BMX Brand
Mongoose
Mongoose is an American bike brand founded in 1974 by Skip Hess, known in BMX for its Motomag wheels, decades of mass-market bikes and its freestyle team.
Updated 2 min read527 words
Mongoose is an American bike brand founded in 1974 by Skip Hess in Simi Valley, California. It began with the Motomag, a cast aluminium wheel for BMX, grew into a leading race and freestyle brand in the 1980s, and later became one of the biggest mass-market bike names in the world. Through all of that it has kept a BMX team, which in recent years has included Kevin Peraza.
History
Skip Hess founded BMX Products Inc in 1974, during the period described in Origins of BMX. His first product was the Motomag, a one-piece cast aluminium wheel sold as an upgrade for the weak spoked wheels on the Schwinn Sting-Rays and similar bikes that kids were racing. The Motomag was strong, looked like a motorcycle wheel and sold in huge numbers. The Mongoose frame followed, and the brand name soon replaced the company name.
Through the late 1970s and 1980s Mongoose was a major race brand with models such as the Supergoose and the Californian, and it moved into freestyle during the 1980s boom with bikes such as the FS-1. Hess sold the company in 1985 to American Group, and ownership passed through several corporations over the following decades, including Brunswick and Pacific Cycle. Dorel Industries acquired Pacific Cycle in 2004, and Pon Holdings bought Dorel's bike division in 2021.
Under corporate ownership Mongoose became a mass-market brand sold through department stores, which cost it standing with core riders. From the 2010s the company rebuilt its bike shop range, led by the Legion line of freestyle completes, and signed a pro team again. The brand remains active across both channels.
Products
Mongoose's BMX history spans five decades and many different kinds of bike.
| Product | Type | Era | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motomag | Wheels | Mid 1970s | Cast aluminium wheel, the company's first product |
| Mongoose and Supergoose | Race frames | Late 1970s and 1980s | The classic race models |
| Californian | Race frame | 1980s | High end race frame |
| FS-1 | Freestyle bike | 1980s | Freestyle model from the boom years |
| Legion | Freestyle completes | 2010s onward | Bike shop range from entry level to pro |
| Title | Race completes | 2010s onward | Modern race bikes |
The Legion range is a common first bike and features in guides such as how to choose your first BMX and cheap vs expensive BMX bikes.
Team and riders
Mongoose had large race and freestyle teams in the 1980s and has run a freestyle team through the 2010s and 2020s. Riders associated with the brand in the recent era have included:
- Kevin Peraza, a park and dirt rider with X Games results
- Ben Wallace
- Greg Illingworth
Influence
The Motomag was one of the first purpose-made BMX parts and one of the first to sell on a large scale. Mongoose's race bikes helped set the pattern for the sport in the 1970s and 1980s, and its later history shows what happened to the big BMX names when they became corporate brands: huge reach, lost credibility, and in Mongoose's case a deliberate effort to win it back through a proper team and shop quality bikes. For many people outside the sport, Mongoose is the BMX brand they can name.
Related
Frequently asked questions about Mongoose
What was the Mongoose Motomag?
The Motomag was a one-piece cast aluminium wheel introduced in the mid 1970s as a stronger replacement for the spoked steel wheels on most kids' bikes. It was Mongoose's first product.
Is Mongoose a good BMX brand?
Mongoose sells at every level. Its department store bikes are basic, while its bike shop range, including the Legion line, is built to the same standards as other core completes.
Who rides for Mongoose?
The team has included Kevin Peraza, Ben Wallace and Greg Illingworth.
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