Fat bikes are heavy and not ideal for every day riding. That isn’t to say the ride was all sunshine and roses. There were a couple of aspects of the Beast that made it a challenge to ride for extended periods of time. For instance, I wasn’t overly fond of the stock seat that comes with the bike.
The weight of the bike is nearly 34 pounds (15.04 kg) and it shows. That is almost as heavy as MY full suspension fat bike. Mongoose made a sound decision considering the weight that a child must pedal. Having a wider gear range makes for a versatile bike that can conquer the terrain.
Eventually he would tire out and need the tow rope. Mongoose utilizes house branded parts to cover contact points like the grips, pedals and seat. The stem and handlebar are also branded as Xposure components. The wheels are built from Xposure rims and hubs. Those rims are paired with 24×4 Chao Yang tires. The Mongoose Argus Trail frame is comprised of 6061 aluminum.
My son moved downhill pretty quick, but not as rapidly as on his Trailcraft. He managed to get through the rocky, technical sections of our local test run and did have a smile on his face. It is still a rigid bike and that shows in the speeds and ability to descend. As you can imagine, my 70-pound child really struggles pushing 50% of his body weight uphill with the Argus. The Trax tow rope was an absolute must with this bike. Mongoose’s website just says “aluminum” for their unbranded brakes.
The drive train is setup for either snow or sand riding and my son seemed to ride comfortably. Taking the Argus out was a different experience than the norm and we both had fun. Mongoose has mongoose mountain bikes given the “go-ahead” to do a long term review to assess the handling and function of the Argus once winter comes. So if you’re curious about how the bike performs in the snow, stay tuned…..
They slowed my son’s riding down when needed but functioned as any mechanical brake set would. They are not hydraulic and even I could feel that when testing myself. The job is getting done but there is more arm pump and fatigue when wrestling more weight with a lower grade brake system. The rear end of the bike also has quick release dropouts with 190mm hub width.
The Beast strips away all of the features typically found on a bike and just gives you pure two-wheeled experience. There is something to be said for that and I think a lot of riders will have the same experience with this bike that I had. And since it only costs $198, you won’t break the bank adding a Beast to a garage already filled with bikes.
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 mongoose bmx bike 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.
The traits of handling and stability will most certainly transition to snow riding as well. Riding the Beast is certainly a no-frills affair. It is a single speed bike with 26″ wheels and cruiser brakes. It didn’t take long to adjust to the old school breaking system, but I’ll admit there was a moment of panic before it dawned on me how the brakes worked. There is a low level shimano hydraulic disc brake kit that is SO NICE compared to the cable disc brakes.