Free association Friday. I say ‘Montagues’…you say  “bikes”. Wait, don’t you mean “Capulets”?

Well… not any more, as I have a feeling that this will soon be the response that comes to mind upon hearing that name. They do share a common thread, though, as both are noble families… one of Verona, the other of folding bikes.

Montague FIT model

And these aren’t your “circus style” small wheel specials, either. These bikes are designed with the philosophy that performance comes first – the folding aspect is secondary. As the designer proudly proclaims ”we design full-size, high-performance bicycles that fold, not folding bicycles”.

We had the pleasure of meeting the designer himself, David Montague, this past Tuesday when he joined us at our DuVine office to demo one of the new 2010 Montague models – the FIT.

Upon first glance at the FIT, you wouldn’t have a clue that this lightweight, solid geometry road bike with top of the line components and 700c wheels actually folds in half and fits in a closet! In less than 20 seconds, David popped off the front wheel, lifted the quick frame release, and voila…the bike was folded and ready to store. And no disassembly required -  no allen wrench nor bike tool needed. It almost felt like some slight of hand magic trick. The frame remains intact - maintaining its integrity - and no crucial components have been sacrificed to allow for the conversion. Yes, folks…this is innovation at its finest! Funnily enough, it does take a rocket scientist to patent.

FIT folded

That’s right…David is an MIT graduate with a degree in aerospace engineering.  His passion for innovation, coupled with his passion for cycling, led him to design bikes and start the Montague company…pretty cool, eh?

If you are interested in checking out these unique bikes, or finding out more information about David visit http://www.montaguebikes.com/.

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