1980 BMX Products Mongoose KOS Kruiser Project. “Ride to Live, Live to Ride” PIC HEAVY!!!

I’ve been gathering parts for a KOS Kruiser project over the last two years and finally reached the point where I felt it was ready to go. The color scheme and components changed a few times, and I thought it would be fun to document all the parts that went into the finished build. There is really nothing groundbreaking as far as restoration is concerned. But, I thought the thread might be useful for others and fun to see. So, here it is in the exact order as constructed.

Suzue gold high flange 36-hole flip-flop rear hub (2I) and front hub (2H) with flat axle. The spokes are Shuhn Lih steel 10 1/16 inch (256mm, 2.0mm) with Araya gold alloy nipples (16mm, 14 g.)




The rims are Araya 7X silver (26 x 1.75) 36-hole that were in pretty decent shape. The side walls had some light scratches and brake rub and I wanted to smooth them out. I followed techniques outlined in jlewis’ “How to Shiny Side Rims”  thread http://bmxmuseum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=300861
I used a random orbital sander and went from 80/120/220/400 with the sanding. I skipped the buffing compound because I didn’t want them to be super shiny (like chrome) – just a clean finish with good braking power. I then polished the side walls with 0000 steel wool and Mothers Aluminum & Mag polish.


I had trued wheels before, but had never attempted building them. However, after checking out caleb_k31’s “complete WHEEL BUILDING thread” http://bmxmuseum.com/forums/viewtopic.php?id=47611 I thought I would give it a try. Turns out the wheel building process was not as hard as I thought, and also quite enjoyable. I used my hand Park Tool stand and the usual tools of the trade and here is how they turned out.




Another great reference I found is “A Practical Guide to Wheel Building” by Roger Musson. Here is a sample page from his book that is very intuitive and easy to follow.


The tires are Mongoose Winners’ Circle (26 x 2.125) red knobby skinwall that still had original release powder in the treads.



The tires are looking sharp after mounting to the wheels.


The frame/fork combo was purchased from jakehigh5 and was in fantastic condition! Here are some photos of the chrome KOS Kruiser forks with original decals.






And finally, the star of the show: 1980 BMX Products chrome Mongoose KOS Kruiser frame with original decals. I gave the frame and forks a light cleaning with Autosol, fine bronze wool, and a microfiber cloth.




You can really see the dimpled texture of the original decals on the headtube and downtube. This frame/fork is really beautiful and the photos don’t quite do it justice.



Someone added the “Ride to Live, Live to Ride” decal. It looks pretty cool, so I decided to leave it.


The bike is slowly coming together and looking good with the wheels mocked up.


Mongoose stamped 1” headset in excellent condition.


I finally upgraded to Park Tools HHP-2 headset press and found it to be a huge improvement from my homemade press that I’ve used for years.


Pressing in the headset cups.


BMX Products Gold Stem with original decal.


Getting closer.

BMX Products stainless steel stamped Kruiser bars in excellent condition.


I would say that the handlebars were the hardest item to find after the frame/fork.


So, what’s going to power this KOS Kruiser?


Mongoose stamped 175mm one piece crank.


Mongoose stamped 28 tpi bottom bracket.


Sugino BMX spider (110 bolt diameter), Sugino BMX gold chainring (43T), and Sugino chrome stamped chainring bolts.


KKT FMX Lightning gold 9/16 pedals with Cat Eye RR-0217-GZ reflectors.




For pedal threads, headset bearings, cups, and seat post – I prefer to use Phil Wood grease. For the bottom bracket bearings and coaster brakes I like the thicker “tacky” Mobil 1 red synthetic grease.



Crank setup is mounted and I’m digging the gold.



Red & Gold – what a nice combination!


BMX Products Mongoose red 7/8 grips – original old school all the way.


BMX Products Mongoose vinyl padset.


Izumi gold chain (1/2 x 1/8)


Dia Compe gold pre-bent brake levers.



Mesinger Mongoose stamped red vinyl quilted seat.


Dia Compe gold two-piece seat post clamp.


Redline chrome 7/8” seat post.


Dia Compe gold MX-1000 brakes w/ Weinmann  semi-automatic adjusters.


Dia Compe chrome 1 1/8” cable holders.


Dia Compe stamped red brake housing.


Putting the last pieces in place.


Helix 3/8 frame savers w/stainless washer. I had never used these before and was very impressed.


All finished up and ready to ride.





This bike rides like a dream and was a fun project all the way through. “Ride to Live, Live to Ride!”

Last edited by chuckster (2019-12-11 4:53pm)