Tested: 2006 Mongoose Teocali Super

Mongoose Teocali Super / / / $2,200
800-645-5806; Mongoose.com

Following the consolidation of Schwinn, GT and Mongoose under one roof a couple years ago, the three brands have morphed many previously brand specific features into each other. Case in point, the i-Drive-esque Mongoose Teocali. Featuring an adjustable 4.75 to 5.75 inches of rear travel and an assortment of light but burly components, the bike looks nothing like a GT i-Drive bike, yet it operates on the same principle: a series of pivots separate the bottom bracket from the front and rear triangles. This floating bottom bracket allows suspension and pedaling forces to remain independent of each other.

This means that you can, in theory, pedal like a fool without feeling as if you’re humping a running camel (aka “pedal-induced suspension bobbing”) and you can hit big bumps without the suspension compressing and making your pedal stroke feel all lumpy and psychedelic (aka, “suspension-induced pedal feedback”).

Okay, the design doesn’t completely eliminate pedal-induced bobbing and pedal feedback, but it goes a long way toward meeting both marketing claims. Out on the trail, the Teocali scoots up climbs like a dyed-in-the-wool cross-country bike—even in the long-travel mode. Caveman pedal mashing does result in slight bobbing, but a few turns of the platform knob on the RockShox MC 3.1 shock cancels suspension bob completely.

While the bike climbs well, it really comes into its own on descents. Our medium test bike features a 23-inch toptube, 69-degree head angle and 71.5-degree seat tube angle. The result is a fairly upright cockpit and a very centered riding position that inspires confidence on steep terrain. The 12.9-inch high bottom bracket (in the long travel setting) is a good inch lower than on many other bikes in this category and it gives the Teocali a low center of gravity, for an exceptionally surefooted feel. By that same token, if you live where the trails are covered in downed trees, you’d be well advised to get a bashguard for this bike—unless you like feeling chainring teeth gouge into rocks and logs.

You might also consider running a longer stem. Our test bike came equipped with a 90-millimeter, 10-degree rise stem that felt great for descending, but let the front wheel wander on steeper climbs. Other than those two recommendations, the component spec is flawless. The anti-bob features on both the Pike 454 and MC 3.1 are damn effective and actually tuneable on-the-fly. Likewise the Avid Juicy 7 discs and the SRAM X-9 components held up to the worst rain and mud we could throw at them.

Downsides? Only a few. The Teocali’s complex amalgam of pivots, yokes and trusses retain mud and make portaging the bike painful. It’s also impossible to completely drop the seatpost without impaling the rear shock. Still, once you throw a leg over the Teocali and start pedaling, it becomes a thing of beauty. And a reasonable price of $2,200 makes this bike that much more attractive. –Vernon Felton