Mongoose Expert Adult Bike 27.5" Wheels

I read an article recently that said Mongoose had started building good bikes again. I was skeptical, but I needed a decent hardtail for my wife and really didn’t want to spend $1,200. And even if I did, they were all sold out anyway, so I bought her the Mongoose Switchback Comp for $600. Tonight I opened the box, put the frame on my stand and settled in for what I thought was going to be a nightmare assembly. Not 45 minutes later, I was done! Other than having to tweak the brake cables just a touch, it went together like a dream. The derailleurs were pre-adjusted perfectly and even the seat angle was dead on. There was even lubricant where it was supposed to be and the screws for stuff like the handlebars already had Loctite on them. I was also impressed with the components. Everything that mattered was from Shimano and other reputable companies and they were all decent grade stuff! I do wish it had Presta instead of Schrader valves, if only because now I need to keep 27.5 tubes in both styles, but it’s a minor thing. As for the construction, it was also impressive, especially at this price point. The Aluminum frame welds were as good as I’ve seen and where the cables were run through the frame, the holes had reinforcing plates welded on. I found no rough or sharp edges to cut cables or snag clothes. It’s also a very nice looking ride in dark gray matte with pink lettering and the finish is nicely done. The devil is always in the details and this time, the folks at Mongoose really got it right. I recommend this bike and wouldn’t hesitate to to ride it straight into the nasty stuff!

Bike was very easy to assemble no parts missing. No parts damaged in shipping. Bike had no scratches in it and welds and paint job is very well done. Extremely happy with my purchase and the speed if shipping. Did have to Oder a kickstand and replaced the skinny seat with one more comfortable (wider). Bike shifts easy and is a very smooth ride. Came in Bright Bright Lime green green sticker states neon colors may fade, this is odd does this mean if I leave it in the sun or no matter what? If so they need to use better paint as the color is really cool! Bought the large frame as I’ve had a hip and knee replacement and don’t bend as much as I’d like. The height and size of the bike are perfect for me with my limitations and my 5’11” frame. Bike is not heavy which is great as hubby can’t always be around to help me load it fir out of town trips. Frame and handle bars are thicker than standard bikes so read any accessories you buy to make sure they fit. This is a bike for off and on road riders. Like the wide tires as I live in the country and sometimes need to avoid traffic (weedy shoulders). Great bike for both men and women regardless of age. I’m in my late (late) 50s but my kids already want to borrow my bike (no). Great bike, highly recommend, great brand, I expect many years of use out of this bike!!

I had just bought a fat tire mountain bike from Mongoose. It is a great bike but even after changing the tires to road tires I was only able to pedal 8.5 mph max so I decided to try another Mongoose but one designed for bike trails as well as light mountain trails. I was able to put it together very easily. I read some complaints about the handlebar stem being backwards but this is the way most bikes are shipped. All you have to do is loosen the screws on the stem and turn it 180 degrees. I am mechanically inclined so this was automatically intuitive to me. I bought the medium frame because it was 25% off but at 5'7" I was in between small and medium frame. At first I was worried about the center bar being a male but it was no problem. I quickly learned to just tilt the bike a little bit when I stop and dismount. The Expert 18 speed was good enough for bike trail riding at top gear. I love the trigger shifters. Keep in mind that although the left shifter has 3 positions you only use 2 positions on it since 2 x 9 = 18. If you have three sprockets in front gear set you will use all 3 positions. This is most likely the Trail version with 21 speeds which use 3 x 7 = 21. All 3 on front gear set and only 7 on rear set. The Comp and Sport versions of 9 and 8 speeds, respectively most likely have only 1 front sprocket so you probably only use position 1 on left trigger. My shifters worked great and needed no adjustment. I love the disc brakes as it has great stopping power. Only negative I faced is when seat was all the way down it was still a bit high for my 29" inseam. It could not go down further because the stem hit the threaded inserts from accessory mount screws. You will have to buy a kickstand as it doesn't come with one. Overall, I took it on bike trail today and was able to get up to 13 mph on level surface. It is a great bike for the value and I recommend it.

Ok Daughter did great in school and deal was she got a bike. She found this one and wanted it. Ok no problem. Look about a month to come in. Ugh. ok whatever. Assembly wasnt bad at all. Box looked fine and went ahead with it. So I gave it a quick test drive before handing the keys to my daughter. Brakes needed help. adjusted them a bit. Covered with oil so that didnt help them being weak. Cleaned them off and it got better. While doing the rears I noticed that the wheel was grinding. It wasnt hitting anything and even removed the caliper. Still grinding. So I thought they were a little weak on the assembly with bearing grease. Took the wheel off and put brought it to my workshop. Noticed the problem when I just spun the axle. Its freakin bent! What the heck! The quick release stem didnt even want to come out easily. Finally got it out. After that I removed the assembly to see how bad it was. Oh boy. This is a few MM off. Not sure what the hell happened but this thing has problems as you see in the pics. Now I have to contact Amazon and see what the heck they are doing to do. Brand new bike 1, me 0. Feel bad about my daugher. Busted her ass, did well and as a reward got a dud.

Great bike! Tapered frame, smooth shifts, adjustable dampening AND lockout. This bike is very upgradable great for someone looking to get into the sport of mountain biking or for a fun little project! Frame quality is insanely good, welds are clean (has a few minor pin-sized chips probably from UPS). Great non-box store Mongoose! Highly recommend. Could use a set of wheels to convert to a through-axle and some new 160mm brakes; stocks are really weak but will get the job done for XC riding. Lastly, I plan to upgrade the cranks, plastic pedals, and bars… crank width seems skinny but spacers will fix that. Best of all — THREADLESS STEM!

I bought a Mongoose EXPERT MB. I liked the bike and it was easy to assemble (just have to turn a few screws and the peddles). Problem was that it would not shift to all gears and would not shift smooth. It would either skip in 1st or not even grab 9th gear(s). Using the tuning screws (high/low, etc) I was able to stop the chain "grapple" and the noise associated. I could get gears to shift somewhat smooth, but was unable to get 1st gear to catch at all. I tuned the opposite and could get 1st through 8 to change somewhat smooth, but could not reach 9th gear. No matter how you cut it, I got an 8 speed rather than a 9 speed that ran "clunky" in the peddles and crank. The bike is lightweight and has quick release front and back wheels. The rear chain rail does not have a clutch and everything is cable operated. Disc brakes worked awesome and were easy to tune/adjust. I would have kept the bike had all gears worked, seems as if I am not the only person with this issue.

I was skeptical about ordering this bike considering some of the lousy reviews it's received on Amazon. But, when I looked at most of the negative reviews, they were more about the shipping than the actual bike itself. IF your Mongoose Switchback arrives in a totally intact cardboard box (which mine did), what you'll find inside is a well-outfitted bike for the price. First you'll notice the attractive matte paint on the (somewhat heavy, but not unwieldy) aluminum frame with internal cables. Shimano shifters, cassette, cogs, crank, and DISC brakes run smooth. Hybrid Kendals tires on Xposure aluminum rims are perfect for different surfaces. Xposure front shock is a bit soft, but is ample as long as you're under 200lbs. Grips, seat, and handlebars feel firm. The only knocks I have on this bike after riding it for a few hours over one week is the cheesy feel of the plastic shifters and I question how well the crank arms and pedals would perform taking it downhill. But, as an everyday bike where it's not going to get much off road abuse, it's a great bike and fun to ride.

I love this bike! It rides great and is a very sweet looking bike all for a very affordable price. The bike arrived mostly assembled needing the seat and post, handlebars, forks and front wheel to be assembled on to the bike. It is something that can be easily done if you have even the slightest inkling of mechanical inclination. There were some minor adjustments I needed to make mostly to the brakes, other than that everything ran just fine on the initial test ride. A few of the things I was very impressed are how light the bike is for a mountain bike with a front suspension, I'd say it comes in at under 34 lbs., I was extremely happy at the color scheme on the bike, which I was a little apprehensive on whether or not the picture online was going to be a good semblance of the actual unit and how smooth and sturdy the ride is. Very pleased, and do recommend for a bike at the $500-$600 price point.

Nice hardtail ill be honest in bout it for the color, ive got about 15hrs. On it now and it handles good. I haven't had it in any harcore off road situations yet but ill update this review after i have.great bike for getting into the sport and lots of upgrades out there fit it so as you grow in skill your bike can grow in performance.i have had mongoose MT. Bikes most of my life starting with a mongoose menuver back in 1997 I had that bike for yrs.and sold it to go full suspension.now im back to my hard tail riding days I weigh just over 300lbs. I ride this bike weekly if not every day.id recommend this bike to anyone look in for a good starter Mt.bike they can upgrade later on.over all im very happy with it.

Pros: Easy Assembly only had to do some minor tuning Cons: Minor Scratches and came with one flat tire Decent bike for the price range