Mongoose Crossway 300

Rum Ham

Hey, another newbie looking for advice. I'm looking for a bike for a general transport. I probably wont be going too far, just a few miles, but I'd also like the bike to be decent enough for longer trips should the mood take me, but that's not absolutely needed. It will be on some poor back country roads though, so I guess it'll need to be slightly sturdy. I'm hoping not to have to pay above 250-300. Not ideal I know, but I should be able to get something functional at that price? I'd rather not go second hand because I wouldnt know if it was in good shape or not.

Hence the topic title. I've been looking at the Mongoose Crossway 300. I really know next to nothing about bikes, but I've been trying to read up and educate myself, and from what little I know it appears to be good value? However looking for reviews and opinions on it has been next to impossible.

Specs:
Frame: Rigid Frame
Fork: 700C steel unicrown with rack and fender mounts
Front Derailleur: Shimano M191
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Acera-X M360
Number of Gears: 24
Shifters: Shimano EF50 EZ Fire triggers, 24 speed
Chainset: FSA A-Drive alloy with chainguard
Chainrings: 28/38/48 tooth
Bottom Bracket: FSA sealed cartridge
Cassette: Shimano HG30 11-32 tooth, 8-speed cassette
Chain: KMC Z72
Pedals: Wellgo comfort platform
Front Brake: ProMax linear pull brakes
Rear Brake: ProMax linear pull brakes
Brake Levers: Shimano EF50 integrated
Handlebars: Mongoose comfort rise steel
Stem: Mongoose alloy quill
Headset: VP steel threaded
Rims: Alex PC19 double wall alloy with wear indicator
Front Hub: Formula Alloy QR 36H
Rear Hub: Formula Alloy QR and freehub 36H
Spokes:14G stainless
Front Tyre: 700x37 Continental Contact with flat protection
Rear Tyre: 700x37 Continental Contact with flat protection
Saddle: Mongoose comfort
Seatpost: Mongoose alloy with micro adjust clamp

Is there anything badly wrong with it? My limited (and probably wrong) knowledge of bike around this price range is basically to try avoid extras like suspension and to that 8 speed is much better than the 7 most around this price range are.

Thanks in advance for any opinions on this

supersonic

If it is that style of bike you are after (flat bars, upright road hybrid), then it looks reasonable enough, however the headset type (threaded ie heavy and unreliable), steel bars and unknown frame details are a let down.

I'd take a look at this, something of a modern classic:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... pping#tab2

Sturdy, good parts.

Rum Ham

Thanks for that, it's much appreciated. I was keeping my eye on the Subway, hoping Halfords would have one of their sales on it while I saved up, but unfortunately here in Ireland it went up in price instead, and its now around 100 quid above what I'd like to spend. Is it really worth that much extra? The VooDoo Marasa is 60 quid cheaper than the Subway now. How does the Marasa stack up compared to the Subway? I've been trying to avoid sneaking up in price because I had the same problem the time I built my pc. I'd look at something a little dearer, then a little more and eventually ended up way over budget before I knew it.

Btw, the Mongoose frame according to their site is "Mongoose Cross/Comfort 6061 Aluminum w/ replaceable hanger". Dunno if that means anything but it's a bit more detailed than "Rigid Frame" I suppose.

supersonic

Aluminium is a good start, was worried it would be steel which would make it very heavy.

The Voodoo looks excellent value, unusual to see 24 gears and hydro disc brakes at this price. Pretty weighty though.