aroundoz

I should be getting my Swift, through HPM, early next week.

For those of you who have toured on a Swift, I would be interested in hearing about your setup. I am sure a trailer would work fine but I already have panniers but they might ride too low since they are for a full size bike. I will be using it for loaded touring. So what kind of racks, bags.....?

Thanks

Bacciagalupe

I've used rear panniers (Deuter); plenty of clearance. Go to an LBS and try a couple out, you'll see it will only be a couple of inches lower than a regular bike. And as with any bike, you have to watch out for heel clearance.

I highly recommend you use front panniers, either exclusively or with a good chunk of weight. With the weight only on the back, the Swift has even more oversteering than normal; with weight on the front, it handles pretty much like a normal bike.

I also stuck a Minoura water bottle attachment on the handlebar, which works well as it puts the bottle within easy reach.

If you are doing an extended tour, I would bring a bunch of extra spokes; you may have issues getting replacements if you're in Left Nowhere. Not sure what other spare parts you'd want.

aroundoz

Thanks for the response B. Once I acquire a rear rack, I will try out my existing panniers. Hope they will work. I was hoping not to carry any spokes since I heard 20" wheels are bomber. Seriously, I will carry but I won't expect any to break.

I guess I didn't do enough research. I just heard back from SRAM (very friendly and fast response). They say their dual drive isn't suitable for loaded touring which is the main reason I got this bike. I am starting to understand the appeal of the BF in that they do offer a front derailleur. At this point my only option is a Rohloff but I am having a hard time justifying that much for a wheel build. Anyway, I am overlooking any other options?

jur

What is the diameter of the seat tube near the chainring?

jur

I just finished touring Tasmania with my wife; she rode her Dahon Yeah (like a Helios), and I installed an extra chainring on the front and manually derailed for those very steep hills. It worked very well.

aroundoz

jur,
What kind of rear Hub?

Front and rear racks?

Fully loaded?

jur

My bike, a R20, has a Sturmey Archer 8 speed, 35-104 gear-inches. Connie's bike has an XT rear hub with 9sp cassette, 11-34T, front chainwheels 48T and 42T.

Here you see her doing the derailing for the climb of the day:



And this is my bike:


You can get many more pics in the link in my sig below, my Tassie tour.

aroundoz

So from what I understand, Sturmey Archer is now SRAM so my dual drive might not get me across country, but then again it might.

Nice photos and brought back some memories whend I was there in 02. I had cycled from Brisbane to Melbourne, counter clockwise, and thought I would take a leisurely ride around Tas before I completed the rest of Oz. It was one of their worst summers on record and aobut killed me but I the scenery was amazing especially the south coast (the Totem Pole).

VT_Speed_TR

I have a Dahon Speed TR, with a SRAM dualdrive hub. I've toured with panniers mounted and have not had any issues. I think SRAM is just being very conservative and covering themselves. I think the issue is what the total load/weight of the bike, rider & gear. If your bike is 25 lbs, you are 150, and gear is 35 lbs, I don't think the Dualdrive will crap out with 205 lbs of load over a tour, even cross country. However, if that same 25 lbs bike, now has a 225 lbs rider and 55 lbs of gear, a 305 lbs load or 50% more, will likely cause the internals of the Dualdrive to wear faster. But how many miles before it craps out, not sure. For a few hundred mile tour I not see any issues, and even cross country most likely wouldn't be an issue.

Brian

Bacciagalupe

The DualDrive should be fine. Bike Friday uses them on many of their touring models.

However, if you are OK with losing some gearing on the high end, you can do very well with just the single front chainring. Drop the front to a 46T and swap out the rear to an 11-32T, for example, and you have a gearing range of 28" - 83". You could go up to an 11-34T but you'd need a chain tensioner.

Personally I think going too much lower than 23" or so is kind of pointless, at that point you might as well walk.

jur

I've seen you mention this before; I have no idea why, or are you referring to Bike Fridas only ICWT?

Bacciagalupe

I don't know the actual mechanical reason, but when I was researching cassette upgrades for my Swift, this was mentioned by 1 or 2 people who had actually used an 11-34 on their Swifts.

I believe a couple of Dahons -- stock and some of Gaerlan's modded models -- use tensioners as well.

My best guess is, you need a longer chain for the 34T cassette than for the 28 or 32, and the tensioner takes up the slack on the lower gears. Emphasis on the word "guess."

aroundoz

I like the idea and it would be simple and inexpensive and wished I would have thought of that sooner. I really never push too high of gears when I tour (between 21-78). Your numbers aren't that far off. I actually could lose the large chainring on my touring bike as a matter of fact. Dang! I could have save a few bucks. Certainly a lot less dough than a Rohloff. You might see a slightly used dual drive on ebay in the near future.

Would a person still need a long cage derailleur?

jur

Long cage derailer is needed if the front difference exceeds a certain number of teeth, like in a triple ring crankset. I am using a short cage XT RD with 11-34T in the back with single chainring up front; my wife's Dahon Yeah has 11-34T, double ring in front and also uses a short cage RD.