marc-uk

i'm looking for a full size, 26" wheel folding bike. I'm a bit lost between the montague mx/paratrooper, and the dahon matrix....i'm looking to do some downhills once i'm set up..anyone out there who has ridden them both? and in addition, how good are cable operated disc brakes compared to your normal brakes?
thankx~marc

Anthony King

I haven't ridden both. I do own a Matrix, the cable operated disc brakes are very effective--better than rim brakes when dry, no comparison in wet conditions. I have been pleased with the bike. Good frame, low-end components, but the bike only cost me $420. Mine's a 2004, they have upgraded components and frame (and raised the price) on the 2005 Matrix.

Haven't ridden the Montague, haven't even seen one, I have visited their website. Looks like they have a bike with a marketing tie in to the Hummer. That's enough reason for me to never give them a dime.

LittlePixel

Applauds profusely from this side of the Atlantic...
I saw a stretch limo humvee on my commute home the other week in a residential London Street.
How much more vulgar can it get??

Dahon.Steve

The Matrix is a hybrid and not ment for "downhill" riding. Dahon does make a mountain bike and I think the name is ZeroG. If you can't afford that bike, I would not get the Matrix but Montague because it has a hard tail that can be used for single track.

Anthony King

I think you are a little off, Steve. The Matrix and Zero-G have the same frames, the only thing that makes the Matrix a "hybird" are the slick tires. I think to call it a hybrid at all is a misnomer, it has 26" inch wheels and a rugged frame. If it were a hybrid I'd expect it to be much lighter. Put some knobbies on a Matrix and you are ready for downhilling.
The difference between the Matrix and Zero-G is huge if you are talking about the 2004's. The price difference was about $700.
For 2005, the Matrix price has gone up, because they have upgraded almost every component as well as the frame. The Zero-G has the same upgraded from been the components have been downgraded because the new Dahon high-end mountain bike is the Flo (same as the Ritchey break-away). The difference is now only $200 between the Matrix and Zero-G. The bikes are much more comparable. Again, the addition of knobby tires would make the Matrix suitable for downhill riding.

Dahon.Steve

Maybe your're right. I just went to the Dahon website and the Matrix was not under the category of "Mountain Bike" which made me think this was a city bike. Therefore, it was my impression the Matrix was considered a hybrid by the Dahon company.

I've looked at the component spec of last years Matrix and was disapointed at the cheap front suspension fork. Other than that the bike looked solid.

It's incredible how Dahon improves the product year after year. I could not recommend the Matrix last year because it really was low spec. This year's bike is a whole lot better. Incredible.

Anthony King

Mountain bike, city tires. I agree with you about the 2004 Matrix. Unfortunately I bought mine in 2004. I didn't know much about bikes when I purchased it, I had decided to go without a car and bought a bike and a motorcycle. The 2005 is a great improvement, well worth the $110 extra. If you compare the two you'll notice just about every component has been upgraded. I don't want to sound like the 2004 is a bad bike, it has served me very well, it's just that it could be alot better. To keep the price low, they outfitted a nice frame with lower quality components than it deserves. Looks like they've remedied the situation for 2005.