Originally Posted by
charleychen
Hi,
I am new to the forum. I am looking at folding bikes for my commute of 2.5-3miles in NYC. The Xootr Swift looks like a nice option and is in my price range. I have a couple of question that I can't seem to find an answer easily.
1) How easily is it to carry the Swift up a flight of stairs? Do I need to take off the handlebar and wheels? Does it stay locked? Does anyone have pictures or video of someone carrying the Swift around? The swift fold is not a problem for me at home, however, I have no where to lock the bike at work. So, I am thining of bringing it into our office. I have to walk up a flight of stairs before I can get to the elevator. I will also have a small bag to carry.
2) I would like to get an internal gear hub, what's the best way to go about this? Should I just buy the frame and customize it? Or is it cheaper to buy the complete bike and upgrade the rear wheel?
3) When you remove the front wheel, is there a place to attach it to the rest of the folded bike or do I need to get some straps?
Thanks.
1. - pretty easy. done it daily in my apartment for a year now. i usually don't fold it. i have changed some accessories of the bike to make it easier to lift. switching from marathon plus to marathon racer tires, plus using a carradice sqr mount instead of the crossrack mount. the igh can make it a little heavier but well worth it
2. - peter reich's (swiftfolder.com) sells a pretty cheap one with an igh. if you pay more you can get it through bfold in nyc (if you live locally) and the guys there are awesome at service, follow up. i meant to get a 3 speed instead of the 8 speed, got talked out of it. if you get 3 speed, might fit your shorter distance needs along with saving you more weight when lifting up stairs
3. - no, need straps. i wouldn't wan to have to remove the front wheel on a regular basis, if the folded dimensions are too big for you (w/handlebar removed), then maybe this isn't the right folding bike for you. consider dahon vitesse igh model, or one of bike friday's pocket or new world tourist models. swift is good for quick fold, longer / skinny shape. other bikes have more compact, rectangular box shape when folded, take a little longer to fold, often their pieces are all together in one package, swift is kind of a few loose pieces that can be strapped together.
go back through some of the pages on this thread, plenty of photos of carrying, folded, etc..