# Mongoose Croix Comp?



## TRUPSCDO (Oct 29, 2008)

First time post here in the cyclocross forum... Have been considering a new cyclocross bike to replace my Jamis Nova that I gave to a friend some time back. I found this Mongoose Croix Comp cyclocross bike on the Performance website on sale for about $640, or $540 with a promo code. Does anyone have any experience with this bike? I'm not overly picky about components so I would be fine with Tiagra. 

http://www.performancebike.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10052_10551_1072897_-1_36007_20000_36501

Any insight would be appreciated. :thumbsup: 

Thanks.


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## SPECBender (Apr 2, 2009)

seems a little spendy for a mongoose. then again 300 bucks seems a little spendy for a mongoose


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## lovetranquillity (Jun 13, 2009)

SPECBender said:


> seems a little spendy for a mongoose. then again 300 bucks seems a little spendy for a mongoose



Word.


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## toddre (May 17, 2004)

This one is cool looking...
http://www.mongoose.com/int/eng/mtn...d-Alternative/Details/2737-M9CROE-Croix-Elite


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## m_s (Nov 20, 2007)

SPECBender said:


> seems a little spendy for a mongoose. then again 300 bucks seems a little spendy for a mongoose


Did you actually look at the components that come on the bike? The drivetrain + wheels alone are easily worth the 500 dollars, and having seen the frame in person, it looks to be well constructed.

Mongoose makes legit bikes, and the people designing the legit bikes have nothing to do with the crap in walmart that has the same name plastered on the downtube. I don't understand why this is such a hard concept for people to grasp. :mad2:


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## uparabbit (Dec 3, 2008)

horrible cable routing.


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## quickfeet18 (Mar 2, 2007)

looks fine to me, for tiagra that is a great deal.


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## TRUPSCDO (Oct 29, 2008)

Thanks for the feedback. I decided to pull the trigger and ordered the Croix Comp. Its been a year and a half since I owned a bike. This will be a nice way to get back on the saddle and to chase my girlfriend on a grocery store ride. If I find more time to ride, I'll have a nice second back to ride or a starting point to build up a second bike. Look forward to your advice in the future.

Thanks All.


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## DPCX (Nov 11, 2004)

uparabbit said:


> horrible cable routing.



Whats wrong with down tube cable routing? I've had much better luck in NW mud than with top tube routing. Less housing & no extra pulleys. My .02 cents.

DP


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## lewdvig (Oct 4, 2004)

Yeah, Mongoose really diluted their brand going into Wallymart. Even though they make neat bikes, its going to be tough to bring back the prestige from the late 80's.

That said, if they will ship me one (I live in Canada) I'll be getting one too. That's almost half the price of a Giant TCX 2 yet has a better spec.


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## old_fuji (Mar 16, 2009)

not a bad looking bike...might be my next bike purchase


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## lewdvig (Oct 4, 2004)

TRUPSCDO said:


> Thanks for the feedback. I decided to pull the trigger and ordered the Croix Comp. Its been a year and a half since I owned a bike. This will be a nice way to get back on the saddle and to chase my girlfriend on a grocery store ride. If I find more time to ride, I'll have a nice second back to ride or a starting point to build up a second bike. Look forward to your advice in the future.
> 
> Thanks All.


Any chance you could weigh yours and tell us what size it is?

Even a fish scale weighing would be great. I just want to know this thing is not 24 lbs.


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## lewdvig (Oct 4, 2004)

DPCX said:


> Whats wrong with down tube cable routing? I've had much better luck in NW mud than with top tube routing. Less housing & no extra pulleys. My .02 cents.
> 
> DP


I would not worry too much about that poster's comments. Most people commenting on CX bikes don't even race CX. LOL

I've added running to my repertoire and I plan to race CX this year. I'll have my ass handed to me and I'm expecting some serious carnage.


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## TRUPSCDO (Oct 29, 2008)

*Can do...*

Thanks Lewdvig for the support. I spoke with a sales guy at Performance Bike here in Dallas earlier in the week with a question about my order. When he looked up the order he commented that the bike had a Kenesis aluminum frame similar to the GT GTR Series 4 road bike. So, I'm guessing/hoping that it won't be too heavy so long as the wheels are not boat anchors. Expecting the bike to show up some time next week. Will try to post weight and maybe some pics next weekend.

By the way, I ordered a XS as I'm 5'3". The S has a 529mm top tube which would stretch me out. I've been most comfortable on 515mm top tubes, so I'm hoping the 508mm top tube isn't too short. We'll see. I'm hoping to enter a couple of CX races this fall. Dallas Bike Works is organizing this year's series. Sounds like a blast.

-John


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## toddre (May 17, 2004)

lewdvig said:


> Yeah, Mongoose really diluted their brand going into Wallymart. Even though they make neat bikes, its going to be tough to bring back the prestige from the late 80's.


A few years back I worked at a shop that was a Mongoose dealer when the Walmart stuff started.
I asked our rep about what people here in the U.S. would think and if it would affect there higher end bikes.
He said they lost the high end market a couple years before that anyways, but they were still producing high end stuff because they were huge in Europe and Japan.
I don't know how much of that has changed.


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## TRUPSCDO (Oct 29, 2008)

*If you happen to read Hungarian...*

I found this while googling for better pictures....

Hungarian Review

The specs at the end of the review suggest that the bike is 11.4kg with pedals. My guess is that the weight must be around 25lbs. Seems that the entire bike is a boat anchor, but I'm sure a moderately better wheelset, pedals, and saddle could take off a 2 or 3 lbs. But, that's not my concern at the moment.

-John


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## toddre (May 17, 2004)

TRUPSCDO said:


> I found this while googling for better pictures....
> 
> Hungarian Review
> 
> ...



With all the stuff on the internet, there must be a program that will translate that article into english. :thumbsup: 
I'm strangely intrigued by that bike. Although it looks pretty over built in those pics.


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## lewdvig (Oct 4, 2004)

Yeah, any time you see colored rims you gotta suspect boat anchor hoops. They remind me of bike messenger wheels.

That might be .5 lb - so I don't know where the other 2-3 lbs come from. I would gues the wheels are 2200 gm with skewers (no tires, cassette).

It's going to be hard getting this under 20 lbs.

I love the chain stay detail though.

For a few hundred more I think I'll support my LBS and grab a Giant TCX 1 - thats about 20 lbs I think.


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## Dajianshan (Jul 15, 2007)

Mongoose is part of the Cannondale consortium... with Schwinn, and GT. 
It is their Costco/Walmart brand. It might make a good starter, but be prepared for bike lust after a few months of riding, once you discover you're not half bad at it. 

My buddy spent 2K on a Giant XC bike two months ago and now wishes he had a CX bike or something with drop bars. The pricy upgrades have already begun.


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## toddre (May 17, 2004)

I bet you could save some weight with the bars stem post and saddle. Wheels of course, and I wonder if that weight includes the pedals and straps.
C'mon, sombody buy the bike and weigh it... then strip it down and weigh the frame for us...


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## SPECBender (Apr 2, 2009)

m_s said:


> Did you actually look at the components that come on the bike? The drivetrain + wheels alone are easily worth the 500 dollars, and having seen the frame in person, it looks to be well constructed.
> 
> Mongoose makes legit bikes, and the people designing the legit bikes have nothing to do with the crap in walmart that has the same name plastered on the downtube. I don't understand why this is such a hard concept for people to grasp. :mad2:


"Aluminum rims with Formula hubs are built strong for those challenging sections"

"FSA Vero " and tiagra groupo is about 200 bucks

So you get nameless wheels, and low end components....
and if you think you get 500 bucks worth of parts...the whole bike is what? 650 bucks...makes it a 150 dollar frame. 

for 150 bucks you can get a pretty nice used frame....that isnt mongose. 

Its a hard concept for people to grasp because there's no concept at all. why the hell would you spend 650 bucks on a new mongose when you can get a kick ass used bike for 650.


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## toddre (May 17, 2004)

SPECBender said:


> "Aluminum rims with Formula hubs are built strong for those challenging sections"
> 
> "FSA Vero " and tiagra groupo is about 200 bucks
> 
> ...


Wow, $200 for a Tiagra groupo ?? Tell me where you shop....lol
I agree with alot of what you are saying, but the problem for alot of people who would be looking at a bike like that(and I assume are mostly beginners and first timers), is that if they bought a used "boutique" brand with used 105 we'll say, at that price, more than likely the chain, rings chain and cassette are on they're last legs. That's $120 dollars for parts right there. And I assume they'd have to pay labor.
Probably will need new tires and there's $70.
Who knows what the frame has been though and there's no warranty.
And as been stated before, the higher end Mongoose stuff is very compettive in price and quality compared to others in the same catagory.
Plus, it would be kinda cool to beat the others on they're Redlines and Cannondales while you ride a "Walmart" bike....:thumbsup:


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## TRUPSCDO (Oct 29, 2008)

*Pics and Weight...*

So I used a bathroom scale to weigh... looks like the bike comes in at about 24.5 to 25lbs.

Here are some pics... Will edit when I can get clearer ones up.

Photo Link

John


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## uparabbit (Dec 3, 2008)

Well I hope you can strip those stickers off easily. I mean regardless if it's a good ride or not... I can only imagine all the wally-world questions coming at ya if not.


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## jdkimple (Jul 23, 2009)

Lewdvig - the LBS has a TCX 1 for a few hundred more? Wow, where the hell is that? Most LBS's have a TCX 2 for $900, which is sort of same component spec as the Mongoose. With the Team Performance membership, it's only a tick over $500. That's almost half.

ME, I'm going to get the Croix Comp, but I just need to know about touring (ultralight) with it.


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## TRUPSCDO (Oct 29, 2008)

jdkimple, a heads up that the rear triangle is tapped to mount a rear rack. This isn't clear on most pics. The front fork of the Croix Comp front fork is not tapped for a front rack. The bike may not be ultralight but at least you can put a rear rack on but have to change the fork depending on your touring needs.

specbender, I get the used bike proposition, but I don't care to search endlessly for a bike that fits me, especially a cyclocross bike. So for my immediate needs, this bike works. I'm guessing if I enjoy racing and stick with CX, I can take my time and find a pimp bike to race and have a back-up bike in hand. Worst case, this bike catches all beer and grocery fetching duties. For about $525, I'm happy with my Walmart bike. I figure I'll eventually be passing folks on bikes costing 2-4x more as I roll by on my Wally-World bike.  Well, maybe just the really slow ones.


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## jdkimple (Jul 23, 2009)

Trupscdo - thanks for the input. With the stock 35c tires, how much clearance is there around the chainstays? Is it tight, or plenty of room for mud, out-of-true wheel, etc?
Handling - does it feel like it wants to stay straight, are you out over the front wheel much, etc? My current bike's geometry makes me feel like I'm leaning over more on the front wheel, sort of a grocery-cart feeling and it's a bit disconcerting on fast turns. How would it handle loooong days in the saddle?

Sorry, I have a ton of questions. If I can sell my Bianchi, I'm buying the Mongoose.


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## wolffman (May 25, 2009)

I love all of these comments from cyclists who have never ridden, touched or even seen this bike in person before... I have owned the Mongoose Croix Comp for about a month now and I love it. Perfect for entry into the world of cyclocross.

I paid just over $500 at Performance (and got $50 back in store credit with a membership). It's got a well made frame (weighs about 24 lbs), Tiagra components (dare you to find me a cheaper bike new with Tiagra), and feels very solid going uphill, downhill and off-road. Very fast riding in the drops. The saddle is very comfortable for me, although I haven't gone on a ride over 2 hours. There is plenty of clearance around the chainstays. I have a size Small which fits perfect and I am 5'8" with a 32 inch inseam. Ride the Mongoose Croix Elite if they have it at your local Performance (I live in Denver), it has the exact same frame. 

If you're worried about the weight, don't get a cross bike. If 2-3 pounds is that big of a deal for you, maybe you should try losing 5 pounds off your belly - problem solved! By the way, this is not a "Walmart" mongoose, this is a quality bike at a great price. And people (like myself) who don't know how to strip down and build up a bike also don't want to buy some overpriced crappy used craigslist bike with "better" components that will require a lot of work in the near or immediate future.


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## TRUPSCDO (Oct 29, 2008)

jdkimple,

I added a photo of the rear tire clearance to my photo album. Hope this helps.

<table style="width:194px;"><tr><td align="center" style="height:194px;background:url(https://picasaweb.google.com/s/c/transparent_album_background.gif) no-repeat left"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/john.z.martinez/CroixComp?feat=embedwebsite"><img src="https://lh3.ggpht.com/_wp9s4YmbJ9A/SmUj_z-nR2E/AAAAAAAAAYA/3rHoBafTBvs/s160-c/CroixComp.jpg" width="160" height="160" style="margin:1px 0 0 4px;"></a></td></tr><tr><td style="text-align:center;font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:11px"><a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/john.z.martinez/CroixComp?feat=embedwebsite" style="color:#4D4D4D;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none;">Croix Comp</a></td></tr></table>

John


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## jdkimple (Jul 23, 2009)

Thanks TRUPSCDO and wolffman; I went ahead and bought the Croix Comp thru Performance. Also spoke (via email) a bit with Dave at Mongoose and he made it sound like the Performance price was a heck of a deal. And Performance's 100% satisfaction guarantee is pretty unbeatable. 

Not so keen on the ship-to-store option with this bike. I don't understand that I could pay ~$35 to ship to the store and it arrive in 10-14 days, or I could spend ~$45 and get it at my home in 4 days. What the hell is the deal with that? I know it's not what they regularly stock in the store, but man I KNOW they have deliveries from the warehouse more regularly than that.


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## TRUPSCDO (Oct 29, 2008)

jdkimple, PM sent about shipping costs.

-John


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## jdkimple (Jul 23, 2009)

Just a quick update. Been riding my Croix Comp for about everything and I can't say too many things bad about it. Well, the chainstays - the second bend they make to flare out to width of the hub could have happened further back. Where it is makes heel strike possible. 

Yes, it's sort of heavy. Not really boat-anchor heavy, but not super-zoot-crabon fibre light, either. But at this price point you can't expect something comparable to a Ridley, now can you? 

I've ridden it on mountain bike trails (and beat myself up at it). I've ridden it for 30 miles on gravel roads of a 50 mile ride. Different wheelset with road tires and I've done a century on it. It's rides better than the CF Trek I used to have. All I can say is Man, am I happy I bought this bike. 

And if you bought this bike and swapped out your saddle, I'll buy it.


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## old_fuji (Mar 16, 2009)

looks like they pulled the croix comp from the performance site...they've got the croix elite or soemthing up there now


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## jdkimple (Jul 23, 2009)

No, they (Performance Bike) sold out of the Croix Comp. The Croix Elite was up before as well. It's the same frame, with carbon fork and SRAM Red components. Great price for that group, but a bit more than I wanted to spend initially. Besides, I like the black better.


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## jdkimple (Jul 23, 2009)

Gentlemen - first off, please forgive me if this is the wrong avenue to go down with the following message. If so, please redirect me. I can do as I'm told, honest!

As Mongoose is gearing up for the 2010 bikes, I've found an avenue for the 2009 bikes that Performance sold at a good deal. Good news is I can get them even cheaper - about half of what Performance was selling them for. Bad news is, because I am NOT, I repeat, NOT a full-fledged business, I have no idea currently on how to handle any possible warranty issues and they are currently in Indonesia. Look, I'm just a guy who found a great deal on these, would like one of the Croix Elites now, but have to buy in qnty to get a decent shiping rate. Not to mention I think some others would like a great deal on a new bike. Again, not out to inflate prices as I can direct you to the company that has 'em.

Mongoose Croix Comp (full Tiagra, except a 2200 front der) is $375 plus ship to your house from mine. Croix Elite (Sram Rival, CF fork) is $625 + ship to your house.

I don't plan on doing this any more than once so it will not become a habit for me to be hawking stuff here.


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## PHeller (Jan 24, 2007)

I'm interested to see if Mongoose can cut some of the weight of Croix and still maintain the low price.

I'd be really interested in a sub-$400 new CX bike mentioned above...

Anyone have a 2010 catalog link?


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## jdkimple (Jul 23, 2009)

Yeah... http://www.mongoose.com/int/eng/mtn/Products/Mountain-Pavement/Cyclocross/

The 2010 bikes look IDENTICAL to the '09 bikes in every way. But I don't blame them, why keep changing stuff up just because?


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## wheindl (May 22, 2010)

*I bought a Mongoose Comp Croix...*

Almost a year ago... persuaded by the Tiagra shifters and the otherwise cheap frame (and name)... figuring it to be a high performance commuter bike (adding a rack and swapping out the tires) yet not a theft magnet. And I enjoyed commuting regularly... until this morning... National Bike to Work Day... I hit a small bump, and the fork sheared into three pieces. Reading the specs, I suspect the problem is trying to weld aluminum fork arms to a steel steerer; anyone hear of this being done before? Anyway, now I need to press a claim for a broken collar bone and broken bike against Mongoose, and get a bike with a more reliable fork.


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## jdkimple (Jul 23, 2009)

*Mongoose Croix Busted fork?*

That's odd, I'm sure there's lots of Al forks with steel steerers out there. Maybe there's a bad lot with whomever Mongoose sourced these from? 
I can't say it's unheard of, another member of this list PM'ed me saying that he saw cracks in the first two he ordered and then he switched to another manufacturer. He spotted the cracks before they became a problem. At the time I thought he was having a run of bad luck but after this, I don't think so. 

Dang, I ride mine pretty hard. 

Please let us know how this turns out. Holy crap, batman...


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## jdkimple (Jul 23, 2009)

toddre said:


> ...
> Plus, it would be kinda cool to beat the others on they're Redlines and Cannondales while you ride a "Walmart" bike....:thumbsup:


I did. Raced my Croix Comp with Cap City Cross, placed midpack in my first race EVER, with no time for any conditioning. Won the last race with the Akron (Ohio) winter 'cross series out right, again NO time training. These guys were riding Salsa, Redline, LeMond, etc. - yes I looked, I'm a bike geek. 

So, what's the problem?


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