Satisfied owners favorably described the Monocog as ‘simple’.
The Monocog was praised for its green paintjob and skin-wall tires. In general, its look was called minimalist and ‘bad-ass’.
The Monocog’s geometry was suited to a range of riding styles.
Any queries or problems were answered by a quality customer service team.
Handling on the Monocog was described as agile.
A lot of Monocog users said it was a tough machine that stood up to abuse.
This bike was generally seen as a high quality rig.
A few owners considered the Monocog to be light, or at least relatively so.
A full chromoly frame and fork made for a stout and rigid bike.
The Monocog is definitely inexpensive, for the quality offered.
One owner reported that the front fork had clearance for a 29 x 3” tire.
The ride quality on the Monocog was called smooth and clean.
Factory-brand wheels were reputed to be strong.

7 reasons not to buy

At 29 to 33 pounds, the Monocog is a bit of a hog, especially without gears.
Components are mid-range and mid-weight, but definitely not cheap.
The Tektro mechanical disc brakes delivered performance that was seen as average by more than one owner.
For some butts, the saddle was not a good match. It felt too firm.
The rigid fork is straight and 1 1/8”. This could make it difficult to find high-end upgrades that fit.
The seatpost is an obscure 26.8mm in diameter. While replacements can be found, they aren’t common. It’s an odd choice.
Chainstays were seen as excessively long at 17.5”, which may be a hindrance to acceleration.

Bottom line

The monocog is a versatile singlespeed bike that can tackle real mountain bike trails. Both the 4130 chromoly frame and the bike’s components are tough. However, it is priced for the laywoman or man – and this is only made possible by the selection of reliable but hefty components. She’s no specterweight. Despite this, owners called it an affordable entree into single-speed mountain biking. If one were to upgrade componentry with lighter parts over time, the Monocog would become a long-lasting, high performance rig that could easily serve as a do-everything bike. Throw some fat slicks on the Monocog - and you’ve got a resilient all-weather commuter.

Expert Reviews

0/100 based on 0 expert reviews

Apply to become an expert

Ljorn Productions

Redline Monocog 29er Review

Level 1 expert

I definitely would recommend the bike for several reasons; it’s very cost effective, it’s such a simple bike and it seems to hold up to a good beating.

Visit full review

Snowman 66