Mongoose Amplifier Boy's 16-Inch Bike

Other products by Mongoose

Product Features

• Great first bike for boys
• Strong tubular frame for stability and durability
• Adjustable, heavy-duty training wheels
• Mini mag-style wheels and puncture-proof tires
• Low stand-over frame for easy mounting and dismounting

Product Description

Amazon Product Description

The perfect first bike, the 16-inch Mongoose Amplifier has the cool look of a big boy's bike and the stability a little one needs to ride safely. A strong, tubular steel frame provides stability and hand-me-down durability, and the heavy-duty training wheels add confidence as he learns to maneuver the driveway and sidewalks. The bike features a shiny chrome finish and colorful graphics, along with mini mag-style wheels with puncture-proof tires. A low step-over frame makes for easy mounting and dismounting.

Product Description

The perfect first bike, the 16-inch Mongoose Amplifier from Schwinn has heavy-duty training wheels so your little boy can feel confident and secure as he learns to maneuver the driveway and sidewalks. The rugged Mongoose Amplifier looks cool like a big boy's bike, but has the stability a little one needs to ride safely. A strong, tubular steel frame provides stability and hand-me-down durability, The Mongoose Amplifier features a shiny chrome finish and colorful graphics, along with mini mag-style wheels with puncture-proof tires. A low step-over frame makes it easy for your little boy to mount and dismount.

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 37 x 18 x 7 inches ; 30 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 40.1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B000EHNCXG
• Item model number: R1624
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #49,852 in Sports & Outdoors (See Bestsellers in Sports & Outdoors)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #53 in	Toys & Games > Bikes, Skates & Ride-Ons > Bikes > BMX & Freestyle Bikes
  #95 in	Sports & Outdoors > Bikes & Accessories > Kids' Bikes & Trikes > Bicycles

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Very Poor Quality, August 9, 2008

By	Dave (Raleigh, NC) - See all my reviews

I'm not a person who bashes products. Read my other reviews. I'm fair.

My wife purchased this bike for our child, based on positive reviews she found on the web. I think it is only fair that this negative review be out there for everyone to see in order to make an intelligent decision.

Let me list the items I've found SO FAR, indicating the extremely poor quality of this model (Amplifier), and possibly the brand (Mongoose):

1) The handlebars were welded crooked on the stem. When I mounted the handlebars, and lined up them up with the front wheel, the misaligned stem was obvious. There are no adjustments; this is simply poor alignment during welding.

2) The front wheel, which came assembled, but not mounted on the frame, grinds terribly. Before I opened it up, it would not even spin twice before grinding to a halt. I pulled the axle apart and found the cone nuts too tight against bearings with lots of play, and very little grease. I was able to improve it a bit, but not much.

3) The rear wheel has the same problem as the front wheel, but also exhibits about 1/2" of runout. For those of you not familiar with the term, runout refers to how much the wheel wobbles back and forth, viewed edge-on, as it turns. This wheel has so much runout that the bike is unusable with the rear brake. The rear brake cannot be adjusted such that one side or the other is not hit by the wheel as it wobbles. I disassembled the rear wheel to see if I could fix it. I found a cone nut which was not symmetrical, but the runout is caused by something else which I cannot find or fix. The bike simply needs a new rear wheel, right out of the box.

4) Pedal friction. I don't think the pedals have any bearings in them at all. It feels like they have plastic bushings and that's all. You can turn them, but not spin them AT ALL.

5) Stripped screws. At least three of the philips head screws on the bike were stripped, presumably from over-torquing.

I feel really bad for my son, as this was a birthday gift for him. He got on the bike, and tried to ride it down the driveway. The wheels and pedals have so much friction that he gave up, 1/2 way down the drive. This was after I had tried reducing the friction in the wheel bearings.

If I could give the bike zero stars, I would. Please consider this carefully before buying this bike, and possibly any bike from Mongoose. This Chinese-made product is very poor quality.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Bike, Very Sturdy, February 28, 2008

By	Christa Carene (Clarkston, MI) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We purchased this bike for my son's 5th birthday. It arrived only about 4 days after I ordered it. It was not very complicated to put together, but the instructions included other bikes as well, so that was a little confusing. The only thing that I was disappointed was the blue plastic that covers the chain- the sticker on it was slightly crooked and coming off a bit. But, all in all, it's a great bike and my son absolutely loves it!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great Purchase!, August 15, 2008

By	L. Higgins (Eugene, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

We got this bike for our son's 3rd birthday. It was very easy to assemble and is quite sturdy. He is tall for his age so we wanted a bike that would last him for a while but also be something he could ride right now. At the lowest seat position his feet just touch the pedals and he wasn't used to coaster brakes but with just a little practice he is able to cruise around on it without problem. We are very pleased with our purchase.