Still nix...

Maybe it's time to er.... retire this 5 year old thread.

Machine a new thread, if you will.

i will switch threads if others are into it too. i'm sure this has been tried many times in past, but maybe we can pull it off this time. we could try exotic names like "swift folders 2"

There are longer BF threads such as "Addiction" in the Road forum

What would really e snazzy is an Index into the existing thread!

Here is the link
https://mail.google.com/mail/?ui=2&i...disp=inline&zw

maybe copy and paste the text?

Oh I see, you linked to your personal email account.

Quickly delete that email address you provided, bots will find it and avalanche you with spam!

Then post a new post, and use the attach function for the pic and it will be stored here at BF.

replacement grips
 

I know I should go home and check my posture etc before swapping grips, but I know I'll want to anyway so here goes.

I find the stock Swift grips quite painful. Had the same experience with the stock grips on my hybrid, and replacing them with Ergon-type grips saved me.

Of course the Swift has a narrower handlebar, and I have also installed a front derailleur so there are twist shifters on both sides.

would something like the Ergon GR2 Composite Race Grips Twist Shift Small do the trick? I think I could move the shifters in a half inch or so. would love any other recommendations. the grips from my hybrid are just too long to fit, but I think Ergon has "small" sizes

glance at brompton yahoo talk, they have experience with modifying ergon's (cutting them down) to fit small area for handlebars on m-style bars

Hey, James is back after a hiatus. What are you using as the front cable housing stop? I'm currently using one that's sandwiched between the stem riser and the top locknut, but that means my stem riser doesn't have full engagement with the fork. I didn't think there would be one large enough to go around the outside of the stem riser.

This is the cable stop I have on my Swift: http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=A0565

great first experience traveling w/Swift
 

had my first oppty to take the Swift on a trip to Atlanta. very, very satisfied.

packing instructions on the Xootr website were perfect. took me a couple of hours to pack it for the trip, but I had to remove the rear rack, fenders, and kickstand in addition to the usual steps. here is my packed bike:
Attachment 177261
and the parts of the bike that had to be removed (pedals, quickrelease skewers and water bottle)
Attachment 177259
and finally the tools I needed to do it (shouldn't've needed the cone wrench, but my quickrelease pedals were being fidgety)
Attachment 177260

(I should note that the addition of a front derailleur did not impact packing at all.)

Checking the bag itself was easier than I thought it would be. I just checked my vertical 30" Samsonite hardshell as luggage, no questions at all from the agents. on the flight down, with the water bottle and seat bag of tools included, it was 47# and 45# on the way home without those things. I had a couple of unnecessary tools so I'm guessing I could get it down to 43#. but is nice to have all the bike stuff in one case.

When I picked the bag up from the flight down to Atlanta, one of the hinges had come loose and the suitcase had opened partially. I figured out this was due to a couple of screws coming out, so I swung by the Home Depot and replaced them.

Reassembling the bike in my hotel room took 15 minutes at the most Attachment 177262.

I was thinking it would be too much hassle for an overnight trip, and it was a pain to pack the first time, but based on how easy it was to reassemble and then repack for the trip home, I would not hesitate to do this again! only changes I am considering:

1) replace topeak rack with crossrack so I can take it with
2) get riser with mounts for water bottle
3) figure out a way to pack the bike with a kickstand. couldn't make it work this time, but there must be a way...

FWIW, have you considered a luggage strap? I've got the same setup, and I feel much less nervous about hinge or latch trouble when there's a nice tight strap buckled around the whole circumference.

Great idea. I thought of wrapping the suitcase with duct tape, though i worried that ight inite inspection.

here's a link to the Xootr Singlespeed kit referenced above: http://www.xootr.com/single-speed-kit.html. I could never get to it from the above links.

Mid Life Refit
 

My Swift has now been bashing out a daily commute for 3 years, the first two in Chicago and then recently in London. The poor girl is looking a bit tired and it's time for a mid-life refit. Here's what I'm thinking:

1. Go to disks front & rear. Daily commuting in the winter is not kind to rims... I'm on my second set and these are nearly shot. I figure that disks will give me better stopping in the wet and are more easily replaceable that rims.
2. Switch to a hub. I'm planning on an Alfine 11. This will give me great range with simple maintenance. It'll also give me a higher top-end because my Swift has a funny frame and can't run in top gear without dragging the chain on the frame.
3. Replace 406 rims with 451. Since I am going to disk brakes and need to replace my rims, I can't see any reason why not to switch to slightly faster 451s.
4. Get a paint job. I'm thinking 'New York Taxi Yellow' with black forks.

I've found a great LBS that does custom recumbents, so I should be in good hands. This will become a great winter bike and I'll use my Airnimal Joey Drop for the summer.

Photos will be posted after we complete the refit!

JL

too much weight addition, if you lift it a lot.

check. though, i'm downgrading from my alfine 8 to a sram i-motion 3. i was happy with 3 gears on my brompton.

chainguard + front derailleur
 

I upgraded to a front derailleur somewhat reluctantly because I didn't want to lose the chainguard. I went ahead with it but definitely missed the chainguard (big chainring moves to where the chainguard was, and little chainring moves to where the big ring was).

Today I found a way to have my cake and eat it too. The key was to get longer chainguard bolts and a set of washers to create space between the large chainring and the chainguard, so that the chainguard rubs neither the chain nor the front derailleur. (There might be a way to hoist the derailleur so that I don't need quite so much spacing.) So here's how it worked:

First I picked up a set of longer chainguard bolts at the LBS. Not sure exactly how long they are, though I would guess 16mm. Here's a pic for comparison:
Attachment 178205
And here's one of the big chainring bolts with the washers. I used four standard one-quarter inch washers I picked up at Home Depot. There may be more elegant ways to do this.

It is honestly a little bit tricky to get all of them into place, because you have to get the washers in between the chainguard and the large chainring, then slip the bolt in through the washers.
Attachment 178203
here's a picture from above so you can see the spacing:
Attachment 178204
and the finished product.
Attachment 178202

works great, and no more grease on my pants as I climb the hills!

Another update! In an earlier post I mentioned replacing the 52 tooth chainwheel with a 48. I was pretty happy with the lower gearing but a recent ride showed that even lower gearing would be better!. I now have a 46 tooth chainwheel allied to a 11-32 cassette and this is proving to be even better. I shall be working 6 days a week until Christmas (and possibly beyond) and have Grandad and church duties to perform too so riding time will be tight. A quick ride today showed all was well but as my fitness levels will suffer because of lack of saddle time the lower gears will be very welcome!

1) i'm getting my dream bag finally, the carradice super c saddlebag with sqr based mounting

2) my latest version of my wish list:

overall, lighter to lift up and down stairs, quicker to fold and unfold with minimal readjustment, a little faster. feel free to respond.

-faster, lighter tire with some puncture protection(currently marathon plus) - probably marathon racer
-swap out longer klickfix mount for klickfix caddy
-try a bunch of fits for saddle angle, fore/aft and for handlebar height, handlebar style (moustache, some other versions of upright)
-swap out for titanium seat post
-better quick releases for seat post - something easier that requires less pressure, that doesn't come out of adjust as much (brompton's not compatible) ultimate seat post would be getting the bike friday folding seatpost on a swift
-swap alfine 8 for a 3 speed hub (probably 40", ~53", ~71"). probably sram i-motion 3 speed. i'll miss my higher gears, but i'll be fine without them. - my only hesitation here is that if a 3 speed hub is having issues with 1 gear, it makes the bike unusable.
-brompton folding pedals or other fast folding. a tiny bit faster to use, and easier to fold/unfold with on hand
-maybe custom wheels - i'm only 125 lbs + 15 lbs gear - so could shave off some spokes
-find a durable tail light, and find a place to install that doesn't interfere with pedaling or folding, and a mount that is wide enough for swift tubes.

I use these on mountain bikes to add a bashgard to a triple without sacrificing the outer ring:

Sugino 14mm Chainring Bolts with Spacer

that looks like exactly the set I used, thanks!

Finally took the plunge and ordered a Swift yesterday. Today the frame of my Dahon Speed Pro cracked. Good timing!