Mongoose may not be the first name you think of when you’re looking for a race-worthy bike, but there was an era in the early 2000s when the company sponsored the best cyclocrossers in the U.S. in Marc Gullickson and Todd Wells under the Hyundai-Mongoose banner, and years before that, the company had high-end mountain bikes and the most lust-worthy BMX bikes.
The brand is now under the Dorel Industries umbrella, which also owns Cannondale, Schwinn, Sugoi, GT, Fabric, IronHorse and Caloi. Mongoose is making a push to break back into the enthusiast market, including a big splash in the BMX race scene. We first noticed Mongoose's return to the dirt in 2016 with the Selous Expert gravel bike, and for the 2019 model year, the company has a revised edition of the Guide Expert gravel / touring bike that evolved out of the Selous.
The $1,800 guide expert is outfitted for bikepacking and long adventures, with high-volume tires and plenty of mounts for gear. Mongoose Guide Expert Adventure / Touring Bike. 2018 Sea Otter Classic. © Cyclocross Magazine
Guide Me Home, Gravel Roads
The $1,800 2019 model year Guide Expert has a 12mm thru-axle alloy frame that adopts the increasingly popular kinked top tube design and according to the company, has a more relaxed geometry than the previous generation Selous. The front fork is carbon with a 12mm thru-axle, and the bike features flat mount disc brakes front and rear.
The cables on the Guide Expert are externally routed in the front. Mongoose Guide Expert Adventure / Touring Bike. 2018 Sea Otter Classic. © Cyclocross Magazine
The company's website suggests bikepacking as one of the primary uses of the Guide Expert, and it outfit the Guide Expert accordingly. The bike comes with a stash bag mounted under the kinked top tube that has capacity for up to three beers. (The company reps were proud of this when we spoke with them). Mongoose also included rack and fender mounts and three water bottle mounts on the frame and front fork.
Mongoose reps claim the included stash bag can hold up to three beers, if that's the kind of hydration you are looking for during your ride. Mongoose Guide Expert Adventure / Touring Bike. 2018 Sea Otter Classic. © Cyclocross Magazine
The wheels have WTB i19 rims and Xposure hubs and are outfitted with high-volume 700c x 47mm skinwall Kenda Small Block Eight Tires. The gearing should help riders tote big loads up climbs with a 38t 1x front chain ring and SRAM Rival 11-speed rear cassette.
The Guide Expert comes with 700c x 47mm Kenda Small Block Eight tires. Mongoose Guide Expert Adventure / Touring Bike. 2018 Sea Otter Classic. © Cyclocross Magazine
Mongoose sells the Guide Expert model through authorized dealers. The company also offers Comp and Sport models priced at $1,300 and $900 for the 2018 model year, respectively.
See the photo gallery below for more about the Mongoose Guide Expert.
More Info: mongoose.com
Stay tuned for much more coverage from the 2018 Sea Otter trade show and bike races.
Photo Gallery: 2019 Mongoose Guide Expert
The top tube on the Guide Expert is kinked in similar fashion to the Van Dessel Country Road Bob. Mongoose Guide Expert Gravel / Touring Bike. 2018 Sea Otter Classic. © Cyclocross Magazine
