Montague: Full-Size Folding Bikes from Military Roots to Everyday Rides

Montague builds folding bicycles around full-size wheels, with models for commuting, fitness riding and off-road trips. Based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the company offers a distinctive proposition: a bicycle chosen for the ride ahead that can also fold for storage or transport. Its identity rests on that combination of everyday cycling and portability, as outlined on Montague’s company page.

A folding idea with an unusual development story

The starting point was personal. Harry Montague wanted a portable bicycle suited to his tall frame and developed a full-size folding design in the 1980s. His son David formed Montague Corporation in 1987 while attending graduate school at MIT. According to the manufacturer’s history, the company later received a DARPA grant in 1997 to develop the Tactical Electric No Signature mountain bike with the United States Marines.

That project influenced a new folding frame design, and the consumer Paratrooper followed in 1999. The military connection therefore explains part of the engineering background. For civilian buyers, its practical significance is the same underlying problem: transporting a full-size bicycle to somewhere useful, then riding it.

Choose the riding purpose before the folding feature

Paratrooper trails versus pavement-focused models

The Paratrooper gives the brand its clearest mountain-bike identity. Its listed equipment includes 26-inch wheels, front suspension, mechanical disc brakes and 24 speeds. Montague positions it for rough trails, carrying gear and bike camping. Those features make it a different proposition from the company’s pavement bikes, even though both share the folding concept.

For road-oriented fitness riding, the FIT combines a flat handlebar, 700c wheels, a carbon fork and a 20-speed drivetrain. The Allston takes another direction: its Gates carbon belt and Shimano Alfine 11-speed internal hub replace the conventional chain-and-derailleur arrangement. This makes drivetrain layout a useful comparison point for commuters, rather than treating every Montague as the same bike with different equipment.

Understand the folded package

Full-size wheels still need space when the frame folds. Montague lists the Paratrooper’s folded dimensions as 36 by 28 by 12 inches, while the FIT page describes folding that involves removing the front wheel and releasing the frame connection. Measure your intended storage space and consider handling the separate wheel before choosing a model.

Montague’s appeal is strongest when folding solves a specific obstacle to owning or transporting the bicycle you want to ride. Explore the Montague brand page with that question in mind: trail capability, road fitness or a belt-driven commute?