Mongoose Impasse Mens Mountain Bike, 18-inch Frame, 29-inch Wheels with Disc Brakes

I bought the Mongoose Impasse because it fit my budget for a full suspension 29'er mountain bike that I could grow with. I felt the bike was a bit of a gamble, because detail specs and reviews are all over the place. From extremely good to don't buy this, it's garbage. I know from life long experience that some people expect way too much for what they are paying for.I also think the reviewer should specify a little background of what they want to use an item for and their expectations. I know, again from experience, that you can't get a $1000 dollar anything for $300. I also know that through research and patience, and SALES, you can get a $1000 something for $650. I am 63 years old, 6'2" tall, and weigh 220 lbs. I ride Rails to Trails conversions, city parks, greenbelt rides, gravel roads, and occasionally some light, through the woods trails with some downhills and small drop-offs. No extreme, bite your lip, 3o mph, downhill competition. I wanted to try a 29" bike and more importantly, one with disc brakes front and rear to replace my 26" bike that is some 8 years old (Mongoose XR75) with v-brakes. Cheapest full suspension bike you can buy from Wally is about $130 without disc brakes. With front disc brakes only, you get up to $180 to $220. That's about the top of the line at wally except sometimes in the spring of the year, you can find a full suspension bike with disc brakes front and rear for $280. Anyone expecting a $1000 bike for $300 is just not realistic. $500 bike, close, maybe. With some ($250+/-) upgrades, you can approach a $900-$1000 bike easily. One of the reasons I am upgrading to this bike over my existing 26" is that the tires needed to be replaced. The CHEAPEST I could find for tires and tubes was $70 delivered. The CHEAPEST. Sky is the limit. Choice is to spend $70+ for tires and tubes for an 8 year old bike, or buy a new bike with new technology. Enter the Mongoose Impasse.About the packaging and delivery. The bike was rather poorly packed in the Mongoose factory box. No 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, as well as the handlebars strapped to the front forks. Just a little bubble wrap, foam around the frame in key places, and a few plastic protectors for the hubs that were broken and laying in the bottom of the box. As a result, there were some scratches and rubs on the bike from shipping. I have found no other way to get this bicycle except through mail order so you are at the mercy of how the shipping company handles it. Better packaging and protection by the manufacturer would increase the bottom line cost of the bicycle, but I dare say, it would avoid some returns of this bike because of poor packaging resulting in scratches, buffs, bent or lost parts etc. More cost for packaging would result in less returns, so the bike price could be the same. By the way, my bike was manufactured on April 2015 as found on the down-tube or seat-post at the bottom near the crank. You need this as well as the model number R2780 if you need to call for warranty work.Next, the Owners Manual covers ALL Mongoose "department store" bikes, so be patient to find the section specific to the features on your model (aka Threadless stem vs classic Quill Stem adjustment)(V-brakes vs disc brakes). I would have liked a shorter owners manual with more info specific to this model, but again, this would increase cost and inventory problems with the manufacturer. This ALL-IN-ONE manual helps to keep cost down, so please don't complain!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 disc is centered in the caliper. I also had to spend a little time making adjustments to the rear derailleur to make it shift properly which was expected. 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 (for a fee +/- $50). That is one difference between buying your own (savings) versus buying from a bike shop that will set-up and check the bike before it is sold to you. Even after riding this or ANY bike, you either learn how to maintain and adjust it yourself, or take it back to the shop and spend some more money. True whether you buy a $200 bike or a $2000 or more bike.The element front fork absorbs bumps, but has no hydraulic or pneumatic dampening, its basically a simple spring tube that is adequate for light off roading. It uses the new technology of threadless headset. Might replace this in the future with a RockShox XC 28 fork w/oil dampening ($109) just because I have never owned such an expense on any bike I have owned. Would like to know what that feels like. The rear shock is just a spring with pre-load only. It is easily adjusted to stiffen or loosen your ride. I have found NO direct replacement for this shock/spring. The closest thing I can find is a DMN Mountain Bike Air Rear Shock With Lockout 165mm ($85). It features air adjustable ride or stiffness, plus a lockout. The lockout permits you to make the bike essentially a hard tail which means you can ride UP a hill without the bounciness. I get off my old 26 and crank done the spring to get this done. Again, something I have never had, but would like to try. The problem with this upgrade is that the STOCK Shock is 150mm or 6" long. The DMN shock is 160mm or 6'5" long. This will change the geometry of the bike, maybe better, maybe worse, I'll let you know later if I upgrade this! All of the upgrades so far, ($26+$109+$85=Total $220) This added to the cost of the bike $280+$220=$500 bike cost. Close to a $900 bike value. The big thing is you can do it a little at a time, while riding, instead of dishing our $500 right now. You may never even want to upgrade this bike and ride it like it is till she drops. Again, I might upgrade the shock and fork in the future just because I have never had one. All in all, the suspension works well to smooth out ruts and pot holes in rural and country roads, as well as gravel/dirt roads, and wooded area trails. This is what I use it for and it works well for this sort of riding. Suspension is rather stiff at first, but gets smoother the longer you ride. The Mongoose Impasse feels like and looks like a decently sturdy bike for taking on some dirt/gravel roads, light trails, and commuting. I wouldn't take it on any hardcore downhill paths or do jumps with it, that's what a $1000+ bike is for, but it can go over roots/rocks and things very well as is.The ZOOM disc brakes works surprisingly well. They are about one half to one third the cost of more premium brakes, but this is another reason the bike is only $280. I may upgrade these with Shimano BR-M416A or Avid BB7's when the pads wear out. Replace pads for about $15 or get all new brakes for $50 to $60. Again, approaching that $500 cost or better bicycle. 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. The Wheel hubs look like WheelMaster 'Quando' (sealed bearings). This bike is built in China so the aluminum hubs and wheels are, well, Chinese. The rims are a double wall rim, so they should take some pounding. Spokes are painted steel. The tires are NO-NAME brand. Inflate from 35 PSI, recommended 40 PSI, and a maximum of 65 PSI. 198 lbs MAX load. That's 396 pound person if you were sitting equally on both wheels/tires or 198 lbs MAX if you are on one tire. Well, let's see, I weigh 220 lbs. Hummmm......is that going to be a problem. Not so far. Wonder what the rims are rated for???The Crank is a ProWheel with 175mm long Alloy arms, square taper BB (Bottom Bracket) and riveted steel chain rings, all painted black. With the square taper Bottom Bracket, its easy to upgrade or change the chain rings to other sizes. For my height, I actually need 180mm arms, not sure about the gear sizing yet, just sayin.AS for the SIZE of this bike? Because of it's geometry nature and tires, I would say this is a MEDIUM frame. (see below)The wheel base, front wheel axle to rear wheel axle is 42-3/8" (Old 26 is 41-3/8")From ground to top of seat post quick release is 29-3/4" (Old 26 is 30-3/4")From center of crank to top of seat post quick release is 17-1/2" (Old 26 is 19-3/4") [Note: This is usually the FRAME size].From ground to lowest part of frame at seat post is 28-1/4" (Old 26 is 28-1/4")From ground to hightest part frame at handlebar headset 35-3/4" (Old 26 is 32-3/4")From back of handlebar headset to center of seat post is 20-7/8" (Old 26 is 20-3/4")From Rear axle to the center of the pedal crank is 18-1/4" (Old 26 is 17-1/4")From center of the pedals to the center of the crank is 6-3/4" (Old 26 is 6-3/4")NOTE: It is roughly recommended that when you stand with the bike between your legs, you should have at least 2" clearance between your crotch and the bike frame. My inseam is 32" and when standing just in front of the seat comfortably the ground to top of tube height is 30". Perfect for me. My (Old 26 is 28-1/2"). The seatpost is too short for me, it's 9-7/8" long and I need at least 13-3/4" for peddling uphill. Going down hill, you will usually lower your seatpost by 2-4". So for going downhill, this seat height would be quite acceptable. However, I do go both uphill and downhill as well.Now for the riding. It rides well. The 29'er tires make riding on rough surfaces easier. Riding through grassy fields, the woods trails, gravel roads, is easier than with my Old 26" wheel mountain bike. The seat is surprisingly comfortable, although at my age, I will be replacing it with a wider gel seat. The bike is not too heavy, especially considering it's size. Roughly 47 lbs, versues 46-52 lbs for the competion. Some of the cost difference of high-priced bikes in keeping the weight down around 36-38 lbs is using more costly components like carbon fiber, better aluminum, etc. Ride this or any bike for a month or two, loose 10-15 lbs and save yourself some money, not to mention, BETTER HEALTH. 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, as are the SRAM shifters. typical of bikes in this price range. A pre-planned upgrade to Shimano EF-51 Shifter/Brake Lever Combo (3 x 7 Speed) for $26 will make the bike perform closer to that $500 price range bike. Again, this is not a MUST upgrade, I have used the SRAM SureGrip Max shifters for years with success. I would just like to try the trigger shifters one time. To have the shifters and brake levers in combo should free up the handlebar space too and make it look (BE) more like that $500 bike.People have complained about where to mount a water bottle holder. If you look at any other PURE mountain bike, most do NOT have a place for water bottles. They us a backpack hydration system.The bike uses all metric fasteners so a compact, take it with you, tool kit like the ones made by Topeak would be a wise decision/purchase to have for ANY bike owner.With another $250 or so upgrades mentioned, this bike will easily be right up there with a $1000 bike. If you are concerned about weight, carbon fiber seatpost, handlebars, new shock/fork supsension, etc. upgrades can bring the weight down to a respectable 36-38 lbs. Yes, you will have a total of a little more than $500, but one step at a time if want to, instead of $500 or higher, all at once. Bottom line is the Mongoose Impasse is a competent light to medium duty full suspension 29" mountain bike as it sits for $280 and its loads of fun to ride.IF this review was helpful to you, please leave a commend below, if nothing more than Thank You, so I will know whether I have waisted my time and or yours and so I will know whether to ever take the time to write another review or not. If you have any questions, just ask, I would be happy to help you any way I can! I wish I had this help before I purchased mine. Although it WAS still a good decision. Happy Trails!!!

This is a beginner/intermediate rider review of this bike. I have given up four wheelers and dirt bikes due to the travel and maintenance involved in that hobby. I am a workout junky and wanted to take on a hobby closer to home that combines riding with staying in shape. I live near some awesome canyons and this gives me the best of both worlds…wheels and workout.I started off on a $150 Walmart special and immediately realized I needed more capability. I read a few reviews about this bike and bought it with the expectation of upgrading in six months. I have ridden it for a month on an intermediate trail at least three times a week. This is a capable bike for the beginner trail rider and good way to get started in this hobby. This bike is the perfect test bed for deciding if this hobby is for you…or not...without breaking the bank before you commit. Out of the box, you will need to tune this bike or have it tuned if you plan to ride any trails.This bike more suited for someone between 5’9 and 5’11. The frame is short and at 6’1”, on technical turns and big swings of the handle that shortness is pronounced. The seat height required for someone my size makes one feel disconnected from the ground; there is a sense of teetering on some obstacles. I attribute that to frame size as well. The tires are also basic and on the first trail ride going up a rocky hill, the rear came off the rim and damaged the tube. I replaced the tubes with heavy duty inner tubes and inflated the tires to max to eliminate the issue. After of month of riding in the high desert, the tread is almost about 70% on the rear. These are very basic tires.Now for the technical stuff. The bike has many plastic parts that squeak while riding. That squeaking can be annoying. The disc brakes are easily pushed to their limits on steep downhills while on the trail. The suspension is capable, if only just. The front shocks are mechanical and are on the soft side. This causes some issue at speed over rough terrain because the bike feels loose; there is a lag in feedback from the bike about what is happening as it negotiates the terrain. The rear shock is mechanical as well and can be dialed in to your taste. It does the job, but it still feels like a cheap shock over the rough stuff and especially at speed. The rear can jump around a little, but not too much that the rider loses control.What about upgrades? At best, tires and maybe a better fork and shock. Saddles (seats) and bars are always something that riders normally do, so I am not including those as part of the upgrades. However, if you decide to add new cranks or brakes or shifters or derailleurs…you may as well take that $500 to $700 extra and sell your bike after you get some trail time under your belt. Then go buy a Mongoose Salvo or Diamondback Atroz or even better bike.This is a good bike for beginners who are exploring this hobby, and a perfect bike for casual riders who may hit the beginner trails and the occasional intermediate trail. It is also a very comfortable bike for someone who needs a full suspension for cruising around the neighborhood. If you are an intermediate rider, or you tend to go all out in everything you try, I would suggest looking at a better bike between $1000 and $2000. I should have. But I will ride this for a few months as I hone my skills and then plop down the money for a much better bike. See you then Amazon!

The package arrived one day late, the box was damaged a little on the side, actually a fist size hole, I could see the protective package coveering the middle of the rear spoke wheel. I figured something would be damaged but i'm happy to say it was all in very good condition. Putting it together was easy, afterwards adjusting everything took a little while I took it out for a spin and I noticed I need to adjust the rear suspension, it was a little bouncy when riding standing. Overall I love the bike, it looks bigger and better than shown in the photos... I wouldn't recommend the bike to n Anyone..... Only because I want to be one of the only ones who has it..... Lol..... Nah, I definitely recommend it, once you have and ride it you will feel like Mongoose lost their mind when they finalized the price... Well worth every penny!

The bike itself is well made and I don't expect it to break or anything anytime soon. Seems very durable and of good quality.My issue with the bike is the design. There is only about 1.5" clearance from the front wheel to the pedal when turning, causing me to CONSTANTLY hit the tire with my foot. Since this is a mountain bike, that's incredibly dangerous. I have to pay attention to which foot is forward while riding down a mountain, which is not where my concentration should be. I almost fell a number of times because of this. How did Mongoose not notice this when designing the bike?For biking around a neighborhood or simple rides, I'm sure this bike would work fine. But for mountain biking? Nowhere close to being a good bike.

Beautiful !! Like the setup was easy bike is strong I am a 275 lb 6 foot 7 inch man and the bike is just what I needed easily adjusts to the height

This bike has not disappointed me in any way. I'm a casual biker with my family and sometimes on my own and this bike is more than enough for what I need. I'm 6 feet tall and this bikes fits me well. It took half an hour to put it all together, it was very easy to do. I haven't tested it on any major trails as I'm a city trail and path user.

No estoy contento con esta compra , ya que la bicicleta trae pzas muy económicas y viene muy mala calidad. Quisiera regresarla . Gracias

The worst bike ever had. WalMart bike. Nothing but junk. WARNING: DO NOT BUY. Brakes don’t work. Wheels do not spin freely. The bike squeezes on every bump. Horrible bike. I tried to return it but amazons recomended shipping refused to take it and now im stuck with a ship anchor.

Los cambios sram no son de muy buena calidad así como el desviado delantero. Debería tener mejores componentes ya que a simple vista se ve imponente y bonita la estructura