At 5’10”, I wasn’t sure if I should get a medium or large.  Since I was not doing any true trail riding, I thought a bigger bike for commuting might be better.  The guys at Zion pushed me towards the medium and they were correct.  If I went bigger, I would not have been able to handle the bike.

Having only ridden carbon bikes for seven years, with the exception of a Softride, I was concerned about buying an aluminum frame.  My experiences with then were not good.  I was going to opt for the steel frame of Surly, but the guys at Zion Schwinn assured me that on a bike like this the frame material would not matter all that much.  My other big concern was the components.  On my road and tri bikes, I didn’t have anything worse than Ultegra.  The new component lingo was new to me, but I knew that LX was not like Ultegra.

After 2300 miles, I can say with absolute certainty, I love this bike.  The concern of riding aluminum was just wrong.  Even when I have the suspension fork locked out (more later), the ride doesn’t feel harsh at all.  I am sure the lower tire pressures compared to tri and road bikes help, but I am also sure part of that is the quality of aluminum and the design of the tubing.

My concerns about the components were also wrong.  I am not sure what LX is the equivalent to in road groups, but this shifting combination works as well as my Ultegra.  Once in a great while I might get some slippage under load in the 32 in the back if I am in the 36 or 48 in the front.  Otherwise, it shifts smoothly and when needed. 

I have beaten and beaten on this bike.  It is a commuting bike and a trail bike. I have loaded my son, weighing over 50 lbs, onto a child seat and ridden around the neighborhood.   It has been ridden in the rain, mud, heat, and dust.  I have had no problems cleaning or maintaining the bike.  I have ridden it for 135 miles in a single day.  It performed beyond expectations in each situation.

There have been some negatives.  The stock seat has a pretty thin cover which ripped in the first week.  I threw a seat cover over it.  The seat is comfortable for all my riding.  Also, the stock tubes, tires and grips should be replaced or bargain for different ones before buying.  The grips, even with gloves, leave little to be desired.  I upgraded to another grip (Ergon) and I am a lot better off.  The tires and tubes that are stock on this were either horrid, or I just have bad luck.  The tubes both flatted in the first three days.  After that I did not have any problems for about two months, or 1200 miles.  Then the tires must have picked up a thorn and I was flatting every hour.  Even the bike shops couldn’t find the thorn.  So, after about 10 flats and hundreds of mosquito bites while changing the tires in five rides, I switched out to the Schwalbe Marathons.  Since then, I haven’t had a single flat in 1000 miles.  Although the specs say it can handle 2.1-inch tires, I tried for a ride I was going to do in Kettle, but the tires were too tall and hit the front derailleur. 

Let’s get back to the good things about this bike. 

I have been able to ride it on different terrains.  On flat roads, I can easily stay in the 15-17 MPH range.  Over that speed, it takes a good effort.  It is pretty quick for a mountain-type bike.  I have also ridden some single track up in Kettle Morraine.  Although I probably wouldn’t want to do a 12-hour MTB race on it, I think it could handle single track if a more skilled rider were on the saddle.  On the Des Plaines River Trail, it has been fine on the Lake County side and the Cook County side. 

The suspension fork is nice.  It sure does increase control on different types of terrain.  The best thing about the fork is the remote lock out.  You can switch from suspension to a stiff fork with the flip of a switch.  It allows you a lot of flexibility.  When on the road I can lock out and go faster.  When on rougher terrain I can go to suspension.  All of this is done easily and on the fly.  Thus, when am on a hill on the DPRT, I can jump out of the saddle and lock out to really pound the pedals.  The best part is, I can lock it out under load, so I don’t have to remember to do it before jumping out of the saddle.

Last, but not least, this is the first time I have had disc brakes.  For stopping these are great.  How much better they are for stopping compared to road is not even able to be articulated in words, especially in wet weather.  They are not without problems though.  I take my front wheel on and off daily.  Thus, getting the rotor to not rub on the brakes can be a challenge.  I have gotten pretty good at it, but it is something you have to learn.  I have read you just have to make sure you are on a flat surface with the bike standing straight up.  Not true, I still have to fidget with the wheel to stop it from rubbing.  Another plus of disc brakes is riding in extreme mud.  On the DPRT, three of us were riding and it was a section we are now referring to as the “mud bog of doom.”  The other two were on mountain bikes with pull brakes.  They would be stopped dead in their tracks due to the mud getting caught between the tire and the brakes and fork.  I was easily able to pedal through the mud without a problem due to the disc brakes.

Overall, this is a great bike.  I love it.  I will continue use it as my primary bike.  I would recommend the Montare to anyone that needs a bike to suit a variety of purposes or a general all-purpose bike.  Next year I may do a MTB race, a triathlon and adventure race, and use this bike for each one.