Well, I guess I'll never know... My old Mongoose seems to have been a 1975 but could have been a 76... I once foolishly thought it might have been a 74 but alas, I don't think that year exists (Waza, Rickcool and Randy set me straight on that pretty quick!). You guys are the pros for sure! Anyhow, I've tried everything to confirm the year based on the old pics I posted here a couple weeks back but even Skip can't really tell me. My best reference was a 1975 license plate in the background of one of the shots, but that may have been left on the vehicle from the year before... Maybe I'll never know. The following was the email I sent to Skip last week and his reply:

Subject: message from pete Massive Elvis Fan

Hi Skip,

Hope all is well with you.

Since we last spoke in July, I have totally re-emersed myself into the
Mongoose glory as I vowed... I went ahead and started buying all the vintage
70's parts I could get my hands on through Ebay and Craigslist. So, far I
have 6 frames - a 78, 79, 80, and 3 - 1981's! I have four sets of Motomag
11's (couldn't find any 1's) and many Ashtabula forks, stems and even some
good Mesinger saddles and other stuff. I couldn't find any frames below 1978
which would have been the one rebuild, so I decided to recreate a "through
the years" little collection going up from 78 instead...

Let me tell you, it's been a blast! I am getting more into this everytime
the Fed Ex or UPS guy arrives with a little trinket from Wolfhampton UK,
Australia or Austin!!! My once clean garage now looks like an explosion at a
vintage BMX shop! Very cool - at least for me- my wife might have a slightly
different opinion about all this fuss, but she knows, I could be into many
things that would be much worse! I've convinced her that she will enjoy
riding them as much as I will! We bike alot anyway as Victoria is the
bicycling Capitol of Canada. I ride my regular Phat BMX/Cruiser and she's on
a decent Norco our son won in a golf tournament. Both good rides but nothing
compared to what's around the corner! I'm also going to run the bikes at the
track in Juan de Fuca where the World Championships were held (the same one
from the pictures I sent you). I'll keep you posted on that one!

I need to ask you for some expert knowledge here and I hope you don't
mind... Remember the bike I ordered from you with my Dad that we discussed?
We couldn't get it through customs because of the extra tariffs etc., so we
shipped it to Manchester, New Hampshire where I went to get it at my Uncle's
house. It would seem to me that I was easily the first guy to have a full
production bike from you in Canada at that time but, I can't figure out what
year that was... I have been doing a ton of research to try and determine
the difference between the earliest frames and the ones that followed in the
hopes of identifying the bike I had but I'm still pretty perplexed... I
understand your first bikes were late 74 or 75? They first ones had the
extra gusset at the BB tube, wider seat stay triangle and coaster break tab
with no caliper bar on the rear for hand breaks... I've also been told that
the coaster tab went from a welded together 2-ply half of 1/2 of an octogon
shape to a solid tab which had two slightly curved or rounded shaped
edges... Obviously, I am not the only Vintage BMX guy out there who is VERY
INTERESTED in this!!!

So, here is my question:

Can you tell or remember what year my Mongoose was? I am including some more
vinatge 70's pics that my dear old Mom recently sent me. She seems to be
convinced I was 10 years old which (because I was born in 64) would make me
10 in the photos. 1974??? I really can't figure this one out and it's
becoming a major mystery here!!! Hopefully you might be able to give me a
better idea...

Thanks again Skip for being who you are and also taking the time to read my
crazy diatrab of Mongoose madness!!!

Your friend,

Pete

Skip's Response:

Pete:

This chap certainly cannot remember the frame revisions that were
incorporated some 30 years ago. I do recall that the "U.S. consumer products
safety commission" required that all bicycle manufacturers permanently mark
the date and the year of manufacture on the bicycle frame. We steel stamped
the required identification on the bottom bracket tube. If you invert the
bike you should be able to read the letter code. The first digits are our
company code. The next digits should define the month and year of
manufacture. For example, "0678" would define June 1978, the balance of the
digits define the unique number for that particular bike, which we kept on
record. I am sorry that I cannot trace the bottom bracket gusset deletion
and the coaster brake tab revisions. You sure are finely detailed.
Thanks for the nice photos.

Sincerely,

Skip

good luck with all that... man,,

what he said didnt read it so what he said LOL