I just picked up a Mantague Paratrooper and I am so happy with this bike! I'm a bike person and I've never found a folder I liked before this one. Well made. Stows in my plane easily and rides exceptionally well.

I researched these and tried to find a dealer along my route that had one in stock. Ended up finding a used one on a Craigslist search so I deviated to Richmond VA area on my way out and met up with the seller. Got an awesome deal ($350). These retail for $900 new. The guy was so accommodating and even gave me a lift to my hotel that night. He got it as a promotion when he bought a Hummer (vehicle), decided he didn't need it so I now own a Hummer edition Montague. The bike was designed for the military (to jump out of a plane with) hence the name.

I camped in West Virginia the other night and rode it in to town and back. What an improvement to my cross country kit. I plan on riding it a lot on my way back home to AK this week.

obxbushpilot wrote:I just picked up a Mantague Paratrooper and I am so happy with this bike! I'm a bike person and I've never found a folder I liked before this one. Well made. Stows in my plane easily and rides exceptionally well.

I researched these and tried to find a dealer along my route that had one in stock. Ended up finding a used one on a Craigslist search so I deviated to Richmond VA area on my way out and met up with the seller. Got an awesome deal ($350). These retail for $900 new. The guy was so accommodating and even gave me a lift to my hotel that night. He got it as a promotion when he bought a Hummer (vehicle), decided he didn't need it so I now own a Hummer edition Montague. The bike was designed for the military (to jump out of a plane with) hence the name.

I camped in West Virginia the other night and rode it in to town and back. What an improvement to my cross country kit. I plan on riding it a lot on my way back home to AK this week.

A picture is worth a thousand words let's see it!

Great review. I've been drooling over these for a while, just trying to talk the boss (wife) into letting me buy one...

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I have an earlier model Montague that I bought seized solid off Craigslist for $10 It lives in the plane and it is awesome.
I have a single speed coaster brake hub on the back (I am a bit of a cycle enthusiast - not for everyone) and these pedals: https://www.amazon.com/MKS-EZY-DETACHAB ... B002YQ44JG

I find they save a lot of space in the plane.

Really great setup and I use it several times a week.

I got my 1st Montague folder about 38 yrs ago. It has been with me to a lot of places and I really loved it, but it is heavy and it seemed to get heavier each year. Especially if I had to load in alone.

My wife surprised me on my 70th birthday with a new Paratrooper. Hands down, it is a great piece of engineering.

Pros - so far
Light weight
Solid ride with lots of gears to handle almost anything
Well balanced
Easy to put in the plane vertically or (horizontally on top of the camping gear if needed)
Single lever to fold the bike vs 3 difficult gate hasps on the old bike
Did I mention it is a no brainer to fold it now
The suspension is great when dirt riding
Disc brake makes it easier to remove & insert front wheel
Decent quality shifters (not top of the line but they do the job smoothly)
Montague paid for a local tune up to make the bike perfect for me.

Cons:
Seat clamp doesn't hold very well. A hose clamp around the stem solved that problem
I ended up buying folding pedals to save space make it easier to put in the plane
I added handlebar extensions that allow me ride without bending over the bike frame.


My wife made an offer on Ebay to a Montague dealer who responded with a fair and reasonable counter offer. Gary at sportsbysager.com ( 517 347 8733 ) was helpful and shipped the bike to me in California.

niente qui

Would appreciate pix of the Montagues. Particularly the one with handlebar extensions; I get a sore back if I ride scrunched over....

Best,

Tom

I am not a serious mountain biker. I bought the Paratrooper and got a deal on it through a friend that let me have it for his cost (600.00).
I found the bike to be made cheaply for what you paid. The only thing of any real value better then what you can get on a bike made by Huffy (not sure if they make bikes anymore) was the folding frame, everything else is kind of bottom of the line. I hated the bike for riding when I first got it. The handle bars were to narrow (compared to the bike I normally ride) which I felt a lot less control when hauling ass down my rocky driveway to my shop, swapped them out for a good quality standard width. The peddles sucked which I swapped out for magnesium with actual gripping pins built into them so you do slip off. I would not spend 600.00 on one, 300.00 is really what it is worth in my opinion.

Take all the cheap china shit off it and put some good quality parts on it and it would be a decent bike. Not a great addition if you own a cub but for a maule or cessna driver not a bad one.

I had the chance to ride a Bike Friday folding bike. Bike is made in Oregon and is top quality and surprisingly rides much like a full size bike.. Downside is when you look at the prices you realize they are VERY proud of their product. See: https://www.bikefriday.com/folding-bikes/

TommyN wrote:Would appreciate pix of the Montagues. Particularly the one with handlebar extensions; I get a sore back if I ride scrunched over....

Best,

Tom

Here's a picture of my Paratrooper. I ride to work 3-4 days/week, 20 miles round trip, and have been using it as my commuter for the last 5 years. I used to ride a road bike, but I'm 6' 3", 210 lbs., so the road bike is hard to stop in an emergency. Also, I got tired of carrying weight on my back and didn't want to put a rack on my road bike. I also had a couple of collisions with cars (right hooks) because I couldn't stop in time. The road bike survived (it's a steel Lemond), but I got banged up some.

The mechanical disk brakes on the Montague plus the larger tires make for quick, solid stopping power. I've not had any issues with wheel alignment. Also, I have come to enjoy the front shocks, which smooth the bumps out on my upper body. Setting the Paratrooper up for commuting entailed adding a stem extender (so I'm not so hunched over), rear rack, fenders, kick stand, Ortlieb panniers and some street-ey tires that I can pump up to 80 lbs. and that roll nicely on pavement. And, of course, beaucoups lights. I'm obviously not that concerned about weight. At 210 lbs. myself and stuff in the panniers, a few extra pounds on the bike doesn't matter much.

On weekend outings on gravel trails, I air the tires down and they work passably well. Especially with those tires, it's not a serious mountain bike, but fine for modest trails. It came with knobby tires, and I'm sure they would be a lot better off-road. Where it really shines is hauling stuff and covering ground. I keep it folded up under a moving blanket in the back of my SUV, so it's out of the weather, out of sight, and always ready when I want it. I've taken it flying a few times, but I've put a ton of miles (literally, thousands) on it just commuting. I replace the drive train every year or so with mid-grade components. There's no need for Shimano 105 here. The XT shifters have held up very well and require no maintenance other than new cables once in 5 years.

This picture was from xmas shopping last December.



The two rear panniers alone hold a lot of stuff. For camping, I might add a front rack and panniers, or take a B.O.B. trailer. My son got the Paratrooper Pro, which has a new frame locking mechanism and a cool rack that doubles as a stand. My wife has the Montague model with rim brakes that used to be sold with the Hummer. The rim brakes are fine for her. It's the oldest Montague in the house, and has held up very well. I haven't needed Montague support very often, but when I have, they've been great. I'm a fan.

CAVU

I bought two Paratroopers brand new two years ago (Summer 2015). I just weighed one (IDK if it was the large or medium frame) in the carrying bag with a small under saddle bag containing a spare tube and tire levers. The package, as loaded on the plane (without helmet or air pump) is 39 lbs. I have heavy thorn-resistant tubes in it. So, pretty heavy.

The Pros include the fact that it is a standard 26" wheel size mountain bike with Shimano Deore components that most any bike shop will have parts for and can fix. Also, I like mechanical disc brakes. It rides and handles well. Not like my trusty old Titus Racer X, but solid.

Packed in the bags, those two bikes traveled to Alaska and back with us, along with camping gear, etc., in my '64 182 with Selkirk extended luggage and the Atlee Dodge rear seats removed.

Pierre

Guys,

Thanks to all for the pix. My situation is that I would like to get a full size Paratrooper for plane camping in my Cessna 182; 1977Q and riding around the airport. Have had a mountain bike since the 80's and used it for a time -- to and from work -- 8 miles. It has 3 x 7 speeds but quite honestly I probably never used more than 3 of the speeds. Real heavy beast which I crashed on my very first ride!

I really would not venture off of defined roads and paths so no need for anything extreme. Probably would not travel more than 5 miles out and then back from a campsite. I do value 'light' as I will be loading it by myself. I don't like riding with a backpack so carriers are important. Also I get a sore back if I have to hunch over to grab the handlebars; prefer riding upright. And I don't see the advantage of the high-bar boy's bike design; I would like to be able to stand on the ground with both feet without demounting. A girl's bike/beach cruiser style would be OK. Am 6'1", 220 and approaching 70 very quickly... LOL

My buddy saw a Dahon Boardwalk Clown Bike at a garage sale and 'bought' it for me. I fixed it up and have less than $50 in it and it is suitable for close to campsite travel as it is one speed with coaster brake. Will make my wife ride it if I get a new Montague.

I live in the Los Angeles area and there are many opportunities on Craig's List. But whenever I see something interesting, the owner starts to talk bike-talk about what has been added/modified or what I can do and this leaves me cold as I really don't know anything more about bikes than when I learned to ride at age 5.

So which model should I get? Thanks for your suggestions.

Tom

To me, bikes are pretty personal, so I wouldn't feel comfortable saying what someone else should have. I have a 21 speed touring Trek and a 27 speed mountain Trek. The mountain bike was at the insistence of my son, the bike expert, but I've probably put less than 100 miles on it in the 15 years I've had it. The touring bike, on the other hand, has thousands of miles on it, due to prepping for and riding on the Ride the Rockies 10 times and the Tour de Wyoming 4 times--each of those tours runs about 400 miles in a week, plus the miles that are necessary to prep for each ride; I've also commuted on it, although that was never my thing to do regularly.

But as folders go, I have a pair of DaHon 16" wheel versions, which fold compactly enough that 2 of them will fit in the baggage compartment of my P172D with room for other stuff. Since I usually travel alone, I put one of them in there along with my Yeti cooler and a bunch of other stuff on top of the cooler. I've had the DaHons for about 30 years. The more recent small wheel versions are a whole lot lighter, at least 10 lbs lighter than mine. I think each of mine weigh more than 35 lbs., but it's been a long time since I weighed them. Each is a 3 speed internal hub version, but if I were to buy again, I'd get a derailleur version--much more versatile. The surprising thing is that the small wheels and the awkward appearance belie how well they handle--they feel much larger than they are.

Cary

Thanks Cary for your insight on your bikes. Perhaps I am looking for something that does not exist in a Montague?

Best,

Tom

Does anyone know if Montague has a booth at Airventure Oshkosh? There does not seem to be a Search function for Exhibitors on the website. Thanks

Tom

I emailed Montague and received a prompt reply. Unfortunately they will not be an Exhibitor at Airventure Oshkosh.

Blue skies,

Tom

Handle bar extensions for those of us with back problems.

Had an old mid-80s 26" wheel Montague folder that worked great in the back of my 150, kids left it at the skatepark one day and gone. Now I make do with my Cannondale 29ER (29" wheels), but would like something smaller and lighter than its 30 lbs that can still do backroads looking for grouse. Have to pull the rear seat, but the Cannondale only needs the front wheel removed, and if I unclip the handlebars it sits flat against the side with lots of baggage space left over.

TommyN wrote:Would appreciate pix of the Montagues. Particularly the one with handlebar extensions; I get a sore back if I ride scrunched over....

Best,

Tom

Here are our two bikes, one with a regular neck, and one with an extended neck. Not necessarily handle bar extensions, but the neck extension helps with less scrunching.

The Montague bikes are probably not the best at any one particular thing. In other words, not the lightest, not the smallest, not the [whatever]....but they are a great compromise.

My older style Montague:



The detachable pedals (they plug in much like a compressed air hose fitting):



My other bike, found at the dump and cut in half. Definitely a cheaper option: