Momsen AL329 Review
Put up a valiant fight! A review of the Momsen AL329.
Put up a valiant fight! A review of the Momsen AL329. – By Oli Munnik.
Price R13 750
Weight 13.5kg (M)
The AL329 is Momsen Bikes’ most affordable race-ready 29er, thanks to a new RACETECH 2 ALLOY 6069 frame with revised butted tubing and a healthy mix of Shimano parts, including a reliable 3×10 drivetrain. Like the Mongoose Tyax Expert, it’s specced with an SR Suntour front suspension – interesting to see, as most bikes in this segment are fitted with RockShox.
Some testers found the SR Suntour Raidon stiffer and more plush, with better rebound adjustment, while others preferred the RockShox XC30.
On paper, both offer 100mm of travel. Where the Raidon edges out the RockShox is in the fact that the former features lighter and sturdier 32mm aluminium stanchions, while the XC30 has skinnier 30mm steel.
In the end though, the key is to get your air pressure settings right – so when you’re buying your bike, ask your shop to set up the fork for your weight. It’ll make a significant difference.
In testing, we found the lower-priced AL329 (compared to the Scott, Merida and Titan) held its own, punching above its weight.
On a very dusty singletrack we appreciated the Momsen’s full-length outer housing, protecting the gear cables from dirt and grime – something that in the long run will do wonders for prolonging your shifting accuracy.
A real disappointment in the spec was the AL329’s super-skinny 29”x1.95” rear tyre, which did it no favours when we went off-road. Sure, it rolled fast; but its low volume had our testers riding in a gingerly fashion, so as not to pinch-flat or ding the rim. It’s easily replaced, but Momsen should know better than to spec such a narrow tyre.
In conclusion, the ‘little brother’ in this test (given that it’s slightly cheaper) fought a valiant battle – it’s a good entry-level race-ready machine. All we’d do is swop out the rear tyre.
This review originally appeared in the April 2016 edition of Bicycling mag.