bcpriess

I've been searching for a kind of "do-all" bike that can take dirt, gravel, etc, and my short list is now down to the Masi Giramondo 650b w/ a second 700c wheelset and 40s, a Diamondback Carbon EXP, a Wolverine build, or a Mongoose Selous Comp. I had originally planned to do order the Selous for $650 off Nashbar for the components which add up to about $1000, and merge it all to the Wolverine since the spec is solid, but the Giramondo is really compelling and just seems like a nice ready-made solution, (thought at 27# it may have a noticeable weight penalty after 100 miles of DK). In the process, one of my coworkers jumped on the Selous deal, ordered one, and we got to try it out last week. My first impression is that in terms of weight, welds, component spec, ride quality, it is on par with the mid level alloy GT Grades, except about $700 less, and for any riders interested in the Grade, I would strongly suggest you give the Selous a second look. And digging a little deeper, its parent company owns GT, Cannondale, and Mongoose, while the much maligned Wal Mart Gooses are actually made by a different company called Dynacraft that specializes in BSOs. All that said, I'm planning to see if my coworker will let me take it on a longer lunch ride in the next week or two if weather participates, and see where that leads me.

wheelsmcgee

I noticed the Selous lineup on Nashbar recently and was curious about them, very little info out about these bikes. The Selous Expert could be had for just over $1k with Nashbar's regularly occuring 25% off sales, making it a very low cost way to try out Shimano road hydro.

I have thought about doing something similar (parts bike for Wolverine or Sutra frameset). However with bikes such as these it seems that there is always at least one "questionable" component like low-end OEM brakes or a house branded wheelset... Replacing those if they turn out to be garbage can easily turn the cost savings out of your favor. Glad to hear the bike is solid though.

bcpriess

Wheelsmcgee - Re the Selous Expert, my thoughts are as follows. I haven't ridden a Salsa Warbird, but I suspect that any reasonably engineered aluminum frame/carbon fork combo with 40 tires is probably going to soak up a lot of rough surfaces, which is to say the seatstay design of the Warbird may in fact do something to dampen vibration, but there may be a point at which tire width overtakes frame design for shock absorption. Since both bikes spec with 40s, the Selous Expert with the 105 drivetrain looks like it could be a viable alternative to an alloy 105 Warbird, based on the spec and geometry.

msbiker

I've had a Selous Expert for a couple of months and have been pretty happy so far. The biggest problem was that the derailler Nashbar originally shipped the bike with had a sheared off b screw, and a slightly bent rotor. They made it all good and paid all costs, but it was a pita for a little while.

What sold me was the shimano 105 groupset, hydro brakes, carbon fork and tubeless ready rim/tires. You can't find a better price for a bike with similar components I also plan to do some gravel road touring, so the fender mounts and pannier mounting points were a plus for me. The color is a little different, but that wasn't a big deal for me.

bcpriess

Did you test ride any comparable bikes when you bought the Selous, and if so, how did it perform comparatively? What if anything would you change? Also, what kind of riding do you do with it - surfaces/distances/frequency?

DarKris

Here's a nice little video featuring the Selous, albeit from 2 years ago:

mstateglfr 

Til halfway thru, i thought that was a local course i do all the time. But then i saw how much easier the second half of that guy's ride was and knew it couldnt be what i do on a weekly basis. ***

Barrettscv 

Does the fork and frame feature through axle dropouts?

DarKris

Only the Expert model has thru axles

Sullalto

I'm showing it's $1400 with 26% off.

https://www.nashbar.com/bikes/Produc...66_-1___205162

Am I looking at the wrong bike?

edit: That's a really disappointingly bare geometry chart.

wheelsmcgee

The "26% off" you're seeing is off MSRP. $1399 is Nashbar's standard price on this item.

Pretty much every day, Nashbar runs some sort of sale. Most are nothing special, and apply to only specific items, but usually about every two or three weeks, they'll have a (additional) 20% off bikes sale, and occasionally something like 20-25% off one item (some exclusions, but bikes usually included).

I bought their house branded steel cyclocross bike a few years ago and got it for 22% off this way. If you are sold on the bike and willing to play the waiting game, I'd wait until at least 20% off.

Edit: for example, I just went to the Nashbar website and today they are having 25% off "select" items (Unfortunately not "any one" item). The Selous expert is not included, but the comp is.

Barrettscv 

Nashbar is running a 23% off sale today, January the 23rd for 23 hours. I purchased the Mongoose Selous Expert for $1078 (1145.36 with shipping and taxes).

Exceptional deal for a gravel bike with thru axles, Shimano hydraulic brakes, 2x11 drivetrain, carbon fork and a good quality tubeless ready rims & tires.

mstateglfr 

Loving the fact that the Mongoose name is being discussed in a legitimate way.

Its so often derided as a walmart brand, since it sells to walmart. The quality line is basically ignored.

The NOS '93 Mongoose MTB frame im building up will most likely be dismissed by those who dont realize they company spec's some great bikes back in the day and still does.

Barrettscv 

I usually ignore the brand name and read the technical details, including frameset materials, geometry and the build list.

The Selous Expert is the only gravel bike with Shimano hydraulic brakes, 2x11 Shimano drivetrain, thru axles and tubeless ready wheelset anywhere near this price. I'll probably change the crankset for a Sugino with 44 and 30 chainrings.

wheelsmcgee

Congratulations barrettscv on your purchase and I agree at that price it seems to be a solid deal. Please post a review and some pics when you get a chance!

09box

I think Mongoose makes some solid bikes and sometimes oft get overlooked.

Barrettscv 

The Celous Expert arrived yesterday. I'll build it up over the weekend and I will take some pictures. It might take a few weeks before I test it, I'm planning on installing a 46 & 33 crankset and I'll remove the existing crankset and put it eBay as a new-take-off.

The bike certainly is well equipped. I wish it was more subtle: the color and the branding are overdone. However, it is a high quality product from a large volume marketer. I'm further impressed in the value of the bike.

bcpriess

I ended up picking up the Masi Giramondo 700c instead of a Selous, and it's a sweet machine. In the end I prefer steel in spite of the slight weight penalty, especially for long rides, and I consider bar end shifters a bonus. Some reviews out there peg the Masi at close to 30#, but on my balance beam scale, my XL size Giramondo is reading about 26.5# with a Brooks B17 and no pedals, which is only about 1.5# heavier than my vintage Raleigh Gran Sport Reynolds road bike. Glad to hear the Selous Expert looks solid - agree they could have not branded so heavily - the seat post and rim branding is a bit much. You should post a review after you put it through its paces. If you've ridden a Grade or a Jake, I'm curious how you think it compares.

NormanF

At $599, the Mongoose Selous Sport at Nashbar is an affordable way to get a do-it-all bike. Can't go wrong with a double-butted aluminum frame and WTB Nano 40 c tires.

DarKris

That fork clearance thou

50voltphantom

Yeah, that fork is dumb. Looks good otherwise.

Barrettscv 

The Serous Expert has plenty of room for a 700x40.

NormanF

The Selous should be able to accept up to 700 X 42 tires.

Its a serious all-rounder and Mongoose being a value brand, its competitive with Schwinn and GT.

Barrettscv 

Yes, a tire larger than 700x40 will fit front and rear. I can fit a 6mm wrench around the chainstays and an 8mm wrench around the seatstays and around the front tire with a 700x40 mounted. Eventually I'll try to mount a 700x45 WTB tire, just to see of it clears.

DarKris

How wide are the fork blades? If there's that much room in the back around the stays then maybe a 650b conversion is possible