Montague’s slogan is “Real bikes that fold.” The trouble is while they put out an excellent product, we are confused by their large folded size. Montague/Swiss Bikes are really big. Who determines that a real bike should have 26" wheels? All 26" wheel folding bikes are huge even when folded; in fact, many will not fit in a car trunk. And because of their size they are very clumsy to carry around. All Downtube bikes perform better than Montague bikes with respect to almost any metric: size, comfort, weight, and cost.
Overall we believe 26" folding bikes don't compare well with 20" wheel folders. Have a look at the chart below where we compare Montatgue Crosstown, Montegue Swiss, Downtube 9, Downtube Nova, and Downtube FS. You will be pleasantly surprised at how much you get for your money with Downtube. Sometimes bigger isn’t better!
| Model | Montague Crosstown ($659) | Swissbike X50 ($629) | Downtube 9 ($499) | Downtube Nova ($299) | Downtube FS ($549) |
| Frame Material | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum | Aluminum |
| Rear Cassette | 7sp freewheel | 9sp cassette | 9sp cassette | 9sp cassette | 9sp cassette |
| Suspension | none | Suntour fork | Zoom fork | none | Zoom fork and rear shock |
| Stem | Fixed height/Fixed Angle | Fixed height/Fixed Angle | Adjustable height | Adjustable height | Adjustable height |
| Folded Size/Time | Large/Slow | Large/Slow | Small/Fast | Small/Fast | Small/Fast |
| Replacable rear derailleur hanger | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Sizes | 3 sizes | 2 sizes | One size fits all for the whole family | One size fits all for the whole family | One size fits all for the whole family |
| Frame protector (bar from below to protect frame) | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Weight | 27 | 32 | 27 | 24.5 | 27.5 |