Mongoose is, perhaps surprisingly for us North Americans, still making well spec’d, high quality alloy-framed bikes, but you won’t find them in bike shops anymore. No, like many boutique and foreign brands, they’ve gone consumer direct.
Leading the charge is the Selous Expert, a brighter-side-of-celeste-green gravel grinder with a double butted aluminum frame that’s running thru axles and disc brakes front and rear. There are also adult and kids fat bikes and a new 27.5+ hardtail…
The top and down tubes are shaped to keep the tapered headtube stiff. Fork is carbon fiber.
There’s clearance for 40c tires.
External cable and hose routing keeps things simple, and a top of the top tube run helps keep mud and dust out of the shift cables. The brake hose runs along the bottom of the downtube to the Shimano 785 hydraulic calipers.
Remaining spec is Shimano 105 11-speed with FSA Gossamer 34/50 cranks, Alex Rims and WTB tires. Retail is $1,899.
The Ruddy 27.5+ hops aboard the latest trend and parts, specing WTB Trailblazer 2.8 tires and the new Manitou Magnum “plus” fork.
Travel is 120mm up front, and it’s driven by a Shimano XT/Deore 2×10 mix with SLX shifters. Brakes are Hayes Radar with 180mm rotors all around.
The Ruddy 27.5+ retails for $1,999.
The Argus Expert steps up the spec from the regular Argus by adding a Rockshox Bluto Solo Air RL 120mm fork, Shimano XT/SLX 2×10 mix with Deore shifters and an FSA Comet 24/38 crankset.
A sleek tapered headtube and shaped and bent downtube, along with the alloy frame, are what elevate these Mongeese above the big box models.
That, and the proper spec, including Hayes Radar brakes, and updated standards like thru axles.
But what really sets this bike apart is the custom gumwall Kenda Juggernaut 26×4.8 folding bead tires. Retail is $1,799.
Lest the big boys and girls have all the fun, an Argus Kids is available, also with an alloy frame.
The kiddos don’t get the thru axles, but it’s still a Shimano (Tourney 8-speed) drivetrain. Tires are 20×4.0″, fitting them inside standard 135mm rear axle spacing. Mongoose branded mechanical disc brakes round out the package for $499.
All models shown here are 2016 bikes and should be available this fall.
