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2009 Mongoose Product Testing

ohio

ohio

The Fresno Kid
Nov 26, 2001
6,649
24
SF, CA
Testing any bike after that amount of rockstar is just plain irresponsible. Give a brother a friggin' embolism.
 
H

Hulkamaniac

Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
501
0
Germantown, MD
If my new trail bike, an 08 Mongoose Teocali Elite, is any indication to me of what the 'Goose is getting ready to do.....well, all I can say is watch out in 2009, they're making a huge comeback. I was very skeptical before I bought the bike, but the overall quality and ride characteristics of the frame blew me away. Not to mention, they have a great racer/ambassador/legend like EC......
 
bizutch

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,928
24
Over your shoulder whispering
so can anybody show me the arc that your feet travel on when the rear wheel cycles through it's travel?

B/C I still don't understand how these aren't just another Schwinn URT...
 
jackalope

jackalope

Mental acuity - 1%
Jan 9, 2004
7,609
5,924
in a single wide, cooking meth...
^^
I was under the impression that the link right behind the BB makes it behave differently from a Klein Mantra URT (which is just one solid, well, triangle)...I'm riding a Khyber Super, and it seems more like a high-forward single that has pretty active braking and little or no pedal feedback...

Regardless, I love the bike and glad to see Mongoose get back in the high-end mountain bike arena...I just hope the new DH bike has the same kind of swell geo my Khyber has...
 
Honus

Honus

Monkey
Jun 6, 2006
177
0
Boulder, CO
I've got a couple of the Mongoose Freedrive bikes in my Linkage program- I'll post some pics tonight of the BB and pedal arcs. The Freedrive system is basically a floating BB system- kind of like a modified URT where the BB is decoupled from the swingarm. It's a much more active design that gives you a high pivot axle path and still minimizes chain growth.

The BB still swings backward, but because the main pivot is directly above the BB the suspension is much more active than the old forward pivot Sweet Spot URT designs. The pivot placement also means that you don't have the radical change in seat height that the old URT designs have.
 
Honus

Honus

Monkey
Jun 6, 2006
177
0
Boulder, CO
So here's some pics of the Mongoose as it moves through it's travel. Granted it's an older model (and I can't vouch for it being 100% accurate) but you get the idea as to how the system works and the BB/pedal motion.

For comparison, here's a URT design I came up with that I've been riding (in a shorter travel version) for a couple of years now. Notice the similarity to the Mongoose design in comparison as to how the pedals/BB move relative to the suspension travel- they're pretty darn close. I'm currently working on building this longer travel version- it should be pretty interesting to see how it rides.

And no- it's NOT flexy. That big 'ol torsion tube front end does a pretty good job. In fact, everyone that rides it is really impressed with how torsionally stiff it is. :)
 

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DirtEveryDay

DirtEveryDay

Turbo Monkey
Nov 24, 2003
2,692
4
Pacific North Wet
WHY, in the name of all things good...is there ALWAYS that ever-present question of "feet swinging wildly under the frame?"
It doesn't just flop around under there. It's doing stuff. GOOD stuff. And it's kind of a cool give-and-take. Your feet/BB IS more connected to the rear half of the bike. Thus you do TEND to get a little more rider feel in stuttery sections. Some people think that's a bad thing, I found it to be something I was missing before. It doesn't feel like a 2" travel bike, it feels like a 9" travel bike with more terrain feel. I think of it like Braille.
The "give" part of it is that it lifts soooooo easy! It "feels" like the harder you stand into the pedals the more responsive the rearend becomes. So I've been finding it increasingly easier to just pump up and over stutter sections, rock gardens, etc, making for a fun and flowy ride. Not to mention how well it jumps.
And if Schwinn ever made a WC capable bike with a dialed Freedrive system...then yeah, it would feel like a schwinn.... :rolleyes:
 
DirtEveryDay

DirtEveryDay

Turbo Monkey
Nov 24, 2003
2,692
4
Pacific North Wet
RaID said:
we know that they have a very different suspension system but at a quick glance (especially in those photos) the overall appearance of the frame looks like a commencal 09 :nopity:
Click to expand...

I know what you were saying and I agree. I think it also looks like 30 other bikes nowdays. I chalk it up to form following function. There's only so many ways you can build a bike with similar geo/design. It's like music, everything sounds like something else. It's great if you like the tune!
 
norbar

norbar

KESSLER PROBLEM. Just cause
Jun 7, 2007
11,369
1,605
Warsaw :/
sethimus said:
dude i was @ the commencal 09 launch event in germany, these are two very different suspension systems...
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Which part of looks like don't you understand? We all know that commencals are very different but they share a similar looking Seattube (the hole!) with goose and a couple of other frames. The susp may be different but at first look it looks A BIT like commencal.

Anyway I'm still waiting for the 09 supreme dh geo.
 
B

blue

boob hater
Jan 24, 2004
10,160
2
california
Riding an iDrive or FreeDrive bike and looking down and seeing your feet kind of float on their own platform free of the rest of the bike is a cool feeling.

I have absolutely nothing constructive to add to this thread. :)
 
DirtEveryDay

DirtEveryDay

Turbo Monkey
Nov 24, 2003
2,692
4
Pacific North Wet
Well, let's see...the only place in the suspension the BB really becomes active is deep into the last 4" or so.... so if you're watching your ****ing feet...who's driving? I love assumptions.
And you're totally right. The front tri is moving up and forward, the back end is moving backwards and sideways while the BB is just going all crazy! It's nuts! How can Walmart sell these things???? I'm taking mine back.
 
G

gruczniak

Chimp
Apr 25, 2008
21
0
I wanted to pick up 2008 ECD but after seeing 2009 pictures I will wait ;)
Only problem I see: to much attention in the future?. I like the things as they are now. I wish they could keep it that way for a years instead of hype and fall after couple of years.
And i wish they will keep the prices at current level (which is amazing).
 
RMboy

RMboy

Monkey
Dec 1, 2006
879
0
England the Great...
sethimus said:
dude i was @ the commencal 09 launch event in germany, these are two very different suspension systems...
Click to expand...
LOL mate at a glance..hehe it means without really looking... any bike can look the same when your not looking!!!

But when he looked he saw it was diffrent. which i completely agree.:cheers:
 
DHS

DHS

Friendly Neighborhood Pool Boy
Apr 23, 2002
5,094
0
Sand, CA
bizutch said:
so can anybody show me the arc that your feet travel on when the rear wheel cycles through it's travel?

B/C I still don't understand how these aren't just another Schwinn URT...
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for the win.

:banghead:URT:banghead:

i know, lets make a MX bike URT style. that way, i can feel the race track correctly with my legs. and adjust my broken bones later to how to handle the track better
 
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DirtEveryDay

DirtEveryDay

Turbo Monkey
Nov 24, 2003
2,692
4
Pacific North Wet
gruczniak said:
I wanted to pick up 2008 ECD but after seeing 2009 pictures I will wait ;)
Only problem I see: to much attention in the future?. I like the things as they are now. I wish they could keep it that way for a years instead of hype and fall after couple of years.
And i wish they will keep the prices at current level (which is amazing).
Click to expand...
Agreed.
 
H

Hulkamaniac

Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
501
0
Germantown, MD
gruczniak said:
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Mongoose-Bootr-review-2009.html
So it is official. White ones are looking way better thou. I will get it anyway.
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Wow, nice and "want" are about the only words I can say right now!!!

I've been riding a 2008 'goose Teocali Elite for just about 4 months now and loving every minute of it. Everything Mike Levi said in that review regarding the suspension of the Boot'r is exactly the way I feel about my Teocali Elite. I've had a ton of different bikes in the years I have been riding/racing (12+ years).....from dh to xc.....dirt jump to slalom.....trail bike to mini-dh.....some really good and some extremely bad.....but few bikes have continued to amaze me day-in and day-out like my Teocali does.

The freedrive suspension seems to even the trail out....the sharp edges are taken off the rough and the smooth sections just become silk. The bike stays up in it's "usable" travel better than anything I have ever ridden. The faster you go, the more you pump the terrain, the more the bike comes alive and rewards you for your efforts. I've only ever had a few bikes that are like this, but none of them came in a the value price point that the 'goose did!
 
DirtEveryDay

DirtEveryDay

Turbo Monkey
Nov 24, 2003
2,692
4
Pacific North Wet
^ You use your words better than I do when trying to explain the suspension! Nice job!
"Alive" would be a very accuurate description.

Am I the only one who thinks they mixed the names up?? To me a DH rig is a pinner and a freeride/huck/launch rig is def a booter. Whatever...

The last video on that review shows the "massive" amounts of swing the BB has :rolleyes: Anyone notice that it...really.....doesn't? Everyone's so eager to assume.

The only thing stopping me right now is the terrible customer service. Like the complete lack of ANY! No emails get replied to, no phone calls are answered, the website is completely useless except for neat pictures. I want to be able to get on a site and be able to order a set of spare dropouts, or a back-up derailleur mount, etc. Or even have someone there to answer a phone maybe? Can't be too difficult. I don't care how perfect a product is, there HAS to be someone standing behind it. Kinda bummin. LOVE the bike, but I might consider looking at other options for next season...
 
S

stepanov

Chimp
Jul 6, 2007
22
0
Frederick and Stockholm, Sweden
THRILLSEEKA said:
Am I the only one who thinks they mixed the names up?? To me a DH rig is a pinner and a freeride/huck/launch rig is def a booter. Whatever...

Crazy, I was just sitting here reading that review thinking the EXACT same thing. Pinn'r would be a great name for a dh bike, and boot'r would be good for a slopestyle type bike. I wonder what logic there is behind those names.
Click to expand...
 
stiksandstones

stiksandstones

Turbo Monkey
May 21, 2002
5,078
25
Orange, Ca
THRILLSEEKA said:
Am I the only one who thinks they mixed the names up?? To me a DH rig is a pinner and a freeride/huck/launch rig is def a booter.
Click to expand...
No, the list is long.
They simply F-ed up the naming on their bikes. A company (Dorel) can do this though when their profits are up 3 fold in an awful economy...which is odd as I have seen ONE GT bike and 3 Mongeese the entire 2 weeks I have been in whistler.
 
H

Hulkamaniac

Monkey
Oct 10, 2001
501
0
Germantown, MD
THRILLSEEKA said:
The last video on that review shows the "massive" amounts of swing the BB has :rolleyes: Anyone notice that it...really.....doesn't? Everyone's so eager to assume.

The only thing stopping me right now is the terrible customer service. Like the complete lack of ANY! No emails get replied to, no phone calls are answered, the website is completely useless except for neat pictures. I want to be able to get on a site and be able to order a set of spare dropouts, or a back-up derailleur mount, etc. Or even have someone there to answer a phone maybe? Can't be too difficult. I don't care how perfect a product is, there HAS to be someone standing behind it. Kinda bummin. LOVE the bike, but I might consider looking at other options for next season...
Click to expand...
Yep, come to think of it, I have never....not even once....felt the bottom bracket area moving or my feet "swinging" either. The thought went through my head when I first got the bike and was doing the visual shakedown, but that's as far as the bb area movement everyone is so worried about got with me. You honestly cannot tell that it's moving out on the trail.

Thrillseeka, keep bugging the guys in Madison (WI) if you have are having warranty issues. I had a direct number, as opposed to the 1-800 number on the website, but I can't seem to locate that post-it right now. If I find it, I'll PM you. Every time I called leading up to getting the bike they always answered and were always attentive to my questions/needs. I stopped by their headquarters in Madison last summer when the fiance and I were visiting her family up there and realized just how hard it is on their side.....most of the employees there are doing several jobs beyond what they were hired to do. Be patient and keep calling, you'll get someone that will help.
 
Dogboy

Dogboy

Turbo Monkey
Apr 12, 2004
3,209
584
Durham, NC
THRILLSEEKA said:
Am I the only one who thinks they mixed the names up?? To me a DH rig is a pinner and a freeride/huck/launch rig is def a booter. Whatever...
Click to expand...
Nope, you're not the only one. I had a discussion with the product manager with that exact concern, but it didn't seem to be a big issue. I think the naming was influenced by Romo, but it would still be better if it was reversed. Like you say though, whatever, the bikes look really good.
 
stiksandstones

stiksandstones

Turbo Monkey
May 21, 2002
5,078
25
Orange, Ca
Since I am out of the loop on all things goose.
Is the EC-D done? are these fruitbooter and pinner or whatever they are called replacing the EC-D?
 
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