Originally Posted by
zukahn1
Not much of a bike but still worth saving low end Mongoose 29er from scrap metal bin. didn't do much on this one pumped up the tires washed it and got it working. This one has to be one of the worst designed mass produced bikes I have ever worked on. It's really basic low end cruiser at hart so basic hard frame with 7 speed thumbie and simple liner pull brakes. common 26 wheels and it would fine, yet they put crappy full suspension on it, silly disc brakes, went with 29 wheels and horrible Sram 8x3 speed triggers. Road it around the block decided it sucks but still a basic working bike so road it to the thrift store took just one pic at the thrift store left it hoping to forget I ever saw this bike soon.
I refurbed a pair of 26" MTB BSO's last year, both had "suspension". everything about those bikes screamed "crap!". And at present moment I have a quintet of 26" wheeled BSO's in the back yard which I'm utterly dreading to work on. Not a one of them is likely over fifteen years old, but from the way the hopelessly low quality parts and components on all of them have rusted you'd swear they must have been made in the 1970's and sat outdoors for two decades. Still would be a waste to not refurb and get them into the hands of new owners. Yes they look like crap, but rust and tire replacements aside there's no reason someone couldn't get some enjoyment out of riding them. I have to remind myself they're essentially children's/teenagers bikes and the next owners of them will grow out of them and move onto hopefully better bikes.