Montague Paratrooper 24 Speed Folding Mountain Bike

I figured I could get past the lack of a kickstand. Nope. That's a critical piece of kit. I figured I could get past a bent latching pin for the folding frame (an indicator of a returned item that was repackaged). It is aggravating all the more after this. A sheared off peddle. How? I wasn't even going hard and it was a rather flat trail; even slightly down hill when the peddle sheared off... 13 miles from my home as the road goes. If I could throw this into a grinder and still send it back in a pile of shavings and shards, I would. It's frame is novel. It's components are garbage. The price of admission isn't worth the agony of dealing with this company or the product.UPDATE: In case you were wondering what I did about this, I fixed it. Alumaweld, rethread, epoxy, and presto. Bad news? That pedal is slightly bent. So, when I change it, I have to change the whole pedal arm. I bent the rear tire coming down a mountain at 20 mph. So a mountain bike whose unsuspended rear tire gets bent doing what it was intended for. That's not great. Managed to true it up close as I could with a spoke wrench. A set of road tires and 1,100 miles later... Still not impressed. I'll be getting a nice cheap racing bike here so when the weather gets better it'll shave an easy 15 minutes off of my trail time just by weighing half as much with a thinner tire profile. The adventure continues.

Ordering a bike online.....Of course I did read a lot of reviews to make sure this bike was worth it.1st you need to make sure which frame size you require. You should surf online for size information.PROS : - it folds easily, making it easy to carry and store. It is great because you can put it in your car or in your office. - it weights about 30lbs( I found it to be lighter than my other mountain bike, a Giant Rainier) - the bike is very sturdyCONS : the handlebar is kind of low, making for an akward position while on the bike. The weight is too focused on the front of the bike, meaning the velocity is reduced because there is too much weight put on the suspension. I did not find a way to set the handlebar higher.This is a great bike and it's not heavy at all. Some people complained the bike needs to be customized, but what were you expecting? You have to adjust the break handles so they are at the right angle with your fingers, you have to tigher a few nuts , put oil on the chain and make sure you got the proper air pressure in the tires. Nothing major. It is basic mechanics and anybody could do it. You would have to do the exact same things with a bike purchased from a store. So far my only complain is the handlebar height.UPDATE : I bought a stem raiser via Amazon and installed it. The handlebar is now higher, making for a more comfortable and safer ride. It took me 5 minutes to install and it cost about 20$. There is no problem with the cables being too short unlike other users have commented. I'm quite happy with the bike. Montague offers a stem raiser on Amazon, but that's not the one I got. I'll be posting pictures shortly.

My wife and I each got a Paratrooper--though in different sizes. We've had them for about a month and like them a lot. It helped that I was a bicycle mechanic in a previous lifetime as I did need to make a few adjustments. Most notable, was tweaking the sealed bearing retention on the wheels--it was WAY too tight. If you don't know how to do this, take your Paratrooper to a dealer and have it done. It not only makes a big difference, but will prevent some unnecessary wear on the hubs. The cones on the pedals were also overtightened and could benefit from readjustment. Better yet, get some higher quality pedals--these are nothing to write home about. We used the ones from our previous mountain bikes. Spray some WD-40 on all of the pivot points for the derailleurs, brakes, and levers, too--you will feel the difference. Be sure to check the bolts on the rear fender--they were loose on my wife's bike. The shifting on my bike was fine right out of the box, but I needed to touch up the adjustments on my wife's. This is mostly standard stuff that you would (or should) get with assembly by a professional.There have been some comments on the difficulty in removing and mounting the front wheel. There is a 'trick' that can help enormously with this task. For either mounting or removal, face the handle bars from the front, then duck your head under the handlebars. Lift the bike a bit with your head--and left shoulder, if possible. This takes a little balance, but it is not difficult Then manipulate your wheel in or out. I usually have to pull the quick release skewer a bit toward the left to get the hub to clear the fork.With the rack stand, the rear wheel is a nightmare to get in and out. Once your sealed bearing hub retention is properly adjusted, you shouldn't need to remove this wheel unless you want to change a tire and/or tube. I have yet to find a good technique. You may want to have another person nearby when you attempt this.This is a great design for a foldable bike--in no small part because it is suitable for full-sized models. Once the quick release latch is tightened, the frame is as stiff as any I have ridden. When folded, it is much easier to get in your car or a small storage space,My wife's bike had a problem with the front fender--it would not stay latched in the up position. This has apparently been an issue with some 2016 models. I contacted the vendor and they referred the matter to Montague. The manufacturer emailed me promptly and has promised to send an improved front fender once they become available.I had wanted to mount a conventional kickstand rather than rely upon the rackstand when the bike is fully deployed. The stock kickstands which normally fit behind the bottom bracket (e.g., a Greenfield), will not fit on these bikes without some serious customization. If you're not up to the bother--which is appreciable--get one that will fasten to the wheel stays.