MongooseThe history of Mongoose Bicycles, according to BMX filmmaker Mark Eaton.A few months ago, Mark Eaton, the renowned producer of "Joe Kid on a Stingray" and the "Dorkin' in York" series, sent me a review copy of a documentary he was working on for Mongoose Bicycles: "Know Your Roots: The History of Mongoose." Because I've been a long time fan of Eaton's work, and because I grew up riding Mongoose FS-1's and Decades in the '80s, I dropped everything I was doing and watched the 20-minute long documentary on the history of Mongoose.
For all intents and purposes, I'll keep this short: Mongoose started in the mid '70s with the introduction of the Motomag wheel, creating one of the first technological revolutions within the growing sport of BMX. Following closely behind was the first complete BMX bicycle from Mongoose, a worldwide first. Momentum built through the '80s, followed by scooters, legions of respected pro riders from The Albion's Tim March to current X Games pros such as Dennis McCoy and Steve McCann.
Eaton's documentary, "Know Your Roots: The History of Mongoose," runs through the 40-year history of Mongoose, and goes behind the scenes of the story behind the early race team, the Mongoose scooter phenomenon, and even Harold "McGoo" Mcgruther's tenure as a team manager and marketing manager during the late '80s and early '90s. While I would've loved to have seen more commentary from past Mongoose riders such as DMC and Fuzzy Hall, as well as inside looks at revolutionary bikes such as the Hooligan and the Decade, the Mongoose documentary is a quaint walk down memory lane for a BMX brand that started a revolution and still manages to maintain a presence in the BMX freestyle scene.
And it's now free to watch on the Mongoose site. Historical documentaries within BMX might not be everyone's cup of tea, but "Know Your Roots: The History of Mongoose" is a great tool for learning about the roots of BMX as well as the many ups and downs that brands experience as they continue to evolve in an ever-growing sport.
Check the full video here.
