Their Supergoose and California Special were iconic BMXs that introduced countless youth to the fun and freedom a bicycle can afford throughout the 1980’s. Skip Hess started BMX Products, Inc. out of his home in Simi Valley, California in September 1974 with his first product being the famous Motomag One wheel. According to Hess, at its largest stage of expansion, BMX Products, Inc. employed about 85 people. In its early years Hess recalled that about 600 frames per day were produced at its Chatsworth, Los Angeles location. Mongoose is a brand name of bicycles originally designed, manufactured, and sold by BMX Products, Inc. It is now available through the distributor Pacific Cycle.
In 2001, Mongoose went into a merger with a bigger entity, Pacific Cycles, which is based in Taiwan but operates worldwide. In 2004, Pacific Cycles was acquired by the Canadian colossus Dorel Industries. mongoose bmx bike They built parts and components that needed the high fidelity only Skip Hess could offer. He never bragged about this, the racers from these other teams, later on, told these stories.
The alleged mistakes seem all the more egregious because it’s very likely that these factoids were provided by the good folks at Mongoose. The California Special used the standard Mongoose chromo front triangle frame, chromo Team fork. Mongoose says the reissued Supergoose and California Special are fully faithful huffy mountain bike remakes, featuring the same materials, geometry, specs and color schemes as the original bikes. Brunswick sold Mongoose to Pacific Cycle in 2000 and Pacific Cycle was bought by Montreal-based Dorel Industries in 2004. As of 2018, Mongoose models are available through Pacific Cycle in Madison, Wisconsin.
In the early days of the BMX, Skip Hess demonstrated how the viral spreading of an idea happened. As soon as he came up with a simple solution for his kid’s bike problem, he spread it around the block, then came up with the brilliant idea of utilizing bike racing teams. (Photo/Nate Simmons)Don’t forget the rad, branded Velcro pads — the one on the top tube can be especially critical for protection during gnarly slams. Dia-Compe MX brake sets, à la the originals, complete the kits. To match the old school originals the Supergoose gets two colorways – A red frame with blue components, or a black frame with red accents. The pad set, tires, seats, grips, chainrings and even cable housings are all color-coded to ensure an authentic look.
It also comes equipped with a Manitou Circus Comp 100 mm travel fork, in addition to a 20 mm thru-axle. Bikes usually create a generic all-purpose model, but Mongoose digs into the needs of individual bikers and offers a whole range of bikes to suit every riding style. They do this by talking to the people, especially enthusiasts. The young racers eventually became legends, and some of the models are named after them, like the Tomac Signature mountain bike, which was co-designed by the young rider John Tomac.