I bought this bike in size small as a loaner for my shorter friends and the numerous riders have loved riding it so far. This bike provides excellent component levels and very respectable performance for the price. The Kenda Excavator tires it comes with are a total zero on the front and fair on the rear. You must remove the Excavator on the front as it causes a hitchy twitchy feeling that only God would know how Mongoose could export this bike with that tire on the front. Similarly, how supposedly the pro reviews don't notice how horrible the Kenda Excavator is for a front tire indicates they have severe limitations in analyzing how and why a bike performs and should never let a tire impact a review on the whole bike as they have done. I thought the headset was over tightened when I first rode the bike and then determined the weird front steering was the tire and a Panaracer Dart fixed the situation. The Rockshox Silver Recon fork is deliriously good and air adjustable for both... Read more

I am very content with my purchase. All components feel and work fine. I bought the small frame and I am 5'9. For me it works well. The shocks are really smooth, especially in comparison with cheaper bikes. The hydraulic brakes are super.

Minor things to consider: I did not like the handle grips (round) so I changed them ($24 Ergon. Also, because it is a dual suspension bike there is no room to mount stuff on the inside of the frame, so the bottle goes right behind the front tire and gets dirty. Last, you can't mount a cargo rack because the rear end moves.

Overall, I think it is a very good purchase for someone who does not want to spend too much on a bike but still have above average quality performance.

I purchased the mongoose Salvo elite duel suspension mountain bike in December 2011. The bike has been great, I have really enjoyed it. I also purchased a BionX electric motor and fitted it to the mongoose bike, they work well together. I have done more than 1500km on road and trails since purchasing it. I am always looking forward to my next ride.