Mongoose Otero Elite (08)

jpstar

Hi,

I have looked on the site at the review already and it seems like a good buy. I was just wondering do any of you have the bike and would you say its a good bike for the money?
Also, could anyone tell me how much abuse it could take? Would it cope with trailcentre abuse? or light street riding like stairs and small drops (-2ft).
Although im sure this is all down to the shocks and setup can someone please explain this to me "The seat-stays can be slid up and down a slot in the hanging linkage to give anywhere from 64-112mm (2.5-4.4in) of travel just by undoing a quick release lever." As this has confused the hell out of me.

Thanks in advance,
Jpstar

The Northern Monkey

BikeRadar review

Its more of a FS XC machine than a trail abuser... with budget suntour forks and shocks. Personally i would use it for xc only, wouldn't really trust it on any big drops.

The hanging linkage means that you can adjust the usable length of the rear travel by sliding the shock after undoing the quick release.

jpstar

Thanks, i wouldnt be able to do big drops lol, not enough bravery. Would you say it could do 2ft max?

also thankyou for the explanation of the hanging linkage.

mtbikerboy

Generally speaking, it should be able to do 2ft drops. However this is not what the bike was intended for and doing them on a regular basis may weaken or damage parts sooner than otherwise.

Doing drops, jumps etc also voids the warranty on parts like fork/shock: from suntour manual

Make sure to select the correct rear shock according to your frames build in height and personal riding style. Please note that the EPICON or RAIDON series rear shocks were not designed for jumping, dropping, aggressive downhill riding, freeriding or urban style riding. Not following these instructions could result into a failure of the product, accident and even death of the rider. Not following these instructions will void the rear shock‘s warranty!

i think same for the XCM fork

However, IMO for the occasional drops/ jumps you meet along the trail go for it (no one ever has to know )

NIGEL_ASH

I bought an Otero Elite some months back and it has since stood up to the abuse I have given it quite well. I'm not a lightweight, started riding at around 19st 6lbs, now weigh in at 17st 5lbs. Over the time i've had the bike though, i've changed quite a few components namely

Forks, got rid of the Suntour XCM's as they were too soft for my weight, fitted Marzocchi XC500 retro bombers
Rear shock, the Suntour Epicon was fine but a bit clunky. I was offered a Rock Shox MC3.3 for £70 and it has transformed the frame for the better
Saddle and seat post, changed the fat heavy items for something lighter
Tyres, the Kendas were good but wore out very quickly, now fitted Pana Fire XC's
Rear mech, fitted a Deore LX after I broke the OEM mech on a rock
Fitted some new lock on grips.

I love the bike, and enjoy fettling and upgrading bits on it. The frame is strong, as are the wheels. I've covered about 600 miles, mostly bridleway/farm tracks with no major faults which have left me stranded out on a ride

jpstar

Do you know roughly how heavy the bike is aswell? I just wanted an idea as im using this for XC and entered a race not long ago so was wondering for that, also what are the shifters and brakes like? ive never had a hydro brake experience so wondering the sort of power generated by that (ive had canti's (on current) and V's),

Thanks for all the help aswell

NIGEL_ASH

Around 34lbs (large) when I got the bike, but weighs a little less now with the changes i've made. Its NOT a light bike by any means and much of this is due to the finishing kit being very heavy, the seat and seatpost for example, was more than three times heavier than the replacement parts I fitted.
The Promax hydraulic brakes are good, the pads that were fitted from new were worn out within weeks so I changed them for EBC Gold sintered which has improved the braking and they are lasting a lot longer too. The pads are the same as Avid Juicy 3,5, and 7

The Alivio shifters are fine too, although i've never experienced any others so have nothing to compare against, they do the job of changing gear without any problems

Hope that helps

jpstar

thanks, so how much does the bike weigh now youve replaced some of the parts? and how much have you spent reducing the weight?

NIGEL_ASH

Not sure of the exact weight now, it definately feels lighter to ride, probably also due to ME being a lot lighter nowadays Next time I go out i'll weigh it and let you know. When I took the seat and seat post off to replace I was amazed at how heavy the originals were so like a sad @rse, I weighed them on my wifes cooking scales just to check the difference

Costs so far on bits i've replaced

Forks, £145.00
Rear Shock, £70.00
Grips, £12 from LBS
Rear mech, £28 from LBS
Seat, £30 off ebay
Seatpost, £12 off ebay
Pads £28.00 from LBS
Tyres £20.00 from Merlin

jpstar

:shock: this really is no XC bike is it then? well a good one at that, would i be better off saving up for a more expensive model/bike such as the Otero Super or should I just go hardtail with the money i have? I just dont really have the money to be able to buy a bike then upgrade lots of things to make it ridable, the specs also look quite alot better on the super rather than the elite.....

Trouncey

I think if you're thinking of entering races, then a hardtail would definately be your best best. The cheapest full-susser that I can see, which could be alright for a race is a Mongoose Canaan Comp which can be found for under £700. But thats a lot more money than what i assume your budget is.

Daz555

If you are going sub £400 then a hardtail is a much more sensible optionin my opinion. Full suss only really starts to make any sense at around 800 notes and to be honest you need to be pushing a grand for anything really decent.

You should still be able to get some quality 08 hardtails for under 400 notes.

Something like this: http://www.bikedock.com/posit/shop/sear ... =&format=1

Also, have a look at the 2009 hardtails sticky at the top of the forum.