Mango OG 2X review

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 2X road bike, which is not only available in flat-bar and riser-bar versions, but also the drop-bar version I've tested here.

The flat-bar OG starts at £529.99, with the drop-bar version starting at £579.99.

You can also choose different wheel and tyre options (and colours), and I upgraded to the Vision Team 30 wheels with 28mm tyres from Vee Tire Co to bring the final price up to £670.

Mango OG 2X details and specifications

Whereas most road bikes at this price 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 mentioned, you can customise the design and I went for a comparatively muted single-colour finish, 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 OG 2X features an eight-speed Shimano Claris drivetrain and deep-drop rim brakes from Tektro.

Mango has gone the whole way, speccing the Claris compact crankset, which looks the part and works well, and the wide-ranging 11-34t cassette, which I always like to see because you can never have a bottom gear that’s too low.

Yes, there will be bigger jumps between gears, especially on an eight-speed groupset, but I think that's a price worth paying for more range on a bike such as this.

The wheels are also better than you might expect on a £670 bike. The upgraded Vision T30 wheels roll beautifully smoothly, though I did have an issue with them on my initial ride.

This was a four-hour outing in continual rain, a situation in which 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.

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.

These 28mm tyres come up a little narrow, but it had little obvious impact on the Mango’s comfort or grip.

They have a more-or-less smooth central strip, with raised bumps on the shoulders to give you grip on grit and light gravel. It’s a very effective combination.

Mango OG 2X geometry

Mango OG 2X performance

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 similar bikes at this price, such as Boardman’s SLR 8.6, with a slightly longer top tube, steeper head tube, and 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 game-changer because there are loads of inexpensive and effective aftermarket options from the likes of Topeak, BBB and SKS, but the absence is slightly disappointing.

Mango OG 2X bottom line

The Mango OG 2X is a great road bike for the price.

The frame is a joy to ride and the low bottom gear is a smart spec choice.

I’d have appreciated down-tube bottle bosses but, along with those unnecessarily anodised braking tracks on the upgraded wheels, that’s one of the very few negatives on a zesty steel bike with a performance that belies its budget price.