Folding Bikes - Paratrooper vs. LX?

I'm looking to buy a Montague folder, but I have a hard time deciding between the LX and the 'trooper. The montague website does not even show the LX? I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with these bikes.

Is the LX a more "civilian" version of the Paratrooper? Like a black Paratrooper?

I cannot find the weight of the LX anywhere on the Net. Also, what exactly are the "half pipe" shifters?

Thanks in advance! :)

Edit : Sorry, I had to get my thoughts together... Basically, what I am asking is that would I be missing anything if I got the LX over the 'trooper?

They probably stopped making the Swiss LX and are now making the Swiss BIKE. It looks like the Swiss LX is set up for touring, different handlebars for example. Montague has 2 frames, the bikes vary by the parts package. They range from crap to fairly good. When I say crap I mean I had to replace most every part of the CX due to maintenance issues. The bikes other than CX and DX have decent parts.

Due to the unique geometry things like fenders and panniers are hard to find. Occasionally Montagues come up on ebay/CL at a bargain.

Oh, that's what it was...

The LX is now a swissbike, and it's only on

swissbike.com

They have 2 sites for the same bikes? :D

I would not be getting panniers anyways , since foldability is a big issue ( I have to be able to take it on the commuter train ). Fenders are another issue though... :(

I was just looking at the Dahon Matrix, how does that one compare? I am fairly light ( ~120lbs. ) , if it matters for the hinge. Just by looking at it, I like the folding mechanism of the Montagues better, the Dahon doesn't look as strong.

Montague has a web site dedicated to Swissbike with features the LX and 2 other models. I myself have a Paratrooper and am very happy with it. As the frames are the same, I with the Paratrooper and choose to upgrade parts from my vast parts bin as some of the 8 speed stuff wears out. out side of pedals , I changed out the fork the an R7 as I really use it as a MTB when I travel. Personally I just do not thinnk the LX is worth the price.....otherwise I would have brought one. Also the only down side to buying a Montague at a cheaper price from anyone else is that you do not get the 30 day no hassle return gaurantee. So unless you are really sold on one, I would order from Montague direct, if you really hate it after 30 days you can return it.

I guess the best thing I can say about this bike is that 'I don't ever feel like I am riding a folding bike'. I'm 200 and the Montague is as stiff as a board......

Thanks for the reply. :)

I am located in Canada , with no local dealer, and the shipping cost would kill the return policy for me.

The LX is only $50 more at online retailers than the 'trooper, so I'm really only looking at if I would miss some features of the 'trooper that the LX might not have. Is there anything that's better on the 'trooper? ( Besides the lighter seat and handlebar? )

Like for example, is the front derailleur better on the 'trooper ( Suntour ) or the LX ( Shimano )?

Sorry about all the questions, I am really new to this.

The trooper is an 8 speed shimano drive train with rapid fire shifters (which I like alot) and deore front and rear dr. The crank is an ok suntour crank the gets the job done. The brakes really work and stop, so I see no need to change them out. I have had no problems with the wheels at all. The fork 'Suntour' is ok....but as I use mine as my primary MTB, I will change it out eventually for a Mantua R7.

Recently I took my trooper out with me on a trip to San Diego and did 4 days of varied MTB-ing in the parks around the Cleveland NAtional forest......including parts of the Nobel Canyon trail .....(Hard and varied stuff). The trooper with it's base components did real well once I got the shock adjusted and the tire pressure right. The LX does have better components, and it is probably the better buy for you, if you do not have alot of stuff hanging around like I do. I probably would have gotten the LX, but I really liked the green paint job of the trooper.

I bought a frame off ebay and built a city bike with it. Choosing your own parts is much better than the parts that come on a Montague. I used a Kineses alum fork. Sturmey Archer internal 8speed hub and MKS quick release clipless pedals. I have clip on fenders and a clip on rear trunk on it.

It folds for travel and can easily take any abuse I run into in any city including curbs and cobble stones.

I've never seen just the frame for sale? But I have been changing out the parts here and there. My next upgrade will be to convert it over to a 9 speed after I get about 1000 miles on it by the end of the summer.

Ok, I finally bit the bullet, and ordered my LX directly from Montague. Their staff was rather helpful and friendly. It's definitely better than all the other online retailers I tried who either did not respond to emails, their phone number did not work, or just plain refused to ship to Canada.

The bike will be here on Friday , I can't wait. :D

Welcome to the club....their staff was very helpful to me also. Don't know much about the other retailers...but you cannot beat the 30 day return policy. Hope you enjoy the bike.

Hi Apex,
I'm from vancouver and I'm also looking to buy a montague. Can I ask you how much they charge for shipping and import fees? Ballpark range is ok. thx

Shipping is anywhere from US$130 ( 5-6 days ), to US$250 ( 2 days ).

Then I had to pay around $260 canadian once it got here , for taxes, import fees, and brokerage fees.

whoa! :eek: So ~400 bucks on top of sticker price. Unfortunately that puts it out of my price range :(

whoa! :eek: So ~400 bucks on top of sticker price. Unfortunately that puts it out of my price range :(


It's the extra tax on bikes that kills it... $110 or so on top of GST/PST. :(

Apex:
So how is the LX been treating you?

It's been pretty good, I probably have about 300km's on it, no complaints so far.

I had a nice 82km ride yesterday. :)

"It's the extra tax on bikes that kills it" Cruise ebay an a montague frame may come up.

"It's the extra tax on bikes that kills it" Cruise ebay an a montague frame may come up.

The guy who had a couple frames on eBay quoted me $288 for shipping the frame alone. :(

This is my first post, and I'm thankful for it. I'm fairly sick of people grumbling over the faults of $4000 mountain bikes on unnamed sites...

Anyway, has anyone ridden one of the paratroopers on fairly rough singletrack? I'm considering getting one to replace my Karate Monkey, so that I can put it on the back of my motorcycle when I ride out of town.

Thanks

I do not ride off road much but the frame is very solid. You might consider getting a steel frame bike and 'hack' it www.sandsmachine.com.

I could go S&S, but the paratrooper seems like a cool concept.

This is my first post, and I'm thankful for it. I'm fairly sick of people grumbling over the faults of $4000 mountain bikes on unnamed sites...

Anyway, has anyone ridden one of the paratroopers on fairly rough singletrack? I'm considering getting one to replace my Karate Monkey, so that I can put it on the back of my motorcycle when I ride out of town.

Thanks

I use mine as my only MTB anymore, spent a week out at Mt Laguna in Sandiego County, did the nobel trail and some of the others no problem..