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11-02-08, 10:31 PM
Had a blast using my Xootr Swift during my first weekend of ownership!
Friday found me jumping onto a packed BART (subway) train home, with a short ride on either end. I never would have been able to fit an unfolded bike (plus non-folding bikes are prohibited during commute hours anyway), but my Swift made the trip a breeze. Intermodal transport at its best! I needed to pick up a couple things in the evening at Safeway, so I took a trip up to the store on my Xootr and did the quick fold and carried the bike with me through the store. This same store has refused entry with a regular bike, but I had no problems with the Swift.
It poured rain all day on Saturday, so I was stuck indoors.
Today (Sunday), I took my Swift on a *real* ride, my usual local loop. 12.5 miles with 1300 feet of climbing (all but 50 of it in the first 6 miles) and gorgeous views of San Francisco and the Bay. I was amazed that the Swift made the climb with no problems and provided a sufficient range of gearing for even the steep sections. Climbing while standing will take a little getting used to, especially with the short stock stem, which makes me feel a little like I'm riding a BMX bike. The most impressive part is that the ride, which usually takes me about 55 minutes on my fancy lightweight (<18 lbs) carbon road bike, only took me about three minutes longer on my Swift. I was a little more cautious than usual on the fast, steep decent, but the bike handled pretty well. All in all a great ride!
Inspired by this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSSgkcWqR6I), I then used the bike for a quick shopping trip to Whole Foods, where I was able to handily fit the bike on the back of the shopping cart (see pictures below). It made it really easy to shop and keep my bike with me. Again, no complaints from security or store personnel. I finished up with a run to Blockbuster, where I folded the bike and quickly grabbed a DVD and then made my way home.
All in all, I am loving this bike and anticipating many happy rides, for commuting, utility, recreation, and more. Thanks for all the tips so far!
Pictures of my Xootr in the Whole Foods cart:
http://i37.tinypic.com/b6o6kh.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/28i6o48.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/aopbow.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/2vkfaso.jpg
Friday found me jumping onto a packed BART (subway) train home, with a short ride on either end. I never would have been able to fit an unfolded bike (plus non-folding bikes are prohibited during commute hours anyway), but my Swift made the trip a breeze. Intermodal transport at its best! I needed to pick up a couple things in the evening at Safeway, so I took a trip up to the store on my Xootr and did the quick fold and carried the bike with me through the store. This same store has refused entry with a regular bike, but I had no problems with the Swift.
It poured rain all day on Saturday, so I was stuck indoors.
Today (Sunday), I took my Swift on a *real* ride, my usual local loop. 12.5 miles with 1300 feet of climbing (all but 50 of it in the first 6 miles) and gorgeous views of San Francisco and the Bay. I was amazed that the Swift made the climb with no problems and provided a sufficient range of gearing for even the steep sections. Climbing while standing will take a little getting used to, especially with the short stock stem, which makes me feel a little like I'm riding a BMX bike. The most impressive part is that the ride, which usually takes me about 55 minutes on my fancy lightweight (<18 lbs) carbon road bike, only took me about three minutes longer on my Swift. I was a little more cautious than usual on the fast, steep decent, but the bike handled pretty well. All in all a great ride!
Inspired by this guy (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSSgkcWqR6I), I then used the bike for a quick shopping trip to Whole Foods, where I was able to handily fit the bike on the back of the shopping cart (see pictures below). It made it really easy to shop and keep my bike with me. Again, no complaints from security or store personnel. I finished up with a run to Blockbuster, where I folded the bike and quickly grabbed a DVD and then made my way home.
All in all, I am loving this bike and anticipating many happy rides, for commuting, utility, recreation, and more. Thanks for all the tips so far!
Pictures of my Xootr in the Whole Foods cart:
http://i37.tinypic.com/b6o6kh.jpg
http://i37.tinypic.com/28i6o48.jpg
http://i36.tinypic.com/aopbow.jpg
http://i38.tinypic.com/2vkfaso.jpg