"would you ride a utility bike" yes absolutely. Whenever I go shopping on a bike with a normal sized rack I have capacity for two bag-for-life bags, but somehow I always walk out of the store with three so that bit of extra space would be welcome. It's not something I'd ride every day however unless it were my only bike.
Milk crate zip tied to a rear rack ain't as cool looking but like that bumper sticker says "Go ahead and laugh, it's paid for." I'd rather save that seven or eight hundred bucks and put it towards an electric fat bike. 👍😄🚲
Yes, I am car-less also, but use a cheap bike and a cheap trailer for shopping. The trailer will hold much more than this cargo bike....and if stolen will lose only about half the money of this bike.
I put panniers in my bike, of course they are smaller than the one on the Mongoose but I also use a backpack and a small trailer, with this my bike can also transport a lot of stuff.
It has been awkward in the past dangling bags off handle bars and other odd things with riding home... long time in the past for me. My daughter has a plastic milk crate design bungeed on top of rack for her purchases- seems to work ok.
I got an Envoy right when they came available in the US - they got a lot of buzz after being sold in Canadian Costco stores a year or so ago. Added a BBSHD and 12ah Wolf pack kept in a triangle bag for easy removal. At the store, I pull the battery and take it in with me after locking the bike. An Axiom rack was easy to add to the front for more capacity. Like the Dolomite, this bike is great as a donor DIY platform not just for adding a motor, but taking a great frame and swapping in better drivetrain etc. At $730 vs. any other cargo bike on the market, a fully customized Envoy is typically still a fraction of the cost of a storebought mid tail, and the competent bike builder ends up with a real gem.
While a cargo bike has no place in my life since I don't have kids, almost never buy more than 2 bags of groceries at a time, and live in a somewhat cramped apartment, it seems ultra practical for many people. If I had kids, had to commute to work with a full set of tools, etc, I'd buy this or a used equivalent in a heartbeat. The Mongoose is probably the best value cargo bike I've ever seen. I'm really impressed that the bike comes stock with knock off Jones handlebars. I have the real thing on my commuter bike and they're phenomenal for urban riding. I wrapped the loop bit with bar tape which provides a large number of hand positions ensuring that my hands don't cramp after an hour in the saddle. Most of the time I hold the grips and this position allows for excellent visibility as well as handling when riding in the city. I also wouldn't be surprised if at least a couple of people used the Mongoose to go on bike tours. The handlebars already support plenty of hand positions, the bike can carry an enormous amount of stuff, the gearing appears to be low enough to tackle most climbs, and the price is extremely low for its category. Plus mountain bike wheels are very durable with 26in tubes and tires plentiful.
I'm single, 67 years and would find this bike very useful. Doesn't need to be a full load all the time. No motor is just fine. Probably easier than pulling a trailer.
this bike is perfect for someone like me who lives in a small town where everything is within a mile of me. post office and stores are half mile from me and i bike everywhere in town, unless its pouring down rain.
@@whenhen theres a reason why truck owners own trucks and not sedans with hitch-trailers. increased turning radius, potentially skittish handling, and you need to be darn deliberate in braking lest the trailer smashes into your back when you need to do a sudden stop.
Another great review. You do the best reviews on CZcams. No bs. No fluff. .I would definitely ride THAT bike. It is VERY reasonable in price as compared to others I have looked at. I would peel that Mongoose sticker off, slap a Kev Central sticker on it, Change the grips, add some lights and bottle cages and keep her in the hurd.
I really like that bike. At first I was thinking "a good commuter if you carry stuff", like I do. But the good ride Kev says it has makes me think it has some touring potential as well.
If you know what your looking at then this could be the best bike deal reviewed on this channel. Yes folks they weigh that much because its literally a work horse. 100 percent recommend this bike for people that know what it is actually for.
It’s hard to tell on video, but the build quality looks more like what is seen on classic mongoose bikes. Without the branding it could easily be confused for a LBS product.
@@KevCentral Ive seen these bikes in Europe that fetched 2k or more and werent as good as this thing. Its invaluable for city dwellers that commute or work by bike. Great review and a great bike. Possibly one of the best of its kind, and i mean that seriously.
I have an Xtracycle longtail conversion of a Trek mountain bike, I did convert it to mechanical disk and they work just fine. It is as close as you can get to a normal (?) bike and keep the almost same handling characteristics.
While I don't have a utility bike, I do have a Dutch style trike with a large basket between the two rear wheels and a smaller basket on the handlebars. This gives me more than enough space to do a fortnightly shop from the supermarket. It also helps that the trike is an electric one making it easy to pedal the heavy weight up the final hill to my house!
This bike looks like a good candidate for a gas bike or ebike conversion. I think it would be good for touring and extreem long distance rides. i cant wait to see what bike is coming next thanks for the entertainment.
thank you for the HD video and in depth review. I wore through my last bike frame that i converted to an E-bike due to the weight of the battery and cheap Walmart frame. I purchased this bike because of your review, along with a 48V 1500w Rear hub and X2-(48v 20AH) lithium batteries. If my last bike is any indication i should get 60-80 miles of range even with the heavier bike frame, hopefully this will cover my daily 52 mile round trip. This setup is about 1800$ but compared to the current long tail E-bikes, i get three times the range and double the power at less cost than most. please follow up with your loaded down video, i'm excited to see it while i wait for the parts to come in.
Thanks so much for this video.... I put mine together earlier today and your tips on the frame and steering connector made it all easy peasy :) took a first ride and have to say I am extremely impressed as it rolls very smoothly right out of the box.
I actually like it. That's a bike that folks could get really creative with. It could really come in handy just depending on your lifestyle, needs and location. Put some off road treads on that baby and I could see me loading her up with camping gear on the weekend and heading for the woods. College, work too.... it could really be fun. Never seen a utility bike before. Thanks for sharing Kev!
Even on things i disagree with Kev? The fact that you do not accept payment beyond getting access to hardware you might or might not get to keep is a class act. I trust your opinion on most things. Also for some gods only knows reason I like Mongoose as a brand. Also I'm moving out further away from town sometime next year. Downside is less convenient. Upside? Hey we'll have a few acres of land and biking on dirt paths and trials is a thing I can do. Not ideal, but upside is more cycling? Yay.
Yep, i would and do;) got a kona Ute since 5 weeks. Its a 27,5 for the first time in the ute’s history. Swapped out the tires for 2.4 since i like a beefier look. I do some of my shopping with it and got it set up for a 1 week holiday with wife and kid ( no i will not haul them). Loved your review as always!
Assuming it is well built, the price point is pretty good. A good utility bike is a lot of money. They get used in all weather for long shifts on less than ideal road surfaces. The main thing being high reliability and easy quick service. I used to get Chinese food delivered by a similar bike.
I would really enjoy one of of those. I'm in my 60's and in my early teens I had a paper route. I destroyed my Western Flyer hauling papers. This bike would be great for grocery shopping. I prefer a heavy bike. I ride a Schwinn Cruiser SS that I earned with sales points from my old job. I love riding it
This bike was $500 at costco for a year or two now its on amazon with jacked up price and I think its not forsale at costco Guess with all the sales they figure lets up price. lol still decent bike for price though
@@KevCentral Pretty sure its the exact one. THeres post of it on the bike forums site in utility cycling. theres also other ones on other sites. and I looked and the costco listings gone. it was canadian only.
Interesting concept for mongoose. Not really a big box bike, but more like low-end LBS quality. Personally, I can’t think of a single purpose for my use, other than having something a little different to ride. I also found the fork spring to be an interesting addition, although I didn’t fully understand its usefulness until you rocked the bike back on its U-shaped “kickstand”. Great video!
I currently ride a bastardized Rad power wagon that I rebuilt since the previous owner trashed it - it has a pretty decent hub motor that looks like it would slide right into the back of that bike - I kinda like the power wagon but it's steel and with the motor weighs at least 80 pounds add the 4 small lead acid batteries I use for a backup and it's easily 100 pounds - maybe the mongoose without the motor would be kind of cool... but I do like the boost when I am carrying tools and what not - I don't know how I missed this video 5 months ago but I am glad I saw it tonight!
Man this is my new second dream bike😍😍😍 i love the design and the practicality this is a great bike to take around town as long as your not going to use it in tight spaces
I have heard some good thing about this bike. I know one friend who got one, just to add a Bafang Mid Drive motor and plenty of room for a good battery and with a few upgrades and he's got a great mid drive cargo e bike.
I rode an old Bridgestone with an Xtracycle Freeradical conversion for years (sold before this video was published and just bought a new one yesterday). Those conversion kits are no longer available new and most new longtails cost about twice what this Mongoose is so that's pretty cool. As of this comment you can get the Mongoose for about a grand. I do think the bag options available from Xtracycle are better - much more flexible. I remember carrying multiple large bags of dog food or chicken feed on mine. Handling gets a little squirrely with that weight, but is totally doable. I wonder if you still ride your longtail now - two and a half years later.
Thank you so much. This will help a lot when my own Envoy gets here next week. I'm a regular tandem rider so the length won't be an issue. Vague instructions would have been! Chapeau.
If it had been available in 2015 I'd have bought it. I couldn't find a long john under $2k in my area. I looked for weeks. Then I just sunk money into my old hard frame mountain bike to get it to carry more stuff for me. Beware - someone tried to sell me a cargo frame with road bike wheels not rated for the frame's weight capacity. He bought the bike for the wheels it came with and swapped in a worn out set claiming it was a "like new bike" because the frame only had a few miles on it.
HUB. Mid-drives are over-rated. With most mid-drive systems, every gear except maybe one is overdrive. Human legs are built for overdrive while motors are built for underdrive. With the except of mountain bikes, pretty much ALL multi-speed externally geared bicycles have one 1:1 gear (at best) and the rest overdrive to some degree or another. Although, it might be possible with a utility bike to have a mid-drive not connected to the bottom bracket and drive the left side of the bike with an underdrive setup. But I am not aware of any commercially available setup like that.
@@dickflinghammer7643 Unless it's going to deal with lots of steep hills, I'd be inclined to use a direct-drive hub motor for a cargo bike like this. Simple, quiet, reliable, and you could use regenerative braking to cut down on wear & tear on the disc brakes. If you do have to deal with lots of steep hills, especially if you're riding up long steep hills with cargo, a heavy-duty mid-drive like the BBSHD may be a better option.
I would love a utility bike with off-road capability for backcountry fly-fishing trips, that would be so cool. This bike actually looks really rad too, I kind of want one, even though I have no use for a bike that isn't off-road capable.
I believe that the thing on the back of the saddle is meant to be handle for when you're off the bike, or perhaps if someone small is riding on the back....
The stand looks tall and the front wheel goes high in the sky. If the two legs of the stand can spread wide to the left and right and to the forward, the front wheel can come down to the ground. The spring between the down tube and the fork can be an interesting and somewhat functional ornament but it looks redundant to me. Low head tube angle and no or little fork offset can make the front wheel returning to the center. No tube bending is needed. The 'duplicated' handlebar can hold a large number of toys; light, camera, ... A long wheelbase can be an alternative to adding a shock absorber. In this case, a rear shock.
Solid out of the box. Thanks for your review. It made assembling mine easier and successful the first time. She’s smooth and even tempered on the road...but even with an aluminum frame...HEAVY. I like that though. Other bikes and pedestrians give this two-wheeled cargo ship a wide berth. Lots of compliments and curious onlookers. She’s a tank and very stable on the road. I will upgrade pedals and saddle soon but no complaints otherwise. Cheers Bru.
I used to have a Kona Ute. This bike reminds me of that cargo bike. I really like the mounting points and the handle bars. The bags are pretty nice. I think it’s priced nicely. I used to love to ride my cargo bike to work.
These longer cargo bikes are shockingly good rides, usually. If I weren't so rural, I would have either this or the front-bucket style or both, instead of a car. When I was stationed up and down the west-coast, I'd have loved one, but that was over 20 years ago. :)
I had the same reaction to the BikeE compact recumbent when I was starting out on lawn chair bikes. Slow, pokey and no fun. Then I picked one up at a cheap price and ran it around a bit and found it so easy and convenient it became my standard go-to bike and replaced the "better" machines. The wheelbase on the larger Envoy is only a few inches more than a good size beach cruiser, so it's a bit smaller and more agile than a full size long tail. I would expect it to handle quite well, a suspicion you seem to confirm. I'll have to check out your loaded test, if I can find it. I have a Huffy with a Bafang mid-drive, and switching the motor over to this frame might make a really good upgrade.
Some of the biggest questions are and will be; 1) Does the bike flex under load, especially when climbing or accelerating out of the saddle? 2) How strong is that crankset, can you feel it flexing with strong out of saddle acceleration? 3) Mongoose brakes, is there a bottom to the brake pull, or do the brakes just keep flexing at the bottom of the pull? 4) Can this bike be the ultimate touring bike, any bike loaded will have huge frame flex when riding out of the saddle for climbing and acceleration, can this bike be the answer? 5) it will need low gearing, a 22-32-42 crank and 12-36 cassette. 6) Seems will need tandem cables and chains? 7) How well does it shift and brake with those long cables?
😍😲 love this bike! I would probably remove all branding but the head badge just have the logo on the bags!.I don't haul that much mostly groceries and errand type things but this would be a godsend for me as my commute is mostly flat on paved trails. The price seems fair but would rather have hydraulic brakes as my community is full of tourists, beach goers and braking on paved bike trails is extremely important. Great option and yes I would definitely rock this bike. It would grab a *Boatload* of attention around the marinas and oceanfront trails around here! Thanks for the review. I'd have never known this existed without this review! 😀
Yes I would ride a utility bike. I am currently saving for a Surly Big Dummy. I liked your video and for the money the mongoose seems like a great bicycle.
This would be a great bike if it were a FATTY!! I can just imagine rolling on a camping trip with 4"+ tires on this beast. Caring all the items you need... But I recognized it's commuter specific and would actually seem better it it had 27.5 or 700c wheels. Another great video as always!
This appears to be an awesome bicycle to use as a utility bike to take tools out on a trail, for building & maintenance of mountain bike trails. Happy trails! Mongoose ... I would love an Envoy in M/L, to use to build bicycle trails in Texas. =) PS - I can read assembly instructions! =P
Nope, never. At the turn of the century the bike was fast replacing the horse....then the stinking, polluting, murderous car appeared....and...well....people don't want to use their own power.
@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene being able to be warm and dry inside of a capsule helps, oh, and four wheels in winter, that helps too. Quadricycles are hella rare.
I love this bike and the new style it represents. I love new yet subtle innovation in design and engineering. This bike fits that to a T with enthusiasm as this stets the stage for a very versatile platform to build on. I would very interested to see this with an electric conversion and built out as an extreme commuter/touring bike.
Few days ago I purchased a cargo bike for grocery shopping. Until then my bike of choice was a road bike with a small cargo rack, and I was planning to ride it only to the supermarket, but surprisingly I found myself wanting to ride it more. Sure it's super heavy and slow, but it's fun to ride and is great for cruising around town and chilling at local beaches.
Hey Kev. Many months later I'm curious if you're still riding the Mongoose frequently? ("riding the mongoose" sounds like a frat boy bragging about his weekend date)
Sorry to have to post again but I saw a mongoose ad for the envoy it is absolutely hilarious at the end an amazing with this Paykel do I don't even think you realize how tough this by kiss the things that they do with it off-roading Wheeling jumping it's crazy you got to see it it's look up Mongoose cargo bike and it should be right under your video
my problem with panniers on my fuji fat tire hard nose hard tail is that my size 14 feet can't stay in my toe clips // and don't match up well,,, this bike looks nice although a bit pricy, but then again I bought my fuji at half off, and promptly changed out nobbies for semi-slick road tires,,, nice for recent rides,,, haven't been on my 1986 27 inch frame Raleigh bike in a while (since I gave my daughter a set of 700c wheels for a Nishiki we found at a Pflugerville TX Goodwill for $30 bucks,,, keep riding and good job on the full disclosure. I looked at being an amazon linked person in 1998, but it would have violated college/university rules to get a payment on textbook purchases after students visited my page... so, no didn't do that.
Seems a great price for this type of bike and it's got some pretty competent components. Must be the cheapest cargo bike available or maybe its something that is cheaper in the US than UK but a quick look here all I can find is a frameset for £1000 approx with the Surly brand. Long wheelbase cargo bikes are hugely expensive over here but there are only a few models available mainly by premium brands only.
Due to health issues I am not allowed to drive until April First. That appears to be a great commuter for me because I frequently need to carry more than I can place in my Velo Transit backpack. Thank you very much for your review.
I like that bike! Looks very capable. I would have liked to see it with some included front carrying gear, to offset the weight. If you load up the back with a bunch of stuff, it will become unbalanced and it's handling will suffer. Some electric assist would make it even more capable.
"would you ride a utility bike" yes absolutely. Whenever I go shopping on a bike with a normal sized rack I have capacity for two bag-for-life bags, but somehow I always walk out of the store with three so that bit of extra space would be welcome. It's not something I'd ride every day however unless it were my only bike.
You can get a kiddie trailer for twins.
Milk crate zip tied to a rear rack ain't as cool looking but like that bumper sticker says "Go ahead and laugh, it's paid for." I'd rather save that seven or eight hundred bucks and put it towards an electric fat bike. 👍😄🚲
Yes, I am car-less also, but use a cheap bike and a cheap trailer for shopping. The trailer will hold much more than this cargo bike....and if stolen will lose only about half the money of this bike.
I put panniers in my bike, of course they are smaller than the one on the Mongoose but I also use a backpack and a small trailer, with this my bike can also transport a lot of stuff.
It has been awkward in the past dangling bags off handle bars and other odd things with riding home... long time in the past for me. My daughter has a plastic milk crate design bungeed on top of rack for her purchases- seems to work ok.
Seems like a decent candidate for an electric conversion
BBSHD mid drive would be an easy install.
Would probably be great with a pedal assist system.
Or 49 cc engine
lots of space for batteries,it needs a motor for sure
my thoughts exactly
I got an Envoy right when they came available in the US - they got a lot of buzz after being sold in Canadian Costco stores a year or so ago. Added a BBSHD and 12ah Wolf pack kept in a triangle bag for easy removal. At the store, I pull the battery and take it in with me after locking the bike. An Axiom rack was easy to add to the front for more capacity. Like the Dolomite, this bike is great as a donor DIY platform not just for adding a motor, but taking a great frame and swapping in better drivetrain etc. At $730 vs. any other cargo bike on the market, a fully customized Envoy is typically still a fraction of the cost of a storebought mid tail, and the competent bike builder ends up with a real gem.
While a cargo bike has no place in my life since I don't have kids, almost never buy more than 2 bags of groceries at a time, and live in a somewhat cramped apartment, it seems ultra practical for many people. If I had kids, had to commute to work with a full set of tools, etc, I'd buy this or a used equivalent in a heartbeat. The Mongoose is probably the best value cargo bike I've ever seen.
I'm really impressed that the bike comes stock with knock off Jones handlebars. I have the real thing on my commuter bike and they're phenomenal for urban riding. I wrapped the loop bit with bar tape which provides a large number of hand positions ensuring that my hands don't cramp after an hour in the saddle. Most of the time I hold the grips and this position allows for excellent visibility as well as handling when riding in the city.
I also wouldn't be surprised if at least a couple of people used the Mongoose to go on bike tours. The handlebars already support plenty of hand positions, the bike can carry an enormous amount of stuff, the gearing appears to be low enough to tackle most climbs, and the price is extremely low for its category. Plus mountain bike wheels are very durable with 26in tubes and tires plentiful.
I'm single, 67 years and would find this bike very useful. Doesn't need to be a full load all the time. No motor is just fine. Probably easier than pulling a trailer.
this bike is perfect for someone like me who lives in a small town where everything is within a mile of me. post office and stores are half mile from me and i bike everywhere in town, unless its pouring down rain.
Man, I wish I could get this in germany. As a carless person this would be the last thing I'd need to completely abolish the need for a car.
look at Salsa.
Wouldn't a bike trailer accomplish most of what this does, albeit at a far lower price?
@@whenhen theres a reason why truck owners own trucks and not sedans with hitch-trailers. increased turning radius, potentially skittish handling, and you need to be darn deliberate in braking lest the trailer smashes into your back when you need to do a sudden stop.
Ah man. Gas price in Germany...
Mongoose bekommt man doch auch in Deutschland.
Kevin sees a big rack for storage. I see a great spot for giving friends rides
it's a homie hauler lol
Hope your friend is light. 130 lbs is not a lot of friend.
I weigh 129 lbs in the morning. :D
Another great review. You do the best reviews on CZcams. No bs. No fluff. .I would definitely ride THAT bike. It is VERY reasonable in price as compared to others I have looked at. I would peel that Mongoose sticker off, slap a Kev Central sticker on it, Change the grips, add some lights and bottle cages and keep her in the hurd.
This looks ideal as a car replacement. 1500W Leafbike kit and a Rockshox fork. So much capacity!
I really like that bike. At first I was thinking "a good commuter if you carry stuff", like I do. But the good ride Kev says it has makes me think it has some touring potential as well.
If you know what your looking at then this could be the best bike deal reviewed on this channel. Yes folks they weigh that much because its literally a work horse. 100 percent recommend this bike for people that know what it is actually for.
It’s hard to tell on video, but the build quality looks more like what is seen on classic mongoose bikes. Without the branding it could easily be confused for a LBS product.
@@KevCentral Ive seen these bikes in Europe that fetched 2k or more and werent as good as this thing. Its invaluable for city dwellers that commute or work by bike. Great review and a great bike. Possibly one of the best of its kind, and i mean that seriously.
I have an Xtracycle longtail conversion of a Trek mountain bike, I did convert it to mechanical disk and they work just fine. It is as close as you can get to a normal (?) bike and keep the almost same handling characteristics.
Kev starts another You Tube channel "Kev hauls stuff on a utility bike!"
Gets arrested for smuggling
Moonshine bike
@@KevCentral can you make more videos with bike
While I don't have a utility bike, I do have a Dutch style trike with a large basket between the two rear wheels and a smaller basket on the handlebars. This gives me more than enough space to do a fortnightly shop from the supermarket. It also helps that the trike is an electric one making it easy to pedal the heavy weight up the final hill to my house!
That actually looks like a great commuter/automobile replacement for those that can do it. Interesting, I like seeing options like this!
This bike looks like a good candidate for a gas bike or ebike conversion. I think it would be good for touring and extreem long distance rides. i cant wait to see what bike is coming next thanks for the entertainment.
Bump
thank you for the HD video and in depth review.
I wore through my last bike frame that i converted to an E-bike due to the weight of the battery and cheap Walmart frame.
I purchased this bike because of your review, along with a 48V 1500w Rear hub and X2-(48v 20AH) lithium batteries.
If my last bike is any indication i should get 60-80 miles of range even with the heavier bike frame, hopefully this will cover my daily 52 mile round trip.
This setup is about 1800$ but compared to the current long tail E-bikes, i get three times the range and double the power at less cost than most.
please follow up with your loaded down video, i'm excited to see it while i wait for the parts to come in.
Finally, a bike with out a motor on it
Connor FOOD It would definitely have an adverse affect on Kev's recently-acquired E-Bike Fitness Level.
It would be great with one though, the kind that go on the chainstay
I was watching this thinking I would love to put a motor on it!
This is definitely a great candidate for an ebike.
Yeah ..a motorcycle !! just what this obese society needs !! ( little humor here)
Thanks so much for this video.... I put mine together earlier today and your tips on the frame and steering connector made it all easy peasy :) took a first ride and have to say I am extremely impressed as it rolls very smoothly right out of the box.
I actually like it. That's a bike that folks could get really creative with. It could really come in handy just depending on your lifestyle, needs and location. Put some off road treads on that baby and I could see me loading her up with camping gear on the weekend and heading for the woods. College, work too.... it could really be fun. Never seen a utility bike before. Thanks for sharing Kev!
It's like a touring bike and commuter bike put together I like the design and the finish as always great review kev
This would be perfect for a motorized bike build
Even on things i disagree with Kev? The fact that you do not accept payment beyond getting access to hardware you might or might not get to keep is a class act. I trust your opinion on most things. Also for some gods only knows reason I like Mongoose as a brand.
Also I'm moving out further away from town sometime next year. Downside is less convenient. Upside? Hey we'll have a few acres of land and biking on dirt paths and trials is a thing I can do. Not ideal, but upside is more cycling? Yay.
Yep, i would and do;) got a kona Ute since 5 weeks. Its a 27,5 for the first time in the ute’s history. Swapped out the tires for 2.4 since i like a beefier look. I do some of my shopping with it and got it set up for a 1 week holiday with wife and kid ( no i will not haul them). Loved your review as always!
Assuming it is well built, the price point is pretty good. A good utility bike is a lot of money. They get used in all weather for long shifts on less than ideal road surfaces. The main thing being high reliability and easy quick service. I used to get Chinese food delivered by a similar bike.
I would really enjoy one of of those. I'm in my 60's and in my early teens I had a paper route. I destroyed my Western Flyer hauling papers. This bike would be great for grocery shopping. I prefer a heavy bike. I ride a Schwinn Cruiser SS that I earned with sales points from my old job. I love riding it
This bike was $500 at costco for a year or two now its on amazon with jacked up price and I think its not forsale at costco Guess with all the sales they figure lets up price. lol still decent bike for price though
darn, totally missed out
I thought this was a new model. Are you sure it was the same bike?
@@KevCentral Pretty sure its the exact one. THeres post of it on the bike forums site in utility cycling. theres also other ones on other sites. and I looked and the costco listings gone. it was canadian only.
Wow, that seems like a nice bike. Much lower cost than the Yuba Mundo LUX. Love these bikes for getting people to ride more often
That's a neat bike. Very interested on your next video on how it handles at full weight. As always, love the video
Interesting concept for mongoose. Not really a big box bike, but more like low-end LBS quality. Personally, I can’t think of a single purpose for my use, other than having something a little different to ride.
I also found the fork spring to be an interesting addition, although I didn’t fully understand its usefulness until you rocked the bike back on its U-shaped “kickstand”.
Great video!
I currently ride a bastardized Rad power wagon that I rebuilt since the previous owner trashed it - it has a pretty decent hub motor that looks like it would slide right into the back of that bike - I kinda like the power wagon but it's steel and with the motor weighs at least 80 pounds add the 4 small lead acid batteries I use for a backup and it's easily 100 pounds - maybe the mongoose without the motor would be kind of cool... but I do like the boost when I am carrying tools and what not - I don't know how I missed this video 5 months ago but I am glad I saw it tonight!
That looks promising! Kev, how about some upgrades??
Seems like a reasonable price for a bike that does what it does. Good review! Thanks!
I worked on one of those at thr shop. Its a solid bike and would put it up beside any other cargo style bike like Kona Ute.
I ordered my envoy bike today can't wait to get it man
Congrats
Thank you for the review! I've been looking at this for a while!
How long has this channel been a thing coz It deserves more subs
April 8th 2011
Man this is my new second dream bike😍😍😍 i love the design and the practicality this is a great bike to take around town as long as your not going to use it in tight spaces
I have heard some good thing about this bike. I know one friend who got one, just to add a Bafang Mid Drive motor and plenty of room for a good battery and with a few upgrades and he's got a great mid drive cargo e bike.
Sounds like a great idea. I've considered it myself but living in an apartment it wouldn't fit in my elevator. :(
@@michaelsprinzeles4022 you can stand it up straight as the rear lower rack and upper rack forms a 'flat' surface.
Looks really well thought out. Good price and quality.
I rode an old Bridgestone with an Xtracycle Freeradical conversion for years (sold before this video was published and just bought a new one yesterday). Those conversion kits are no longer available new and most new longtails cost about twice what this Mongoose is so that's pretty cool. As of this comment you can get the Mongoose for about a grand.
I do think the bag options available from Xtracycle are better - much more flexible. I remember carrying multiple large bags of dog food or chicken feed on mine. Handling gets a little squirrely with that weight, but is totally doable. I wonder if you still ride your longtail now - two and a half years later.
Thank you so much. This will help a lot when my own Envoy gets here next week. I'm a regular tandem rider so the length won't be an issue. Vague instructions would have been! Chapeau.
yes utility bikes are the most important type, everyone should have one, so there are less cars on the road
If it had been available in 2015 I'd have bought it. I couldn't find a long john under $2k in my area. I looked for weeks. Then I just sunk money into my old hard frame mountain bike to get it to carry more stuff for me. Beware - someone tried to sell me a cargo frame with road bike wheels not rated for the frame's weight capacity. He bought the bike for the wheels it came with and swapped in a worn out set claiming it was a "like new bike" because the frame only had a few miles on it.
I can't wait for the max cargo capacity review !
i like it! it would be a great one for an e-bike conversion for commuter duty.
Hub or mid-drive?
HUB. Mid-drives are over-rated. With most mid-drive systems, every gear except maybe one is overdrive. Human legs are built for overdrive while motors are built for underdrive. With the except of mountain bikes, pretty much ALL multi-speed externally geared bicycles have one 1:1 gear (at best) and the rest overdrive to some degree or another.
Although, it might be possible with a utility bike to have a mid-drive not connected to the bottom bracket and drive the left side of the bike with an underdrive setup. But I am not aware of any commercially available setup like that.
@@dickflinghammer7643 Unless it's going to deal with lots of steep hills, I'd be inclined to use a direct-drive hub motor for a cargo bike like this. Simple, quiet, reliable, and you could use regenerative braking to cut down on wear & tear on the disc brakes.
If you do have to deal with lots of steep hills, especially if you're riding up long steep hills with cargo, a heavy-duty mid-drive like the BBSHD may be a better option.
@@dickflinghammer7643 mid drive
@@jasonsebikes8716 i live in West Virginia, hills are away of life.
I would love a utility bike with off-road capability for backcountry fly-fishing trips, that would be so cool. This bike actually looks really rad too, I kind of want one, even though I have no use for a bike that isn't off-road capable.
I believe that the thing on the back of the saddle is meant to be handle for when you're off the bike, or perhaps if someone small is riding on the back....
I absolutely would ride it, i use a plastic basket in my bike to do errans
Good for a Costco run! I like it.
beautiful bike and like all the info. is good to see your reviews for everyone to know before purchase. thanks.
I just ordered mine, it comes on Friday!!!!
Congrats
That's an awesome bike!! If I had a job that required it or maybe a more bike friendly city I'd get it in a heart beat
I prefer mechanical brakes over hydraulic, and at that price they could've specced it with nicer mechanical brakes like TRP Spykes.
The stand looks tall and the front wheel goes high in the sky. If the two legs of the stand can spread wide to the left and right and to the forward, the front wheel can come down to the ground.
The spring between the down tube and the fork can be an interesting and somewhat functional ornament but it looks redundant to me. Low head tube angle and no or little fork offset can make the front wheel returning to the center. No tube bending is needed.
The 'duplicated' handlebar can hold a large number of toys; light, camera, ...
A long wheelbase can be an alternative to adding a shock absorber. In this case, a rear shock.
I would like to bike the frame itself - for a custom build.
Solid out of the box. Thanks for your review. It made assembling mine easier and successful the first time. She’s smooth and even tempered on the road...but even with an aluminum frame...HEAVY. I like that though. Other bikes and pedestrians give this two-wheeled cargo ship a wide berth. Lots of compliments and curious onlookers. She’s a tank and very stable on the road. I will upgrade pedals and saddle soon but no complaints otherwise. Cheers Bru.
Thanks. Congrats on the bike.
I wish I lived where I needed a bike like that. 700 seems like a deal to me
Great vid like always
Mine arriving tomorrow ill be making a review soon thanks for this video
Great car replacement! Love this bike Kevcentral! NICE 👍👍
Can you make a update video on this bike? I would love to see more of this bike from you bro 😎
I used to have a Kona Ute. This bike reminds me of that cargo bike. I really like the mounting points and the handle bars. The bags are pretty nice. I think it’s priced nicely. I used to love to ride my cargo bike to work.
To answer your question, no, I wouldn't ride that utility bike. At 52lbs, it needs a motor, it's an odd looking bike. I really like your videos.
Thanks for sharing - and for watching
These longer cargo bikes are shockingly good rides, usually. If I weren't so rural, I would have either this or the front-bucket style or both, instead of a car. When I was stationed up and down the west-coast, I'd have loved one, but that was over 20 years ago. :)
How do I get one of the KevCental stickers? Do you sell them?
Figured it out. I am now a patron and cant hardly wait to get my sticker
Thanks for being part of the channel and being a Patron. As a Patron you’ll get a free sticker by default.
Oh yeah! Utility bikes make sense for us load-hauling types. This bike definitely gets a look from me.
Wait, wait, wait. Pause the video, my nachos aren't ready yet.
I donnt drive so all these utility bikes intrest me. The biggest problem with it would be my citys lack of bicycle infastructure
Perfect for driving your friends around on the luggage rack😂
If I lived in a city with work and a market a couple miles from my home, I would buy this for sure. Good review!
I had the same reaction to the BikeE compact recumbent when I was starting out on lawn chair bikes. Slow, pokey and no fun.
Then I picked one up at a cheap price and ran it around a bit and found it so easy and convenient it became my standard go-to bike and replaced the "better" machines.
The wheelbase on the larger Envoy is only a few inches more than a good size beach cruiser, so it's a bit smaller and more agile than a full size long tail. I would expect it to handle quite well, a suspicion you seem to confirm.
I'll have to check out your loaded test, if I can find it. I have a Huffy with a Bafang mid-drive, and switching the motor over to this frame might make a really good upgrade.
love the way you talk and explain things bro.
Some of the biggest questions are and will be; 1) Does the bike flex under load, especially when climbing or accelerating out of the saddle? 2) How strong is that crankset, can you feel it flexing with strong out of saddle acceleration? 3) Mongoose brakes, is there a bottom to the brake pull, or do the brakes just keep flexing at the bottom of the pull? 4) Can this bike be the ultimate touring bike, any bike loaded will have huge frame flex when riding out of the saddle for climbing and acceleration, can this bike be the answer? 5) it will need low gearing, a 22-32-42 crank and 12-36 cassette. 6) Seems will need tandem cables and chains? 7) How well does it shift and brake with those long cables?
😍😲 love this bike! I would probably remove all branding but the head badge just have the logo on the bags!.I don't haul that much mostly groceries and errand type things but this would be a godsend for me as my commute is mostly flat on paved trails. The price seems fair but would rather have hydraulic brakes as my community is full of tourists, beach goers and braking on paved bike trails is extremely important.
Great option and yes I would definitely rock this bike. It would grab a *Boatload* of attention around the marinas and oceanfront trails around here! Thanks for the review. I'd have never known this existed without this review! 😀
Yes I would ride a utility bike. I am currently saving for a Surly Big Dummy. I liked your video and for the money the mongoose seems like a great bicycle.
This would be a great bike if it were a FATTY!! I can just imagine rolling on a camping trip with 4"+ tires on this beast. Caring all the items you need... But I recognized it's commuter specific and would actually seem better it it had 27.5 or 700c wheels. Another great video as always!
Watching this video and still thinking about that blue Detroit bike.
This appears to be an awesome bicycle to use as a utility bike to take tools out on a trail, for building & maintenance of mountain bike trails. Happy trails!
Mongoose ... I would love an Envoy in M/L, to use to build bicycle trails in Texas. =)
PS - I can read assembly instructions! =P
Man thats a pretty sweet bike.. not bad not bad at all . I would buy
Utility bikes look pretty rad. I'd like to see more of them than cars, but that sadly won't happen.
Nope, never. At the turn of the century the bike was fast replacing the horse....then the stinking, polluting, murderous car appeared....and...well....people don't want to use their own power.
@@WildernessMusic_GentleSerene being able to be warm and dry inside of a capsule helps, oh, and four wheels in winter, that helps too. Quadricycles are hella rare.
Needs to have dynamo lights, or at the least, a dynamo mounting bracket on the front fork.
Looking to get this bike myself, and convert it to electric. Note here your link is too old and no longer works. Got an updated one? :)
I own a Surly Big Dummy and the kit on that bike includes a 10sp x 2x36tx22t. This bike is a mountain goat it goes everywhere and up every hill.
I love this bike and the new style it represents. I love new yet subtle innovation in design and engineering. This bike fits that to a T with enthusiasm as this stets the stage for a very versatile platform to build on. I would very interested to see this with an electric conversion and built out as an extreme commuter/touring bike.
Few days ago I purchased a cargo bike for grocery shopping. Until then my bike of choice was a road bike with a small cargo rack, and I was planning to ride it only to the supermarket, but surprisingly I found myself wanting to ride it more. Sure it's super heavy and slow, but it's fun to ride and is great for cruising around town and chilling at local beaches.
Hey Kev. Many months later I'm curious if you're still riding the Mongoose frequently?
("riding the mongoose" sounds like a frat boy bragging about his weekend date)
Good choice for an Ebike. Yes I would ride a utility bike.
Sorry to have to post again but I saw a mongoose ad for the envoy it is absolutely hilarious at the end an amazing with this Paykel do I don't even think you realize how tough this by kiss the things that they do with it off-roading Wheeling jumping it's crazy you got to see it it's look up Mongoose cargo bike and it should be right under your video
Next venture: Kevs Delivery
In all seriousness, this is a great looking bike.
I love this bike. It's at a thousand bucks now to buy.
Is the derailleur mounted directly to the frame? I did not see a derailleur hanger...
at least it looks like it's directly mounted.
Extremely informative, Thank You for Sharing!
my problem with panniers on my fuji fat tire hard nose hard tail is that my size 14 feet can't stay in my toe clips // and don't match up well,,, this bike looks nice although a bit pricy, but then again I bought my fuji at half off, and promptly changed out nobbies for semi-slick road tires,,, nice for recent rides,,, haven't been on my 1986 27 inch frame Raleigh bike in a while (since I gave my daughter a set of 700c wheels for a Nishiki we found at a Pflugerville TX Goodwill for $30 bucks,,, keep riding and good job on the full disclosure. I looked at being an amazon linked person in 1998, but it would have violated college/university rules to get a payment on textbook purchases after students visited my page... so, no didn't do that.
I really like that bike. It's what I've been looking for
Seems a great price for this type of bike and it's got some pretty competent components. Must be the cheapest cargo bike available or maybe its something that is cheaper in the US than UK but a quick look here all I can find is a frameset for £1000 approx with the Surly brand. Long wheelbase cargo bikes are hugely expensive over here but there are only a few models available mainly by premium brands only.
Seems to need horizontal rack space on the upper section to match the lower; like for a box of wood, haul of groceries, or a giant pizza.
Wonderful review, I love how this Bike looks
Great bike for my small business
Due to health issues I am not allowed to drive until April First. That appears to be a great commuter for me because I frequently need to carry more than I can place in my Velo Transit backpack. Thank you very much for your review.
I like that bike! Looks very capable. I would have liked to see it with some included front carrying gear, to offset the weight. If you load up the back with a bunch of stuff, it will become unbalanced and it's handling will suffer. Some electric assist would make it even more capable.