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Mongoose is an interesting brand with a rich history in the cycling world that is often lost due to the fact that their bikes are now considered “mass market” bikes that most enthusiasts wouldn’t consider as their first choice. However, when suggesting bikes for a beginner rider on a budget, Mongoose offers some interesting choices. Of course, the fact that their lower end bikes are available from such big box stores as Walmart, Toys R Us and Target does not help their street cred for the hardcore mountain biker. Mongoose seeks to appeal to the mid-level buyer who wants something better (and lighter) than the cheap, heavy steel framed bikes many beginners look at solely because of their low entry cost. It is also interesting to note that Mongoose continues to expand their mid-level series of bikes not sold through the big box stores, but sold direct-to-consumer via their website. This is about to change in a major way starting this year. With the introduction of their 2017 model line-up, Mongoose announced that they will be selling their bikes through online mega retailer Amazon.com. Here is a quick look at some of their upcoming models that will be available fall of this year.Mongoose is wasting no time getting on the plus size tire bandwagon. They have two plus bike models including the Tyax Supa Expert hardtail featured here and a full suspension model called the Salvo Supa Expert. The plus size tires make a lot of sense, especially for the beginner rider who is just starting out. The Tyax Supa is an alloy hardtail with a 100mm Suntour air fork. Mongoose is using a unique 141 QR in the rear that still uses the Boost standard, but everything is offset 3mm for use as a QR and not a thru-axle. This also helps bring the price down. The Suntour XCR fork does have a thru-axle but still uses 110mm hub spacing. Mongoose Product Manager, Matt Prest tells us, “I think you’ll see a lot of people start adding that (thru-axle with 110mm spacing) into their bike line. There are a couple of other manufacturers on display at the Sea Otter Classic that were also using that spacing, including Marin.” We asked Prest whether the Tyax Supa was replacing the 27.5+ bike they introduced last year, the Ruddy and he informed us that the Ruddy is not going away and is, in fact, expanding from two models last year to three this year. They had the Ruddy Expert and the Ruddy Comp and they are adding a Ruddy Sport and these models will retail for about $1200 up to about $2300. The Tyax Supa and the Ruddy are both plus size alloy hardtails, but the frames are completely different with the Ruddy having higher-end features like internal cable routing, thru-axle in the rear and it will have a higher spec level of components. The Ruddy features Mongoose’s E6 super light triple butted aluminum whereas the Tyax Supa is a more affordable double butted 6061 alloy frame. Another big difference is that the Ruddy has a 120mm fork with more laid-back geometry and the Tyax Supa has a 100mm fork with a more upright position. The Tyax Supa Expert has a Shimano Alivio/Deore 2×9 drivetrain, Shimano M365 disc brakes and WTB TrailBlazer 2.8″ plus tires. Prest continues, “We try and keep this bike short, as far as the geometry goes. But the big thing for us is that we want to make sure that we can run a double. Because at this price point, a lot of our riders aren’t quite able (fitness-wise) to get away with running a single ring.” The Tyax Supa will be available in three models: the Expert (shown here) for $999, the Comp for $899 and the Sport for $799. Five sizes will be available running from XS to XL.