set my wallet back a few bucks. The rear rim had to be replaced along with two tire tubes, the rear derailleur, cable housing and cable, and a couple months of back recovery (totaling $90). I also purchased a pair of universal debris fenders for muddy downhill rides and rainy cross-country field trips.

There are a few upgrades that I would recommend for this product. (1) A Kevlar tube liner to protect the tire tube from being punctured by any thorns or nails ($18). (2) Debris fenders for the front and rear tires if applicable (muddy terrain) ($60). And most important of all, a helmet for off-road and long distance cycling.

I bought this bike for my son (and yes, myself) to use when doing moderate/intermediate trails in Colorado. Colorado is well known as a cycling/active-outdoors kinda place so there are a ton of bike shops around and they all recommend getting the more expensive bikes (starting at $500 and going well up into the thousands). For my budget, spending a few hundred every few years instead of paying a few thousand up front was far more preferable. But because of the riding we wanted to do, I had to get something at least half way decent – not some Huffy or the like from our local Wally Mart. I am 5’11″, my son is 5’7″ so this bike (26″ wheels, 18″ frame) was perfect for us both. I also considered the more expensive Goosey bikes here on Amazon but their reviews were terrible so I decided on this.

Arrival:
First off, it arrived double boxed, about 4 days after it shipped on Amazon. The box was torn on one side with the pedal sticking out and naturally, a little worse for wear. A little disappointed, I opened the box expecting the worst but the damage was just cosmetic. You need a few tools and a few hours to put it together … a lot of the parts are put into the box in reverse so that they could fit into a small space without getting damaged (the brakes/handles) and almost everything that came assembled was loose and required lubing/tightening. I am not by any means bike savvy but it took maybe 2 hours to put it together and get it adjusted right. Even though the manual is generic (covers a few bikes but not specific to any one), its pretty handy in getting it done correctly.

First ride:
The aluminum frame/wheels make the bike really light and the shifters are awesome. The bike held up well to basic dirt/mountain paths without any problems. The springs are still new so I guess they are stiffer than normal but the seat wasn’t all that uncomfortable and I found the ride really good.

Conclusion:
I have only owned the bike for about a week now so I can’t speak to longevity but will update my review if anything adverse happens. For the interim, the bike rides good and looks great. Well worth the money.

6 Month Later review:
The bike is still in good condition and has held up well to at least a half dozen trail rides (not counting road use). The suspension is still a bit stiff but getting better. Something to note: The brakes have needed to be adjusted twice .. (takes about 2 minutes each time) .. in the past 6 months. Once the chain came off and had to be put back on. Occasionally the gears slip but if you change down and up again while free wheeling, it gets back to normal. All of this seems very minor and normal use for any bike. And .. if that bike is only 130 bucks, its a bargain.

4 out of 5

- Edwin

I am amazed at the reviews given, not for just this bike, but for any cheap item on Amazon or elsewhere. What exactly do people expect when they are paying so little money? I just received this bike today and I’m quite satisfied with this purchase, given that I only paid less than one hundred dollars for this bike during a recent Gold Box deal.

In reading many reviews of bikes purchased through Amazon, I was quite apprehensive of the assembly needed once I received delivery of the bike. But it turned out that indeed most of the bike was already pre-assembled. I’d say probably over 80% of the bike is already assembled. You only need to place the front tire on and then tighten the front handle bars. Lastly, attach on the foot pedals and that’s about it. It took us about 40 minutes to install and I’m by no means adept with assembling bikes.

Are their bikes out there which are better than this one? Of course. Can Mongoose improve on this bike? Absolutely. Can you use this for serious or professional outdoor mountain biking? Probably not. Do I plan to do that? No. If I did, I’d cough up $1000 and purchase a more serious bike to do that. Do I think this bike is worth the one hundred dollars I paid for it? ABSOLUTELY! Would I purchase it again for one hundred dollars? ABSOLUTELY. For the money, I think it’s a great recreational bike. I will use this bike probably 5 times a week for about an hour or two at most riding around the neighborhood and nearby bike trails. So for me, it’s more than adequate. I don’t need anything more expensive currently. All in all, I’m quite satisfied with the bike for the money. I wholeheartedly give it 5 stars given the price I paid–less than one hundred dollars.

I do have one concern with this bike. I haven’t been able to raise the front handle bars to a higher level. I have to lean/hunch down too far to ride it as of now. I need to get this fixed and it should be a very nice ride given the amount I paid. This has more to do with me figuring out how to raise the handle bar than the design of the bike. I’m certain it’s possible to raise the handle bar, but I haven’t figured it out just yet.

5 out of 5

- L. Chun

This bike was the only one that had everything I wanted (dual suspension, dual disk brakes, Shimano EZ shifters) and was under $350.00. I looked at other review, and people were comparing it with $1000′s bikes… That’s not even close to fair.

Anyway, if you want a bike that has really good parts, a good setup, and cheap, this is your bike. So far, I put a few miles on it and it is really awesome. Suspension, brakes, tires, weight, everything is better than I expected based on the price. A good exercise: compare it with those $300-$350 bikes you see at Sports stores and you’ll realize how better this bike is.

Only one con: despite the easy assembly, the front derailer came totally out of alignment. I worked it a bit (I’m no expert), but I will probably spend some $ in servicing it.
2nd review (06/01/09): there’s a slight change from the bike you see in the picture and the one I received. The holes in the frame where is installed the bottle support face down. This is a problem, since once you have it with a bottle and the front suspension goes down a 1 inch the front tire hits the bottle. Not the end of the world, but I would change my review to 4 1/2 starts if possible.

5 out of 5

- “Marcos M.”

I found this bike on Amazon for what I thought was a decent price ($50 cheaper compared to everywhere else) so I decided to get it. It arrived on time and was in good shape. I’d say it took around 20 min. to get it out of the box and assemble it up properly. As soon as I started riding it I noticed that both the front and rear brake calipers were rubbing against the disc and were making a horrible noise. After a 15 min. adjustment I had it back up and running again and it has worked fine for me ever scince. Just don’t buy a $300 bike expecting it to perform like a $1000 bike, because it wont. However, for all the features that you get, and with a little adjusting here and there I think that this is a good bike for the money.

4 out of 5

- “L. Robinson”

I bought this bike new from my local store on sale for $180 dollars. I figured a full suspension, aluminum frame bike with disc brakes for $180 was a deal I couldn’t pass up. I wish I would have.

After taking it home and doing an initial setup on the bike (adjusting suspension droop, brake pad clearances, etc.) I took it out for the first ride. I use the bike primarily as a commuter, but take it to the local trails on the weekend. The bike preforms as expected on the streets, but the rear suspension was a little weak for my liking. The bob while pedaling hard uphill takes away a lot of your power to the ground.
After my first ride, I got the bike home and did a second check on it (mind you, this is still the first day). I am meticulous with cleaning and checking my bikes after every off-road session. I found the rear derailler was loose. I took it off of the bike and found that the bike shop that assembled the bike did not use any lock-tite on the bolt. This is not a problem with the bike, but the bike shop. I decided to check all of the fasteners on the bike…same problem.

I have now had the bike for about 5 months and it is serving me pretty well as a daily commuter. I have found that as long as I do the maintenance on the bike, everything is holding up pretty well. The problems that others have had with deraillers not working and brake rub have not been an issue for me.

So you may be thinking, why did I rate the bike a two? Pretty simple, really. The weight of the bike and quality of the components leave something to be desired. I have had to replace all of the bushings on the rear linkage twice in the six months that I have owned the bike. Since I have only gone off-road with it three times, this is more often than I should have to replace them. The rear seat post has a tendency to slip down slowly no matter how much you tighten the clamp. I replaced the seat post and clamp and now have no problems. The seat that comes with the bike is uncomfortable at best. I changed that to a Sette saddle (not one of the big cushy seats) for a more comfortable ride. The rear wheel hub is weak. If you buy this bike, plan on upgrading that as quickly as possible.

Even though I only paid $180 for this bike, I have now invested well over $300 in maintenance and/or repairs. I would have been better off getting the Cannondale hard tail they had on sale for $350. Oh well, better luck next time.

2 out of 5

- “Drake”