I received the Lonely Planet Guide for Taiwan as a Christmas gift. This must mean Ralf is ready for us to go on another Bike Trip.

Our last big bike trip was in 2018 to Europe. During that trip we decided that camping was no longer fun and our next bike trips would be without camping gear. Almost as soon as we got back we sold our tent and some cooking gear. The next trip was definitely going to be without camping gear.

In 2019 I took a trip with a friend to the United Kingdom and Ralf planned to go on an organized  bike trip in the U.S. Unfortunately, his trip was cancelled due to lack of interest. Then Covid hit and we didn’t plan any trips that involved flying for a couple of years.

As things began to open up in 2021 we booked a week on Prince Edward County.

2022 we cycled to Quebec and cycled the Petit Train du Nord.

2023 we ventured further afield and went to New York state, specifically the Lake Placid Area.

Finally 2024, we are ready to get on a plane again and cycle somewhere new.  The options were South Korea and Japan or Taiwan. The Christmas Gift made the choice easy.

One of the concerns Ralf has when travelling with a bike is the packing of the bikes for travel. It stresses him prior to the flights and also worrying about finding boxes to return with, especially if we are returning from another airport.

One of the solutions was to travel with folding bikes. After our return from Italy I had been researching folding bikes. I did a lot of research. Do we go with 20 inch or smaller wheels – Bromptons, Dahons or Bike Fridays. Bike Fridays are custom made and therefore more expensive. Bromptons are best for commuter travel and not necessarily touring.

I remember chatting to a British fella in Germany who loved folding bikes and was riding a Brompton. He also had a Bike Friday and a Dahon. He said the best bike for touring longer days and distances in his opinion was the Bike Friday. It had regular components that you could get anywhere in the world (more or less), it was custom made for your measurements and could fold into a suitcase. Whereas the Brompton was great for shorter day trips, was very quick to fold, but the components were proprietary for Bromptons. The Dahon was a cheaper version of the Bike Friday with regular components, but in his opinion not designed for anyone of my small stature.

Another problem I was finding, was Distributors in Canada where we could test ride the bikes. The closest Brompton dealership was in Montreal (220 kms from home) and they did not encourage test rides, or renting one for a week-end.

While conducting a lot of research in the three main brands I came across a bike called the Change Bike Company in Taiwan. This was a full sized folding bike (700 cc wheel). I contacted them to get more information and sizing. I chatted to our Trek dealership regarding the geometry of the bike and the sizing. They thought the bike might me a touch too big, but would depend on the slope of the top tube. Damn, there go my short legs again. It would appear their smallest frame may be a touch too big for me. The idea was for us to buy them in Taiwan and bring them home with us. However, I didn’t want to risk having an uncomfortable bike for a month long trip. Of course, I could always rent a regular Giant bike for the duration and Ralf could have his folding bike.

Back to the drawing board and further research. I eventually came across the Montague folding bikes. I had seen these at a bike show many years ago and thought it was a neat concept, but not sure at that time when we would use a full-sized folding bike.  The bikes were designed in the U.S, by Montague bikes and they had extended their range of bikes to about 4 or 5 different models. Again, the questions: where were the Distributors and could we test ride them, did they have a small enough model for me?

Earlier  this year I discovered there was a Montague Distributor in Ottawa, only 90 kms from home. I contacted him and we were able to meet him and test ride the bikes. The smallest frame fit me and the fold is really easy. We bought the Montague Navigator model and bought them home. What do we call these bikes – Montague bike we could go with Monty and Rommel – English and German. Ralf didn’t think that was a good idea. Famous Navigators  – My bike is called Marco and Ralf’s is not Polo he went with Navigator!!

Since April we have been riding them occasionally. Our panniers fit on these bikes and we will do a week-end test ride at some stage before our big trip to Taiwan in October.

The bikes, back racks fold down to become a stand. Of course this doesn’t work it you have panniers on the rack, but it is quite a nifty thing to use when you are storing them in the garage. To complete the package we have bought bags that they fit in, the bags roll up so that we can carry the bags on the back of the bikes and we don’t have to worry about finding boxes etc. for travel.  The advantage of these bikes is that we can quickly fold them, and put them in the bags and put them on any train in Asia or Europe. They are not the lightest bike, but the weight is comparable to any of the other 20 inch folding bikes and surprisingly their folded dimensions are only a couple of inches bigger than Bike Fridays.