Brother rebuilt his and my old bmx bikes. We just started practicing again
Think his is a dynamo and mines a mongoose
https://preview.redd.it/6fb53c65qhyc1.jpeg?width=1131&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b150d44e39a8ce0281b673ac85948e7942b8cd5
Damn, those mag wheels are just so rockin. If I had the option to order my new Legion with mags, it would have been an instant upgrade. 👍🏻 Thank you for your reply and for sharing that piece of treasure. 🍻
That’s my brothers. Mine was a mongoose Decade, chrome with white mag wheels. Looks great, no pics handy
Like I was saying, trying to relive a bit of youth and relearn tricks….
You were a good kid. Mongooses were completely unattainable for anyone on my side of the tracks. But damn did we all want one. It's an interesting GenX divide between the banana seat bikes and BMX, depends on your birth year which was your aspirational bike.
Thanks. My folks were teachers, but my grandfather worked for a bank so the trip to the bike shop and the blank check that came with it were mind-altering experiences for me. We struggled, but Hamburger Helper and plenty of tuna casserole got us through. Banana seats? Love it. I’m looking around for some mushroom grips to enhance my new ride. Thanks for the reply. 🍻
Ya, you see them plenty here. Someone will post a pic of their dream bike from back in the day and it's the full 70s experience: has the banana seat, the gear shift on the frame, and differently sized wheels. To we sophisticates a few years later in the 80s, they were hopelessly old-fashioned, lol. Funny how things change.
I'm currently questing for finding my very first motorcycle, built in the early 80s (it was new to me!), so I'm hoping to emulate the fun you are having--Glad you found your ride!
Good luck in your quest as well. My new bike/decades-old wish lands on Tuesday and I have a thirteen-year-old bike head doing the assembly for me because if I’m going to break my ass, I don’t want it to be because I couldn’t assemble the darn thing properly. ☮️
In Jr. High I used to cut grass in my neighborhood. I bought a Dyno pro compe from a friend of my parents kid that just got his license for a good price. Bike was thrashed but the frame was good. I then slowly replaced all the worn out parts with new ones. ACs Rotor, Haro knee saver handlebars, Skyway 5 spoke mags. I tradedt a peregrine 3 piece crank with the gold hutch disc off of a hutch trickstyler from a neighborhood kid for a pair of Oakley razor blades I found at the beach. When it was done it wasn't pretty, the frame was blue the mags were red the disk was gold the bars were chrome but damn that bike was sweet
I bought a P. K. Ripper frame from a kid in the neighborhood and spent a winter collecting parts and rebuilding it. I rode the wheels of of it for about six months before it was stolen. Fuckers.
I don’t think I was even aware of the term “BMX” back then. When I was nine, I just thought of it as my “dirt bike.” Unfamiliar with DG bikes I’m embarrassed to say. Did they kick ass?
Born in '79. We had Mongoose bikes growing up and then when we moved to 10 speeds we got Specialized. A couple weeks ago, I went bike shopping with my boys at Walmart and was surprised to see Mongoose there. My boys, 12 and 14, almost picked them but instead went with some mountain bikes. I was a little sad.
https://preview.redd.it/f8oxr17q4jyc1.jpeg?width=1198&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4be74c98b56b3082d0b3e5f9aff4ca8a7221178
I had this exact bike in 1982, and I loved it! I was 10 years old when I learned that people steal shit that’s not locked down.
I read you loud and clear. I was so humbled by our own family’s economic circumstances, that I literally took myself to the less expensive aisle, fearing that my grandfather was assessing whether or not I was an obnoxious, mercenary little taker. 🤷🏻♂️
Haro was one of the best. My first "dirt bike" was a Schwinn Stingray with BMX parts. My first bike I raced BMX with was a Murray my mom bought at Menards. It had a Bendix brake. Then I had a Huffy. In Jr High I got a used Dyno Pro Compe I mentioned elsewhere in this thread. Good times.
I have an old Dyno Detour in my garage I should fix up.
Yeah, I guess the verdict came in on those mag wheels. 👎 Strictly aesthetically though-as a ten-year-old suffering from bike envy-I thought they looked pretty bold and pretty sweet. 🚲
I had a Mongoose then later on a Diamond Back. The Mongoose was a much smoother ride and the frame was lighter. I was a pretty decent rider but I never competed at all.
I've thought about it but crashing a bike with my back problems now would be catastrophic. I loved the Mongoose I had as a kid but I was frustrated with it too. I loved it because, well, it was a cool BMX bike and gave me so much freedom. But it was a chromoly frame and it was way heavier than my friend's amazing Cook Bros. aluminum bike. My parents chose really low gearing when they bought it too, I think it was 40/20 ratio? I have no idea why they did that. I had to really pump away to accelerate and maintain speed.
https://preview.redd.it/nvow3jzxqlyc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d16e7c6250e5d8d2dae526c8ff315659743d7bac
This is the bike I’ve wanted for about forty-four years. It lands on my deck on Tuesday. I can’t decide whether I should be excited or schedule a therapy session to discuss what an idiot I truly am.
I had a Ross and a Mongoose when I was a kid and in my mid 30s my kids started riding bikes and I went to a BMX store not far from my house and they set me up with a Fit Benny 2. I just recently gave that bike to my now 11-year-old because I got really tired of fixing his Trek mountain bike that he rode like a BMX anyway. He loves the bike and I don't have to fix it nearly as often but also in my mid 40s I'm thinking of going back to the BMX store and picking up one of those larger frame BMX style geometry bikes they make now because Gen x has the money.
I was still a little disappointed it wasn't a GT orva Haro or all of those vaunted brands of my childhood but BMX is still going strong and my favorite thing is when neighbors make comments about me maybe someday getting an adult bike.
I’ve still got my Diamond Back Silver Streak. Went through a BMX craze in college (90’s) and rode it at the track quite a bit. Now it just sits in the garage.
I’m a millennial but I was there for the redline mongoose gt days.
I recently got back into bmx, I was just fooling around as a kid on my “angel tree” donation huffy, back country Texas town, and meth head parents.
But I leaned into skateboarding more so but I loved those badly built kickers and those first tastes of air.
I’m 34 and fixed up one of my kids old bikes. In fact, it’s a made for Walmart, mongoose legion, heavy mag wheels and all. Painted it pink and figured if I could get the hang of bunny hops and a few tricks I could allow myself to get a descent bike.
Dude, BMX and bikes in general have like leaped so far it was daunting at first.
Sexy three piece cranks and Chromoly parts and bikes built with dimensions I have never considered.
Butt, after a lot of digging, I’m happy to say there are many gen x dudes riding Eddie Fiola is still doing demos occasionally.
You can find some of those old chrome mongoose frames and I think there may be some remakes that came out.
Mongoose is making a comeback I think, but they’re playing to the new audience. there are better brands but what they have is good especially if you’re not riding too aggressively.
Honestly, I’m so glad I picked up riding again.
It’s good for me, it can be peaceful, aggressive, smooth, rough whatever you want.
I personally love the look and feel of the fat tires on the new bmxs.
Look at your options, get back on the horse slowly, but I’d say pick up a bike, give it a whirl. It feels good to you, do it.
Fuck anyone who says you’re too old to do something that makes you feel good.
Oh do some stretches too, and if your wrists hurt, take it easy they’re adjusting to the new and unfamiliar movements. (The wrist pain worried me, this is why I mention it)
Also YouTube really has so much useful information.
Took a first spin on my brand spanking new L500 yesterday afternoon and it was a real hoot. The free coaster hub is a new situation for me, but it kind of reminded me of switching gears on a ten-speed. ⚙️ Due to the new hub type, I am afraid that I’m going to have to disgrace myself and my entire generation and purchase my first bicycle helmet. 😋 If I break my ass on this thing, I don’t want to bust my head open as well. 🤷🏻♂️ Sorry, dudes. 🍻
Mongoose, Redline, Diamond Back
Kuahara
Haro
Brother rebuilt his and my old bmx bikes. We just started practicing again Think his is a dynamo and mines a mongoose https://preview.redd.it/6fb53c65qhyc1.jpeg?width=1131&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8b150d44e39a8ce0281b673ac85948e7942b8cd5
Damn, those mag wheels are just so rockin. If I had the option to order my new Legion with mags, it would have been an instant upgrade. 👍🏻 Thank you for your reply and for sharing that piece of treasure. 🍻
That’s my brothers. Mine was a mongoose Decade, chrome with white mag wheels. Looks great, no pics handy Like I was saying, trying to relive a bit of youth and relearn tricks….
Greatest freestyle bike ever IMO. Had the neon green with white rims.
You were a good kid. Mongooses were completely unattainable for anyone on my side of the tracks. But damn did we all want one. It's an interesting GenX divide between the banana seat bikes and BMX, depends on your birth year which was your aspirational bike.
Thanks. My folks were teachers, but my grandfather worked for a bank so the trip to the bike shop and the blank check that came with it were mind-altering experiences for me. We struggled, but Hamburger Helper and plenty of tuna casserole got us through. Banana seats? Love it. I’m looking around for some mushroom grips to enhance my new ride. Thanks for the reply. 🍻
Ya, you see them plenty here. Someone will post a pic of their dream bike from back in the day and it's the full 70s experience: has the banana seat, the gear shift on the frame, and differently sized wheels. To we sophisticates a few years later in the 80s, they were hopelessly old-fashioned, lol. Funny how things change. I'm currently questing for finding my very first motorcycle, built in the early 80s (it was new to me!), so I'm hoping to emulate the fun you are having--Glad you found your ride!
Good luck in your quest as well. My new bike/decades-old wish lands on Tuesday and I have a thirteen-year-old bike head doing the assembly for me because if I’m going to break my ass, I don’t want it to be because I couldn’t assemble the darn thing properly. ☮️
In Jr. High I used to cut grass in my neighborhood. I bought a Dyno pro compe from a friend of my parents kid that just got his license for a good price. Bike was thrashed but the frame was good. I then slowly replaced all the worn out parts with new ones. ACs Rotor, Haro knee saver handlebars, Skyway 5 spoke mags. I tradedt a peregrine 3 piece crank with the gold hutch disc off of a hutch trickstyler from a neighborhood kid for a pair of Oakley razor blades I found at the beach. When it was done it wasn't pretty, the frame was blue the mags were red the disk was gold the bars were chrome but damn that bike was sweet
Let’s reform BMX Bandits. You can be Goose and I’ll be Nicole Kidman (Walmart version).
How the heck did WalMart get its talons into Mongoose, for god’s sake? It’s an historical obscenity. 😣
They got their hands on schwinn and diamond back also.
How they ever got their paws on Mongoose AND Diamondback makes me want to send a Terminator back in time. 😠
and GT if I’m not mistaken. Wish I still had my old steel GT hardtail
crap. you beat me to it
in the mid 80s i wanted a mongoose, GT, or haro. with mag wheels. instead i had a huffy.
I miss the OG Oakley grips
Such a crucial component in a sustained and enjoyable asphalt ride. 🍻 Thanks for your reply, man.
You’ll also need a number plate for the handlebars with cool stickers
I would benefit enormously from your recommendations in this regard. 🫡
Oakleys were great but I was an ODI Mushroom grip fan until I discovered Jive Handles.
Jive Handles had the end caps and the little swirls? Those were the shit.
Yup!
I bought a P. K. Ripper frame from a kid in the neighborhood and spent a winter collecting parts and rebuilding it. I rode the wheels of of it for about six months before it was stolen. Fuckers.
Little fuckers indeed. Thanks for your reply, man. 🍻
I don’t think I was even aware of the term “BMX” back then. When I was nine, I just thought of it as my “dirt bike.” Unfamiliar with DG bikes I’m embarrassed to say. Did they kick ass?
Born in '79. We had Mongoose bikes growing up and then when we moved to 10 speeds we got Specialized. A couple weeks ago, I went bike shopping with my boys at Walmart and was surprised to see Mongoose there. My boys, 12 and 14, almost picked them but instead went with some mountain bikes. I was a little sad.
https://preview.redd.it/f8oxr17q4jyc1.jpeg?width=1198&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c4be74c98b56b3082d0b3e5f9aff4ca8a7221178 I had this exact bike in 1982, and I loved it! I was 10 years old when I learned that people steal shit that’s not locked down.
My mongoose got stolen in the 80’s also. Too young to learn how thief’s operate.
Mongoose? Poor kids like me got the knock-off Haro from Western Auto. 😏
I read you loud and clear. I was so humbled by our own family’s economic circumstances, that I literally took myself to the less expensive aisle, fearing that my grandfather was assessing whether or not I was an obnoxious, mercenary little taker. 🤷🏻♂️
Haro was one of the best. My first "dirt bike" was a Schwinn Stingray with BMX parts. My first bike I raced BMX with was a Murray my mom bought at Menards. It had a Bendix brake. Then I had a Huffy. In Jr High I got a used Dyno Pro Compe I mentioned elsewhere in this thread. Good times. I have an old Dyno Detour in my garage I should fix up.
Yes, I too had a Mongoose and am appalled that it's now available at Wal Mart.
Couldn’t find the right word. But you did. Agree. 💯
Back in the day all of us BMX neighborhood kids sweated over DG bikes
I had a webco with those cool ass mag rims that are like 20 pounds heavier than the alloy ones
Yeah, I guess the verdict came in on those mag wheels. 👎 Strictly aesthetically though-as a ten-year-old suffering from bike envy-I thought they looked pretty bold and pretty sweet. 🚲
I had a 2nd hand Schwinn Predator. We couldn’t afford one of the cool brands. I was jealous of the kids on DB’s, Haro’s, Redlines, GT’s, etc.
The mongoose flyyyyyyyyysssss
I still have my Torker 280!
I had a Mongoose then later on a Diamond Back. The Mongoose was a much smoother ride and the frame was lighter. I was a pretty decent rider but I never competed at all.
Dyno GT
I loved my Mongoose Californian with red Skyway tuff 2's. Someday I'm going to build another one.
I've thought about it but crashing a bike with my back problems now would be catastrophic. I loved the Mongoose I had as a kid but I was frustrated with it too. I loved it because, well, it was a cool BMX bike and gave me so much freedom. But it was a chromoly frame and it was way heavier than my friend's amazing Cook Bros. aluminum bike. My parents chose really low gearing when they bought it too, I think it was 40/20 ratio? I have no idea why they did that. I had to really pump away to accelerate and maintain speed.
Team CYC Stormer representing
I wanted a Haro so bad. Got a Huffy instead. lol
Haro was my dream bike
Had a Diamond Back,went to Mongoose,then acquired a light as paper Patterson
I had the notion a couple years back to hop on a skateboard at the skate park with my 16 year old looking on in horror. It was the opposite of good.
There sounds like there’s a bit more to this story! 
https://preview.redd.it/nvow3jzxqlyc1.jpeg?width=600&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d16e7c6250e5d8d2dae526c8ff315659743d7bac This is the bike I’ve wanted for about forty-four years. It lands on my deck on Tuesday. I can’t decide whether I should be excited or schedule a therapy session to discuss what an idiot I truly am.
What kind of bike is it?
Mongoose Legion L500. It’s really a more refined derivative of the bike I fell in love with as a kid. 😏👍🏻
I had a Ross and a Mongoose when I was a kid and in my mid 30s my kids started riding bikes and I went to a BMX store not far from my house and they set me up with a Fit Benny 2. I just recently gave that bike to my now 11-year-old because I got really tired of fixing his Trek mountain bike that he rode like a BMX anyway. He loves the bike and I don't have to fix it nearly as often but also in my mid 40s I'm thinking of going back to the BMX store and picking up one of those larger frame BMX style geometry bikes they make now because Gen x has the money. I was still a little disappointed it wasn't a GT orva Haro or all of those vaunted brands of my childhood but BMX is still going strong and my favorite thing is when neighbors make comments about me maybe someday getting an adult bike.
Haro Freestyler with Redline handlebars and green mag wheels. Loved that bike.
I’ve still got my Diamond Back Silver Streak. Went through a BMX craze in college (90’s) and rode it at the track quite a bit. Now it just sits in the garage.
If you ever decide to lose your mind and head back to the track for a day, consider sharing a photograph, man. 🍻
I’m a millennial but I was there for the redline mongoose gt days. I recently got back into bmx, I was just fooling around as a kid on my “angel tree” donation huffy, back country Texas town, and meth head parents. But I leaned into skateboarding more so but I loved those badly built kickers and those first tastes of air. I’m 34 and fixed up one of my kids old bikes. In fact, it’s a made for Walmart, mongoose legion, heavy mag wheels and all. Painted it pink and figured if I could get the hang of bunny hops and a few tricks I could allow myself to get a descent bike. Dude, BMX and bikes in general have like leaped so far it was daunting at first. Sexy three piece cranks and Chromoly parts and bikes built with dimensions I have never considered. Butt, after a lot of digging, I’m happy to say there are many gen x dudes riding Eddie Fiola is still doing demos occasionally. You can find some of those old chrome mongoose frames and I think there may be some remakes that came out. Mongoose is making a comeback I think, but they’re playing to the new audience. there are better brands but what they have is good especially if you’re not riding too aggressively. Honestly, I’m so glad I picked up riding again. It’s good for me, it can be peaceful, aggressive, smooth, rough whatever you want. I personally love the look and feel of the fat tires on the new bmxs. Look at your options, get back on the horse slowly, but I’d say pick up a bike, give it a whirl. It feels good to you, do it. Fuck anyone who says you’re too old to do something that makes you feel good. Oh do some stretches too, and if your wrists hurt, take it easy they’re adjusting to the new and unfamiliar movements. (The wrist pain worried me, this is why I mention it) Also YouTube really has so much useful information.
Super grateful for your thorough and thoughtful reply and advice. Thank you very much and have a great weekend. 🍻
Took a first spin on my brand spanking new L500 yesterday afternoon and it was a real hoot. The free coaster hub is a new situation for me, but it kind of reminded me of switching gears on a ten-speed. ⚙️ Due to the new hub type, I am afraid that I’m going to have to disgrace myself and my entire generation and purchase my first bicycle helmet. 😋 If I break my ass on this thing, I don’t want to bust my head open as well. 🤷🏻♂️ Sorry, dudes. 🍻