Mongoose R5006

Where can I find Mongoose Wanderer AL Tandem Bike (26-Inch Wheels)

Good frame, parts are just OKBy Thomas D. KehoeThe Mongoose Wanderer AL tandem has a good oversized aluminum frame. The same frame is sold in steel under the "Pacific" brand name. Assuming that the frame fits you and your partner, I doubt you'll find a better frame even if you pay far more. The frame is light and feels solid.The steel fork and components are inexpensive but serviceable. You'll have to take the bike to a bike shop to assemble, unless you're an experienced mechanic. Every bearing needed to be adjusted, and both wheels needed to be tensioned and trued. This is the way all bikes come from the factory.The weight out of the box is 41 pounds. By replacing some of the steel parts with aluminum we easily lowered to weight to 37 pounds. You could lower the weight further without great expense.The annoying thing is that the Mongoose choose parts that save a dollar, but cost a fortune to replace.- The most important part to replace are the tires. We put on 1.4" Tom Slicks and it felt like a different bike. - The seats and pedals are cheap plastic. No big deal, I always replace the seat and pedals when I buy a bike.- The bike has a threaded headset. A threadless headset would have cost the manufacturer a dollar more, but for the consumer to upgrade to threadless (fork, headset, stem) costs about $200.- It has a freewheel, not a cassette. This increases the stress on the rear axle, increasing the possibility of breaking. And it has a "Mega Range" 7-speed freewheel, which is a 14-24 6-speed plus a 32-tooth cog. 14-32 is a good range, and 7 gears are adequate, but the shift from 24 to 32 teeth causes the pedals to increase in speed suddenly and the stoker loses her feet off the pedals. Replacing a cassette is easy but replacing a freewheel is harder. First I found a 14-28 7-speed freewheel on an old bike. Then I found a deal on rear wheel with a 7-speed cassette. Then I upgraded the rear wheel to a 9-speed cassette with 40 spokes, which was expensive but is a real tandem wheel.- Both wheels have 36 spokes. 40- or 48-spoke wheels would have cost just a few dollars more, but for you to upgrade the wheels can cost hundreds of dollars. - The spokes were undertensioned, which will increase spoke breakage, so you need to have a skilled mechanic spend some time tensioning the wheels. This isn't simple, you have to true, tension, and re-true the wheel; go for a ride; true, tension and re-true again, etc. After doing this four times the wheels stayed in true.- The bike only has mounts for rim brakes. Disk brake mounts would have cost another dollar, I guess. The ProMax brakes work acceptably, but if you want to upgrade to better brakes (I put on Avis Single Digit 7's) you'll need brake boosters. Without brake boosters you get squealing and shuddering, because the fork and frame aren't as strong as the brakes.- Both seat tubes are standard 27.2mm, but the captain has a 25.4 seat post with a shim, to fit a 25.4 stoker steam. These non-standard sizes ... »» Read more about Mongoose Wanderer AL Tandem Bike (26-Inch Wheels).

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