Mongoose Bikes - Interbike 2009

Posted: Sep 24, 2009

Last year we had a chance to ride Mongoose's flagship DH bike, the Boot'r, and came away praising it as one of the best off the shelf big bikes that we've ever spent time on. While it always seems to be the DH bikes that get all the attention, Mongoose has an entire lineup of bikes that use the same great FreeDrive suspension. While in 'Vegas we took some time to check out two of their shorter travel bikes, the Pinn'r and the Nugget. The HammerSchmidt equipped Pinn'r is Mongoose's answer to the free ride question, while the fun looking Nugget is a 4" travel mischief machine that is ready for any trouble you want to get in.

Read on...

2010 Mongoose Pinnr

Mongoose had a bit of a sleeper hit last year with its longer travel DH and freeride machines. Flying under the radar but getting rave reviews from not only us here at Pinkbike, but also in print and on the racetrack, the bikes worked great despite the lack of flash that comes standard on some other company's machines. This year they have spiced up the entire range, especially the freeride oriented Pinn'r that we are looking at here. With some great graphics, a killer parts spec that Mongoose is becoming known for, and the same proven Freedrive suspension, the Pinn'r should never hold any rider back.

2010 Mongoose Pinnr

The Pinn'r is Mongoose's premiere freeride bike for 2010 and it looks very bit the part. With 190 mm of rear wheel travel and Rockshox's big legged Totem up front, there isn't a jump or drop that you should ever shy away from when on this bike. Utilizing the same much lauded Freedrive suspension as its bigger brother, the Boot'r, ensures that the green bike should excel at more than just the massive moves and skinny bridges that the bike is intended for.


There are a lot of smart component choices on the Pinn'r that really show attention to detail. The I-Beam system has proven to not only be lighter than most, but also far simpler. Bonus points for the custom Mongoose seat cover as well. The rims are shod with my personal favorite tire, the Kenda Excavator, and are dual plys right off the showroom floor (why can't more companies do this?!). Mongoose has bolted on a HammerSchmidt crankset and it does seem a good choice for this type of bike. Cable routing is all set to go as well, no zip ties to hold on the HammerSchmidt housing on this bike. Green color accented components are sprinkled throughout to finish off a unique looking bike.

A stout front end

Mongoose has someone clever working on the graphics this year!

2010 Mongoose Pinn'r complete spec

Frame	Mongoose FreeDrive Free Ride 190 mm travel w/ 150mm Maxle dropouts
Rear Shock	Rock Shox Vivid 5.1 beginning and ending stroke rebound and preload adjust, 229x70 mm w/ 19x8 mm hardware
Fork	Rock Shox Totem IS 180mm travel, Motion Control IS damper with low speed compression and rebound adjust
Headset	Gravity 1/DX Pro
Crankarms	Truvativ Hammerschmidt FR
Bottom Bracket	Truvativ Hammerschmidt 83 mm
Pedals	FUNN SolJam Viper
Chain	KMC X9
Cassette	SRAM PG-990 Cassette11-34T
Rear Derailleur	Sram X.0 custom green anodizing
Shifter Pod	Sram
Handlebar	Funn Fatboy triple butted AL7075 riser, 31.8x30x710 mm
Stem	Funn Rippa
Grips	Mongoose Lock on
Brakes	Avid Elixir levers and Code 5 calipers, 203 mm front rotor, 185 mm rear rotor
Front Wheel	Formula 20 mm Sun MTX-29
Rear Wheel	Formula 12/150 mm Sun MTX-29
Tires	Kenda Excavator DH w/ Stick-E rubber 26X2.5
Saddle	Custom Mongoose SDG Bel Air I-Beam
Seatpost	SDG I-Beam 2014 alloy, 31.6x300

Cable routing for the HammerSchmidt crankset

What is the "FreeDrive" suspension all about? Before you break out the abacus and protractor, I'll ruin your fun: it's really just a variation of the proven single pivot suspension design, with a link and rocker arm to have greater control over its action. FreeDrive is built around an extraordinarily high main pivot, with the rear end being a single sturdy swingarm. There is some suspension trickery happening closer to the bottom bracket though. The BB is actually floating on the same link that activates the shock, and is connected to the swingarm via a short link. This greatly reduces any chain growth caused by the mega high main pivot location.

Darren Salsbury of Mongoose had this to say about FreeDrive - "One thing that is important for the FreeDrive is that one of the hallmarks of the patent is that it doesn't matter what chain ring size you use, the suspension behaves the same. That is a big bonus over some other designs spec'd with HammerSchmidt. Some bikes are built around a middle chain ring position and the HammerSchmidts small 24T will lock theirs out. Ours is free to move!"

The Freedrive system uses an extraordinarily high pivot for a great wheel path but doesn't suffer from excessive chain growth

HammerSchmidt stock on the '10 Pinn'r

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2010 Mongoose Nugget

2010 Mongoose Nugget

The Mongoose Nugget almost defies you to put it in a single category. A lot of riders will look at the compact design and burly component spec and pick it up to be their dirt jump bike, while others will instantly see a bright future in gated racing aboard the Nugget. How about the riders who are simply looking for a fun and nimble bike that can survive it all? The Nugget could do that to! It's easy to see where I'm going with this. By taking a short travel (4") frame and hanging tough parts off of it, as well as some fast rolling rubber, Mongoose has put together what could be one of the great play bikes of '10. If you are looking for a bike for general mischief then keep reading!

Suspension is all RockShox with a Monarch and Pike combination

Mongoose wisely chose a Pike 409 fork to handle suspension duties up front. The 409 features both U-Turn travel adjust and Motion Control damping making it a great versatile fork for an equally versatile bike. The Pike has 140 mm at full travel, enough for some great fun up in the hills, but if a day at the skate park or DJs is in order then all it takes is a turn of the dial to bring it down to a more manageable 110 mm of travel. Likewise with the Motion Control damping, it couldn't be easier to quickly stiffen the fork up if need be.

Flush mounting shock hardware and tucked away cable routing

Mongoose Nugget spec

Frame and Size	New Mongoose FreeDrive Slopestyle frame w/ 100 mm rear travel and 135mm Maxle dropouts
Rear Shock	RockShox Monarch 3.1 , air spring, rebound and Floodgate, 165x38 mm w/ 19x8 mm hardware
Fork	RockShox Pike 409 140 mm travel U-turn Adjustable, 20 mm Maxle
Headset	FSA Orbit XLII angular contact bearing
Crankarms	Truvativ Hussefelt, 36t ring w/ e.13 LG1 steel back plate
Bottom Bracket	Truvativ Howitzer XR
Chain	KMC Z9200 w/ Missing Link connector
Cassette	SRAM PG-950 Cassette 11-26
Rear Derailleur	SRAM X.7 medium cage
Shifters	SRAM X.7 9 speed
Handlebar	Funn Full Bore PG 6061AL riser 25.4x50x710 mm
Stem	Funn Rippa 25.4x45 mm CNC alloy
Grips	Mongoose Lock on
Brakes	Avid Juicy 3 w/160mm rotors
Front Wheel	SUN Rhyno Lite 32 hole, Formula 20 mm hub
Rear Wheel	SUN Rhyno Lite 32 hole, Formula 12 x 135 hub
Tires	Kenda Small Block Eight 26X2.35
Saddle	Custom Mongoose SDG Bel Air I-Beam
Seatpost	SDG I-Beam 2014 alloy, 31.6x250

The Nugget's FreeDrive 4" suspension is far simpler than it looks

The Nugget uses the same suspension design as the longer travel Pinn'r, just on a smaller scale. Total travel is a firm 4" courtesy of RockShox's Monarch 3.2 air shock, and is driven via the FreeDrive system. The capable short travel bike relies on a high single pivot that deals well with square lumps and bumps, and combines that with a floating BB link which drives the shock. What sounds complicated is quite simple in practice, from experience on Mongoose's Boot'r DH bike last season I came away very please with the designs performance. New steel pivot axles and self locking nuts for 2010 will keep everything tight and ready to roll.

Fresh graphics for '10

A 12 x 135 mm Maxle equipped rear end keeps everything stiff

Out back Mongoose wisely chose to keep everything straight and tight by using a 12 x 135 mm Maxle system. Combined with the Pike's 20 mm Maxle, it should make for a straight tracking bike no matter where you end up. It is worth noting that the Mongoose has taken a big step ahead by using a titanium rear Derailleur hanger which will be far more resilient to the type of abuse that the Nugget is going to see. It's all in the details!

A sturdy Funn bar and stem combo

Head over to Mongoose.com to see the entire 2010 lineup of bikes!

Mike Levy