I did only a little research before buying this for $240. I'm sure I could have found something similar for less, but I was tired of waiting for a better deal to come along. I'm aware that in the general biking world, Mongoose is bottom of the barrel, but I just need a cheap, fat tire bike for Burning Man, which is very flat. When I picked this up, I was pleasantly surprised at how not heavy it was, as I was expecting it to be a tank. Sure enough, I put it on a scale and it's 44 lbs, slightly lighter than my Orbea Rise e-MTB. A 7 speed Altus derailleur and trigger shifter is better quality than I would have expected. For what I paid, I'm happy with my first fat bike.
I rode a Mongoose XR Pro around Alaska for years and years. It got me to work, single track, camping trips. I tossed on studded tires and rode it in the winter long before I ever had a Fat Bike.
Hell I might still own it if some homeless dude didn’t steal it.
Nothing wrong with discount if it gets the job done. Ride what you can afford is what I say. Took me over 25 years of riding before ever dropping money on an expensive bike.
That’s a sick bike for $250! I just jumped back in the fat bike game too & was motivated by wanting to build up a surf exploration machine with surf racks etc to take on the gravel roads, Trails and beaches. The Malus was on the short list (ended up with a great deal on a near new Surly Wednesday).
Last year at Burning Man I rode my friend's Surly Pugsley and it was wonderful on that terrain. But we spent the week worrying about it getting stolen.
Had one for 6 years. It was great. Only got rid of it because many of the parts are weird sizes that are hard to replace. It's a great bike, enjoy it.
I rode an imperial century on my Malus just Friday. A bit of a workout, but it was a fun day.
Mine is a similar set up to this one with Altus derailleur, upgraded freewheel, and basic Shimano shifter and brakes. May be a low end bike but it gets the job done and is fun to ride.
I have this exact bike. I replaced the steel stem, handlebar and grips, which saved almost a pound of weight and made the bike feel more responsive. Also replaced the mechanical brakes with inexpensive shimano hydraulics, and the heavy ass steel seatpost.
After the changes the bike is great. It’s not 29# like the CF frame fatbike I built, but it also didn’t cost $2500.
Damn, 29 lbs seems aggressive for a fat bike. My carbon frame Giant Trance is 29 lbs on 27.5s! Thanks for the tips. I've got a big parts bin full of stems, seat posts, handlebars, etc. and I'll swap out for lighter if I can. Even at 44 lbs as is, I'm still happy its not 50 lbs.
Yeah I was surprised at the final weight as well, It includes a Mastidon fork and studded tires, so could have been at sub 27# with a carbon fork.
This Mongoose not a bad bike! The brakes were not good, but otherwise, yeah just put on parts from the bins and grease everything. Mine was not lubricated well from the factory.
I wear full size winter gloves when riding this and found shifting easier with a thumb shifter.
Question: Would I be able to convert the axles to quick-release skewers?
Yes, thru axle wheels can be converted with adapters that fit in the axle. Obviously you need to match what the frame offers. Quick release wheels cannot be converted to thru axle.
Oops, on further inspection that is solid axle because the bike is department store crap. No, those axles are what they are. Buy better if you want better. Be happy you can even ride a $250 Fatbike.
If you're worried about the nuts coming loose you can get Teflon lock nuts instead. They're a pain to take on and off but silencing paranoid thoughts is priceless
Mostly I want to pop the front wheel off for transport, without a wrench, as I do with all my other bikes. I'll find a way.
Could get some big wing nuts!
Best answer ever
Thanks. I converted my '94 GT from solid axle with a QR skewer I found online, but that's a more conventional size. I guess I'll look around to see if something like that is available for this longer axle.
Those long QRs can be pricey. I bought a new wheelset which was a lot lighter and it included the QRs for about $250.