Dual suspension, dual disc Promax brakes, deep V Arrow wheels with fat 2.35 tires in a cool star spoke pattern, and best of all an aluminum hydro-formed frame that is as sexy as it is durable! All for under $400. True, parts like the SR Suntour front shock, standard Shimano Altus dereuillers, and no name brand rear spring are sub-par for any serious mountain biker, but I priced all these parts separately and you can't build your own for less than $750. That's not including the stuff you will need to ride comfortably, like pedals, a handlebar and a seat. This is by far the best investment on a bike I've ever made.

I was very impressed with the bike when it came. When I built the bike it seemed very solid. I did not have a chance to road test it. Had to return the product due to a defective rear brake caliper bolt that was made too long causing it to eat into the disc. Other than that one issue, pretty solid construction.

I have just received the replacement for this bike. Of course the first thing I looked at was the rear brake caliper. The bolt this time is not as bad as previously, but it is still going to cause me to return the bike. The rear bolt on the caliper is slightly less than 1 mm away from the disc. This means any sort of wear or tear is going to cause the bolt to dig into the disc once again. The same bolt on the front caliper is approximately 3 mm away from the disc, which is normal. This is probably just a bad defect where the brake caliper does not fit the frame of this bike well at all. Amazon on the other hand has been very willing and prompt on replacement/return.

The bike was delivered mostly pre-assembled, only the front wheel, seat, pedals, and handlebar needed to be attached.

The instructions were somewhat complicated, as the manual was not just for this model bike, but for EVERY model Mongoose bike. "If your bike has disc brakes, do this, if your bike has pad brakes, do this" and you really have to flip around in the manual quite a bit to figure out what you do and don't have! Also, the illustrations in the manual don't match the bike at all. For the most part though, assembly is self-explanatory.

As for the bike itself, it's very nice to ride. The front and back shocks really make a lot of difference in comfort, although I did replace the seat with a gel-padded one, the included seat wasn't comfy at all! The 24-speed vs a 21-speed is easier to pedal/ride. It shifts smoothly without any adjustments, only the disc brakes need to be tweaked before the first ride. I've gotten several compliments regarding the bike's... Read more