Mongoose Mountain Bikes Review

Mongoose is a name synonymous with BMX and has been since the 1970’s. The brand is as famous for its presence at riding events as for the products it brings to market. The brand has survived to this day through innovation, experimentation and more recently, a merger with Pacific Cycles. The modern day Mongoose doesn’t have the reputation it once enjoyed, but still has a loyal following, and is as active in events as they have ever been. Like many bike brands, Mongoose came into being thanks to the ambition and dedication of a bike enthusiast who wanted more from their sport. In this case, motor sport fan Skip Hess who started BMX Products Inc. in 1974. The first product he made was the Motomag or “mag� wheel which adorned the majority of BMX bikes in the late 70’s and early 80’s. It was designed and built in Skip’s garage in Simi Valley California.

Once the Motomag wheels had taken off, Skip decided to expand into bike frames, and then entire bikes. The first complete bike they sold was called the Mongoose, named after the cobra killing mammal Skip had seen on a visit to Australia. Thus, a brand was born. Mongoose went from strength to strength during the 1980’s with an ever increasing, and improving product portfolio. The brand got heavily involved in sponsoring events, riders and even a movie called “Rad� in 1986. This gave Mongoose great exposure which, coupled with great products, made Mongoose a success. Skip wasn’t long in recognizing the potential in the new mountain bike craze and got Mongoose involved straight away. In 1987 Skip introduced the Tomac model, named after Mongoose rider John Tomac. While reasonably successful, the Mongoose mountain bikes never reached the heights its BMX range did, but was reasonably successful in its own right.

Throughout the 1990’s, Mongoose grew the product line, improved manufacturing techniques and expanded the brand. Then in 1992 they launched what they hoped would be the new era of Mongoose, the Amplifier. The Amplifier was the first full suspension mountain bike to hit the market, which grew into one of the most successful mountain bikes ever made. The single pivot rear suspension is a design that revolutionized the market, and was so successful that variations of it are still in use today. Modern day Mongoose is a shadow of its former self. Once at the forefront of BMX and mountain bike design, it sits in the middle of the market. Maybe it was the sale to Pacific Cycles in 2001, maybe it was before then, but the Mongoose name doesn’t have the same flair and attention grabbing properties it once had. It has two distinct markets. The mass market, supplying the likes of Walmart and Kmart, and the enthusiast market supplied through bike shops.

Models

Pricing

Mongoose inhabits two distinct product lines, the BMX and mountain bike. These are further split into discount and enthusiast. Bikes in the discount segment are between $100-200 for a BMX and $124-500 for mountain bikes. The enthusiast rage is a wide one, with the cheapest BMX being $199.