MANGO OG 2X8
£669.99 Northern Ireland’s Mango is a colourful all-steel machine
Mango is a Northern Ireland-based company that has earned a reputation for its super-colourful, eyeball-burning steel fixies and singlespeeds. But Mango also makes the OG 2X8 road bike, which is not only available in flat bar, riser bar and the drop bar version we tested, but you can also choose different wheel and tyre options (and colours). The flat bar OG starts at £529.99 with the drop bar version starting at £579.99. We upgraded to the Vision Team 30 wheels with 28mm tyres from Vee Tires. We also went for a comparatively muted single-colour design too, though if you want clashing frame, fork and rim colours, you can unleash your inner artist and customise away. But do think about it first…
The most obvious difference between the Mango and our other three test bikes – apart from its colour – is that whereas they all have aluminium frames, Mango has gone seriously old school, plumping for a hand-built chromoly steel frame and fork. There are no radical tube profiles anywhere, just straight, slimline tubes and an equally svelte and straight fork. The TIG-welding is extremely neatly done too, especially given the Mango’s modest price.
As with the similar-ish but aluminium Boardman SLR 8.6, the OG 2X8 features eightspeed Shimano Claris and the same deep-drop calliper brakes from Tektro. Mango has gone the whole hog, though, speccing the Claris compact chainset, which looks the part and works well, and the full-fat 11-34 cassette, which I always like to see as you can never have a bottom gear that’s too low. I always consider bigger jumps between gears is a price worth paying for more range.
The wheels are also better than you might expect on a £670 bike. We went for the upgrade to Vision’s handmade T30 wheels, which rolled beautifully
smoothly, though I did have an issue with them on my initial ride. This was a four-hour outing in continual rain, when you want your brakes to work perfectly. But the Vision’s braking surfaces have an ‘aesthetic coating’ that ‘will change during use’ – yep, when the anodising is worn out the brakes will actually work. I had to ride these in exactly as you would a set of disc brakes. And whereas I’d usually recommend an upgrade to cartridge brake blocks after the non-cartridge brake blocks wear out, I’d probably swap them sooner rather than later for a set of SwissStop BXP or similar wet-weather-specific pads.
I had no such criticism of the tyres, which are made by the Vee Tire Co with design input from Mango. The 28mm tyres come up a little narrow but this had little obvious impact on the Mango’s comfort, or grip. These have a moreor-less smooth central strip for reduced rolling resistance on tarmac, with raised bumps on the shoulders to give you grip on grit and light gravel. It’s a very effective combination.
The Mango’s ride is a great balance of zinginess and comfort. Slim steel does its usual job of smoothing out poor road surfaces. The frame geometry is racier and more aggressive than that of Boardman’s SLR 8.6, with a slightly longer top tube, steeper head tube, shorter chainstays and wheelbase. This makes for a lively handling frame, though that’s tempered by a short riser stem. If you really want to speed up the handling, a shallower stem would lower the riding position, which would make this bike feel pretty racy. As is stands, the Mango makes an excellent fitness machine or fast commuter bike, where it’s helped by good mudguard clearance, front and rear mudguard mounts plus rear rack mounts that usefully have separate fittings for the rack’s lower struts.
One somewhat surprising feature is the lack of bottle bosses on the down tube. It’s not a gamechanger as there are loads of inexpensive and effective aftermarket options from the likes of Topeak, BBB and SKS, but the absence is slightly disappointing. However, along with those unnecessarily anodised braking tracks, that’s one of the very few negatives on a zingy and zesty steel bike whose performance belies its budget price.
The Mango’s ride is a great balance of zinginess and comfort. Slim steel does its usual job of smoothing out poor road surfaces