Mango Bikes Point R

The Mango Bikes Point R is aimed at those new to cycling but it's far from being a beginner's bike. With great comfort levels, exciting handling and good looks, the Point R has just as much to offer the seasoned roadie as those new to life on two wheels. The top level model now comes with a full Shimano 105 drivetrain, plus upgraded brakes and tyres.

The Ride

Looking at the stats, the Point R might not seem the obvious choice against some of the opposition out there. For example, this model weighs in at 9.38kg (20.76lb), which at face value is a bit on the heavy side, plus there is that old adage about alloy frames being harsh to ride.

We can dismiss the latter point immediately – the Mango is one of the most comfortable alloy bikes I've ridden. But also, the weight never really seems to matter. Okay, it's a touch laboured if you're in town and constantly stop-starting at traffic lights, but out on the open road you really don't notice it.

The Point R is a spirited climber too, a bike that seems to respond better to being ridden out of the saddle for the majority of ascents, and stiffness through the bottom bracket is rather impressive, which makes climbing fun (well, relatively).

Mango has gone down the Mike Burrows (think Giant TCR) route of using just three compact frame sizes to fit the majority of people, which means they are a little longer in the top tube than most. The fact that it's designed to take full mudguards also increases wheelbase length.

A longer wheelbase will typically slow the steering a bit and make a bike feel more stable, which is ideal for beginners or for riding on the tricky road surfaces that a lot of mudguard equipped bikes are likely to be doing. The trade-off is that the bike can be less fun, or 'direct' feeling, to ride than a shorter frame race bike, especially in the bends. Mango has managed to find a really good balance between the two: for the majority of the time it cruises along with very little input needed, but when you start descending or whipping between traffic the steering is sharp enough.

One way Mango has achieved this is by speccing a much shorter stem than typical, with each frame size fitted with an 80mm unit; personally I'd prefer something a little bit longer for rides of a fair few hours as the position can feel a little cramped, and when climbing standing up out of the saddle I found I could easily catch my knees on the handlebar. Increasing the stem length by 10mm at least on the medium and large would probably bring a little more balance to the steering without sacrificing steering speed – especially for riders at the top end of the size range.

It's also worth noting that, when you lean the bike over at speed – to whip around a roundabout for instance – the steering can become twitchy as it turns in too early, so you have to keep correcting it. It's not a major issue, though.

Everywhere else, the Point R holds its headset up high as it really is such an easy bike to ride and great for tapping out the miles. Thanks to how comfortable it is you can really cover a lot of ground without feeling fatigued from vibration over rough road surfaces.

I'd happily jump aboard the Point R for a day out rather than something lighter and stiffer in the fleet, purely because it is so easy to live with. For everything bar racing, the Mango is hard to knock.

Frame and fork

The frame itself is pretty impressive for the money, with smooth welds and internal cable routing belying its entry-level price tag. It looks much more expensive than it actually is.

The curved tubes, no doubt a result of hydroforming, give the bike a smooth almost monocoque construction look topped off with very tidy welding. The arced top tube is a particular highlight that I think looks really cool, especially on the smaller sizes as they look less 'forced' to create the geometry with 700C wheels.

Up front it's great to see a tapered head tube for increased stiffness. It's pretty much a given on the majority of bikes but at entry-level can be one of those things that get sacrificed on cost grounds. On the Point R it sharpens the steering, especially when speeds are high, and under heavy braking loads you really notice the difference.

As for the internal cabling, you'll notice the entry and exit holes use inserts that are screwed into the frame, something we've seen lately on much more high end frames. Removing these gives you access to the inside of the frame and makes changing a brake or gear cable easy – it works, believe me, I've done the job on a fellow Mango. The inside of the frame isn't guided for the cables or anything, but the extra width of the slot allows you to push a screwdriver in to deflect the cable up and out.

Other than that, the Mango looks a pretty standard frame. The bottom bracket shell is threaded for standard cups, perfect in my eyes for what could become a winter training frame as there are likely to be fewer creaking issues compared with BB30 bearing cups, for instance, which have tighter tolerances.

The chainstays haven't been oversized nor have the seatstays been slimmed down excessively, which also highlights just how successful Mango has been at creating so much comfort; a pencil-thin, flexible seatstay is normally the first line of defence.

The finish of the frame is hardwearing, so the bike stays looking good even after a few knocks. It comes in four colours with this Electric Blue being a new addition. I think it's rather stunning, being dark but bright, if that makes any sense. Neon Yellow, which basically glows in the dark, plus a more conservative Arctic White and Stealth Black are your other options.

As I've already mentioned, the Mango Point R will take full mudguards as well as a rack thanks to plenty of mounting points, giving loads of flexibility whether you are after a winter trainer, commuter or racer – maybe all three!

Groupset

The model here has had an upgrade to a full Shimano 105 drivetrain from the version Dave Arthur tested last year,  with the FSA chainset swapped for a 5800 series one, and it's the latest 11-speed version whereas Dave's test bike had 10-speed. It's a positive upgrade as the bike does look more 'complete', plus the shifting is slightly crisper.

The brakes have also seen an uplift from the original Tektros to Shimano's R451 deep-drop dual-pivot callipers. In my mind this could have gone a touch further, because although the Shimanos are an improvement on the Tektros, they aren't a whole lot better.

I've possibly said this before in reviews, but I'll touch on it again... I think if you are aiming a bike at those new to riding you should never ever scrimp on braking power. Confidence is key, and if you don't trust your brakes you'll never progress as a rider looking to challenge the limits of your ability or that of the bike.

The pad quality of the R451s is pretty poor, and the flex in the overall calliper doesn't help matters. I'd upgrade to the R650s as a minimum for a set of brakes you can really have confidence in.

Wheels, tyres and finishing kit

When it comes to wheels, our test bike has the optional upgrade to the Vision 30s, for an extra £79.99. An absolute bargain for a solid set of wheels (I tested the 35s, read the review here). 

They might not be the lightest wheels on the market but they have a really solid feel that suits the ride of the Mango. The only issue I really have with them is that the anodising of the rims makes the already poor braking even worse, until a couple of wet rides do the business in taking the finish off.

The tyres have also seen a bit of an upgrade, from Kendas to Continental Ultra Sport IIs. On the whole it's a good move, the Contis punching well above their weight in terms of value for money. They roll well and have decent levels of grip, although they can be a little sketchy in the wet. Their puncture resistance has always been impressive on previous test bikes, and it's been no different here on the Mango.

The saddle is a well known shape and provides plenty of comfort and support. I'm not a huge fan of overly padded saddles but this one works well, adding to the overall comfort of the bike.

The rest of the kit is branded Chasewood, an in-house logo of Mango, and it does the job. The alloy components are simple in construction but work well, and the compact bar means it's as easy to use in the drops as it is on the tops.

Value

When it comes to value, although this is a great bike for the money, I'm not convinced it's the best buy in the range. The addition of a full 105 groupset looks good on the face of it, until you consider that it's £100 more than the 105 model with the FSA chainset and Tektro brakes; the difference in speccing a 5800 chainset and R451 brakes is about £40, so an extra £100 is a bit steep.

It's also worth pointing out that B'Twin's Ultra 700 AF has a very similar spec to this full 105 Mango, but at the price of the Tektro brakes/FSA chainset model... 

> Check out our buyer's guide to the best road bikes for less than £1,000

Don't think I'm putting a downer on the Point R, though, I'm really not. I think it's a great bike. I was extremely impressed with it, especially as the miles grew – whether out for a quick hour's blast or a couple more, it's very impressive to ride.

It might be a touch heavy to race on, but other than that it's hard to knock, and while those new to the sport might stick to the established brands, the Point R is definitely worth more than a cursory glance.

Verdict

An impressive take on the beginner's bike, and shows that weight has little to do with all-out performance