Folding Bikes - Airnimal Joey vs . Swift?

I had a test ride of the Airnimal Joey yesterday:

http://www.airnimalfoldingbikes.com/M_JoeySport.php

FANTASTIC!!! It was light, responsive and VERY fast! I can't believe they ask £695 ($1230) for it here in England - I've seen it on sale in the USA for $899.95 (£508). That's sooooooo unfair!!!! Wonder if they'll still have the sale on when I move in January 2006?

Amazingly, given that it uses 24" wheels, it folds smaller than the Xootr Swift (the other bike on my very short short-list!). But it's necessary to remove the front wheel, I don't know how I feel about doing that every day.. It packs down into a suitcase in 5 minutes too! Having toyed with it, I believe their claim as it only requires wheels, seatpost & pedals to come off..

I wish Xootr had dealers near where I live, or anywhere within feasible travelling distance! I'd rather not buy untested.. even if I end up buying the Joey, I would prefer to test the Swift first at least to confirm which is better!

Magnus

Hi yangmusa.

I test rode the Joey (and others) before deciding to buy a Swift Folder...in the UK, the price of the Joey closely matched the price of my customised Swift.

I thought the Joey was a lovely, fast and stiff ride, but I wasn't impressed with the components - I personally think they have an expensive/quality frame and kept it 'cheap' by skimping on the components a bit (the joey I tried had very cheap plastic/resin pedals)

When I got to ride a Swift in Brookly, it rode easily as well as the Joey, and the pricing meant I could customise it with some some sturdier parts (and a hub gear).

Are the Joey's 24" wheels fairly standard? I like the idea of standard wheels/parts...hence the 20"/406's with the swift.

Now, this is not a negative view of the Airnimal - I probably would have bought one if I hadn't discovered the Swift, but I'd have wanted to upgrade the components a bit...might be worth pricing that in.

Ah, I notice you're in London...I'm in Manchester - I'd give you a test ride of my Swift if you're ever up North - plus there's an airnimal dealer in the south of manchester - you could comparison ride n the same day...

I'm in London probably once a month (or so), but don't bring the bike (all business, I'm afraid) - I should maybe take the train/bike next time I'm down.

Also, I got hit hard on import tax - (did we have this conversation before? :-) - why not look at the costs of bring a frame in from Peter Reich at swiftfolder.com and getting a good local bike shop to stick a bunch of parts on it??

guy.

I thought the Joey was a lovely, fast and stiff ride, but I wasn't impressed with the components - I personally think they have an expensive/quality frame and kept it 'cheap' by skimping on the components a bit (the joey I tried had very cheap plastic/resin pedals)
I think the Joey I rode had typical MTB metal cage pedals - but I guess many people, myself included, will instantly ditch the pedals and fit their preferred brand of clipless pedals. So therefore many manufacturers seem to fit very cheap pedals as standard.. Apart from that, I thought most components were fairly decent, except I noticed the derailleur was Shimano Alivio. It worked fine, but I gather it's nowhere near the top of the line and may wear fast.



When I got to ride a Swift in Brookly, it rode easily as well as the Joey, and the pricing meant I could customise it with some some sturdier parts (and a hub gear).
I'm glad to hear you think the Swift rides as well as the Joey, that means "pretty darn good"! Pricewise, good point too.



Are the Joey's 24" wheels fairly standard? I like the idea of standard wheels/parts...hence the 20"/406's with the swift.
AFAIK the 24"/520 is less common than 20"/406. Tyres are readily available online, though if I needed a tyre in a hurry it could be inconvenient..



Also, I got hit hard on import tax - (did we have this conversation before? :-)
Yes we did, I'm still pondering :) I'm moving to the US in February, so if I just hang on a little longer I won't have a tax problem. I had decided on the Swift, I just starting doubting my decision when I tried the Joey and it was so good.

Magnus

I had a test ride of the Airnimal Joey yesterday:

http://www.airnimalfoldingbikes.com/M_JoeySport.php

FANTASTIC!!! It was light, responsive and VERY fast! I can't believe they ask £695 ($1230) for it here in England - I've seen it on sale in the USA for $899.95 (£508). That's sooooooo unfair!!!! Wonder if they'll still have the sale on when I move in January 2006?

Amazingly, given that it uses 24" wheels, it folds smaller than the Xootr Swift (the other bike on my very short short-list!). But it's necessary to remove the front wheel, I don't know how I feel about doing that every day.. It packs down into a suitcase in 5 minutes too! Having toyed with it, I believe their claim as it only requires wheels, seatpost & pedals to come off..

I wish Xootr had dealers near where I live, or anywhere within feasible travelling distance! I'd rather not buy untested.. even if I end up buying the Joey, I would prefer to test the Swift first at least to confirm which is better!

Magnus


I hate to throw fuel in the fire, but here goes anyway... I can highly recommend the Swift and it continues to be my first choice bike for high speed rides. It's light, fast, and was easy to tailor to what I wanted. I just love it. However, there seems to always be options. In the Airnimal camp, as with the Swift, we can order a Frameset (http://www.calhouncycle.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=97&idproduct=438). This opens up some interesting possibilities. To me, the Chameleon frameset looks tempting....haha..Magnus, I seem to remember you being a large fellow, so there is the possibility that you might be more comfortable on the larger frame with the 24" wheels.

Bruce

If you wait until Feb. '06, you might be able to get the SRAM 9 speed internal hub that DOESN'T come with the annoying clickbox. Just a thought...If you're in NYC, go visit Peter and he can fit you out right for a Swift.

Magnus, I seem to remember you being a large fellow, so there is the possibility that you might be more comfortable on the larger frame with the 24" wheels.
I just sold my recumbent last week (sniff, sniff.. :( ) so that means my only bike is my Moulton Deluxe 4 speed (the old f-frame). This has tiddly 16" wheels and I'm comfortable as can be, so I'm not 'size-ist'!



If you're able to wait until Feb '06 you might be able to get the SRAM 9 speed
Aaaahh, I like the way you're thinking! I checked out SRAM's website, but could find no info on the new hub. Do you know what kind of range it will have? (I seem to remember a thread on it here, I'll have a look..)

Magnus

I checked out SRAM's website, but could find no info on the new hub. Do you know what kind of range it will have? (I seem to remember a thread on it here, I'll have a look..)

I found the thread I was thinking of, and it refers to this Velovision article:
http://www.velovision.co.uk/cgi-bin/show_comments.pl?storynum=739

They've now updated it with a picture. Looks nice! Two thoughts strike me: 1) the range should be good enough for me; and 2) 2300g - dang, that's heavy!! Let's hope they shave some grams off between prototype and production..

Magnus

I found the thread I was thinking of, and it refers to this Velovision article:
http://www.velovision.co.uk/cgi-bin/show_comments.pl?storynum=739

They've now updated it with a picture. Looks nice! Two thoughts strike me: 1) the range should be good enough for me; and 2) 2300g - dang, that's heavy!! Let's hope they shave some grams off between prototype and production..

Magnus

That 2300g weight might be with the drum brake unit. By comparison, the Shimano Nexus 8spd hub that I just installed on my Downtube FS was around 1650g w/o brake. The Shimano has a 307% gear range, about the same as a 11-34 cluster.

Bruce

I wish Xootr had dealers near where I live, or anywhere within feasible travelling distance!

You can get Xooter Swifts in Mosquito Bikes (http://www.mosquito-bikes.co.uk/) on the Essex road in London N8 - I know 'cos I saw one in there the other day and thought "Cor!" :)

You can get Xooter Swifts in Mosquito Bikes (http://www.mosquito-bikes.co.uk/) on the Essex road in London N8 - I know 'cos I saw one in there the other day and thought "Cor!" :)

No way! That's awesome! I had no idea - and I was even in there the other day, but I didn't really look around at the bikes.. I'll have to pop around next time I have a chance :)

You can get Xooter Swifts in Mosquito Bikes (http://www.mosquito-bikes.co.uk/) on the Essex road in London N8 - I know 'cos I saw one in there the other day and thought "Cor!" :)
Hmm. I emailed Mosquito and got the following reply:



Hi Magnus,

Afraid someone has given you wrong info. Sorry, good luck with your search!

Phil (Mosquito Bikes)
What a bummer, I was really looking forward to trying it! :o