Folding Bikes - A few first questions about my new Xootr Swift- especially regarding the seatpost QRs

Just got my Swift and assembled it and took a quick first ride (just up and down my block since it's 11 pm). It felt great and I am very excited to take some longer rides.

I am not sure I'm setting the quick release levers right, however. I am used to quick release wheels, which only need to be moderately tight and shouldn't (as far as I know) require you to really crank on them.

The double quick release levers on my seatpost, however, seem to require a very high level of effort to get sufficiently tight. The manual says that you should check them by releasing one and making sure that the other one still holds the seat in place. The top one seems to work with a moderate level of effort (meaning that if I release the bottom QR, it still requires a fair amount of effort to turn the seat). The lower QR, however, only seems to tighten up if I really clamp it down hard. I am an average-sized guy (5'9", 150 lbs) and I have to use almost all my strength to tighten it up enough that it will hold the seat when I loosen the top QR.

Is that right? Am I doing something wrong? Should I have been cranking down really hard on my wheel QRs all these years as well? I thought that was bad for them...

Thanks in advance! Looking forward to some great Xootr rides!

Yeah, that's the one thing everybody (including me) seems to say about the Swift. You really have to expend some effort on those quick releases. It's not just you.

Welcome to the club!

When I returned my defective Swift - at my own expense, I might add - to Peter Reich in Brooklyn, NY I questioned him about this. He said that he would make an effort to find a nice tight fitting seat post for the replacement bike. So apparently some fit better than others. My new one fits better than the old one, but still needs very hard tightening.

Pertinent to this is at least one disturbing report here that a quick release broke off in someone's hand, so try to be careful when (over)tightening them.

IIRC, that person replaced them with Salsa skewers.

...The top one seems to work with a moderate level of effort (meaning that if I release the bottom QR, it still requires a fair amount of effort to turn the seat). The lower QR, however, only seems to tighten up if I really clamp it down hard.

There's greater mechanical advantage when the distance between the seat and QR is increased.

Experiment:

Take a sturdy spoon and hold the spoon (concave) part between thumb and forefinger and then with the thumb and forefinger of your other hand, grip the handle of the spoon tightly, very close to the concave part. Now twist the concave part with one hand while trying to keep the spoon from twisting with your other hand. Detente. Now, hold onto the handle near the far end and twist the spoon-end. Spoon twists.

Stubby screwdriver versus long screwdriver.

Regards
T

IIRC, that person replaced them with Salsa skewers.

Do you think that's a worthwhile upgrade?

What does IIRC mean?

IIRC = If I recall correctly.

Thanks for the tips. Glad to know there is nothing wrong with my bike.

Took my first commute in today (only about 3 miles to a ferry). The bike was quick and felt great. The only mods I've done so far are Performance Campus pedals (SPD-M on one side and platform on the other) and a Specialized Phenom saddle. I think I am going to love this bike!

Any idea why the steerer tube (is that the term?) is attached via a QR? That doesn't seem like a piece you would ever take off unless you were packing the bike in a suitcase, yet having a QR introduces a greater risk that it could get knocked or come loose.

Another question for you commuters- How do you attach your lights? My PB Superflash won't fit on the seat tube because the seat tube is so massive! I can mount it on the back of the bike (rear triangle), but that seems too low to be useful. Any better solutions?

You might be right about the front QR. Another easy target for a thief/vandal in case you leave it parked briefly, even if you take off the seat tube.

Front light: PrincetonTec Apex four AA battery headlamp, attaches to head. Flashing rear light attaches to saddle bag or rack.

Any tail light options if I'm not using a rack or saddlebag?

Another question for you commuters- How do you attach your lights? My PB Superflash won't fit on the seat tube because the seat tube is so massive! I can mount it on the back of the bike (rear triangle), but that seems too low to be useful. Any better solutions?

I don't usually go without some rear luggage or other that has a blinky strap, but when I do, the rear triangle works for me.

Do you think that's a worthwhile upgrade?

Beats me. I'm not replacing mine until after the laceration and stitches.

IIRC = If I recall correctly.

Any idea why the steerer tube (is that the term?) is attached via a QR? That doesn't seem like a piece you would ever take off unless you were packing the bike in a suitcase, yet having a QR introduces a greater risk that it could get knocked or come loose.



If you use the front QR you can rotate the handlebar 90 degrees and it will fit more easily inside a car trunk.

Perhaps the newer frames have the QR problem. I have one of the older ones and happily my QRs don't have to be super-tight, quite the opposite.

With the CF post I use liquid torque because it slipped, but CF posts have this problem.