Two-wheeled Solution to Higher Gas Prices

Enlarge Image Image Gallery SwissBike XO Courtesy Montague Corp.

With higher gas prices added to global warming, many metropolitan areas are emphasizing alternative transportation. New York City and London recently instituted expanded public transportation, congestion charges and new bike lanes. It appears the century-old bicycle is set to revisit its roots as a transportation vehicle.

Montague Corp., a Massachusetts-bases bicycle manufacturer, has launched a line of bicycles that are full-sized and fold to fit in a trunk or closet. The SwissBike answers objections such as long distances, adverse road conditions, bad weather and storage when talking about bicycle usage. The line consists of high-performance bikes that fold in half for easy storage or transport using a patented technology originally developed to allow military paratroopers to airdrop with a mountain bike. Applied to civilian life, SwissBikes can easy fit in the trunk of a car, on the train or bus, or even in a cab. The multiple functions of the bike neatly fill the gaps that often cause people to write off commuting and traveling by bike.

“Most people’s commute to work is farther than they feel comfortable riding a bike,” David Montague says. “In this case, you simply put a SwissBike in the trunk of your car, you drive part way to work, park and pull out your SwissBike for the rest of the ride. And if the day is not nice, or you don’t have the energy, you simply leave the bike safe and dry in the trunk until another day. We call it Cycle and Drive commuting. It’s easy, it’s good for you, and it’s a manageable step for most people.”

There are three models of SwissBikes. The SwissBike XO is the flagship model, sporting the Sram XO drive train and Montague’s patent pending CLIX™ Wheel Release System. This model is made in Switzerland at the foot of the Alps, and it can climb any mountain or tackle any trail with ease. The XO has an MSRP of $1,995. For those who like the folding feature but are on a budget, the LX (MSRP $825) and the TX (MSRP $645) offer the same Swiss knife-like folding with Shimano’s 24-speed and 21-speed drive trains and Montague’s patent pending CLIX Wheel Release system.