While this is true in many instances, the fact of the matter is that proper inflation for optimal performance depends on the individual rider and his or her bike. There’s a slight wobble as the mongoose racing bike front wheel rolls, which I noticed right out of the box, and the wobble has become more pronounced over time. In my experience, this is pretty common for bikes in this price range. The Mongoose Switchback Expert is capable of popping off small roots and rocks in the trail, and it has proven to be durable on the landings. I worried about flat tires so I added a bit more pressure than I usually run on my other bikes—about 20-25psi—and I recommend buyers do the same. Enhance your cycling experience with our comprehensive range of gear and accessories.
The Mongoose Switchback Expert strikes a fine balance for riders looking for an affordable and simple entry into the world of riding bikes off road. Not that I had many bikes to compare my ’96 to,(only my old huffy pro thunder), but it is so light and quick and really responds quickly to every turn when I ride it. I guess no one knows when they started making them in Taiwan and if mid school bikes are made stronger than old school bikes. I just gathered that they were from the hundreds of posts I have read here.
Some of the world’s finest riders ride Mongoose BMX Freestyle and BMX Race bikes. In the past, Mongoose bicycles were at the top of the class. If we want a realistic picture of quality and price, we need to look at the budget and mongoose racing bike high-end bikes. Their products are distributed worldwide, mainly through independent distributors and retailers. BMX Products Inc’s product range includes BMX Bikes, Dirt Jump Bikes, BMX Racing Equipment, and other Bicycle Accessories such as clothing and helmets. If you want to google for a term, look for clydesdale / athena riders; bikeforums.net and other places have sections devoted just for them (clydesdale being heavy men, athena heavy women).
The coil fork isn’t all that responsive, and unlike a fork with an air spring you can’t adjust it to customize the feel for your weight and riding style. I found I needed to keep my speed in check to keep the front wheel tracking and in control. If you want to ride trails as fast as possible, you’ll likely progress beyond the Mongoose Switchback Expert rather quickly.
For that reason, it doesn’t make sense to run anything wider than the 2.25″ tires specced despite what appears to be plenty of frame clearance. I like the WTB Trail Boss tires so my advice is to just keep ’em. The rims aren’t taped inside, and they’re drilled for Schrader valves, so IMO going tubeless isn’t really worth the hassle, either. One of the selling points of the Mongoose Switchback Expert is the tapered head tube, which the Comp version does not offer.
Now, Mongoose is one of the brands of Dorel Industries, which also owns Pacific Cycle, Schwinn, and GT Bicycles. As of 2018, you can find Mongoose bikes at Pacific Cycle in Madison, WI. The key part is to be gentle with the bike; don’t jump it off curbs, etc. and it’s more likely to last. My guess is that the weak point will be the spokes breaking in the wheels, but a bike shop could handle the replacement. A well-known fictional mongoose is Rikki-Tikki-Tavi, who appears in a short story of the same title in The Jungle Book (1894) by Rudyard Kipling. In this tale set in India, a young pet mongoose saves his human family from a krait and from Nag and Nagaina, two cobras.