[et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” fullwidth=”on” specialty=”off” inner_shadow=”off” parallax=”off” background_color=”#282828″ transparent_background=”off” parallax_method=”off”][et_pb_fullwidth_header title=”Luxury in Progress” background_layout=”dark” text_orientation=”left”]
\n[\/et_pb_fullwidth_header][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section bb_built=”1″ admin_label=”section” fullwidth=”off” specialty=”off”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.montaguebikes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/luxury-in-progress-pr.jpg” alt=”Luxury in Progress Montague Article” title_text=”Luxury in Progress Montague Article” show_in_lightbox=”off” url_new_window=”off” use_overlay=”off” align=”center” force_fullwidth=”off” always_center_on_mobile=”on” use_border_color=”off” show_bottom_space=”on” _builder_version=”3.0.98″ \/][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”]<\/p>\n
by PATTY ZUBOV<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe \u2018Park and Pedal\u2019 commuting, or multi-modal commuting, will become a substantial part of the near term transportation future.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Over 25 years ago, when Dave Montague was a grad student in aerospace engineering at MIT, his father, Harry Montague, a Washington, D.C. architect and inventor, asked him to collaborate on a travel-friendly high-performance bicycle. Together they formed the Montague Corporation, headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to design and build full-size, high-performance bicycles that fold.<\/p>\n Montague folding mountain bikes have since gone on to blaze many trails and win numerous design awards. While most other folding bikes have small wheels, Montague folding bikes have standard 26\u201d wheels. These are full-size bikes that can fold to 36\u201dx28\u201dx12\u201d and fit in a closet or in the trunk of a car.<\/p>\n Montague bikes were featured in the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. The company got a big boost the following year when they won a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) \u2013 the US government agency that helped develop the internet \u2013 to create a durable, stealth transportation alternative to the military\u2019s heavy mechanized vehicles.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n The product of the DARPA grant was the Paratrooper Folding Tactical Mountain Bicycle. A paratrooper can jump out of military aircraft with the folded bike and upon landing, unfold it to a full-size mountain bike in 20 seconds. This is human-powered transportation, not reliant on gasoline or electric charge. It\u2019s sturdy enough to handle the rugged terrain soldiers encounter, and with a low thermal and acoustic radar signature, super stealthy to boot. \u201cThey don\u2019t see you coming!\u201d quips Dave Montague.<\/p>\n Demand by civilians for this bike means the Paratrooper folding mountain bike is now available to consumers around the world. \u201cWith our bikes,\u201d Montague says, \u201cpeople can drive part way to work, park, and ride the rest of the way. I believe \u2018Park and Pedal\u2019 commuting, or multi-modal commuting, will become a substantial part of the near term transportation future.\u201d<\/p>\n The Montague Corporation makes 10 different folding bike models with the same folding technology for two \u201cenvironments\u201d \u2013 mountain and pavement \u2013 ranging from about $650 to $3000.\u00a0<\/strong>And new this year, Montague is marketing the bike frame alone \u2013 hand-made with the same aircraft grade aluminum \u2013 so riders and manufacturers can customize bikes themselves.<\/p>\n Montague describes the creative process at the company: \u201cWe have a healthy competitive \u2018one-upmanship\u2019 process where the phrase \u2018that is a good idea, but this is a great idea\u2019 is often heard.\u201d That applied to working with his father as well. Both Montagues competed and collaborated for 25 years, always striving for \u201cPerformance and Portability\u201d (the company\u2019s motto), until the elder Montague died in February 2011. \u201cHe and I developed some great products by being a little competitive with each other,\u201d Montague recalls. \u201cAt the end of the day, the inventor was a Montague either way, so which idea was whose didn\u2019t really matter.\u201d<\/p>\n Photos and video courtesy of \u00a0Ryan Walas.<\/em><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”row” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”][et_pb_column type=”1_4″][et_pb_blurb title=”Download PDF” url=”\/assets\/media\/news\/luxury-in-progress.pdf” url_new_window=”off” use_icon=”on” font_icon=”\ue059” icon_color=”#5b5b5b” use_circle=”off” circle_color=”#dd3333″ use_circle_border=”off” circle_border_color=”#dd3333″ icon_placement=”top” animation=”top” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” background_position=”top_left” background_repeat=”repeat” background_size=”initial”] THE LiP: Montague Bikes by PATTY ZUBOV \u201cI believe \u2018Park and Pedal\u2019 commuting, or multi-modal commuting, will become a substantial part of the near term transportation future.\u201d Over 25 years ago, when Dave Montague was a grad student in aerospace engineering at MIT, his father, Harry Montague, a Washington, D.C. architect and inventor, asked him […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11202","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n
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