This past weekend I had the opportunity to put the new Paratrooper Highline to the test on a bikepacking trip in Vermont. The Highline is one of two folding mountain bikes in Montague’s 2016 line with 27.5″ wheels. This is the first time the larger wheel size has been offered by Montague and I was excited to do some serious riding on it.
The plan was to head up to the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area in northwest Vermont, ride in to a campsite in the middle of the park, camp the night, and ride the surrounding trails.
There’s nowhere to refuel or get drinkable water on our route, so we packed everything in. Pictured is most of the gear I had with me (not shown is food, my sleeping bag, or clothing). You’ll notice several bike specific tools. The last thing I wanted was to walk the 8 miles out of the woods pushing my bike in the event of a mechanical.
I used a combination of Blackburn Outpost bags, and Salsa Everything Cages for my rig. The only things I had on my back were a Camelback full of water, some food, and a camera. This system spread the weight out over the entire bicycle, so it never felt unbalanced. While you certainly feel the weight when riding with this much gear, the handling is just as you’re used to with this set up. A traditional pannier set up puts all the weight over the rear wheel, which can have quite an affect the feeling of your bike.
I will be the first to admit that the ride into our campsite was grueling. I’m not sure we paid enough attention to the topography and gradient of the area when choosing our route, and we paid for it with some tough climbing. Lots of climbing.
The first several miles was very challenging singletrack; steep and rocky. With all the gear we were carrying, that meant pushing our bikes up some sections. However, the descent might have been the most fun we had all weekend. We got down the backside of that mountain fast. I finally understood why downhill riders hike up mountains carrying their bike. It made our suffering worthwhile.
Instead of heading up the next thousand feet of climbing on singletrack, we diverted from our planned route and cut over to a forest road. It was by no means flat, but the climbing here was a bit more gradual and a whole lot less technical.
We eventually turned off the forest road to a more heavily wooded trail that would take us all the way to the campsite on Silver Lake. I believe it’s main use was snow mobiles, so it was a bit wider than single track. There were a lot of small creek crossings and muddy areas on the gradual descent to the campsite, which only added to the fun. The 27.5″ wheels and 2.10″ tires on the Paratrooper Highline had no problem floating over the mud and rolling over rocky creeks.
We came across this bridge right before a final steep climb and subsequent decent to the site. A nice spot to stop, hydrate, and take in the foliage.
When we made it to the site, sunset was not far off. We set up camp, gathered firewood, and scarfed down dinner. After a day of riding like that, we had no problem falling asleep early, even on a chilly autumn night in New England.
The next morning we packed in as many calories as we could, had our morning coffee (absolutely a necessity on camping trips), and headed out to explore more trails around the camp site. We left most of our gear behind so we could have some fun without the added weight.
The loop we rode heading south from the camp site followed a stream bed for several miles. It was a gradual descent on the way out and without loaded bikes, we could finally tear it up.
The trail crossed over the stream bed a few times, sometimes with bridges, sometimes not. We got wet. We got muddy. No complaints.
After arriving back at Silver Lake, we loaded our gear onto the bikes, bid farewell to “campsite 7”, and headed out.
Our route back was a whole lot easier than coming in. The only tough climb was as we left the campsite. After that it was gradual climbing back up the snow mobile path. Overall I was very pleased with the Paratrooper Highline’s climbing ability. I used every bit of the gear range but never felt it was missing anything, and definitely enjoyed the simplicity of the 2×10 with a large range cassette.
Heading back down the forest road was nearly one long descent, and the hard packed dirt road was extremely fast. I barely touched the brakes, but when I needed them, the Tektro hydraulics felt great.
When we made it back to the car and folded our bikes, we headed straight for the nearest pizza joint. It was a great weekend on a great bike. Look for the Paratrooper Highline in Montague’s 2016 line of full size folding bikes.
Great article and stunning images!
Thanks Dieu!
How would these tires do on San Francisco streets and hills? Can my older Paratrooper acomodate the tires?
Hey Joseph. You may want tires that are a bit narrower and less knobby if you’re going to be on the street. However, you can squeeze a 27.5″ wheel on our older mountain frames, they just won’t have as much tire clearance to the stays.
Guys,
Is there any prediction of having a dealer in Brazil ?
They are amazing and I dream to have one of these.
There are plans to sell only the frames model 27.5 2016 ?
Thanks.
Great Article that presents the bike really well! Just a clarification being a long time Vermont resident… the Moosalamoo National Recreation Area is actually located just South East of Middlebury VT in the Middle of Vermont… just in case you wanted to replicate this adventure on your Paratrooper!
Thanks for the correction Scott! 🙂
What are prices, when will they be available??
Thanks?
The Highline will retail for $1249.00 in the US. They should be available in late December here and availability in other countries will vary depending on the local distributor.
Great article, you mention that you carried some, “bike specific tools.” Any chance you could be more specific as to what you carried? (i.e. brand and retailers) I’m about to make my first bike purchase, so I’m a total novice. I’m 100% sure I’m getting a Montague Paratrooper, I’m just trying to decide on the Paratrooper Pro or the Paratrooper Highline. Eagerly awaiting website updates for specifics on the Highline.
Thanks,
Greg
Bike tools I had with me (from memory):
2 extra tubes
Pedros tire levers
Topeak Micro Rocket AL hand pump
Park Tool VP-1 patch kit
Park Tool CT-5 chain tool
Park Tool AWS-1 hex wrench 3/4/5mm
Park Tool ST-3 socket wrench 8/9/10mm
Park Tool SW-1 spoke wrench
A few extra chain links
1 extra rear derailleur hanger
I certainly don’t normally carry this much on my when I ride, but I wanted to be sure that no mechanical issue would leave me stranded several miles in the woods.
We should have full details on the Highline up on our website next week!
Hi,
Great article and I’m now the proud owner of a Highline too! what type of pedals did you use on this trip or use regularly for that matter?
I was using a pair of Ritchey SPD clipless mountain pedals. They’re an older set so I’m not sure of the exact model. I don’t always use Ritchey, but I have switched to all SPD on my bikes recently . I used to ride Crank Bros Egg Beaters. They’re very easy to get in and out of and never clog with mud since they’re so minimal, but they had too much float for my taste so they felt a bit loose.
Just found this article, great read. Is it possible to put the 27.5 wheels on the 2016 Paratrooper Pro? I’d like the highline, but really want the black of the pro.
The 2016 Paratrooper Pro frame can indeed accommodate 27.5″ wheels. We’re not set up to make a customization like that for an individual order, but you could use an aftermarket wheel set.
Fantastic, thank you.
You mention the Pro frame can accommodate 27.5’s. How about the paratrooper, or the paratrooper express? I’m really only interested in the frame, and plan to rebuild all other components. What is my best option for this? Can any of the frames squeeze in a 27.5+ tire w/ component modification?
Thanks in advance, and I do hope there’s some future plan to accommodate the growing movement of + sized tires! 🙂
Hi Erich. 27.5″ wheels can fit on any of our mountain frames, although you should know that the Express frame does not have a disc brake mount on the rear, so you may want to stay away from that one if you want to customize it. A 2.3 or 2.3 inch tire is about the maximum width that will fit in our mtb frames.
Hi Montague, what would be the tire size for your 26″ montague Paratrooper, would that be the same of about 2.30? Looking at upgrading mine for better puncture resistant.
Does the 2.3 maximum apply to all your paratrooper class bikes as well?
Indeed it does! Older bikes may have tighter clearance, but 2.3″ should work on all current Paratrooper models.
one of the photos shows the Highline with a kickstand . Where can I purchase this kickstand for my Highline?
Hi Cary. The kickstands we’ve offered in the past are not specific to our bikes, they were standard Greenfield kickstands. However, our mountain bike frames have been changed a bit in the last year to accommodate larger tires and 27.5″ wheels. As a result there is less room directly behind the bottom bracket to attach a standard kickstand. However, you could still use one that clamps directly to the chainstay like this: https://www.amazon.com/BV-Alloy-Adjustable-Height-Kickstand/dp/B01787OJ4A
Hi Montague, what would be the tire size for your 26″ montague Paratrooper, would that be the same of about 2.30? Looking at upgrading mine for better puncture resistant.
Our current 26″ Paratrooper bikes can indeed accommodate a 2.3″ tire. If your Paratrooper is older than 2016, then it might be a tighter clearance.
I’m 5’5″ (with an inseam measurement of 30″, in the shoes I’d normally wear biking), but I really like everything about the Highline better than than the Paratrooper. (Upgraded components, larger wheels, and color.) If I get the 18″ Highline via mail order, and find it’s just too tall for me, could I just put 26″ wheels on it, and end up with the same size/geometry as as an 18″ Paratrooper? (Is the reach the same, and is the 1″ greater stepover height of the Highline just due to the larger wheel diameter?)
The higher standover on the Highline is due to both the larger wheels and the longer suspension fork, but you could definitely put 26″ wheels on the Highline frame. It would be quite close to the standover of the Paratrooper. The geometry of the frame is nearly identical and the longer fork shouldn’t make a drastic difference on it’s own.