After all, I own helmets that cost more than most of the bike sold in the big box stores. So when I was asked to test out the the Beast from Mongoose a agreed, although with a bit of trepidation. Despite my reservations however, I ended up having a great time on this bike, proving that when you put aside your preconceptions, even a $200 bike can surprise you.
That said, there are plenty of families who need a kids fat bike for niche riding either in sand or in snow. For those select families, there is the Mongoose Argus Trail. Hopefully some training will allow him to be able to climb on his own for some of the ride. Sticking to flat nordic type trails for fat biking in the snow might be our best bet. The components as a whole function as they should.
Likewise, this isn’t the most agile of bikes either. Those big tires won’t turn on a dime and they certainly wont take the sharpest of corners. But then again, when they are capable of simply rolling mongoose mountain bikes over just about anything that gets in their way, the point is mostly moot anyway. The most notable feature on the Beast, at least from a visual stand point, are the massive 4-1/4″ tires.
Kristen (mom), Blair (dad), and Parker (kiddo). We started Rascal Rides when Parker was born and we didn’t want to give up our passion for biking. Over the years, we’ve tested mongoose mountain bikes hundreds of kids bikes, helmets, bike trailers, and more. The components all functioned well with minimal adjustments needed and served their individual duties.
Parker is our resident tester and inspiration. One of the main components of any bike is the drive train. The Argus’ drive train uses a 2×8 system with a Microshift derailleur in the front and a Shimano Tourney in the rear. Most mountain bike steerer tubes are designed for tapered headtubes. If the diameter is 44mm then Cane Creek does make a headset to adapt a tapered fork to the headtube. Keep posts and comments free of disparaging remarks.