This amazing custom Montague folding bike comes to you all the way from Bicycle Junction in Wellington, New Zealand. The concept for this build, and the very unique use-case, comes from the mind of Mike Casey, who Bicycle Junction says “is one of those people who just does things differerently”. Mike owns and operates Forest Lodge Orchard, the first cherry orchard in the world that is 100% electric and zero fossil fuel in its operation. Mike is also the CEO of Rewiring Aotearoa, a non-profit dedicated to helping New Zealanders transition to sustainable energy.
Alongside all this incredible work, Mike is an avid cyclist, runner, and outdoorsman. When he decided to compete in the Kathmandu Coast to Coast, a grueling 150 mile (243 km) one-day race across New Zealand’s South Island that combines running, cycling, and kayaking, Mike wanted to carry all of his gear the entire way – including his bike! In multi-sport races, participants will pick up their bike at the start of the cycling segment, and then hand it off to race officials before starting the next segment. But to make the Kathmandu even more challenging, Mike once again decided to do things differently.
To accomplish this amazing feat, he needed a high performance bike for racing that was also compact and light enough to carry on his back while running, and strong and secure enough to attach to a raft while navigating the Waimakariri River.
The only bikes that check those boxes? Montague performance folding bikes.
Once Mike identified the Montague FIT, a full-size 700c wheel folding road bike, as the right bike for the job, he approached Bicycle Junction to take it to the next level. The stock FIT already delivers amazing road performance with a 20-speed Shimano drivetrain, carbon fork, disc brakes, and lightweight wheels, but Bicycle Junction did a complete rebuild with the lightest weight components possible.
Their build weighs in at an astonishing 20.75 lbs. That’s just 9.4 kg! If you plan to tackle to over 20 miles (32.7km) of trail running in the Kathmandu Coast to Coast with a bike strapped to your back, every gram counts!
Specifications:
- Frame: Montague FIT 6061 Series Aluminum
- Stem: Roval Alpinist Stem 130mm
- Brakes: TRP Spyre Mechanical Flatmount
- Tyres (Training): Schwalbe G-One Allround 700×40 Performance ADDIX RaceGuard
- Tyres (Racing): Schwalbe Pro One 700×28 Evolution ADDIX Race V-Guard
- Rotor: 160mm Dura-Ace CentreLock
- Crankset: Shimano GRX 42T
- Cassette: Shimano XT 11-46
- Shifters: Shimano Ultegra ST-R8000 STI
- Derailleur: Shimano GRX 11 Spd
- Handlebar: FSA SL-K SCR Compact Handlebar 31.8x42cm
- Pedals: Spank Oozy Green Pedals
- Fork: Ritchey WCS Carbon Gravel Fork (1-1/8″ steerer, 47mm rake, 12mm thru-axle)
- Hubs: DT Swiss 240 Road CL
- Rims: Wheelworks Maker SL Carbon
- Saddle: Specialized Power Expert Mirror Saddle
- Seatpost: FSA SL-K Carbon Seatpost 27.2mm x 400mm
Want to see more? You can follow both Bicycle Junction for more unique bike builds, and Mike Casey for his latest adventures, on Instagram:
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- Bicycle Junction: @BicycleJunctionNZ
- Mike Casey: @ElectricOrchardist
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And if you want a portable performance bike for yourself, tap Learn More to check out Montague’s complete line of full-size folding road and mountain bikes. Every one is deisgned to ride as well or better than comparable non-folding bikes – but they turn into a compact package in seconds for the car trunk, train, or closet. Biking has never fit your lifestyle like this before.
