1980s Legends Return: The Mongoose California Special And Supergoose BMX Bikes Are Back

Inevitably, wider society was sooner or later going to come into contact with BMX. A significant milestone in this regard was the release of the 1982 film ‘E.T. The Extra Terrestrial’ – directed by Steven Spielberg and featuring a young Henry Thomas as Elliott Taylor. Featuring the iconic scene in which the boys are being chased by cops on BMX bikes, pedalling at speed, tearing around the neighborhood, jumping and eventually taking flight. For BMX to be shown in this light was a landmark moment – a demonstration to the general public of how rad BMX can be. It’s the same size as the L40 at 20.5-inches but the handlebars are bigger (1” wider and 0.75” taller).

A bike suitable for all seasons and any terrain, the Mongoose Argus ST 26 fat tire MTB is built to handle rocky singletracks and snowy hills. This beast of a bike is equipped with monstrous 4″ wide knobby tires. If somebody is looking for an inexpensive bike to ride occasionally or wants a second bike on which to do stunts, they are probably suitable for that person. Just like the original it has a polycarbonate seat, and the classic padding kit consisting of a pad around the handlebar clamp, the handlebar top bar, and the upper frame member.

mongoose bmx

Skip Hess started BMX Products, Inc. out of his home in Simi Valley, California in September 1974 with his first product being the famous Motomag One wheel. According to Hess, at its largest stage of expansion, BMX Products, Inc. mongoose bmx employed about 85 people. In its early years, Hess recalled that about 600 frames per day were produced at its Chatsworth, Los Angeles location. For almost 40 years, Mongoose has been in the dirt, on the trails and off the ramps.

At this point, Mongoose is still one of the leading companies in progressing BMX and have been designing and manufacturing products for close to a decade. For the most part, Mongoose was renowned for pushing the boundaries of BMX technology in a popular and authentic direction, however primarily in the BMX race scene. Leading up to and including 1985, it is important to understand that BMX freestyle was absolutely booming and Mongoose fell somewhat short of capitalising on this phenomenon, with brands like Haro and GT being frontrunners in this market. For better or worse, Mongoose released the ‘Mini Scoot’, a ‘pro-level’ scooter which took the brand down a different path, a challenging, divisive and hugely successful one. Resurrecting the early scooter concept and improving through the inclusion of BMX style design and technology, the ‘Mini Scoot’ was an overnight success and alleged to have sold in the hundreds and thousands of units.

Based in Austin, Texas, Anderson loves to climb, boulder, road bike, trail run, and frequent local watering holes (of both varieties). Don’t forget the rad, branded Velcro pads — the one on the top tube can be especially critical for protection during gnarly slams. Dia-Compe MX brake sets, à la the originals, complete the kits. The California Special receives Mongoose’s super-stout steel BMX frame, with the pass-through bracket up front to handle hard landings.

Mongoose have over 40 years of experience in the field, gathering insight from pro athletes to develop the legendary Mongoose Legion line of products. They feature specially constructed BMX Frames, handlebars, stems and saddles that are everything a rider could need. BMX was one of the fastest growing sports in the country in the late 70s and early 80s, and Mongoose was one of the most recognizable names in the industry. They diversified into mountain bikes and scooters in the 90s, and they’re now bringing their two most famous BMX bikes back into production. The sky was the limit for BMX and no one had a better grasp on that than Mongoose. Turning back to the Mongoose story, the 1970s had treated the company well and momentum was only further embellished with the successful release of ‘E.T.

Entering the 1980s, BMX as a sport has now outgrown its infancy stage and is maturing into its own distinct entity with a decade of existence to its name. This results in the formation of the ‘BMX Action Trick Team’ – being the first and most famous of the freestyle specific teams, including such legendary riders as R.L. This (and many other teams alike) helped grow BMX through mongoose bmx an endless series of demonstrations around the country. With new tricks being introduced at a rapid rate and the refining of a ‘professionalism’ to the demonstrations, BMX was unstoppable. Explore our great range of Mongoose Scooters and BMX Bikes. Whether you’re riding for fun or competing in extreme sports, you can trust Mongoose to supply you with only the Best Bikes.