Fixed Gear

The Maurice is built around a tightly built Cromoly steel frame and fork. The main triangle is butted and the chunky plain gauge stays end in a cast horizontal dropout. The black and orange livery is continued in the kit which is dominated by the garish orange wheels (Weinmann Thunderbird rims on Formula hubs) and the similarly pungent crankset, a painted FSA number.

Not the lightest wheels ever, but the hubs are reliable and the rims strong and the whole lot is certainly capable of dealing with rough going on city streets

The main triangle is short and the front is steep, tucking the wheel in and making the steering quick for traffic dodging. The downside to this is that there's plenty of toeclip overlap, which means taking care at slow speeds, especially when riding fixed. I ended up setting my cleats right to the front of my shoe to minimise the overlap but that didn't eradicate it completely. It's no worse than something like a Fuji Track but worth noting.

Mongoose Maurice - decal

Mongoose Maurice - fork crown

No expense spared cable routing… sorry, my mistake, make that no expense cable routing

The chainset is not as well finished as the ones you'll find on the dearer city fixeds, and there was a bit of paint in the threads making swapping pedals a chore, but there's nothing functionally wrong with it.

I don't care if the hipsters are immediately going to whip the callipers off (and the fact that the rear cable is just cable tied on suggests that's what Mongoose reckon will happen), I want brakes that work if a bike's supplied with them. I fear for the rider who buys this bike on a rainy day from a bike shop at the top of a steep hill, set up singlespeed (as it inevitably will be) with brakes that are basically ornamental in the wet.