What an innovative, practical thing a folding mountain bike is! If space is an issue and leaves your regular bike out in the cold, one of these bikes will be your solution.

There are many versions of the folding mountain bike. They vary from heavier and less portable, to lightweight and tough. Transporting them in buses, trains, or airplanes, is easy. At your destination, you have your means of transportation at your beck and call.

The Hummer is a state of the art folding mountain bike, manufactured by Montague. This is the world's leading manufacturer of folding bikes. It is modeled on a line of full sized folding bikes originally designed for the U.S. Marines as a military bike for tactical use.

The Hummer has full size wheels and knobby tires, usable on any terrain. To fold the Hummer takes under 30 seconds, and involves no tools. This mountain bike folding system is a patented military design.

The Hummer bikes are strong, durable, light, and tough. It is rumored that they have been made to be dropped from a plane, without sustaining damage! You know that a Hummer folding mountain bike is sturdy, when it boasts extensive testing by the Marines.

Other pluses to the Hummer include Shimano precision index shifters for a quick gear change, front suspension with a front disk brake, and 24-speed Shimano drive train. The folding size is 36" x 28" x 12".

Another folding mountain bike in the Montague stable, is the Paratrooper Mountain Bike. This rugged rider unfolds without the need for tools. The use of standard mountain bike wheels and components, simplifies maintenance. Jumping obstacles is fun for this soldier! It has superb braking power.

The innovative engineering behind any Montague folding mountain bike, ensures structural integrity and strength. The Paratrooper folds in less than thirty seconds.

Montague doesn't stop at their unique folding mountain bikes. A range of accessories add to the pleasure of using a Paratrooper or Hummer bike. A soft carrying case, made of 420 Denier nylon, protects your bike while in transit. When you are in a really tight squeeze, folding pedals which reduce the width of the bike, are available.

The folding features of the Montague folding mountain bike, allows for the optional use of a steel kickstand. For extra protection, a hard case has now been added for airline travel. This case allows your folding mountain bike to travel as luggage, leaving your hands free.

In another class altogether are the Bike Fridays. These would probably be classified as collapsible, rather than folding, but has a complicated and slow mechanism for assembling and disassembling. They are nevertheless a line of excellent quality folding mountain bikes, comparable to custom bikes.

Another folding mountain bike is the Airnimal Rhino which is Airnimal's first official off-roader. It has 20" wheels, and front and rear suspension as efficient on city potholes and kerbs, as on rough off-road terrain.

A completely new approach to folding mountain bikes, is apparent in the Giatex Stretching Bike. Its steering column folds down, but the frame doesn't fold in the middle. Instead, it has a large stainless steel bar, along which the back part of the bike slides. The resulting length is about 37 inches. If the front wheel is removed, this can be reduced to 30". The Giatex has good components and rides well, with lightweight portability.

The Giatex also features a 6 speed Shimano rear derailleur, which is considerably more useful than the 3 speed gear inside the rear hub of most other 16" bikes. The gearing isn't aimed at speed, as much as at making the bike easy to ride.

A folding mountain bike may not be sturdy enough for serious bikers, or on very rough terrain, but it has its place and sure comes in handy at the most unexpected time.

If you'll excuse me, I'll now bag my bike and be off...

For more information visit Best-Mountain-Biking.com

Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com researches, writes, and publishes full-time on the Web.

Copyright of this article: 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.