Military bike gets rear disc brakes

by Larry Lagarde

A subtle change is coming next year to the rugged Montague Paratrooper military folding bike. For the first time, this practical, full size, folding mountain bike will come standard with disc brakes on both wheels.

Designed to fill a variety of roles for the US armed forces, the Paratrooper folding bicycle is built to withstand the demands of battlefield use (such as carrying 300 lbs of soldier and battle gear or the stress of being dropped behind enemy lines from a C130 Hercules or UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter). Several years ago, the Pentagon released Montague from selling these only to the military so any Joe can ride one now.

Whether you're a soldier hunting down the Taliban in the Hindu-Kush along the Afghanistan/Pakistan border or a civilian pedaling the singletrack of the awesome Colorado Trail, having disc brakes front and rear means more braking power under all weather conditions.

As someone that has toured long distances and sped down many steep mountain grades with a heavily laden bike, I welcome and appreciate Montague's adoption of all wheel disc brakes on the Paratrooper. Since discs do not heat up your wheel rims, you're not likely to overheat and blow a tire like I did trying to keep my speed below 30 mph down the 9 miles, 10 switchbacks and 8% grade between Flaming Gorge and Vernal, Utah.

Get A 2009 Paratrooper Now For Just $634.99!
Although rear disc brakes will not appear on the Paratrooper until next year, my goal is to be the first to have them. To clear out my existing inventory of Paratrooper folding bikes, effective immediately, I'm cutting the cost for a 2009 Montague Paratrooper to $634.99 - shipping included (within the USA lower 48 states). For another $20, I'll throw in a new RideTHISbike.com slip cover (masks your bike when riding transit & keeps it clean/dust free while in storage and). Quantities of 18" and 20" Paratroopers in stock are limited so place your order today.

By the way, retrofitting the rear linear pull brakes to discs on your current Paratrooper folding bike is a fairly simple procedure that can be done quickly by most local bike shops.

Labels: Paratrooper-folding-bike

by Larry Lagarde

This cool folding bike photo was sent to me by Siphiwe Ka Baleka, a long distance trucker who is determined to remain in shape. Judging by the photo, I'd say he's succeeding.

Spending most of his day driving an eighteen wheeler across country, Siphiwe travels through many of America's most scenic places. Only so much can be seen from the cab of a big rig though.

With his rugged Montague Paratrooper folding bike, Siphiwe can tackle any road or trail he chooses. When not in use, the bike folds to half it's normal size and stores neatly in a carry bag, keeping his living space in the cab clean.

Here are the comments Siphiwe submitted with the photo:

This photo was shot at Jackson Lake State Park in Colorado. Jackson Lake's marina has a large parking lot so I could park the truck with no problem. I was very eager to go riding so I took out the Paratrooper and quickly unfolded it....

Thanks for the photo, Siphiwe and keep on truckin'.

If you have a cool bike photo, send it via the "Email Us" link at the bottom of this page.

Labels: Cool-Folding-Bike-Photo, Paratrooper-folding-bike

Paratrooper folding bike admirers will enjoy this photo of a Montague Paratrooper folder in Baghdad. The photo is courtesy of RideTHISbike.com customer Jay Taylor (click photo to enlarge).

Regarding the photo, Jay wrote "this is my favorte of the Montague and its friends in Baghdad. This should answer any questions about bikes in the IZ."

"IZ" is US military jargon for the International Zone. Also known as the Green Zone and "Little America," this 2.7 square mile enclave formerly housed Saddam Hussein and his most trusted henchmen. Today, it's home to the International Coalition forces' HQ, thousands of Americans and select, top Iraqi officials.

Jay and I began corresponding in April when the mortar attacks on the IZ were still a regular occurrence. When I asked him in June whether things had improved to the point where it was safe to ride a bike there, Jay wrote this:

Iraq is a hard place, no question about it, but it is gradually turning around. There are lots of people, including military, using bikes in the green zone and beyond - but the bikes are are left outside and are coated with sand. I will keep mine folded up in my trailer.

Since I ship bikes, carry bags and other components to APO's & FPO's, I've had similar favorable reports from other US personnel in Iraq. Let's hope that a happy ending is in sight.

Labels: Paratrooper-folding-bike

by Larry Lagarde

Although we're sold out of the military tough Paratrooper folding bikes from Montague at the moment, the bikes are as popular as ever. To learn more about when they'll again be available, I called Montague today for an update.

Montague expects to have new Paratroopers available in March. The bikes will cost @ $20 more but there will also be some small component upgrades. In particular, the Shimano Deore rear derailleur on the 2007 Paratrooper models will be replaced with the smoother riding and slightly lighter SRAM X-5.

Following is an excellent video comparing how the Shimano Deore and SRAM X-5 react while being ridden over the same piece of single track. Note how little the SRAM travels in comparison to the Shimano Deore derailleur. Impressive.

Labels: Paratrooper-folding-bike

When most people fly somewhere within the USA, they rent a car to get around. Well, when I attend TrailLink 2007 next week in Portland, Oregon, I'll have some new wheels too; however, mine won't guzzle fossil fuel for propulsion. Instead, I'll be pushing the pedals of a modern bicycle designed to transport Marines and Special Ops personnel safely and quietly across hostile enemy terrain - the Montague Paratrooper full size folding mountain bike.

With it's beefy aluminum frame and quality components, city streets are no match for the Paratrooper. In fact, this is a mountain bike that begs to be let loose on single track.

Hopefully, I'll find some nice, long bike trails to explore with the Paratrooper. And when I do, I'll have my own lodging in tow - a brand new Nomad bicycle RV tent n' trailer combo courtesy of Tony Hoar at Tony's Trailers.

Tony and I have been talking and corresponding about the Nomad since Hurricane Katrina. At the time, Tony was working on a trailer that could house homeless persons at night and provide a means for them to haul or contain their possessions during the day.

Katrina caused tremendous homelessness in the New Orleans region (a problem that persists to this day) so I contacted Tony about his homeless trailer. Sadly, the value of a pop-up bike trailer as a short term, post-catastrophe emergency shelter didn't register with the suits. On the other hand, long distance touring cyclists loved the concept; hence, the Nomad.

Naturally, I'll be reviewing the Nomad, shooting photos & video for your viewing pleasure. I'll share what it's like to sleep in this bicycle RV and pull it down the road too. It will be interesting to see what sparks more conversations: my "Be a FOLC Hero" t-shirt or the tent on wheels hooked up to a bicycle...

Labels: Nomad-bike-rv, Paratrooper-folding-bike