Comments on: Allston

By: Jamie

Jamie — Tue, 07 May 2024 15:22:22 +0000

I have had the Allston for a couple years now, and my wife has the Navigator. I have been very happy with the belt drive and internal gear hub, a joy to use. Shifting is sharp and instant, plenty of gearing range. Hope it holds up over the long term. Love the folding ability to throw in our small hatchback car, plus I am able to fold and carry it in my small home built aircraft. I feel the bike is a little on the heavy side, and the rack stand is unique but has its trade offs such as having to remove your load to use it, and it can be unstable in windy weather. Like the tires and brakes, works well even on mild mountain bike trails. I recommend as a good non-e-bike model to choose.

By: Grinning Ape

Grinning Ape — Sun, 02 Oct 2022 06:26:52 +0000

I use this bike for casual riding around the city and it’s my “Go to” commuter bike from a stable of 5 bikes. Nice job Montague! The comments below are in the context of having the option of several bikes to ride, all with a specific purpose (Road, TT, MTB, Fixie). In my view, there’s no one bike that does it all.

Love the convenience of being able to fit the Allston into the boot of almost any taxi or Uber. This makes riding A to B and returning by car hassle free (or vice-versa). Gates belt drive is a win. My first belt drive and perfect for this type of application. Liking the Shimano 11sp Alfine hub – A good range of gearing for its intended use. The bike is solid (and relatively heavy). Surprisingly so given the absence of a down tube. Brakes are good. If anything, the brakes are over engineered for a bike of this purpose. I’d be happy with standard rim brakes to further reduce complexity. However, this is a quality bike and comes suitably equipped.

I pack it for air travel into a regular bike travel box (Scicon). It packs no smaller in dimensions when compared to a fully broken down road bike, though a standard bike requires significantly greater disassembly/reassembly than this folding frame. I removed the front brake calliper and the front mudguard to ensure there were no excessive pressure points in transport with the particular travel bag I use. Apart from that, it’s just fold and pack.

The only idea for change would be to go for an airless tyre option. That would basically eliminate any regular maintenance issues of a standard bike, including no chain oil, no pumping air for tyres or the risk of punctures. Not that these issues really concern me but I can see where that would be a benefit to many other riders. That would result in grab-and-go practicality with folding convenience. Now that’s a thought!

By: Neo

Neo — Sun, 17 Jan 2021 04:22:15 +0000

Great design, and everything works perfectly. It was a little challenging to get the fit right, but I’m 6’2″, so some work was required to make it fit me well. New stem and bars and I got it pretty dialed. It’s compact, I’ll just say that. The drivetrain is unbelievably smooth. It’s absolutely silent except the sound of the tires. The brakes are the loudest thing you hear on a ride. You’ll probably want to put a bell on it. Give it a thorough inspection when you get it. Torque everything. The bottom bracket is unusual. Not all your local bike shops will know how to adjust the belt tension, but you can figure it out if you have some mechanical inclination. Also, put some good quality tires on and you’ll like it more. If your not a big guy it would be perfectly okay on rough terrain. It’s tough enough to handle it. I like it a lot and bring it with me on all my travels.

By: BJL

BJL — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 22:25:31 +0000

I bought 2 Allstons last fall to bring on our plane for trips over the winter. It has worked out wonderfully! The convenience of having easy transportation to get to town and getting exercise too is great. It would be a bit better if they were lighter weight but the benefits of easy care and a comfortable ride trump any negatives. These bikes have handled any terrain we’ve encountered much better than a small wheeled folder could have. Highly recommend!

By: TODD R CASPELL

TODD R CASPELL — Thu, 15 Mar 2018 21:53:42 +0000

Love the Monty – I do not have this bike. I have the Boston 8. Pretty much the same frame but this bike addresses some lacks in the Boston. I have wished for the room for fatter tires, this has that. I would prefer the belt drive to chain this has that. The brake cable routing is cramped on the Boston. This bike has disc brakes. SO better brakes and better cable routing. It seems this bike is an improvement on the B8. One thing I do not prefer is the 11 speeds. I do not need or want 11. MORE is not better. 8 is too many. I would do fine with a 3-speed Sturmy Archer. The Boston has 8. About spokes. MORE IS BETTER. This bike should have 36, not 32. It may do I didn’t check. 32 is OK anyway. The bike industry seems to design wheels by removing spokes until the wheel collapses then add one spoke. This is not like that. It has at least 32. Great bike to toss in the trunk. NOT great to fly with. We took em to Paris and they were great fun on the Champs but a pain to get on the airline. A hard case may help with that.

By: Will T

Will T — Fri, 02 Feb 2018 18:39:40 +0000

The Allston has been outstanding this winter for commuting. I’ve had an older Crosstown which has been a terrific bike but I was ready for an upgrade. The new folding mechanism makes the bike frame even stronger than before and the wider tires, disc brakes, internal hub and belt drive have made biking better and my life much easier. Keep the innovations coming, Montague!

By: LMH

LMH — Fri, 26 Jan 2018 18:11:25 +0000

Purchased because I wanted the Shimano Alfine internal gear hub but really appreciate the excellent quality and versatility using this bike on a variety of surfaces.

By: Carlos B

Carlos B — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 23:56:28 +0000

Everything about this bike is excellent. If you’re concerned that it won’t ride well or feel stable think again. You know it is quality made as soon as you take it out of the box. Most of the time I ride it on the weekends and since I can just toss it in the back of my car I try out new locations. It gives a high performance ride and I don’t worry about it getting stolen.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Sat, 22 Apr 2017 13:43:15 +0000

I’ve had the Allston for couple of months now. It’s crazy how people are blown away when I fold it up – it does not look like it can do what it can do. Thanks Montague folks for making this bike. I first heard about it when I was over in Germany, but couldn’t find one there. Now in the states I got one – had to get my local dealer to order it, but I am happy that I did. Excellent bike!

By: Connor R.

Connor R. — Fri, 13 Jan 2017 23:43:01 +0000

Had to wait for bike to be in stock but well worth it. We got 2 for our sailboat. Saw the review in Yachting magazine and loved the idea of a bike with full size wheels that could be stored easily. Very pleased with our purchase.