Mongoose
2001 Bosberg

This is a little (just a little?!) different from the bikes that I used to own. A Ti road bike vs. all MTBs in the past. I haven't put much miles on her yet since she is still new. But I would say I am happy with the ride so far. She accelerates really well. And coming from 26lb+ MTBs, I am pretty happy about this 18.5lb bike. She can lose some more weight but that's not a priority right now. I rather put more miles on her and be a better rider for now. hehe~

I would say the welding on the frame is good. Not Seven's or Merlin's good, but it's smooth and consistent. The component selection of the bike is a mix, literally. *Almost* full Shimano Ultegra with low end BB (I think so, even though it's not listed on the web site) and cassette plus a high end Dura Ace rear derailluer. Personally, I rather lose the Dura Ace rear derailluer and have a true full Ultegra. The Cane Creek Aerohead Ti wheelset is really light and fast rolling. The Ti spokes smooth out the even further. People said the Ti spokes flex a bit more, but I have yet have trouble with it. Maybe I should get a cheaper wheelset for everyday riding and leave the nice Ti wheelset for race day only.

Yes, Mongoose sell bikes in Target and Walmart. But that doesn't stop them from making good value Ti bike. And the sales in department store bikes probably help them to produce such good value bike in real world (hehe~). This Bosberg I got is even cheaper than a comparable Airborne Ti road bike (Airborne is famous for their $$ to bike ratio). I cannot care less for the fact that Mongoose also sell department store bikes. Look at it this way, if I got my butt kicked by a Litespeed (or the likes) guy (or gal, hehe), then that means I don't ride good enough to ride a Litespeed anyway and I will be glad that I didn't spend $3000+ just to get what everybody else got; and if I kicked a Litespeed guy's (again, or gal's) butt (big or tiny), then I will be happy that I was only paying half for what they paid for their fancy bikes and I still ride better than they do. So, I am happy either way.

07/19/01 update
I've replaced the stem to a shorter one. And also made some adjustment to the seat position. Now, I couldn't be happier with the bike (oh well, a true ultegra groupo, a little wider handler bar, a new computer and a new carbon sole road shoe + Look 296 pedals will make me even happier, hehe). It's should smooth on the road, and still hold up really well on out of saddle climbs. Here are something that comes to mind:

• The Cane Creek Ti spokes wheelset is really light. And they takes a lot of abuse from the road away. But at the same time, they flex a little. The front wheel, I can hear the magnet of the computer hitting the sensor on out of saddle climbs. That bugs me a little, but no big deal.
• I am using a loaner (thanks Ernest!) Shimano SPD pedals right now. Man, those are definitely NOT worth your time and money. I've already bought a pair of white Look 296 and I can't wait to put them on. I am still using those SPD pedals because I need a pair of road shoe and I am still using my SIDI mtb shoe for road. I am not saying that the SPD didn't work, but the single sided pedals are so small that it's a major pain in the ass to get in at traffic light. (Oh yeah, of course I always have the option of doing track stand. But lately, it's not working well for me for some reason) So, I am in the market to search for a pair of carbon sole road shoe with a decent price ... still searching ...
• I still wish the 44cm handl bar can be a little wide. Maybe I need a 46cm wide bar. But Supergo is not giving me credit for the 44cm bar that comes with my bike. So, I may have to wait for a little while, ride my bike, be a better rider, and just change the bar to 46cm as a replacement part.
• The polished Shimano Ultegra shifters are beautiful. And if you have those, take a GOOD look at it, cause ... YOU WILL SCRATCHED THEM SOME DAY! And boy, those are the heart breaking moment when you found out that you scratched your beautifully polished shifters ... -_- for that reason, I like the XTR grey better, you are still going to scratch them. But they don't look that when you do. (Instead, you add Character to them, haha)
• Computer, I am still using my old Segma 800 computer. I don't really like this one, there is no 0.1mph displace. Plus the mount is already broken. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't ... searching for a new computer, trying to get one with the cadence measurement, but I don't want to pay $80 for one neither ...
• The polished Thomson seatpost can be scratched easily. The black ano. one seems much more scratch resistance.
• I put a large Fox saddle bag on the bike for tubes, tire lever, tools, patch kit, etc. So that I don't have to put everything in my jersey pocket.

08/10/01 update
As I put more milage on the bike, I get more *feedback* from the bike. Knowing more about what's good and what's bad.

• I just cleaned the bike the other day. Boy, it made so much difference! Before I had to clean the chain and everything, I wasn't able to wape the chain because it was so sticky. Oh well, I guess I should have taken care of my bike better, clean it more often ... hehe~
• When I really hammer it out of saddle up a slop, I can feel some flex. But I am not able to isolate the source of the flex yet. It could be because of the somewhat flexy ti spokes wheelset or it's the way the ti frame is built (you got what you paid for, that's a fact). All I have to do is to borrow a wheelset from a wheel of mine and try it out ...
• The Shimano Ultegra shifters ... boy, do I love it and hate it. It shifts prefect as long as you adjust it right. And the polish looks so cool ... when it's new and not scratched! Maybe it's because I am coming from a MTB, I'd rather have something with XTR-grey (add characters when it's scratched) than to have polished (looks sooooo ugly when it's scratched). What are the people at Shimano thinking when they made the shifters polished? man ... -_-
• I've added a saddle bag to the bike, at the same time addded a pound or so to the bike. I don't really care about the extra weight, it's better than putting spare tubes + tools + tire levers + c phone + keys + pump to the jersey pockets. haha~
• I am still trying to get a computer with cadence and also a HRM to put on this bike. Have been look at the Vetta RT77 but heard bad things about it, maybe cateyes or Polar for HRM (but man, they are so freaking expensive) ... Anyway, I don't want to drop a bunch of cash on it, after all, it's just a computer which tells me info. It won't push me up the hill ...
• Still looking for a pair of road shoe, I still have a pair of Look 296 pedals sitting at home while I need to live with the tiny Shimano SPD ...

09/13/01 update
So far, I can't be happier with my Bosberg (except for the SPD pedals, I am still shopping for a new shoe to use with the *purchased-n-sitting-here* Look 296 pedals). I've installed a black Cateye Astrale cycling computer w/ cadence (CC-CD100). All sensor pick-ups are rear-wheel mount. The rear wheel mount speed sensor and magnet works very well me. I now no longer have the problem of the computer magnet hitting the the sensor on the front wheel. The computer has works well so far. No complain yet. (maybe one, the odoment is not programmable, so, my odometer needed to start from square 1 again. OK, another one, the sensor mount from Cateye can be improved, it's kind of small and in weird size. Doesn't really fit my chainstay)

11/22/01 update
The bike still perform well. Most of the short coming is due to the owner/rider ... haha~ Keep her clean and lubed and she won't let me down. (i am still talking about my bike. ;-) The components and frame still hold up really well, and I still wish for a little stiffer wheelset. Also, the pedals ... -_- i need my Look 296 and SIDI energy SDS ... hehe :-) maybe a more comfortable saddle?!
I did a 60 miles trips to Long Beach on Thanks giving morning ... here is what I did.