With every great idea comes imitators. Some say imitation is the highest form of flattery, but if you’re looking for a high quality folding bike, only a genuine Montague will do. Unfortunately, there are some counterfeit Montague bikes on the market today; bikes that use our patented designs but are not made with our strict adherence to quality standards, safety, and manufacturing tolerances. A counterfeit Montague likely comes from an unknown factory with no customer support to back you up, and no warranty to speak of.

Take a look at the following differences between a genuine Montague Bike and a copy:

Names
Any bike using our design but not the official Montague name is a copy. We’ve seen everything from “Montbike” to “Ranger” to “MontaQUE” and “HAMMER” appear on frames using our design. Be sure the bike you’re looking at uses the Montague logo and has a model name that matches our current bike line. While our paint colors sometime vary in different markets, our model names remain the same. You can find the current models at www.montaguebikes.com/folding-bike

yellowhummer

IMPORTANT: Any new bike using the Hummer brand name is a copy. Montague did work with General Motors to produce Hummer branded bikes between 2002 and 2007. Since that time Montague has produced NO Hummer branded bicycles.

HUMMER = FAKE
RANGER = FAKE
MONTBIKE = FAKE

Rear Dropout Shape
The rear dropouts on counterfeits are usually noticeably different than the ones used on a genuine Montague. They may not all look like the counterfeit below, but any deviation from the genuine dropout shown indicates a fake. NOTE: The Montague Boston and Boston 8 do have different dropouts to accommodate the single speed and internal gear hub setups.

dropout-comparison

Top Tube Size
All Montague mountain bikes use a top tube that is the same width and height (they do vary in length depending on frame size), while many counterfeit frames use a different size top tube. Most are noticeably smaller, but we have seen taller flatter tubes used on counterfeits.

toptube-comparison-small

toptube-comparison-large

Frame Quick Release
The frame quick release is an integral part of our folding system. The QR is designed for use in our bikes with a specialized end nut which slides into what we call the QR box under the top tube, and clamps the frame. Many counterfeit bikes do not utilize an end nut like this and use a much cheaper quick release.

frame-qr-comparison2The lever on one of these quick releases is also different:

montague-frame-qr-fake

Threaded Seat Tube Update
In 2012, Montague made a change to the design of the seat tube cluster. To allow folding, two concentric seat tubes are used. Before 2012, threaded lock nuts were used to secure the frames together. The new system changed these lock nuts to a threadless system. The tube is no longer threaded and a clamp is used instead. Any new bikes using a threaded locknut system are counterfeit.

frame-collar-comparison

Mag Wheels
We’ve seen several counterfeit Montague bikes with a lot of strange parts on them. One common example is plastic “mag” wheels. Montague has never sold a bike with this style of wheels. A bike available with mag wheels is most definitely a copy.

mag-wheels

Decals
A genuine Montague bike will always have a US Patent sticker on the seat tube of the frame, just above the front derailleur. If this is missing, appears different from the image below, or does not display patent #5,975,551 it is likely a counterfeit.

patentsticker

The “Montague Military Technology” decal found on our Paratrooper and Paratrooper Pro is often imitated incorrectly. On the fake below, notice the different font, and the word “Montbike” substituted for Montague.

military-technology-fake-decal

Source
Every MONTAGUE, HUMMER and PARATROOPER branded bike for sale on the Alibaba.com website is fake.

The website “paratrooper-bicycle.com” steals all official Montague photos, but the entire site sells counterfeits.  The bicycles displayed in the images are real Montagues, but the products they ship are cheap copies/counterfeits.

In short, all bikes shown on these websites are fake counterfeits:
alibaba.com
aliexpress.com
hummer-bicycle.com
paratrooper-bicycle.com
dhgate.com
globalsources.com
cnyccy.en.made-in-china.com

Examples

backwards-fork-fake

Note the suspension fork is installed BACKWARDS. Little attention to detail is given when counterfeits are made. They are often not safe to ride.

hummerframes

hummerbikesinstore

In addition, all offical Montague accessories are shown on the www.montaguebikes.com website.  All other accessories are counterfeit and likely low quality.

Note
These are by no means the only differences between a genuine Montague folding bike and a counterfeit, but this post can be used as a guide to identifying fakes. Behind our production models are years of research, development, and product testing. With a counterfeit comes none of these. If you ever have a question or need help determining if the bike you plan to buy is genuine, feel free to contact us. We have a team of customer support specialists at Montague USA to help with any questions.

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