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SwissBikes by Montague
- Performance Bikes -
that also fold!
SwissBike Design Philosophy
By now you have noticed that SwissBike mountain bikes are different from all others.
In addition to their innovative technology, their bikes were designed with the philosophy that performance comes first - the folding aspect is secondary. Most people in the bike industry agree that bicycles of the future will fold, but that is where the agreement ends. SwissBike designs full-size, high-performance bicycles that fold, not folding bicycles.
Other folding bike manufacturers compromise on the ride quality of the bike when they use small "circus-style" wheels. SwissBike is different; their bikes use standard, full-size wheels that millions of bikes use all around the globe. These wheel sizes have been chosen by a countless number of riders and all major bike companies because they offer by far the best stability, rolling resistance, and obstacle clearance.
A WORD ON SMALL WHEEL "CIRCUS STYLE" FOLDING BIKES: Small wheels offer, well, small performance. When compared to standard bicycle wheels, the small wheels found on most folding bikes sink into smaller potholes, offer less stability, create more rolling resistance, force you to use an increased gearing ratio to go the same speed, and when you get a flat tire, tubes are not readily available at any bike shop.
SwissBikes fold in under 30 seconds.
No tools are required to fold and unfold SwissBike bicycles. Simply remove the front wheel and unlock one frame quick release. This can be done in a matter of seconds allowing the bike to be stored with ease in your car trunk, boat, plane, closet, or anywhere else you stash your gear.
SwissBikes are brought to you by the same great folks who've brought us the Montague Series of folding bikes. Montague engineers don't stop after designing a stylish folding bike frame with a comfortable geometry. Materials used in frame construction are equally important. So their engineers, looking to the aircraft industry, have developed state of the art custom drawn 7005 series, aircraft grade aluminum tubing that is used on every bike they sell. Sure, it would be easier and less expensive to use the same old round steel tubes that everyone else uses, but then our bikes would ride just like everyone else's, an option SwissBike just can't accept.
Their trend-setting frame materials are then assembled in SwissBikes state of the art welding facility making a frame that boasts lateral stiffness for awesome power transfer, yet remains complaint in vertical motion so the bike does not feel harsh.
Finally, their frames are finished with a 5-layer anti-corrosion finishing process allowing them to last longer and look better. All this adds up to a frame that will last a lifetime.
History of the SwissBike & Montague Series of folding bicycles
Since the 1980s, they've have provided full-size folding bicycles to various divisions of the military.
In 1997, under a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), they partnered with the US Marines to develop the Tactical Electric No Signature (TENS) Mountain Bike. For this project, a new folding frame design called the X-Series™ was developed, integrating the F.I.T.™ system into the frame design. The non-electric version of the TENS Mountain Bike, named SwissBike®, became available shortly thereafter.
The F.I.T.™(Folding Integrated Technology) system was developed to allow a full-size, high-performance mountain bike to fold in half so that it could fit through the cargo door of a military aircraft with a paratrooper. When the soldier would hit the ground, he or she would have a tactical mountain bike to use as transportation, thereby bridging the gap between walking and deploying heavy military vehicles. This would not only aid in transportation but it would help to facilitate battlefield reporting as well.
The SwissBike ® is a full-size mountain bike that can traverse terrain silently at high speeds with no thermal or acoustic radar signature - key components when trying to avoid the enemy. The SwissBike® offers up to 500 pounds of load hauling capability and it does not need gasoline. It has enhanced off-body load bearing capabilities, a high level of maneuverability, and can compact to a portable size in less than 30 seconds. The bikes are indeed used in conjunction with LAV's (Light Armored Vehicles) and HMMWV's as back up transportation and they also help to facilitate battlefield reporting.
It became clear that the folding technology found on bikes developed for the U.S. Military could be used in the civilian world as well, as these bikes began turning up in car trunks, closets, and a host of other places where conventional non-folding bikes could not fit. By popular demand the military bikes made their way into civilian use.
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You love the feel of a full size bike. But you need a folding bike; easy to carry around, folds into small places... Why not have the best of both? SwissBike combines performance and portability to give you the most versatile folding bike possible. All SwissBikes are performance oriented bikes that fold. They can take on the most rugged trails or leisurely bike paths and at the end of the day, fold to stash with the rest of your gear.
Have you ever noticed how most folding bikes look like someone took a hacksaw and cut them in half and added a hinge to allow them to fold? Not very imaginative, and certainly not very good for the ride quality (when a tube is cut in half, it loses its torsional rigidity, making the bike ride like a wet noodle!).
The patented F.I.T.™ system developed by Montague engineers, and found on all their bikes, uses a system that does not cut any tubes in half.
In fact, when looking at their bikes, it is not immediately clear how they fold, or even that they fold at all. SwissBike uses a Montague patented Concentrus™ system, which is a tube within a tube design that actually strengthens the frame by incorporating technology found on some high performance, dual suspension mountain bikes.
This technology was developed by Montague for military use and is covered under numerous patents worldwide.
No tools are required to fold and unfold SwissBike bicycles. Simply remove the front wheel and unlock one frame quick release. This can be done in a matter of seconds allowing the bike to be stored with ease in your car trunk, boat, plane, closet, or anywhere else you stash your gear.
Conversion Kits Available
We can readily upgrade your Montague or Swiss Bike with a Bionx electric power conversion kit, call for details and see our Bionx conversion kits page!
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