1985 BMX ATB PRO Mongoose
 

I got this bike from a family member. I had no idea what type it was until i did some research, i only knew that it was a BMX.
After several hours I found out that it was the ATB PRO from 1985 (95% sure...no 98%)
It has a "unicrown" style fork
"O" ring sealed head and bottom bracket seats
18 speed suntour
"wide stance SR MTS double clamp stem"
"sealed bearing SR Hubs
Suntour XC thump shifters(these might have been replaced with a newer one.
"Heliarc welded cantilever mounts"
"ergonomic suntour brake levers.
"SR alloy seat piller and suntour quick release"
"Forged steel drop out"
"Precision Tange Levin head features

I know next to nothing about bikes all of the above information is something I got off the BMX mongoose 1985 catalog.

How rare is this bike?
If I wanted to sell it how much would it go for?


http://www.vintagemongoose.com/pdfs/mongoose_cat85.pdf

My bike is the 6th page down ATB PRO not reg

This lick shows pictures of the detailed part ie. brakes, handle, chains etc

It was made by a famous BMX manufacturer, but this is most definitely a mountain bike. ATB stands for All-Terrain Bicycle. The brand name is a double-edged sword: respected by collectors, but the public now thinks of Mongoose as a tarnished Walmart holding.

You're right about it being a 1985. The previous owner changed out the rear derailleur and thumb shifters for indexed 6-speed Shimano Deore. The seat has been replaced with a spongy gel saddle. The right side pedal cage has been partially bashed off. The frame has been stripped of its decals. The tires are newer and don't appear to be cracked.

What's interesting to me is that some of the things that elevated the ATB Pro above the ATB aren't as desirable now. The roller cam brakes were an evolutionary dead end with higher mounting points than cantilevers and the unicrown fork became so ubiquitous they don't get a second look.

When you sell it, I'd raise the seat a few inches like the catalog photo, remove the cable lock & holder, give it a quick bath with dish soapy water, then rinse. Find a plain background outdoors, then take new photos that'll really show off the chrome (it appears to be in good condition). If you find rusty spots on the chrome, you can polish it with wadded up aluminum foil that's been wetted with plain water. The water will get black as it works. Wipe clean with a wet rag.

The chrome is really the biggest selling point here. People like shiny bikes! If you get some good photos, I think you might be able to get $200 for it, a price other vintage mountain bikes struggle to reach. Adjust downwards if it's snowy and frigid in your part of the country (prices dip in non-riding season). Of course you can just hang on to it and list it in the Spring. Adjust down if you don't live near a major metro area or college.

Good luck!

This is a really nice ATB it has a few things going for it value wise, it is BMX Products Inc. bike hand welded in the US quit possible by Skip Hess since it's a Pro model ,with nice show chrome about as nice as it gets for a vintage ATB/MTB frame. It is in very nice survivor condition mostly original with a couple of vintage upgrades changes. I would place the value at around $250 the Mongoose brand is just not as respected as some of the other top end US builders from the 70's and 80's, mainly because of the brand delution starting in the 90's and takeover by Pacific in 2001 who now sell some of the worst Walmart junk with the Mongoose label.

Keep it. Unless you come across someone who knows what this is and wants it, you will have a hard time getting $150 for it.

I had no trouble getting $275 for pretty much the same bike a couple years ago. My copy did not have the rollercam brakes, just standard cantis.

@Clang
Thanks you for all the information!!!
If I choose to sell it in the future you gave me really good ideas.
I'm surprised you were able to point out so many things about my bike!!!

@zukahn1
Great thank you for posting. It's too bad mongoose has such a bad name now.

and it has biplane fork