If you want a mountain bike that is also capable on the road, the Gary Fisher Montare may be the bike for you...

Gary Fisher Montare - dual sport hardtail mountain bike review

I have always been a keen cyclist and have always had a variety of bikes in the garage – some loved and some not!  Most of my cycling experience has been on road with racing and touring bikes apart from a little dabble with an extremely heavy Raleigh mountain bike back in the late eighties.  Many years later with children now in tow, getting out on the road has become more difficult and a little dangerous at times.  This prompted me to have a go at trail riding with my nine year old son.

Mountain bikes have come along way since my earlier experiences with the Raleigh mountain bike but the higher end lighter models tend to be very specific to their off road task and not much use for the anything but short road sections.  I wanted something that would allow me to ride forest trails with my son but also be comfortable and efficient on the road for general fitness riding.  To be honest there aren’t that many bikes on the market that fit this description and I was faced with having to “roadize” a mountain bike which I really didn’t want to do.

Luckily, my local bike shop is a Gary Fisher dealer and had just what I needed in the form of the Gary Fisher Montare dual sport mountain bike.  From the first time I rode the Montare it seemed to fit my riding style exactly.

The Montare is a hardtail which is great from the road riding point of view where you require some rigidity.  The front forks are Manitou Souths and are more than adequate for the task off-road but can be a little soft on the road.  I would have liked to be able to adjust the forks for road riding but a manual adjustment is not available.  At 85kg I am quite a heavy rider and a lighter biker might not find the front shocks too soft.

The feature that I particularly like about the Montare is the Bontrager 700 x 42c wheels.  Combined with a hybrid type tire for on and off road, this combination really makes for a great ride both on trails and on the road.  You really feel like you have a decent amount of momentum and road riding is a pleasure compared to slogging along on a normal mountain bike.

The chainset is again from Bontrager and is a good quality piece of kit as you would expect on a bike of this price.  The pedals are Shimano and have SPD fittings to one side and a flat platform on the reverse – very useful for a casual run to the shops without cycling shoes.

Gearing is Shimano Deore XT on both front and rear derailleur with the index shifting and has a good range.

The Montare has disc brakes both front and rear that are cable operated.  This is the first bike I have had with discs and I was slightly dubious at the start.  However, once they are set up correctly they work well and not having the usual problems with dirty rims makes the fiddly set up worthwhile.  I haven’t used hydraulic discs so I have nothing to compare these with but they seem more than adequate for the kind of riding you will do with a bike of this kind.

The last feature I must make mention of is the saddle.  It is a pretty standard Bontrager model with a small rear cutout, but it is possibly the most comfortable saddle I have owned.  Saddles are very personal items and what suits one rider is terrible for another but this is definitely one of the easiest to get along with that I have ridden.

Overall, I am very pleased with the Gary Fisher Montare and it has fulfilled my requirement for a dual use bike.  I particularly like the riding position and feel so comfortable on this bike it makes me want to go out and ride it.