Gear Shots

Gear Shots #45 - Mongoose, Transition, and Sugoi

Mongoose, Transition, and Sugoi

Date: 2008-10-22

2009 Mongoose Pinn’r
Words and photos: Mark Steinebach

If you are under 35 years of age, Mongoose will not likely be part of your mountain bike lingo. For those of us that do remember Mongoose from its prime when the likes of John Tomac devoured dual slalom on one of these steeds, there really has not been a lot of chatter about these bikes for a good long while. A blip on my personal radar screen happened with perennial class-act Eric Carter riding for Mongoose and more recently big mountain hucker extraordinaire Steve Romaniuk going from Specialized to Mongoose last year. The burning question with Romo’s move was, “What is he going to be riding?”  The answer: the Pinn’r and the Boot’r. 

The Boot’r and Pinn’r models are Mongoose's long-travel dual suspension offerings for 2009. The Boot’r replaces the EC-D downhill frame, while the Pinn’r is a completely new offering. The Pinn’r is a true 7-and-7 bike that features single crown forks only (a dual can be mounted on the 1.5” headtube but this bike was designed for those who like to throw down with the x-ups).  The Pinn'r comes in two distinct build offerings: the top-of-the-line Foreman that I was testing and the more value-priced offering, the Apprentice.


The green '09 Pinn'r frame blends in nicely with the background.

The first thing that sets the Pinn'r apart from almost every other full suspension bike is its suspension design. The bottom bracket is not incorporated as the junction between the seattube and the downtube but is free floating and incorporated into the suspension pivots. This freedom from the main frame triangle forms the basis of the Mongoose FreeDrive suspension. 


Definitely a unique approach to rear suspension. But how did it work?

FreeDrive shares patents with both GT and Maverick bikes. The heart of this suspension design allows the bottom bracket, which is incorporated into the rear triangle, to float with the suspension. As the rear triangle moves upward through its suspension path, the bottom bracket moves down and back along with it. This prevents chain growth, with suspension movement thus completely eliminating all elements of suspension induced pedal feedback.

The real magic here is that this is achieved with what is arguably a high point single pivot suspension system. For any who have ridden one of these in the past, pedal feedback and brake jack are things you simply come to accept. Mongoose has wrestled this concept to the ground and caused this stereotype to tap out. 

The Pinn’r Foreman came ready to ride with a Marzocchi 66 RC3 and Roco TST-R coil rear shock, Maxle rear axle with incorporated derailleur hanger and the new Saint derailleur, e.13 LTS chainguide, a trick I-Beam post and custom SDG Mongoose seat, Funn pedals, bar, stem and new Hayes Stroker Ace stoppers all rolled out on Sun Ringle Flea hubs and Kenda Excavator rubber.

Riding weight of this build has not been published but topped out at 42.6 pounds on my scale, which is no flyweight but well within the industry norm for this class of bike. The Pinn’r will only come in Moss Green in small, medium, and large sizes. The sweetness: these top-shelf goods sell for US$3,799. Stay tuned for the full ride report. I'm going riding...

Transition Revolution Wheelset
Words and photos: Stuart Kernaghan

Washington-state based Transition Bicycle Company is best known for designing and building its own line of full squish and hardtail bikes (including the Blindside that I am testing at the moment). Kevin and Kyle, the guys behind Transition, also turn out a fairly comprehensive line of components that are used in the build of complete Transition bikes but are also available as stand-alone parts for people looking for something a little out of the ordinary. You can choose from bars, stems, pedals, saddles, and wheelsets.

I’ve talked about wheelsets before, and the benefits of buying pre-built wheels. It’s quick, it’s easy and they match. Cost for some wheelsets is flat-out nuts, but Transition has bucked that trend and built a wheelset that is downright affordable.

The Revolution wheelsets come in a couple of flavours – 32 hole and 36 hole freeride / DH wheels or 32 hole all-mountain wheels. I’ve been riding a set of the 32 hole freeride wheels for a while now, and they’ve done a good job.

Transition has built the Revolution freeride wheels on a 32mm wide, 6061 aluminum alloy rim (the 36 hole uses a 36mm rim) using 14g stainless steel black spokes and black brass nipples. Wheels are machine built and then checked by hand.


It's white, it's got 32 spokes and a green hub, and it's built to take a beating - without destroying your wallet.

The front wheel is only available in a 20mm thru axle hub, but there are choices for the rear. You can go with either a 10mm or 12mm interchangeable solid axle with the 135mm spacing.
I started with the standard 10mm QR axle, which worked fine, but switched to a nutted axle when I added the floating brake to the Transition Blindside I’m testing.

Things started out well on the Revolution wheelset, but I noticed after about a month of hard riding in Whistler and on the Shore that the rear spokes were loose. I spent a bit of time with a spoke wrench tightening things up and everything has been fine since then. Kevin recommends checking spoke tension after a couple of rides and doing any necessary tweaking at that time.


The thru-axle / floating disc mounted on the Blindside and working nicely in conjunction with the rear Revolution 32.

All in all, I’ve been impressed with the durability of the Revolution wheels. I’m over 240lbs. all geared up, and tend to be hard on equipment. So far, I haven’t put any flat spots on the rims, broken a spoke, or dented the sidewalls. The stickers are a little worse for wear, but I can live with that. More importantly, I haven’t noticed any flex issues with the wheels or even much disc rub when cornering hard, which is a good measure of their stiffness.

At 2510g for the 32mm wheelset, these won’t be the speediest wheels you’ve ever used. You can go hard on them, though, and the price more than makes up for any weight penalty.

You’ll be shelling out a wallet friendly US$289 for the Revolutions. And that’s a good deal. You also get a whole bunch of colours to choose from: black with black hubs; red with grey hubs; white with black, red, gold, blue or green hubs; or chocolate brown with grey hubs.

Check the Transition web site for a list of dealers in your area.

Sugoi Hans shorts
Words and photos: Stuart Kernaghan

Sugoi has been making cycling clothing for a long time now, but most of it has been for the XC or road set. The Gustov baggy shorts were a solid attempt to break into a market that would much rather cover up Lycra than see it, and they were well received.

All-mountain, and even big-bike, riders are going to be pleasantly surprised to see some of the new offerings coming out of Sugoi these days. The first of these that’s worth checking out is the new Hans short.

The Hans short is a baggy short that can either be purchased with or without a padded liner short. They’re made of a material that Sugoi calls Mobil DX and Mobil Mesh, which in English means a stretchy fabric that breathes and actually wicks moisture away from the skin.Features include a zip fly with two snap closures to prevent accidentally exposing yourself, two front pockets, a small rear pocket, 13” inseam and dual side-adjustable waistbands. Colour choices for fall ’08 are lizard (a light brown) and black.


The Hans shorts fall a little bit above the knee if you're tall. The pockets are plenty deep for keys, phone, a wallet, or whatever other crap you want to throw in there.

I’ve been wearing the Hans shorts on both all-mountain rides and trips to Whistler or the Shore. They’ve been very comfortable in all situations, thanks to the breathable stretch fabric. I often forget I’m wearing them on all-mountain rides, although I do have to hitch them up from time to time. A bit more grip in the side adjustments would be nice. That said, I haven’t had any issue with them snagging the nose of my saddle either, thanks to the gusseted crotch.

The front pockets are plenty deep for keys / wallet / cell phone kind of stuff, but the back pocket is too small for a wallet. Length is good, and they hit me just above the knee. The top of my knee / shin pads usually sit inside the leg of the shorts, although it does take a bit of adjusting at times to get them there.


You try taking a photo of your own ass and see how it turns out. The rear pocket is small, and the belt loops are more fashion rather than function, but seat is roomy and doesn't snag on the saddle.

Because the fabric used to construct the Hans shorts is soft and light (compared to the cordura nylon used in DH shorts), it’s not going to stand up to a serious bail on rocky terrain. Thus far, though, I’ve managed a few get-offs without any damage to the shorts. The choice of materials also make the Hans shorts comfortable off the bike as well, and I often find myself wearing them around the house or when I do errands.

The Hans shorts are worth checking out if you’re looking for a very comfortable short and don’t mind the fact that they’re not designed for high-speed bails. Stay tuned for more new AM / Shore riding gear from Sugoi in the near future.

Questions? Comments? Heckling? Encouragement? What's your pleasure?

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