Equipment

Hi Guys,

My first post here, just wanted to get your advice before splashing out my hard earned money

I am 5'8'' tall and weigh 70kgs...

I wanted a full size folding bike that would be good off road.

After much searching the net, I narrowed myself down to the Montague Paratrooper Pro and the ChangeBike, though I didn't find any reviews on the changebike.

I would appreciate your responses and recommendations.

Thanks.

PaulRivers

Wow, that's pretty cool -




I notice that it's a 26" wheel, while the Montague is a 700c wheel. But on the other hand, the ChangeBike just looks like a (relatively) normal mountain bike...

hmwallbanger

The Paratrooper Pro also has 26" wheels: https://www.montaguebikes.com/paratro...ding-bike.html

The standard bike componentry are easy enough to compare, so I'll just weigh in on the design differences I noticed:

LOCKS- In order to fold/unfold:
The Changebike has 2 locks - a latch and toothed tubes at the top of the seat tube as well as a quick release at the bottom bracket.
The Montague has 1 quick release lock on the top tube.
Advantage- Montague

PEDALS
The Changebike requires the removal of the right side pedal and re-insertion on the opposite side of the crank arm.
The Montague doesn't require pedal removal.
Advantage- Montague

SECURING THE FRONT WHEEL WHEN FOLDED:
The Changebike has a dropout on the seatstay for the front wheel's QR skewer that secures it rigidly.
The Montague has a single Velcro strap to secure the wheel to the handlebar.
Advantage- Changebike

WATER BOTTLE MOUNTS:
The Changebike has 2 according to some of the pictures submitted on their website.
The Montague has 1.
Advantage- Changebike

PaulRivers

My mistake on the paratrooper, I only realized after posting that it has 26" wheels (whereas the montagues with the double top tube have 700c wheels).

The Montague has the advantage in only having 1 place to change to fold the bike, but the Changebike has the advantage of having a more traditional diamond frame - it feels different riding it (I have ridden a Montague).

On the pedals, I think one can simply choose not the change the pedals on the Changebike, yes? Then the Changebike is more versatile - you can choose to change the pedals or not.

Agree on the front wheel and the waterbottle. Definitely a drawback having only 1 waterbottle.

The Montague also has a quick-release height adjustable front...stem? No, that's not right - but you can move the handlebars up and down with just a quick release. I don't think the ChangeBike has that.

phillybill

never seen a changebike in the US, but i do ride a montague paratrooper and am well pleased with the ride. thought i did eventually change out the fork for something a bit lighter

hmwallbanger

Not sure what PaulRivers meant by the Montague having "a quick-release height adjustable front" that allows adjustment of the "handlebars up and down with just a quick release". I don't see any such QR for the handlebar.

I'm 5'9" and 76kg and have used my Montague for trail riding as well as on scout related camping trips so I can vouch for it's offroad abilities. It doesn't handle quite as well on some trails as my Litespeed but it is as competent as an average full-size mountain bike. The beauty of it is that it folds and stashes into the trunk of my MDX when I need the receiver for a hitch mounted cargo carrier instead of the bike rack. Can't stick a regular mountain bike in the trunk and expect to still have room for passengers in the second row!

Anyway, both will probably do just fine off road. I'd just suggest test-riding them if possible. The geometry of both frames look vastly different so the ride could be as well. I've not seen any ChangeBike dealers here in the northeastern US nor have I encountered any in the 7-8 bike tours that I do annually where I've seen some pretty fancy bikes. Good Luck!

galaftps

The Changebike has 2 according to some of the pictures submitted on their website.

PaulRivers

Adjusting The Montague Octagon Adjustable Handlebar Riser

It's on the most recent Montague Crosstown, my brother just bought one.

hmwallbanger

According to the Montague website (see link previously provided above) the Paratrooper Pro does not come with the Octagon stem.
It comes with a fixed 105mm Kalloy stem with 7 degree rise.

smallwheeler

reminds me of this:




and this:

PaulRivers

My apologies - I know Montague bikes came with the Octagon stem, I had assumed that they all did, not just some models, but looking at the link it looks like you're correct - the Crosstown comes with one, but the Paratrooper Pro does not.

PaulRivers

Interesting...

smallwheeler

very..

fietsbob

throttle back to JRA..

I'd say because of the foldability flexing points, I'd consider it as a un paved Dirt Road bike,

but not something to ride like a real Mountain bike. modest pace ambitions are Prudent.

bikedude89

The Change Bike looks awesome! I think I'm going to pre-order the folding mountain bike they have on their site to the UK. Should fit in the back of my astra much easier than my current cross country bike. Having to sling it up on the roof gets a bit tiring to be honest.

PaulRivers

It's really to bad they don't make a 29er or 27.5" version. I've not had the best luck with frame reliability with the one (non mtb) montague that I owned. But at the same thing, I loathe to go back to a 26" wheel.

Bobfo

Actually, there are at least two ways around this. I've had at least two customers buy the low-end CHANGE MTB (609) and convert from 26" to 27.5". See flatbike.net/climb-with-a-change-bike/ for a Strava blogger who wrote about his upgrade experience.

Another option is to simply buy the CHANGE frame and add your own components. There isn't enough clearance to get to 29" wheels, but you can do 27.5" without having to swap anything out.

I'm interested in your thoughts, though, Paul... "I loathe to go back to a 26" wheel". What is so advantageous about that 1.5" of diameter difference that it drives such a strong perspective? How does a 700C wheel fit into this (on a road bike, obviously)? I suspect it may be similar to the difference between riding 26" tires and "typical" folding bikes with 24" tires...

rec

Is Slingshot still in business? Website is still up but I'm not sure if they're selling anything anymore.

PaulRivers

I personally won't be buying a new bike until this fall, as where I am now it's to hot to bike in the summer. But I'm looking to buy something off the shelf, not for a conversion project. I don't have the time or want to rake the risk of buying something only for it to not quite work.

1. 29er tires roll over stuff easier and let me ride a wider variety of trails
2. 29er tires are faster. Not an issue when riding alone, but it's a real pain when riding in a group to be the slowest person because of your bike.

Rick Imby

The two upper models of the Montague are now 27.5 wheels. $1245 and $2500.

tds101 

xtra

Hi, I am also interested in a full-folder for commuting and week-end trips, but after research I found Montague Navigator to be the competitor of ChangeBike DF-702 [ both bikes are in the same segment of full-folders: commuters and leasure bikers ]. I tried to have a test ride in London, but no success [ maybe there is a reason why they have no traction in London ].
On the technical side, I would tend to appreciate more the folding solution of ChangeBike [ again, not yet testing it ], but maybe on mechanical resistance both pass the tests [ thus my opinion would have no "mechanical resistance" ground ].
On the value for money level, Montague Navigator RRP is £1069 Vs £999 ChangeBike DF-702, but accessories included and the quality of parts [ disk brakes, Shimano mid class drive train, eso ] is weighting a lot towards Navigator. Also, frame warranty is Lifetime with Montague and only 5 years with ChangeBike. Having mentioned that, I would appreciate all opinions and reviews, from users as well as non-users. I will follow-up the thread. Thank you.
PS. Maybe ChangeBike is not yet ready for competitive markets like EU/US.

MultiplexMan

Changebike - thanks for bringing that to our attention! Great to see new designs hitting the market.

I like how fixing the front wheel (when folding) "sandwiches" the drive train from the rider and the environment. Less chance of a bent derailleur and grease stains!

Hope they gain some traction for riders that want big wheel bicycles without the need for dedicated bike racks on their cars.
Folded it makes for a small package that can be stowed inside an apartment as opposed to in the typical basement garage "cage" - where many bike thefts occur...