Mongoose MotoMag
Manufactured 1978 BMX Products, Inc. in Chatsworth California Factory
Founded in 1974 by Skip Hess, BMX Products, Inc. manufactured some of the heaviest duty bikes of their time, made to withstand the new sport of BMX racing. The original Mongoose was built with the 3 main tubes made of Chrome Moly Steel (the Team Model was built with a full Chrome Moly thin wall frame). They also varied frame design with a Regular length top tube and a Long which was almost 2” longer. The double gusset at the head tube was another signature addition that added to the strength of the bike – the single gusset at the bottom bracket had been removed to save weight. The main feature on this model was the distinctive MOTOMAG II wheel set. Advertised as the “most rigid of all bicycle wheels for transferring power to the ground”, the cast aluminum MOTOMAG II was a durable wheel for riding on both track and street, but proved too heavy for racing as lighter weight spoked aluminum wheels took over on the track.