We will definitely stick to mountain biking with his Trailcraft, but I am excited to get my son out on some decent snow rides. As you can imagine, a bike with a heavy frame and gigantic tires isn’t exactly a speed demon. If you’re looking for a fast ride, you’ll want to look elsewhere. 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 over just about anything that gets in their way, the point is mostly moot anyway.
The rear end of the bike also has quick release dropouts with 190mm hub width. The torsion and stiffness from fat wheels and hubs paired with quick release skewers might allow for some flex, but when riding mellow trails, the setup seemed to do just fine. There aren’t many kids fat bikes on the market, and generally this is for good reason. Fat bikes are mongoose bicycle heavy and not ideal for every day riding. 2) Chris at Lectric Cycles just released a 100mm BBS02 drive unit under the e-Rad name and the 750 watt unit sells here for $1200, about $99 less than Doug’s unit. The gear sensor is hooked to a proprietary e-Rad only extra Higo plug that uses custom firmware for perfectly timed motor cutoff when you shift.
The Mongoose Argus Trail is most certainly a unique bike that meets the needs of an extreme niche. The component build is competitive, keeps cost down, and functions mongoose bicycle as needed. Mongoose’s website just says “aluminum” for their unbranded brakes. Get special offers, exclusive product news, and event info straight to your inbox.
Most fatbikes have a much wider Bottom Bracket than the industry standard 68mm. Fat bike manufacturers have mostly standardized on the 100mm BB so the chainline can still not hit the tire in the lower gears. There is no easy way to get a stock BBS02 to install on a 100mm BB. That being said where there is a will, there is always a way.
If their is a more aptly named bike on the market today, I don’t know what it could possibly be. The Beast is big and bulky and its fat tires definitely make it a stand out from nearly any other bike you’ll come across on the road or the trail. When fully assembled, including kickstand and old-school chain guard, the bike tips the scales at about 48 pounds (22 kg). So much so, that I don’t believe that my current road bike and mountain bike weigh that much combined.
All E-Rad kits ship with the C965 controller and are version 4 of the BBS02. Earlier versions of this drive unit had a few bugs with the controller and bearing issues. A cycling community enthusiastic about mountain biking and all things related. As with any bike, stay within your budget but get the best spec you can afford.
Sure, its big, heavy and ponderous and yes it lacks any kind of amenities that I’m use to on a bike. But in spite of all of that, it is still fun to ride, and isn’t that one cycling should be all about? Sometimes in our rush to get the lightest, fastest and most tricked out bikes, we forget how important it is to enjoy riding just for the sake of riding. 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.