Bacciagalupe

jasong: yes, standard Xootr Swift brakes. Seems like travel agents are an option but not great -- so if I have to swap out the brakes and the derailleur and get brakes, I think I'll pass.

One carbon fiber handlebar coming right up.....

Speedo

Dia-Comp 287 brake levers will work with v-brakes. You don't have to use travel agents.

nihonric

I think the least expensive way to do this using new parts is with standard road bike brake levers for about $20 a pair. These won't work with your V brakes unless you use travel agents for about $20 each or standard cantilever brakes for about $25 each. For that price difference I would choose the cantis.

Now you need to mount the shifter somewhere. It won't fit the end of the drop bar because the diameters are different. Minuora makes a plastic clamp on device for attaching a light to a fork blade <https://www.minoura.jp/index-et.html> LH-50 is the part number, cost about $6. Mount it on the stem and attach the stock shifter to it. Yeah, it's kind of a hack but it'll work. There's a special made part for this called a Hubbub but it costs over $50 and attaches to the bar end.

The stock 25.4 stem will probably work but if you're worried about it, 25.4 drop bars (the old standard) can still be found. Or just get a new 26mm stem.

jasong

If you want to have shifting integrated with braking, yes you do. Basically the only advancement in the last 20 years of road biking after clipless pedals.

maunakea

I suggest that HID bike lighting systems occurred within the last 25 years.

werewolf

Is there any place in Arizona where I could try out a Swift bike? They have no dealers listed here.

jasong

Very helpful during day rides...

jur

Anybody have an opinion on using a 130mm hub on 135mm dropouts on my Al Swift?

maunakea

HID is used at night (but you probably knew that), and essentially extends the riding day, and season, for lots of folks in the higher latitudes. Before HID, cars could see bike lights, but cyclists couldn't really see where they were going. HID also created off-road riding at night for most riders who now do it. Try it, you might like it.

JackJ

Yes: Don't do it. While you can probably make such an arrangement work on a 700c steel frame, the Swift, given it's short, stiff chainstays, won't compress to take up the slack, and aluminum is much less forgiving than steel in this regard. I.e., don't bend it too far.

If the axle is long enough, you could add spacers to move the locknuts out to 135 mm, but unless you're talking about a track/fixed gear hub, the axle is almost certainly not long enough.

Wheels Mfg. makes replacement axles, that's one option. The other is a new hub.

Sorry,
Jack

jur

I plan on making a little 5mm spacer/adapter on the lathe for the left side (or 2.5mm for each side) which will extend the length.

maunakea

Spacers solve the centering problem but not the chainline problem.

invisiblehand

how bad could the chainline be if you add spacers?

jur

With a single chainring, the chainline (mostly) sucks anyway.

maunakea

Depends upon where the R seatstay is, whether you want the rear wheel rolling in the centerline plane of the bike (adds to stability in turns and general euphoria), and how often you want to buy chains. Torquing a tortured chainline will distort the chain life.

juan had to have a shop mod a seat stay to get a 130mm hub to work on his R20.
https://www.bikeforums.net/folding-bikes/288341-135mm-rear-hub-raleigh-twenty.html

juan, can you post a pix of your hacked seatstay?

maunakea

But it will suck worse if the sprocket is moved another 2.5 mm toward the centerline.

jignall

Guys - Where would be the easiest place for me to get my hands on a "stock" steel black swift folder? I called Human Powered Machines in Oregon but the wait is just way too long. I live in NYC but have not been able to track down Peter Reich. Does anyone know how to get in touch with him and/or if he's still selling steel frame models?

Thanks in advance.

Jeff

maunakea

eBay

LuckyLyndy

You might try Mac or Jan out at HPM if they can get hold of Peter. Also, if you are living in Manhattan, contact Recycle a Bicycle in Brooklyn. A woman there was able to convey a message to Peter for me.
Good luck on contacting him.
Lyndon

Bacciagalupe

Call Bfold on 13th Street, see what he's got.

zepi

I got my used steel swift from Recycle a Bicycle. They sent it over to vienna for me. Karen Overtone there is in contact with Peter.
What about the phone numbers and cotacts at https://www.swiftfolders.com/? I hat the impression, that they point directly to peter.

james_swift

My Surly fixed hub is 130mm. On my silver Swift with 132.5mm rear spacing, I put 1x1mm spacer on each side of the hub axle. On my blue Swift with 135mm rear spacing, I put 2x1mm spacers on each side of the axle. The advantage of a solid axle is you have that extra room to play with spacers. So long as you have equal spacers on each side of the axle, the chainline will go relatively unchanged. An extra 1mm spacer on the non-drive side will push the chainline .5mm outwards, and vice-versa.

JonathanG

James as always your fixed Swift is an inspiration. With guidance from your earlier hub and chainline advide, I'm slowly putting together the parts for my conversion.

One more, but probably not last, question. With your drop bar it looks like your using a cross lever, which I'm guessing is short pull. How did you get it to work with the v-style brakes, which I would have thought would have needed a long-pull leaver?

Thanks from me and all other aspiring Swift fixers,
Jonathan

james_swift

I have the Nashbar cross lever with the brake pads set close to the rim. One of the advantages of 20" wheels is they stay true longer, so you can set the pads close and not worry about them rubbing against the rim. The cross lever also works well with a Travel Agent.

Paul Braithwait

Just received a Pletscher Orion seat post clamp from Germany. Previous posts on this site state it will fit the 34mm Swift seat tube but the one I received is designed for smaller diameter posts. I have fitted it as the clamp seems quite pliable and moulds to the larger seat tube. Has anyone else had problems?