I’ve been riding a Montague Paratrooper mountain bike around all summer, and I have to tell you, this is one amazing bike.  It does everything a good mountain bike is supposed to do: I’ve ridden it in rain and mud, on dirt trails and roads, and on pavement, and its performed flawlessly. The cool feature, though, is the fact that this bike folds up quickly into an easily transportable unit. Check out the photos – you can fold it to a 36x30x12-inch portable package. I don’t plan on jumping out of an airplane with it anytime soon, but it’s a snap to throw this into your car (no need for a bike rack!) and take it anywhere.  You can unfold it and put it together, without tools, in a couple of minutes. I don’t live in a city, but I’m betting this would be a popular bike for subway and even bus riders. How about taking it on a chair lift, or in a canoe?

Made of aluminum, with knobbie tires, a 24-speed Shimano drivetrain, and stainless steel/alloy spokes and rims, the bike weighs 29 pounds total --  a bit on the heavy side, perhaps, but not too bad. Price is $800 for the model I’ve been using, but the company has less expensive models available. Check out all Montague and Swiss bikes at montaguebikes.com. – Jay Cassell