RockShox Pilot SL, RockShox Bar 2.1, Grimeca System 8, Alex 559 Disc, RaceFace Evolve XC crank, Truvativ GigaPipe Ti
Bottom Line:
2008 Model
For the price, a good entry level bike. Decent component package. Adjustable rear travel is easy to setup, and very useful. Shimano crank flexes a lot. RockShox Tora is stupid heavy. Hydraulic brakes for under $1k.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mountainbiker1
a Cross Country Rider
from Chapel Hill N.C Date Reviewed: July 19, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Preformance Bicicle
Strengths:
A solid bike with
Weaknesses:
0
Similar Products Used:
an other Mongoose
Bike Setup:
07 Mongoose Otero Super
Bottom Line:
A great bike at a great price.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
itfitz
a Downhiller
from San Diego, CA, USA Date Reviewed: July 8, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Noble Canyon
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$700.00
Purchased At:
Performance Bikes
Strengths:
Beefy frame; best combination of components at this price!
Weaknesses:
Handlebars are WIDE. Rear deraileur was difficult to adjust so that it wouldn't skip while pedaling hard uphill.
Similar Products Used:
N/A
Bike Setup:
Stock, just added Shimano clipless pedals.
Bottom Line:
This is the 2007 model. The Otera Super is my first bike with suspension -- I've been a hardtail/hardnose holdout for years, and I got tired of my friends being in much better shape than me at the end of a day of riding. The shocks are adequate (I'm 195 lbs), seat is comfortable, and the disc brakes are awesome. Great intro bike or a nice way to get the most for your money.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Iska
a Cross Country Rider
from Israel Date Reviewed: June 7, 2008
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Strengths:
Very aggresive bikes, very aggressive frame, very good geometry. Derailators are good, breaks are very good also the handles are very comfterble. The handlebar is wide and aggressive thats makes riding comfortable and easy to control.
Weaknesses:
The fork is really soft for me, the rear shock start to make squizing noise after 2 rides. The tires have a good grip at most (up-hill and down) but they fail when cornering.
The grips are really garbage(but that's small money).
Similar Products Used:
Ironhourse Maverick 4.1, Haro R3 - both fell like breaking down when riding.
Bike Setup:
Standard
Bottom Line:
The bikes are really aggressive, I ride on them like 2 months 3-4 times a week very agressively, I weight more than 100Kgs and it still holds half a meter dorps and so easily (it's doesn't fell like its gonna break soon).
the front fork is really soft for me and it's almost closing on big drops.
On my bike one tire (Kenda) came defective and that really upset me for a bike that price, Still I think it's the best bikes I could get for that price on my country (that's for haro R3/R5 and ironhourse 4.1 at same price level that I think would break with me riding on). Still I think changing the spring on the front fork to a harder one soon.
To sum up with, very aggressive bike if your looking for aggresive riding and you are a begginer that's bike are for you, if you weight more that 90 Kgs and do high drops maybe you need to upgrade the front spring before buying (the manufacturer wrote 72 Kgs but I'm more than that and it doesn't close yet), Check for defects(right for everything you buy) espacially the shocks and tires. Very good price for what you get. I'll write 4 only because the defect.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eugene Eugene
a Downhiller
from South africa Date Reviewed: May 18, 2008
I cracked the swingarm on the frame . The frame has a dent in , i broke the fork , broke the derailler . Broke the front hub , bent the disc brake , broke the chain 3 times
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
john taylor
a Cross Country Rider
from corte madera, ca Date Reviewed: April 21, 2008
Favorite Trail:
solstice
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$800.00
Purchased At:
performance bikes
Strengths:
I really like the frame, simple and the welds are beefy, medium size frame geometry works well for me (5'10"& 180lbs.), adjustable travel in the rear with quick release is a bonus, rockshox bar 2.1 is great, great price.
Weaknesses:
Stem and handlebars suck, x-5 r. derailieur and shifters could be better, hubs and headset are garbage.
Similar Products Used:
none
Bike Setup:
Mavic cross ride rims and hubs, azonic short stem, azonic double wall bars, ODI grips, rockshox tora 289, michelin all-mountain expert 2.2 in front, WTB moto raptor 2.14 in rear, cane creek zero stack 2 headset, X-O shifters and r. deraillieur, juicy 5 on the front 160mm rotor.
Bottom Line:
I have been riding mountain bikes since the mid eighties and I have ridden a lot of bikes. This bike is a lot of fun. I have punished the frame with several 2-3 ft. drops and plenty of rock gardens. I inspect the frame after every ride and there is no sign of fatigue. Although it has cost me $$, I have thoroughly enjoyed the process of upgrading this bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
oldskoolbiker
a Downhiller
from Alexandria, VA Date Reviewed: March 10, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$680.00
Purchased At:
Performance Bike Shop
Strengths:
Price!, name brand components all the way around, adjustable suspension travel, comes with 27" handlebars
Weaknesses:
Weight (34.5 pounds), handlebars were defective on my bike, lack of preload adjustment on fork, lever design of brakes require use of 2 fingers.
Similar Products Used:
Jamis Dakar, Yeti 575
Bike Setup:
Factory Spec 2008 model, swapped defective bars for Sunline bars and Sunline grips
Bottom Line:
I wanted to buy my brother a new bike for his birthday since he is wanting to get back into biking after he fell out of it for a few years. So I was on the lookout for a bike he could use as a good starter bike for getting back into the sport. I wanted to find something that could be used for trail riding, and also be able to handle DJ and light freeride.
I was initially looking at paying $1200 for a Jamis Parker, but I happened to see this bike at Performance Bikes one day. It caught my attention because it looked pretty beefy and had adjustable front and rear travel. Front adjusts from 3in to 5in, and rear goes from 2.5in to 4.5in approximately. A closer look at the bike showed it had a good compoent set. Sram X-5 Drivetrain, Shimano Deore Front Derailleur and Crank. Rock Shox front and rear suspension, and to top it off Tektro Hydraulic brakes.
The MSRP of the bike was $899, which really is a pretty good price for what you get. But Performance had it marked down to $850, then they were running a 10% off all 2008 bikes special, and on top of that this particular store was running a 4hour "Managers Special" additional 10% off the entire store. That brought the price down to $680. Unbeleivable!
I got the bike home and had to spend an hour getting the bike dialed in since Performance's mechanics suck. I also got some brown Sunline lock-on grips to match the bike, and went to install those. The grips wouldn't clamp down. I measured the bars and they were 13/16" instead of 7/8". So they were slightly undersized, and the grip clamps wouldn't lock onto the bars. Instead of dealing with warranty, I just got some Sunline bars to match the grips. The OEM bars were almost flat anyway and I thought more rise would be a little better.
Once I got it done, I took it out through the neighborhood, and the bike feels solid. The shifting is good, suspension works well. I think there will be some pedal bob with the suspension in the longest settings, but the suspension can be dialed down if necessary.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gareth
a Weekend Warrior
from NSW, Australia Date Reviewed: September 29, 2007
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$700.00
Strengths:
The value for money of this bike is amazing. This review is for the 2007 model. There is no other bike that has the gear this bike has for this money. It has good running gear. Not great though. Rear suspension feels great descending and climbs well. The adjustable quick release rear is awesome. It has pretty good hydraulic brakes.
Weaknesses:
I do about one 2 hour ride a week. This bike is now about one year old. The first thing I didn't like was the tires. They don't corner. I now have Maxxis crossmark kevlar bead with stan's. This also made a huge difference to the harsh small bump feel of the suspension. The bike is heavy and there is a small amount of pedal bob. The handle bars are so wide you will clip every tree you pass. I had them reduced by nearly 30mm each end and they were still wide. Great for jumping though. I now have a different bar . I just couldn't turn. I also felt the stem was to long. The rear bushes have worn out and there is a small knock and about 1mm movement in the rear. Can't be tightened out either. They a brass but I think Mongoose will have a brush kit to fix that. After 10 months the chain was so worn when I replaced it I found the rear cassette was also so worn it had to be replaced. The SX-5 deraileur got a lot of movement in the rivets. Replaced it with an old XT I had and LX shifters. The rear shock has a scratching noise that is the hydraulic fluid. Has lost a lot of it's smoothness.
Similar Products Used:
NIL
Bike Setup:
80mm WTB ally stem. Bontrager bar. XT deraileur and LX shifters. LX rear cassette. New cables and brake pads (wore out and started squealing like a pig). Clipless.
Bottom Line:
Awesome for the price. Great geometry for descending as the fork is about 69 degrees. The parts will wear out quick. But that is cool cause then you can get better stuff. Or just spend a bit extra and get a bike with better gear. This is a pure weekender bike. Too heavy to race and the setup is mediocre.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
mike
a Cross Country Rider
from hayward Date Reviewed: July 12, 2007
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$649.00
Purchased At:
Performance Bike
Strengths:
Quality Frame, good rear suspension, adjustable travel with lockout. I love the geometry, climbs like a goat
Weaknesses:
Front fork, front derailleur, seat collar
Similar Products Used:
Specialized
Bike Setup:
FSA low rise bar, X-7 Shfiters, X-7 Front Derailleur, X-9 Rear Derailleur, FSA AfterBurner crank
Bottom Line:
Wanted to upgrade to a full suspension bike but did not want to spend a load of cash. Great deal from Performance, sale price of $649 plus 35% back in store credit. Used credit to upgrade derailleurs, shifters and bar. Nothing really wrong with X-5 shifters and rear derailleur but the X7 & X9 combo is alot smoother. Forks to squishy for my taste but will ride them until I can get a deal on good forks. Only problem is the seat collar, shim in the collar is coming off. Overall excellent bike, no others with these features can compare at this price. Climbs better then my hardtail.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Drew S
a Cross Country Rider
from NJ Date Reviewed: June 22, 2007
Favorite Trail:
All of Round Valley
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$675.00
Purchased At:
Performance Bike
Strengths:
Frame design and Rear suspension set-up... The adjustable lockout and SR/suntour air shock are a terrific value on this bike. it works really well and their is almost no pedal bod under any circumstances! It just rides smooth and you can adjust it to you liking... Tektro Hydro disk are also IMO a great value becasue most other bikes in this price range come with mechs. The tektro have great power, control, and are very quiet! WTB speed v saddle is comfortable
Weaknesses:
Front fork is squishy, soft and heavy (and i only weigh 135 lbs)... I'm not complaining though because no other bike for the same price has a front fork that is any better... You just have to accept that when you spend $700 on a full suspension bike, you will not get a good front fork... Also the SRAM SX5 rear derailleur is a little twitchy (sometimes it like to ghost shift under hard pedaling up hill) it got better when i lubed it and i think it will be even better when i adjust it... However most bikes in this price range come with the same rear Derailleur anyway so it's not a big deal... Kenda Komodos get good traction on smooth dirt (hard to soft) and good traction going up hills... However, sidebite is horrible if you are on loose terrain (stones, rocks and loose dirt)... This makes going around turns fast really uncomfortable! WTB speed v saddle is heavy Mongoose platforms are heavy but are good for learning... I would be so scraped up if i had used clipless from the start Most people would also say that the bike itself is heavy... BUT IT"S NOT... if you think 32 lbs is heavy then you need to find a different sport... And if you want a lighter bike then you need to spend more money... It will only make you stronger and faster then everyone else... XCing is about skill, endurance and strength! Having the best equipment is not going to make you a better rider. Training and dedication though, will!
Similar Products Used:
None... Just walmart bike. I started MTBing about 2 yrs ago... got past my begineer stage but then stopped riding because i needed a new bike and didn't want to spend the money... Then I started road biking about 6 months ago and my endurance grew tremedously. THen all my friends started getting XC bikes... So i was like "fine i'll start riding MTB again and go with you guys." went once and remebered how much fun MTBing was . Right after that i went bike searching and picked up my Otero Super. My skills have almost caught back up however my road biking has made me a lot faster than i was before :P
Bike Setup:
Stock
Bottom Line:
Great value for the money... I would say that it is just as good or better than anything in the price range and it's true value lies in the rear suspension setup, frame and brakes. Everything else is comparable to that of other sub $1000 FS XC bikes... In the future i will upgradge the Front fork (Manitou R7 comp), Tires (Panaracer Fire pro or a Smoke/Dart Combo), pedals to clipless (maybe Eggbeaters), Rear derailleur (possibly Shimano XT or SRAM X-9), Saddle (WTB Shadow V) and Grips (i want a pair of ergons and bar ends)... Will cost about $500-$600 to do those upgrades and they will drop about 4lbs bringing the total weight to about 28lbs which is pretty light considering the money Excellent value!!! Awesome ride!!! Good Brakes!!! Buy it if you have limited funds but still want a good base line FS XC bike to start out with...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bailey
a
from Atlanta, GA, USA Date Reviewed: May 27, 2007
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$650.00
Strengths:
Great value, great recommendation from Bicycling magazine
Bottom Line:
I don't know yet. Will ride more and find out, but what I heard was that at this price range, nothing else was close. Seems good so far, though I'm really surprised there is not a dedicated owner's manual. Wanted to get the first review going.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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