Rollin' Deep on the Cheap

By Chris Dannen

WHAT: Mongoose Black Diamond Triple WHERE: www.mongoose.com HOW MUCH: $2499

Not so long ago, many riders would have left Mongoose for dead following a series of management changes. To date, the company is pretty far from regaining its seat at the head of the industry, but in its valiant attempt it has come up with solid and well-priced bikes that are hard to ignore.

At the helm of Mongoose’s comeback campaign is a technology it calls FreeDrive, a design borrowed from its sister company GT. This iDrive derivation, found on all their high-end dualies, endeavors to isolate the bottom bracket from suspension activity, eliminating sundry FS faults including pedal-induced bobbing, brake jack, and chain growth.

Though the mechanism isn't identical to what you'd find on a GT, Mongoose's FreeDrive borrows heavily from GT's I-drive technology.

Like many of its industry peers, Mongoose has taken a well-received XC design and incorporated it into a long-travel package with the intention of building that holy grail of freeride: a rig that’s plush on the descents and pedal-friendly on everything else. Mongoose calls theirs the Black Diamond.

The Black Diamond frame comes equipped with three different parts groups to hit a spectrum of price points. They’ve given the three models some oh-so-clever designations: the Black Diamond Single, Double and Triple. We got our hands on a medium-sized Triple, and had the opportunity to punish it for a few days on some local drops, downhill runs and singletrack. At $2,499, the Triple is the priciest of the Black Diamond brethren, but with its respectable parts spec it undercuts a host of comparable bikes in this segment.

So what does 2500 bones get you, exactly? On the front end Mongoose has spec’d the stalwart RockShox Boxxer Ride, with its U-Turn adjustability boasting 133-178mm of buttery travel. Between its golden legs you’ll find one of two WTB Speed Disc rims laced to WTB Laser Disc hubs, both of which rely on thru-axles to help them survive the big stuff. The Black Diamond is powered by an 18 speed SRAM drivetrain with X.9 all around and trigger shifters in the cockpit, along with a TruVativ Holzfeller crankset and chainguide. The Black Diamond tips the scales at 43.21 weight and its formidable parts spec doesn’t skimp on stopping power either. Avid Juicy 7’s use 8 inch rotors to provide both ends of the bike with great braking modulation and stick-through-the-spokes stopping power.

But obviously, a great parts group would come to naught without a good frame to hang it on. The Black Diamond frame is a 6061 aluminum beast with oversized tubing, neat welds and beefy linkages. The frame’s cushioning is compliments of a Fox DHX 4.0 coilover shock with ProPedal damping and rebound adjustment, which can be bolted to two different mounts to achieve 6.5 or 7.5 inches of travel.

For a bike with this kind of big hit build, we were curious about the steeper-than-expected 68 degree head tube. The rest of the frame, however, leaves no mystery as to its intent; each seat- and chainstay meets at a replaceable thru-axle dropout plate, hinting that Mongoose did their homework before tackling the freeride market. A flat black paintjob and minimal graphics give the Black Diamond a rugged finish and add to the bike an understated, badass aesthetic.

Up against some of Southern California’s ugliest terrain, the Black Diamond gave a sound performance with only a handful of notable quirks. The WTB knobbies bit into all the terrain we threw at it, allowing the bike to hold its ground on loose dirt, rock gardens and slick roll-ins with only an occasional slip.

The Black Diamond frame also did its part; despite its numerous pivot points, it felt stiff and tight, and tracked intuitively. Its steep head angle gave the Black Diamond a nimble ride, which could be interpreted as an asset or a weakness, depending on the rider. Being an all-mountain fella, I was right at home with the ability to skirt rock outcroppings at the last second and switch lines rapidly.

While the Boxxer sucked up everything in its path smoothly and predictably, the FreeDrive rear suspension occasionally felt like it had packed up and left town. Though it proved sufficient on big hits and felt tremendously solid during cornering, it also gave a muted, semi-active sensation on rapid stutters and smaller successive hits. Through quick portions of mogul-like singletrack I found myself in awe, wondering how 7.5 inches could ever feel like 4. Redeemingly, the phenomenon was never so extreme that the tail of the bike wandered or threatened to render me out of control. Still, no combination of coil and rebound adjustment seemed to remedy the harsh ride, even with the ProPedal turned completely off. Being a 180-pound rider, I’d be loath to think the stock spring was too stiff for my size.

The Black Diamond Triple is equipped with a variety of gravity-appropriate components such as the RockShox Boxxer fork, 8-inch rotors, and TruVativ Holzfeller components.

That being said, there are occasions where making 7.5 inches feel like less is an absolute boon. And I’m not just talking about against-your-will prison shower situations either. For a bike of this big hit ability, the Black Diamond is easy – nay, delightful – to pedal. Riding between techie sections and trailheads, particularly with the Boxxer’s U-Turn adjusted to its minimum travel, was a surprisingly efficient and painless endeavor.

The Black Diamond proves that propelling a freeride rig doesn’t have to be gravity’s job alone; humans can do it, too. With such a design-reliant efficiency to boast, we’re left wondering what use ProPedal or adjustable travel has on a bike like this. It doesn’t need either to improve its cross-country jaunts, and the one-inch change felt negligable.

With Avid’s Juicy 7’s providing confident one-finger braking and the SRAM bits making snappy shifts, the Mongoose’s parts mix is a compliment to its ride. Like the Hell’s Angels at Woodstock, the FreeDrive system gave the group supreme security under which it could perform—brake jack and pedal feedback were a non-issue.

The TruVativ-equipped cockpit was comfortable, though my inner thighs would have appreciated a seat with softer edges than the SDG I-Beam saddle. One last quip has to do with the Mongoose flat pedals: with their sparse array of pins cast into the pedal body and painted over, they were amateurish and lacked bite. A more serious set of flats with replaceable pins or a combo flat-clipless pedal would make a small but crucial upgrade.

With the Black Diamond Triple, Mongoose has made a respectable foray into a very competitive market. Without a doubt, the Black Diamond’s price belies its capable and predictable performance. However, don’t expect this bike to be a slack-angled, super-soft rig that descends with a mind of its own. Hardcore freeriders will likely find the Mongoose a little too harsh and squirrelly for their tastes. But for riders accustomed to the behavior of shorter travel bikes, throwing a leg over the Black Diamond will feel like the next logical step into the long-travel realm. It’s spry handling will leave the XC and all-mountain folks with a comfortable amount of control, and its pedal-friendly suspension design and reasonable weight won’t frustrate efficiency-conscious riders like a lot of mushier freeride sleds would.

If you’re a regular rider with an itch to hop on the big hit bandwagon and you don’t want to dump a ton of money into trying it, give the Black Diamond a ride. You’ll be goin’ big in no time.