Raleigh Vapor FRS 29 vs Mongoose Tyax comp 26

[PierreK]

Hi there

New to the forum. I bought my first mtb in 2018 after my teen years and bought a Gielang chinese bike. i just wanted a bike for the odd camping trip etc, then I saw a Raleigh Vapor FRS 29 with rear shock etc etc and sold the chinese bike and got the Raleigh. Im happy with the bike, but the 29 might be a bit big for me with a height of 1.77m. I now have the opportunity to swap the Raleigh with a Mongoose Tyax Comp in 26 with a large frame. i like the Mongoose and the Raleigh, but Im leaning toward the Mongoose more, but wouldnt want to make a mistake. in my opinion the Mongoose is a better bike, but I don't know all that much about whats hot and whats not. I dont ride as often as I want to and when I do,its mostly on road, but would like to do trail riding more often. so what bike between the two is the better one?

Thanx

[droo]

The Mongoose will be orders of magnitude better than the Raleigh, which is more a bicycle shaped object than an actual bicycle.

If it's used you may need to spend a bit of cash getting it fixed up, but it'll last far longer and be a much better ride.

[RobynE]

Just to add - the wheel size isn’t important but the frame size is. If you’re feeling a bit stretched out on the Raleigh it could be that the frame to too big for you. Eg I’m 1.66m and ride a medium 29, but I can also ride a small depending on the frame geometry. I’m a large 26 but can also do a medium depending on the geometry. If your frame is too big but it’s what you have you can do things like change your saddle position, fit a shorter stem, adjust the angle of your brakes and shifters, etc. 
 

Second what @droo says - my yard is full of dead Raleighs (and not old ones either) as I systematically upgrade my staff bicycles with good quality “old” 26ers with decent components - just like what you’ll get on that Tyax. Depending where you are there are Hubbers who deal in good quality second hand parts who could sort out any niggles you have on the Tyax for not much money. 

[PierreK]

1 hour ago, RobynE said:

Just to add - the wheel size isn’t important but the frame size is. If you’re feeling a bit stretched out on the Raleigh it could be that the frame to too big for you. Eg I’m 1.66m and ride a medium 29, but I can also ride a small depending on the frame geometry. I’m a large 26 but can also do a medium depending on the geometry. If your frame is too big but it’s what you have you can do things like change your saddle position, fit a shorter stem, adjust the angle of your brakes and shifters, etc. 
 

Second what @droo says - my yard is full of dead Raleighs (and not old ones either) as I systematically upgrade my staff bicycles with good quality “old” 26ers with decent components - just like what you’ll get on that Tyax. Depending where you are there are Hubbers who deal in good quality second hand parts who could sort out any niggles you have on the Tyax for not much money. 

Thank you for the feedback. Im out in Benoni. The bike seems to be in good nick, would just like to get everything checked and adjusted, like the gears and so on. It works, but think the changes could be better

[PierreK]

5 hours ago, droo said:

The Mongoose will be orders of magnitude better than the Raleigh, which is more a bicycle shaped object than an actual bicycle.

If it's used you may need to spend a bit of cash getting it fixed up, but it'll last far longer and be a much better ride.

Im glad to hear that, so now Im hoping that we make the swap

[NC_lurker]

3 hours ago, PierreK said:

Thank you for the feedback. Im out in Benoni. The bike seems to be in good nick, would just like to get everything checked and adjusted, like the gears and so on. It works, but think the changes could be better

At 1.77m I'd think you'd be better suited to a medium frame. I'm 1.85m and ride a L. 

Just check the size, you don't want to be too stretched out. 

[PierreK]

10 minutes ago, NC_lurker said:

At 1.77m I'd think you'd be better suited to a medium frame. I'm 1.85m and ride a L. 

Just check the size, you don't want to be too stretched out. 

Hi

Thanx for the tip. I just checked and the Mongoose is in fact a M frame and not a L like I said before, so with everything thats been said, I think I would be a fool to not take the Mongoose. The swap is actually with my old man, he is taller than me and was in fact looking for a 29,but managed to get the Mongoose, so I told him we could swap, so he has taken the Raleigh for the week and I need to test the Mongoose and then we will make the dicision, but I think he wants the 29 as its a bigger bike for his length, but he also wants me to be sure. My mind is made up though

 

[PierreK]

Hi

Just an update, we made the swap and I am happy so far. Love the hydraulic brakes and also the Suntour fork works very well. The casette and crank rings need some attention though as there are some teeth not looking good. Also sometimes when peddling, it sounds like its jumping a tooth, but only in one gear, what do I look for. One other problem is that it shifts up to the top sprocket in the back 100% but down shifting seems to lag and need to go down further on the shifter to start going down. What should I look out for, maybe a good clean and lube could do the trick? 

 

[KatjieStewels]

21 hours ago, PierreK said:

Hi

Just an update, we made the swap and I am happy so far. Love the hydraulic brakes and also the Suntour fork works very well. The casette and crank rings need some attention though as there are some teeth not looking good. Also sometimes when peddling, it sounds like its jumping a tooth, but only in one gear, what do I look for. One other problem is that it shifts up to the top sprocket in the back 100% but down shifting seems to lag and need to go down further on the shifter to start going down. What should I look out for, maybe a good clean and lube could do the trick? 

 

I just replaced my entire drive train this week on my mtb, I recently asked this same question at my local LBS, they showed me… so the jump of the tooth that you hear comes from the worn teeth that you described on the cassette. My front chainring was also worn, but the source of the sound was the worn teeth on the cassette. Depending on the components that you have it can be expensive. I paid R3260 to replace the whole 2 x 10 Shimano drivetrain including the front and rear brake pads. Which sounds like a lot of money until you look at the price of a new SRAM GX cassette, lol.

[PierreK]

Thanx, I will have a look at it

[PierreK]

On 2/4/2024 at 4:01 PM, PierreK said:

Thanx, I will have a look at it

I just noticed, its not jumping teeth, it is however jumping from one cog to another, so going up and down without touching the shifters, now Im sure this is just a setup issue on the derailleur? I have a little issue, it shifts up to a bigger cog very nicely, but shifting down is slow and need to shift like twice to move down one. Could this be a sticky derailleure or maybe its stuffed? Another small issue is that I need 2 spokes on the back wheel. Who in the east rand can I take my bike to, to have a look over and give me an honest opinion on what might need replacing   and also someone who could maybe give it a service and setup? Someone who wont charge an arm and a leg and then tell me to replace stuff thats unnecessary and cost more than the bike is worth. I am fairly mechanical and think I could probably do many things on my oen, but am fairly clueless when it comes to bikes and what is right and what not

[Ruben101]

2 hours ago, PierreK said:

I just noticed, its not jumping teeth, it is however jumping from one cog to another, so going up and down without touching the shifters, now Im sure this is just a setup issue on the derailleur? I have a little issue, it shifts up to a bigger cog very nicely, but shifting down is slow and need to shift like twice to move down one. Could this be a sticky derailleure or maybe its stuffed? Another small issue is that I need 2 spokes on the back wheel. Who in the east rand can I take my bike to, to have a look over and give me an honest opinion on what might need replacing   and also someone who could maybe give it a service and setup? Someone who wont charge an arm and a leg and then tell me to replace stuff thats unnecessary and cost more than the bike is worth. I am fairly mechanical and think I could probably do many things on my oen, but am fairly clueless when it comes to bikes and what is right and what not

sounds like cable tension is not correct or the cable is sticky in the housing. It can also be a bent derailleur hanger or cage.

 

Regarding your spokes. If the other nipple/spokes of the rest of the wheel is not corroded, then simply replacing those 2 spokes will not be a problem

[PierreK]

1 hour ago, Ruben Hechter said:

sounds like cable tension is not correct or the cable is sticky in the housing. It can also be a bent derailleur hanger or cage.

 

Regarding your spokes. If the other nipple/spokes of the rest of the wheel is not corroded, then simply replacing those 2 spokes will not be a problem

Thanx for the feedback. I wouldnt really know how to check the hanger or the cage. I will check the cable in its sleeve. This is why I would like someone to have a look at the bike. Regarding the spokes, as far as I can see, they all look good