Folding Bikes

The Montague Paratrooper Pro [$999] bike is built like a tank, folds like a Swiss Army knife, and weighs less than body armor. Backed by a DARPA grant, David Montague designed the original Paratrooper bike in 1997 to be used by the U.S. Marines. The result was a cycle that a paratrooper could unfold as soon as he hit the ground.

Take your off-road riding to the next level with the Paratrooper Pro. With plenty of gears for climbing and 100mm of travel in the front shocks to absorb the bumps of off-road trails, you’ll be ready to tackle the toughest terrain.

Clever integration of the patented CLIX System allows for the Paratrooper Pro to be folded in under 20 seconds without the use of tools. A flip of the CLIX quick release lever on the top tube and the bike folds to a compact size.

The Paratrooper Pro frame is designed around a patented folding system. This design eliminates the need to break the frame in order to fold the bike. Not only does this make folding easier but it makes this bike the strongest folding bike on the market.

Popular Mechanics reviewed other folding bikes in 2009

* Dahon Mu SL
* Tikit 2 Ride
* SwissBike TX

NYCEwheels has a review of the best folding bikes

The best folding bicycle when you’re on a tight budget is the Tern Link D8 [about $650]. This bike has 8 gears, a rack, fenders, and folds up nice and compact for transport or storage. If you’re short on space and don’t have the cash to blow on one of the higher end models you’ll love the Link D8. It’s one of our most popular folding bicycles.

The best commuter folding bike for your money, we recommend the Dahon Vitesse D7 [about $799]. This bike has all the features you want in a commuter: 7 gears in a low maintenance internal hub, a rack and fenders. This bike folds up nice and small for transport on trains and buses or in the trunk of your car.

Best compact and portable fold-up bicycle – The Brompton M3L [$1329] is our most popular folding bicycle for city riding and also for travel.

The best fast and lightweight folding bike is the Tern Verge X10 [$1800]. This is a 10 gear, road bike style folding bicycle, that will have you flying. The Verge X10 weighs a feathery 21.3 lbs and can be lifted with just one hand with ease. It’s prefect if you have to carry your bike up a lot of stairs or pick it up often.

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