IN THE NEWS

Hummer has made an absolute fortune knocking off the Pentagon. The automaker’s newest offering – the XT bike – is based on a model developed for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

Once he hits the ground, a paratrooper carrying 80 pounds of gear can average only 25 miles a day on foot. How to increase that range? Give him transportation. With a horse, for instance, he can do 100. It's tough, though, parachuting a horse--not to mention the 40 pounds a day of feed. A motorcycle, maybe? There again, fuel can be a problem. And if stealth is what you're striving for, an engine's heat and noise are no-nos.

THE CHIC RIDE folds in half with the flick of a lever, so paratroopers can hug it and jump. Leaping from an airplane seemed a bit much, so I ran the XT through a weeklong boot camp on the rugged trails near my home in the Rockies. Foldable bikes are usually too wimpy, but the aircraft-grade aluminum tubing and front suspension absorbed blows from bowling-ball-size rocks like, well, a tank. At 29 pounds, the Hummer is built for abuse not agility, although the 27-speed drive train provides plenty of cranking power on ascents. My only complaints were with the old-fashioned toe clips (fine for combat boots, but dangerous on tricky terrain) and the dinky 1.95-inch tires.

TIP: This bike’s ideal for civilian special ops. Just invest in some “clipless” pedals and throw fat knobbies on the rims.
—Paul Tolme