Mongoose Kong Fat Tire Mountain Bike for Kids, 20-Inch Wheels

I ordered this Mongoose Fat Tire bike for my 7 year old son. Overall I am happy with the purchase, and my son loves riding it, but it isn't perfect. I'll get to the details below. I ordered this bike based upon the following factors: 1) my son thought it looked very cool; 2) the price was reasonable; and 3) it has disc brakes and a 7 speed shifter.The bike shipped in a well-protected cardboard box. The bike was mostly complete, requiring only a few things to be assembled. Everything was secured inside with zip ties. The only things I had to assemble were the handlebars (had to be inserted into the frame and tightened, the seatpost, and the front wheel.With the exception of the front wheel, the bike went together very easily, requiring only basic hand tools. The problem with the front wheel was trying to slot the front brake disc into the brake assembly. Oh, it fit alright, but then you have to try to adjust the brake so the disc doesn't rub on the pads. The instructions make this sound very easy with a little adjustment knob on the brake - it's not there, and the adjustment process is a little more complicated than that. I'm pretty mechanically inclined, and out of frustration, I Youtubed how to adjust bike disc brakes. Once I understood the process, it was a bit easier, but buyer beware, it took me at least a half an hour to get it "close enough" to where it wasn't rubbing. Once I fixed that, there was a great deal of travel in the hand brake that also needed adjustment. Sigh. When my son finally rode the bike, the rear brake disc began rubbing horribly, and no amount of adjustment could get it right. I finally had to take it to a bike shop to have a pro tune it.When I picked the bike up, the tech told me the brake discs were slightly warped and it was a real challenge for him to get the brakes adjusted properly. The brakes work now, but I had to spend $25 to get it right and thus I subtract one star from my review for the hassle and expense.The other negative with this bike? It is heavy! I mean ridiculously heavy, like twice the weight of a normal kids bike (at least). That could be a good or bad thing, I guess, but there is no way my 7 year old can lift this bike off the ground. Perhaps this weight makes the bike more stable, I don't know, but just be aware of this fact if you are considering buying it.As far as positives go, if you like attracting attention, this bike will get it. The 4" tires give the bike an awesome presence, and all kinds of people literally stop my son on the street to ask him where he got it. He loves the attention he gets with this bike and his little brother is more than a little jealous. He rides it all over town, to the park, over grass, cement, sand, you name it. It goes everywhere. And although it is heavy, my son loves the 7 gears which help him climb hills more easily now. This is his first bike with gears and since they are mounted on the right hand grip, shifting for him is super easy. He loves it.Overall, for the price, I am very satisfied with this Mongoose Kong Fat Tire bike. I wish I didn't have the hassle with the brakes mentioned above, but my son loves his new bike so much, I'd probably go through that hassle again because the rest of the bike is really great and, for the price, it's definitely a winner. Hope this review helps you in your decision.

My first impression is that this is a decent bike for the low price. Of course you cannot expect that the components will be anything near bike shop quality in this price range, but the bike does look nice and rides well after being properly adjusted.Assembly is not difficult per se, and the bike comes 90% assembled. However, it may be challenging if you are not mechanically inclined or if you're not all that familiar with basic bicycle adjustment. Most importantly--and I can't emphasize this enough--the brakes will need substantial adjustment before it's even safe to spin the wheels. The brake hardware is not of high quality, but works well enough if it's properly installed. Unfortunately, both of the brake assemblies on the bike I received were haphazardly attached so that the disc would not spin freely between the calipers once assembled. You have to loosen two bolts and adjust the position of the caliper assembly, looking at the disc as it passes between the pads to be sure that everything is straight. Then you have to adjust the brake cable tension so that there is just enough space on either side of the disc for it to spin freely, but not so much that the strength of braking is compromised.This procedure isn't hard, but you do have to understand how the brake works and you don't want to get it wrong. I am familiar with caliper and cantilever brakes but haven't worked with disc brakes on a bicycle before, and it took me a few minutes of fiddling around to understand how the thing is supposed to be adjusted. If I had attempted to ride the bike without carefully adjusting this, I think I would have had so much binding of the disc in the pads that it would have permanently warped the disc, or might have bound up completely, causing the wheel to lock and probably causing a crash.The rear derailleur (the only derailleur, the front is just a single cog) also needed complete adjustment. This doesn't take long, but you need to search for instructions online.Also--be sure when you install the front wheel that you don't have the fork turned backwards. You can't really install the wheel backwards on the fork, as the brake pad assembly mounts to the fork. But if you have the whole fork turned around 180 degrees, the force of braking will cause the brake disc to unscrew from the hub. Braking should tend to cinch down the disc, not unscrew it!It's always worth having a tube of good bicycle grease handy when assembling a bike (I use Park Tool blue grease). I like to put a LITTLE grease on the seatpost and some on the front end as well. When I have time, I'll re-grease the headset/crankset/wheel bearings, because it wouldn't surprise me if these are inadequately greased from the factory.Do not plan to rely on the included instruction manual. It's a general manual that's obviously sold with many different bicycles and is nearly useless.OK--now the good. This bike looks very cool and the wide tires are a real attention-getter. It's amazing how well this bike rides on grass. I bought it for my 10-year-old son but I can ride it a little too, and it makes me want a fat bike of my own. It's a completely different experience when compared with attempting to ride a road bike or even a regular mountain bike on grass.The gearing is low, so this will never be a very fast bike on pavement. But that's not what it's made for anyway, and it does quite well on surfaces regular bikes can't handle. When properly adjusted, it gives a comfortable ride, and is an attractive machine.Overall, I am pleased. This is a very inexpensive bicycle, and that shows in the carelessness with which it was assembled at the factory and in the budget-level quality of the components. But that doesn't mean it's a bad bike or won't serve your needs well--it just means you need to be a little cautious and to know what you're doing when you put it together. If you're buying this for a kid, make sure you get it set up right before his/her first ride. (Also, for heaven's sake, make him or her wear a helmet, every time--I work in an ER, I know how important this is.)

My 8 year old son was super excited to get this bike. Bike arrived within 1 week, box was damaged upon arrival but the bike survived. Assembly was super easy, mongoose preassembles their Argus models prior to shipping. My son went riding the following morning and would not want to get off. The bike is a little big for him but he manages it well. Overall, I'm impressed with the components and the quality of this bike. It is way better quality than "walmart" Logan model.

My son LOVES his new bike, he is 9!!! Beware if this is a gift for someone in your home the box comes with pictures on it! ☺️ I'm glad I had it delivered somewhere else.

The best part about this bike is that it looks kool. I'm a big guy 5'8 300lb plus or minus and with some upgrades this has to be one of the most enjoyable bmx bikes I've ever had. I changed a few things like handle bars seat and a few other things. I got the bike for the fat tire frame so eventually I will change every part for better parts. But out of the box its rideable which is kool..was easy to put together I'd get it tuned..that's just me if your not looking for anything to fancy and you want a fat tire bmx style bike that wont break the bank then this will fit the bill. My kids like to use it too, so I'd say well worth the money. I'll be using a lot more during summer and will post update on how it has held up . I really love this bike and you will too

7 year old son loves this bike and rides it all the time. My husband loves it too, and wants one. This bike is likely to last quite a few years. It's well built and the seat is set to the lowest point. It's a 20" frame with lots of room to grow. We were concerned it may be too heavy and would take our son a while to get the hang of it, but it was never an issue. Great bike.

El diseño es genial: el color, los cambios, frenos de disco y sobre todo las llantas redondean un producto poco común y muy llamativo. Quien utilice ésta bicicleta se convierte en centro de atención.Si no tienes experiencia ajustando los frenos de disco (ajustar lo demás resulta trivial), simplemente llévala a un taller y que un profesional te ponga a punto la bici (altura de asiento / manubrio, altura de palancas de freno, discos/balatas).El único punto (que no es tan atribuible al fabricante) es que puede resultar un poco pesada para un niño(a) de 6 o 7 años. Solo ha tomado algunos días para que mi niña pequeña se acostumbre a maniobrarla, al principio el peso le ganaba al estar detenida. Después de algunas caídas leves ha aprendido a controlarla casi al 100%Es su primer bicicleta con cambios y está feliz, hemos recorrido algunas decenas de kilómetros y las llantas soportan perfectamente cualquier condición de terreno.

I just bought this bike because I can't ride my mountain bike anymore because of health issues Just for background I'm 67 years old with COPD, MS, a titanium hip and arthritis in my lower spine My next step was a mobility scooter or electric wheelchair Until I saw this bikeI used to sell bikes and ride the North Shore in Vancouver seriously in the nineties Back then Mongoose had ceased to be a serious BMX brand but they took their brand and build quality and went into kids bikes The result was you could get a beautiful high quality BMX bike for your kids for the same price as a junk Sears bikeThe frame on this Mongoose is solid and nicely finished I haven't even taken delivery but I can see that from the pictures Ad to that alloyhub and rims a single V brake and good quality rubber and you have superior value for moneySince I am an adult riding this as a grocery getter ordered a 450 mm alloy seat post and a proper adult seat for the bikeGiven the options of spending 3K dollars on a mobility scooter or $300 for this bike I think I have made the right choiceEdit to add Just took delivery Bike was delivered as expected and undamaged Double boxed It showed up with a heavy duty kids bike kick stand A bit heavy so I might replace it otherwise it is installed with a locator flange on the bottom of the chain stay and a robust hex key bolt So won't slip or damage the frame For a kids bike this is a great featureI plan to upgrade the headset and bottom bracket The BB is cheap threaded cupset so I may be able to get a better BB Crankset and chainring upgrades may be limited The bike comes with a cheap one piece press fit left crank and chain ringHeadset upgrades may also be limited Bike arrived with a cheap steel headset with a knurled lock ring on the top cup No big deal For a cruiser I can live with thatFair warning this is a tensile steel kids bike that comes with a frame spaced for a 4" X 20" wheel The rubber is very good quality and the rim is alloy I assume that the hub is steel but that is not uncommon for cheap and even modern BMX bikes in the mid range of qualityThe fork is tensile steel but the dropouts are quite weak So competition or bike park/skate park jumps are not advisedIt is NOT a quality freestyle, street or flatland bike Kids bike and inexpensive cruiser is the niche for this bike Good value in both categoriesEdit to add I have upgraded this bike and replaced the existing headset and bottom bracket with cartridge bearing headset and bottom bracket I have also installed forged alloy cranks and chainring as well as a carbon fiber handlebar, alloy stem, forged alloy brake levers, clamp on grips and mini bar endsI am using both the stock steel 20 " fork with the stock fat front tire as well as altering a Cannondale Pepperoni fork and Mavic 719 26" wheel with a WTB cartridge hub and Conti City slickTotal out of pocket alterations with the stock fork and wheel is about $500 including the price of the bike Not bad for a custom 20" fat BMX of which there are very fewHere is the mockup version with the Cannondal fork and Mavic/WTB wheel

La mejor bici que le pude comprar a mi hijo!Por donde vamos niños y adultos comentan “qué buena bici!” Y mi hijo se siente genial, yo orgulloso.. muy buen precio comparadas con las que ofrecen en las tiendas de mi ciudad..

Thanks

My boy absolutely loves this bike. Makes a rubbing noise that no one can seem to adjust but still great value and fast delivery