timo888 

I cannot remember the name of it at the moment, but several months ago I saw a full-sized folding bike that pivots on the seat-tube axis with a special clamp that can be released or locked in place. Is that design available in a mini-Velo form-factor?

grayrest

As far as I know, only Montague and Changebike make that fold. Neither company offers a mini-Velo.

Lalato

Bike Fridays essentially fold this way. Not sure about any others.

joey buzzard

There is. It`s called a Swift Folder.

The two halves of the frame pivot together then clamp onto the oversize seatpost with quick release skewers.

The bike delivers a very stiff fast ride and is one of the all time best high performance folder designs.

There`s a couple of threads dedicated to Swifts here in the folding bike section.

The aluminium frame used on the discontinued Xootr model is still available from the bike`s designer Peter Reich at swiftfolders.com

It`s a fantastic bike. Apart from the large diameter seatpost and clamp on bar riser the bike uses all standard bike parts and thus can be easily modified or upgraded.


The ride is totally phenomenal. My Swift has replaced my road bike. I`d post a link to some pics or further discussions here on forums, but I`m still a newb.

tds101 

FSIR Spin: My FSIR Spin 3.0

fietsbob

And there have been some people who got a Titanium Swift built for themselves..





...

fietsbob

swift picture
one of Peter's old friends builds a steel version , in Eugene... adds a head tube basket mount ..

CliffordK

I wonder if one's goal is to fold the front and rear wheels to be close to each other, then it is difficult to do a seat tube fold.

I thought I had seen a carbon frame with a partial twin tube and a seat tube fold, but it seems to be no longer in my "watch list", and I can't seem to locate it.

grayrest

TIL. My personal experience with Bike Friday is the Tikit, the Pakit, and the SatRDay. All have the swing under rear triangle. It figures I'm familiar with the unusual part of the lineup.

Lalato

I thought the OP meant a fold under design, but your comment makes me realize that the OP actually means something more akin to the Montague fold.

timo888 

Thanks. It was Change that I couldn't remember.

MEversbergII

Thanks for that vid link; that's the full-size frame folder I am currently considering.

M.

tds101 

Just be sure not to order from nycewheels. Their retail store in Manhattan went belly up, and their online store isn't reliable.

MEversbergII

Yeah, that was a bummer to say the least. Sudden too! Their YouTube reviews were fun.

I may order it from another online dealer, as the closest physical dealer is up in College Park - not too far off but finding time's always the issue.

Sizing's the real puzzle - I am physically 5'4" tall, but I have overly short Achilles tendons that force me up on my toes and adds about 1" or so to my overall height. Puts me right on the upper end of the Small frame size and the lower end of the Medium frame size. I suspect that I would have an overall better time if I err on the smaller end, though I have heard the Montague frames "skew small" to begin with.

Decisions, decisions!

M.

mlau

What's your inseam?

Mine is 29-30", and the medium seatpost on the swift fits me fine. It also worked great for a 5'0 stalker ex.

Personally, I am a huge fan of the Xootr Swift.
I gave mine to a friend for rehab, but it's a truly great bike.

You can probably get one from Peter.

mlau

Fwiw, a Swift is very different from the Montague.

It's elegantly simple. There's almost nothing to take away from the ride.

One of Xootr old timers described it as the best folding bike ever made--- then proceeded to tell me how he missed it, why it's no longer made, etc.

CliffordK

I'm sure I saw a 20" design that folded around the seat tube a few years ago, but can't find any sign of it today.

One of the issues is that for compactness, it is generally considered best to fold the front wheel to meet next to the rear wheel, and that requires a fold ahead of the seat tube somewhere.

There are several around/near bottom bracket fold bikes. But, if you look at the classic Bike Fridays for example, they only fold the rear forward, and the front and rear wheels remain staggered quite significantly.

The Brompton and similar bikes fold both the rear wheel forward, as well as folding the top tube to make a "tri-fold" to gain compactness.

So, for example, the Java Neo utilizes a Brompton-Like tri-fold.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/JAVA-NEO-Ca...d/273625536999

MEversbergII

Mine's something like 29"-30" as well, though I was speaking more to the Montague. They do personal height, and I'm nominally between two frame sizes (because of course I am).


Well that's flippin' gorgeous!

M.

Trocadile

There was a version of the FSIR 5 in North America, sold as the Solorock Spin 5 which was a 20" bike with a similar fold. Not sure if they are still available.

tds101 

I looked for this bike on the Solorock website, even the other models with this frame, and it's all sold out in the USA. They do have some left on the Canadian website though,...

timo888 

My Xootr (aluminum version of Swift) has great geometry and efficiency and I love everything about the ride but a) its harshness on the wrists / hands and b) its weight when my Cane Creek extra-long elastomer-cushioned seatpost is factored in. I use the bike for both macadam and gravelly/dirt-road riding, hence the Cane Creek seatpost. The harshness on the hands is from road-noise on semi-rough macadam surfaces on rides 15 miles and longer. A Cromoly Swift with a noise-absorbing front-fork (ala Moulton) would be phenomenal. Stowable but formidable.

Trocadile

As I wrote awhile back in the Swift thread, I use the Redshift Shockstop suspension stem (https://redshiftsports.com/shockstop-suspension-stem) on my Swift. Makes a huge difference in hand/wrist comfort.

timo888 

I bought a Shockstop based on your recommendation and it does help. But for cancelling road-noise to the hands and wrists, the aluminum Xootr with a Shockstop is not nearly as effective as the noise absorbing fork on my aluminum Birdy BD-1. I've experimented with Shockstop's softer elastomers too. A Moulton-style fork on a CroMoly frame would be the most supple. I wish Vello would add one as an option to their folder.