The electric motor delivers consistent power, and the bike can reach decent speeds effortlessly. The battery life is excellent, allowing me to go on long rides without worrying about running out of power. I don’t know of many that go smaller from there either. It could be swapped for a shorter stem to add some downhill stability.
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 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.
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.
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.
It is a single speed bike with 26″ wheels and cruiser brakes. I haven’t rode a bike that didn’t have hand operated brakes since I was a kid and actually momentarily wondered how I was going to stop the Beast once I got it going. 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. With its 4-inch thick tires and reputation for stability, our P6 e-bike is perfect for off-road adventures, weekends spent wandering the backroads, and everything in between. The components all functioned well with minimal adjustments needed and served their individual duties.
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.
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 mongoose bicycle 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.
Clearly Mongoose didn’t have high performance in mind when they built the Beast, they were simply looking to create a bike that is fun to ride. If that was indeed their aim from the outset, I’d say they succeeded. While riding the Beast I found myself pleasantly surprised with how enjoyable it was to roll down a trail with relative ease. I’m sure that on more than one occasion I pedaled along with a goofy grin on my face as my big, oversized tires crushed everything that dared to get in their way.
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 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.