26" wheeled folding bike

alamb200

Hi,

My company has moved location and so whereas I was biking 19 miles each way to work I now catch a train and then bike 5 miles each way through busy inner city streets.

In used to have a 30 year old racer but that has died an is in that great cycle rack in the sky so I am now using a 20 year old mountain bike on slick tyres which is okay but I have on a few occasions been refused access to the train,

So I am looking at folding bikes, on my current bike I generally try to maintain around 20 mph and if the wind is in the right direction I have got up to 27 mph (according to my speedo which is reasonably accurate).

Because of this I am not looking at the smaller Brompton bikes but more at the larger 26" wheeled bikes, one brand that has caught my eye is the Montague bikes and because of my need of speed I have been looking at the navigator or more realistically the Fit.

These are both very expensive so I want to make sure I do not make a mistake, I spoke to my local bike shop and they said that they were okay but the parts were not that good considering the price.

Does anyone have any experience of these bikes or a recommendation for a fast folding road bike?

Thanks,

alamb200

The Rookie

Montague Paratrooper folding MTB, they are a good strong design as they sue the seattube as the pivot point an then a QR through the main tube to lock it in place giving a wide footprint.

You can either get a complete bike or a frame only (they come in a few other brand names as well) and build it up by reframing a conventional MTB to choice (I'd suggest using a good condition but used bike to save yourself a wedge).

http://www.montaguebikes.com/paratroope ... -bike.html

alamb200

Hi,
Sorry I have been away and wasn't able to access this site for the last couple of weeks so have not been able to update this post.

Will the Paratrooper be fast enough for my needs? or should I replace the front sprocket with a bigger one?

I have seen similar bikes on Ebay branded as Hummer bikes, I have been told that they are made by Montague but are a lot cheaper. Are they any good?

Thanks,

alamb200

t4tomo

I can hold 20mph plus on a Brompton and have been well over 30mph on it. It's the engine that makes the most difference. By all means buy a Montague but don't buy it just because you think it's faster.

Just saying

DrLex

And can't one rent a Brompton to check how it will suit? I'd have also thought the compact nature of a Brompton is a better match to the train leg of your journey.

alamb200

I will have to check around here to see if I can do that.

"I can hold 20mph plus on a Brompton and have been well over 30mph on it"

Which model of Brompton do you have?

t4tomo

S3 titanium. When I tried them out I much preferred the S bars to the classic M bars.- makes the riding position and handling more like a regular bike.

antonyfromoz

Evans have a range of folding bikes on their website including Brompton, Montague and others, including quite a few from Tern 26" and 24" bikes. I saw some of the Tern 24" one time when i was in the Milton Keynes shop and they looked quite good, and many of the older models are at reduced prices now - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ter ... 86#answers or for something with smaller wheels - http://www.evanscycles.com/products/ter ... 4#features Unless I was looking at a different model, those paratrooper bikes have front suspension which adds weight and might impact on power transfer ...

MichaelW

I have a 26" folder Dahon cadenza.
the fold is quite fat and of little advantage on a train. It can fit in a car boot. It is quite heavy because of the extra foldy bits.
the bike rides well and feels "normal"

Sharkyssurfers

The Rookie wrote:

Montague Paratrooper folding MTB, they are a good strong design as they sue the seattube as the pivot point an then a QR through the main tube to lock it in place giving a wide footprint.

You can either get a complete bike or a frame only (they come in a few other brand names as well) and build it up by reframing a conventional MTB to choice (I'd suggest using a good condition but used bike to save yourself a wedge).

http://www.montaguebikes.com/paratroope ... -bike.html

I had one of these many moon back, and if you swap the knobblies with slicks you can certainly get the speeds you are looking for, the only downside is the weight, depending on how far you have to carry it etc.., the qr system is really quick and i tended to only fold it and not take front wheel off like they show.