Montague Boston 8

Montague Boston 8.  Photo Credit: Montague Bikes.

Montague's Boston 8 is a folding bike that features a Shimano Nexus internal 8-speed hub and 700c tires and folds up to fit in your trunk or on a bus or train.  The MSRP is $1050.

Montague has a storied history.  Harry Montague was a Washington, D.C. bike commuter who built a full-size, foldable mountain bike in his garage in the early 1980s.  According to his Washington Post obituary (Montague died in 2011), Montague wrote letters to 40 bicycle manufacturers about his design, but no one was interested.  He then started his own business with his son building custom foldable bikes. 

In 1997, Montague made a "paratrooper bike" for the U.S. military that has been used in Afghanistan.  The paratrooper bike has been on display at the America on Wheels Transportation Museum, and it is for sale to the general public as well.

The Boston 8 and the single-speed Boston are perfect for multi-modal commutes and for travel.  Here are the 2013 specs for the Boston 8 and a video introduction:

Specifications
Color	Matte Black
Frame	Custom drawn 7005 Series. Aluminum tubing with horizontal dropouts and FIT System..
Fork	Full Cro-Mo, with CLIX™ Wheel Release System Ramped Dropout.
Rims	Alex. Alloy, 32 hole, Black. 700c.
Tires	Kenda Kwick Roller Sport 700c x 28mm slick.
Hubset	Formula. Alloy, with CLIX™ front quick release. Shimano Nexus internal rear.
Spokes	14 Gauge Stainless
Saddle	Areo Performance with “Center Gap”.
Seatpost	27.2 X 300mm Alloy.
Handlebars	Riser style 30mm rise. 530mm wide. Alloy.
Stem	Kalloy, Alloy Direct Connect, 7 Degree Rise.
Shifters	Shimano Nexus 8-speed.
Front Derailleur	NA
Rear Derailleur	Shimano Nexus internal gear 8-speed hub.
Crankset	SR Suntour. Alloy 42T chainwheel. Alloy 170mm crank arm.
Speeds	8
Brakeset	Promax. Alloy. Dual Pivot Caliper brake with Alloy levers.
Pedals	Platform trekking pedal. Aluminum Cage.
Bottom Bracket	Sealed Cartridge
Frame Sizes	17", 19”, 21”
Stand over heights	TBA
Folded Size	36” x 28” x 12”
Approx Weight	27lbs
MSRP	$1049.00

Civilian Corduroy Rebel

Civilian Corduroy Rebel.  Credit: RideCVLN.com

Civilian's Corduroy Rebel features a Gates carbon belt drive with a Shimano Alfine 8-speed internal hub. The 2012 model is on sale for $700 at competitivecyclist.com.

I discovered Civilian after repeatedly passing this beautiful chrome-fendered bike locked up on the street:

A Civilian fixie (Hustle). Photo by freewheel.

Who/what is Calvin?  Eventually I snapped the above picture and investigated. I learned that CVLN stands for "Civilian," not "Calvin."

 Civilian was started by Tyson Hart in 2005, in a garage, as all great start-ups seem to be. Hart designs bikes with "clean lines, smart styling, and unique features."  All Civilian models have "clean lines" and therefore are pretty to look at.  Here is how Civilian describes the Corduroy Rebel:

Whether you're a 700-square foot apartment dweller or a suburbanite with a 700-square foot garage, you'll love the functional and commuter-friendly no grease, no noise Gates Carbon Belt Drive.  Paired with the Shimano Alfine 8-spd internally-geared hub and disc brakes, the maintenance on the Corduroy Rebel drops to new zero.

Comes with fenders and chainguard.  Very nice.  Here are the specs:

FRAME

HART DESIGN STEEL TUBESET - ENGLISH 68MM BB, SLIDING DROPOUTS, 135MM REAR SPACING

 

FORK

HART DESIGN STEEL UNICROWN - 1 1/8" STEERER, DOUBLE EYELET DROPOUTS

 

HEADSET

TANGE SEIKI ER-2

 

WHEELS

JALCO DM21, 32H RIMS / SHIMANO ALFINE 8-SPD REAR HUB / JOY-TECH FRONT HUB

 

TIRES

CST C1605, 700X32c

 

SHIFT / BRAKE LEVER

SHIMANO ALFINE 8-SPD REVO SHIFTER / PROMAX BL-53 BRAKE LEVERS

 

BRAKE

TEKTRO LYRA

 

CRANKSET

LASCO ALLOY, BCD 130MM W/GATES 50T CDC BELT-DRIVE PULLEY

 

REAR COGS

GATES CDX FOR ALFINE

 

BOTTOM BRACKET

SQUARE TAPER

 

STEM

TRANZ-X 6061 ALUMINUM, 25.4MM BAR BORE

 

HANDLEBAR

PROMAX ALLOY, 540MM WIDTH, 40MM RISE

 

SADDLE

VELO SUEDED

 

SEATPOST

KALLOY ONE-BOLT RADIUSSED TOP, 27.2MM X 350MM

 

GRIP/TAPE

PROPALM LEATHER DONUT, LOCK-ON

 

ACCESSORIES

ALLOY HAMMERED FENDERS / ALLOY CHAINGUARD

 Civilian offers the Corduroy Rebel in six different sizes.  Here is the geometry (click for big):

                 A    B      C  D  E       F        G

XS/49.5	51	9	70	43	29”	71°	74°
S/52	53.5	10.6	70	43	30”	71.5°	73.5°
M/55	56	12.3	65	43	31.4”	72°	73°
L/57	57.5	14.5	65	43	32.3”	72°	73°
XL/59	59	16.2	65	43	33.2”	72.5°	72.5°
XLT/62	61	19.5	65	43	34.5”	72.5°	72°

Kona Doctor Good

2013 Doctor Good. Credit: konaworld.com

Kona's Doctor Good has a 7-speed internal gear hub and an aluminum frame.  It retails for about $900.

Another porteur bike?  This one looks like it could work. Kona says it went with short chainstays and seat stays for stability.  It gives the bike a nimble, compact appearance.  Comes with a bell conveniently located near the brake lever.

Frame Material	Kona 6061 Aluminum Butted
Sizes	C46, C49, C53, C56, C59, C61cm
Rear Shock	N/A
Fork	Kona Project Two Aluminum Disc
Crankarms	FSA 316BT
Chainrings	38t/Bash
B/B	FSA 7420
Pedals	Wellgo C169
Chain	KMC Z610 RB
Freewheel	Shimano 18t
F/D	N/A
R/D	N/A
Shifters	Shimano Revo 7spd (rh only)
Brake Calipers	Avid BB5 (fr) Shimano Roller Brake (rr)
Front Brake Rotor	Avid G2 Cleansweep 160mm
Rear Brake Rotor	N/A
Brake Levers	Tektro 4 Finger w/Bell (fr)
Headset	TH ZST No.10
Handlebar	Kona Handplant
Stem	Kona Commuter
Seatpost	Kona Double Clamp w/Offset
Seat Clamp	Kona Clamp
Grips	Velo Ergo
Saddle	Kona Comfort
Front Hub	Formula
Rear Hub	Shimano Nexus 7
Spokes	Stainless 14g
Rims	Freedom by WTB Cruz Disc
Front Tire	Continental CityRide 700x32C
Rear Tire	Continental CityRide 700x32C
Paint Color	Green w/Grey
Extras	Front Rack, Fenders, Front Stabilizer Spring

Kona Roundabout

The 2013 Kona Roundabout. Credit konaworld.com

The 2013 Kona Roundabout has an MSRP of $1,000.

Kona introduced the Roundabout in 2012.  This year's model has longer fenders and an integrated rear rack.  It's great to see Kona making such a nice-looking lugged steel bike.

Here are the specs:

Frame Material	Kona Cromoly Butted
Sizes	S, M, L
Rear Shock	N/A
Fork	Kona Retro Road
Crankarms	FSA Tempo City
Chainrings	Bash/39t/Bash
B/B	FSA 7420ST
Pedals	VP 198
Chain	KMC HG53
Freewheel	Shimano Acera 11-32t 9 spd
F/D	N/A
R/D	Shimano Alivio
Shifters	Shimano Acera
Brake Calipers	Hayes CX6
Front Brake Rotor	N/A
Rear Brake Rotor	N/A
Brake Levers	Tektro FL540
Headset	TH 848
Handlebar	Kona Handplant
Stem	Kona Commuter
Seatpost	Kona Double Clamp w/Offset
Seat Clamp	Integrated
Grips	Velo Ergo
Saddle	Kona Comfort
Front Hub	Formula
Rear Hub	Shimano M475
Spokes	Sandvik Stainless 15g fr /14g rr
Rims	Freedom by WTB Racine Elite
Front Tire	Continental UltraSport 700x28C
Rear Tire	Continental UltraSport 700x28C
Paint Color	Matt Silver w/Rust, White & Grey
Extras	Rear Rack, Fenders, Kona Bell

A Tale of Two Longtails

I had the opportunity to ride two longtail cargo bikes that are both compatible with the Xtracycle standard and both less than $1000.  Longtails have an stretched frame to handle huge loads behind the rider.  

The Sun Atlas Cargo is a purpose built longtail like the Surly Big Dummy or the Yuba Mundo.   The Altas Cargo falls below both of these bikes in price while keeping a funky Mixte-Kruisframe geometry and comfortable ride.   Sun rates the cargo capacity at 400 lbs and the bike feels solid with rails with frame ports to accept Xtracycle accessories.   The 2.1-inch wide tires and BMX bars provide an upright, relaxed ride.  Most of the time when I ride one-size-fits all bikes I find the reach to be too short, but the Atlas Cargo is surprisingly comfortable reach.  If the Yuba is like riding a pickup truck then the Atlas Cargo is more like an old Jeep Scrambler.   The BMX bars can be rotated to adjust the reach as well.

The Sun Atlas Cargo was priced at $600 at Bikes@Vienna.  How can they offer it so cheap?  Look at the component list --lots of bottom of the barrel stuff here.  But hey, you can upgrade as things wear out.  The frame is solid and ready to carry whatever you can throw at it.

No one will argue that longtails are incredibly useful as car replacements.  Storing them is another matter.   It's tough to haul them up stairs or squeeze them into a shed.   Even taking them for a ride in the car is tough. Xtracycle teamed up with Tern to offer the Cargo Joe, a folding longtail.   This a great idea who's time has come.   The Tern platform as 26-inch wheels and 21 speeds and comes in two frame sizes.  The Xtracycle bits are a FreeRadical, a HDPE Flightdeck and Freeloader bag set.  You get it all for $1000, which is not bad at all.  At some point down the road you could still repurpose the FreeRadical on an old hardtail mountain bike still have a nice folding bike.

I felt a little cramped on the Cargo Joe, but I'm not sure what frame size I was riding, I realized.  Like most folding bikes, they adjust easily to fit most riders.  It felt a lot shorter and quicker than the Atlas Cargo, but a bit more flexy with it's higher pressure tires.  Of course the real trick is that you can fold it in half and shove it in the shed or minivan without sacrificing utility.

Kids Bikes

While we're on the subject of kids' bikes, I thought I'd jot down a few of my ideas on the topic. 

1.  Skip the training wheels

Like-a-bike "mountain" bike. Courtesy: LIKE-a-BIKE USA.

The Big Day has arrived!  Your little one, who has been riding around like a pro on her training wheels, is ready to try riding without them.  You'd better take her to a soft grassy field, because she's about to take some falls.

Here's the problem: A child who learns to ride with training wheels does not learn the most fundamental of bicycle fundamentals: How to balance. 

That's why I like Like-A-Bike.  Kids learn how to balance first; then they're ready for pedals. Like-A-Bikes are well-crafted and safe. They are, however, a bit pricey. 

There is an inexpensive alternative.  You know that Toys R Us bike you bought?  Take off the training wheels and the crankarms/pedals. Let her scoot around on that for awhile, and soon she will have mastered balance and will be ready for you to put her cranks and pedals back on.

2.  Introduce new concepts gradually

As discussed above, start with balance.  Then braking. Then turns. But don't expect your 4- or 5-year-old to know how to shift.  Once the basics have been mastered, the next bike can have more bells and whistles.

My 8-year-old's six speed. With bell.

Actually, by bells and whistles, I mean handbrakes and a few gears.  But a bell or horn is a good idea as well, so long as your young rider is not getting too distracted from the basics of bicycling.

3.  Buy used

I'm not big on spending money in the first place, but why would I want to spend it on something that will be mistreated and quickly outgrown?

My 11-year-old's bike.  It has a kickstand, yet he's let it drop to the ground on the drivetrain side.

There are many used  kids' bikes for sale that have hardly been ridden.  I've had great luck finding cheap, tough, functional kids' bikes at the local co-ops. When your child has outgrown her bike, donate it back to the co-op.

4.  Spend lots of time teaching

This is a big deal.  I'm not just talking about teaching your child how to ride a bike.  I'm talking about bike safety issues like seeing the whole road, being visible, and being consistent.

I often see kids riding on the left side of the road, riding in the center of the road, or riding back and forth between the sidewalk and the road.  These are future car drivers. Take this opportunity to teach them the rules of the road. 

There are lots of bike rodeos and other kids' safety programs - enroll your kids.  They'll have fun, learn stuff, and maybe get a free helmet or some stickers for their bike.

***

These are the four suggestions I share most often with other parents.  As always, feel free to disagree with me or add your own thoughts in the comments.

Linus Kids Bikes

Awww...  Photo by Kat Borchart. Courtesy: Linus Bikes

Linus is now offering kids bikes: The Lil' Dutchie in red and the Lil' Roadster in Metallic Blue.

Click for big.

We've discussed Linus quite a bit in previous posts.  The Linus 2013 catalog is out and features lots of pretty pictures by Kat Borchart.  Well done.