Mongoose Impasse Dual Full Suspension Bicycle (29-Inch)

CUSTOMER REVIEW



I bought the Mongoose Impasse because it fit my budget for a full suspension 29'er mountain bike. I felt the bike was a bit of a gamble, because detail specs and reviews are just not available. But I was feeling adventurous and ordered one.



First, the bike was rather poorly packed in the Mongoose factory box. No Styrofoam packing was in the box to protect delicate pieces like the rear derailleur, or the wheel hubs. The bike came partially assembled with the front wheel tie wrapped to the frame. Just a little bubble wrap, and a few plastic protectors for the hubs that were broken and laying in the bottom of the box. As a result, the rear derailleur and mounting point were badly bent in shipping by Fed Ex. So I removed the derailleur, straightened it out, and also straightened the mounting point (near the axle drop outs). Took about an hour to get the parts back in proper alignment.



Second, the Owners Manual covers ALL Mongoose "department store" bikes, so be patient to find the section specific to the feature on your model (aka Threadless stem vs classic Quill Stem adjustment). I would have liked a shorter owners manual with more info specific to this model.



After assembly (which is not really difficult assuming there are no damaged parts), be prepared to adjust the disk brakes. They should not drag, and are easy to adjust if you follow the manual. Just be sure to spin the wheels and ensure that the disk is centered in the caliper. I also had to spend a little time making adjustments to the rear derailleur to make it shift properly (although this was probably a result of the shipping damage). If you are unsure about being able to do this sort of work, just take it to a local bike shop and they will set it up properly for you.



Now the riding. It rides well. The 29'er tires make riding on rough surfaces easier. Even riding grassy fields is easier than with my 26" wheel mountain bike. The seat is surprisingly comfortable. The bike is not too heavy, especially considering its size. Weight is kept down with the use of alloy parts. Besides the frame being aluminum (not including the 'chain stay' aka rear fork which are steel), the handle bars, thread-less stem, seat post, crank arms, yoke of the front fork, and calipers are all aluminum too. The brake levers are aluminum and plastic, and that is just junk I will replace with a quality all alloy set of levers. Levers are cheap, so it surprising that they would cut corners on the levers.



The front fork absorbs bumps, but has no hydraulic or pneumatic dampening, its basically a simple spring tube that is adequate for light off roading. The rear shock feels to be just a spring with no dampening also. Although it is easily adjusted to stiffen or lighten the spring pre-load (I stiffened it up). All in all, the suspension works well to smooth out ruts and pot holes in rural and country roads, as well as gravel and dirt roads. This is what I use it for and it works well for this sort of riding. Much nicer ride than my hard tail mountain bike. Suspension is rather stiff at first, but after a few hours of riding, it gets smoother and the fork gets less "sticky".



The SRAM shifters are acceptable. Do wish a better shifter by Shimano had been used.



I was surprised at how well the disk brakes work. They really pull hard and are not even broken in yet!



The Shimano rear derailleur changes the gears quickly and once adjusted, is nice and quiet (no clicking). It is the Shamano Tourney TX (RD-TX 35). A nice entry level derailleur, made from aluminum castings and steel stampings.



Wheel hubs are by Wheel Master, model Quando (I believe they have sealed bearings). Didn't find any name or label on the rims, but the spec sheet I got from Mongoose lists it as a no-name Chinese manufacturer. The rims are a double wall rim, so they should take some pounding. Spokes are painted steel.



The Crank is by ProWheel. Alloy arms, square taper B.B. and riveted steel chain rings. Probably model MA-A443+ painted all black. Prowheel makes quality budget priced parts that are competition for Shimano parts. With the square taper Bottom Bracket, its easy to upgrade or change the chain rings to other sizes.



Didn't care for all the stickers and labels all over the frame. The frame is busy enough as it is with its suspension design, and cables run all over. I removed all decals. Now its nice and clean, and doesn't look like it came from a department store.



Bottom line is its a competent light to medium duty full suspension 29'er mountain bike. It has many features that can not be had for even a few hundred dollars more on other brands. The nice parts are the full suspension, disk brakes, and 29'er wheels/tires. The down side is the poor factory packing, and time to adjust/set up/fine tune the shifters and brakes, and a few cheap parts. But when its setup right, its loads of fun to ride.



Update 6/20/2012. Have about 50 miles on the bike now. Its great for riding the bike/horse trails in my town. I don't beat on it, just ride it easy on dirt trails, along the abandoned train tracks, etc. The brakes are holding up OK, but I have to admit the brake shoes are about the size of a dime! How they stop the bike is beyond me. Had problems with front brake, ended up calling support and they were GREAT! sent a new rotor (old one was bent and wobbled causing problems adjusting brake). So don't even worry about getting parts, as support is really fantastic. No arguments, just tell them the problem, and they send you a new part, no questions asked.



I noticed that putting the tire pressure up to about 50 psi makes the bike roll easier, and cuts down on the tire drag. The max pressure listed on the tire sidewall is 65 psi, with a recommended pressure of 40 psi. I think 40 is too low, and my 180 lbs body needs a little more pressure make them firmer. Let the suspension absorb the bumps, not the tire.



Last ride was about 2 hours. Bike did well, only real complaint is I can't figure out where to mount a water bottle holder. LOL!



I see the price just dropped about 20 bucks. Buy one before they are gone.



BTW, the bike uses all metric fasteners. A set of metric Allen wrenches will let you adjust and replace most parts on the bike like brakes, handlebars, etc.



UPDATE 09/11/2012.

Have been riding the Impasse for hours at a time a few times a week and realized that a few upgrades would make for a really great 29'er. Two weak spots are the fork and rear shock. This is common for suspension bikes in this price range. Both are just spring units with no dampening, and at slow speeds, this is fine. As I started riding faster and longer, the bouncy nature of the suspension was a determent and uncomfortable. So a RockShox XC 28 fork w/oil dampening, preload and rebound adjustments, and lockout was added. Also added a Kind Shock KS291 rear shock with oil dampening, rebound and preload adjustments. These two items made a huge difference in the way the bike rides. Its smoother, and I feel in more control in rough conditions. And my back really likes it! Combined cost of those two upgrades was about $190.



A nice inexpensive upgrade that makes a big difference is to replace the brake levers with Avid FR-5 Bicycle Brake Lever Set all alloy brake lever assemblies. Often available for under $10, so shop around. Then for less than $20, a 205mm front rotor and adapter can be added to maximize braking. I can ride an Endo for a few feet with this brake setup, and its using the original Zoom caliper!



Making all these upgrades will make the bike competitive with the $900 and up bikes. With these mods, the bike now weighs 38 lbs! (about 5 lbs loss!).