invisiblehand

Glad that you're back on the bike!

Paul, you should write a web page documenting all the versions of your Swift folder along with the motivation for each change. You've tried out so much stuff that it would be informative. I suspect that it gets lost in this mammoth thread.

mtalinm

probably an old question, but has anyone put disc brakes on a Swift? I'm assuming it required a new fork up front...

2020

My first post here. Just ordered a silver Swift. Absolute nightmare to find a place in the UK to order one from. The dealers in the UK that previoulsy stocked the Swift (Avon Cycles and Spa Cycles) no longer do, because of the USD/GBP exchange rate apparently making it too expensive to import. Anyway I ordered one from a dealer in Germany yesterday, and yes it was expensive compared to the US advertised price, in fact it was in Brompton pricing territory.

Looking forward to the first ride, hopefully in a week's time. Laters.

jur

Last weekend I took part in the biggest annual audax brevet, the Australian Audax Alpine Classic, 200km with 4000m of climbing. I got my Swift 3 years ago (4 years?). What a superb machine it remains! It descends like a bullet. Very stable. Here's a pic of me carving a corner:



Moments later a chap on a stainless steel Moulton passed through:
https://www.fallscreekphotos.com.au/g...=102&id=489458
I had just overtaken him.

zepi

Ok, what do you think about this?



Yes, it is a new-style Swift steel frame. The hub is a Fichtel&Sachs Duomatic.
I'm not sure about the handle bars, they look a bit stupid but I didn't have a proper stem at hand. I will find better handlebars soon.

BruceMetras

Chainring looks way bigger than my 62t.. what's the gear inches on your ride? .. good choice for a hub.. Duomatics are cool!

zepi

it's a 68T chainring and a 19T on the duomatic. so the ratio is 4.9 and 6.7. didn't testride yet. also I'm curious if it feels ok to ride without a front break, only the back pedal break. I'd need a different fork or larger wheels to get a decent front break on there...

jur

I didn't know these new style Swifts were in the wild. I thought these remained a prototype only.

zepi

actually it is a prototype. it's the same frame that is on the pictures on the forums. i was asking peter reich to sell it to me back in 2005 or 2006 or so but he still needed the frame for testing. So I sent an email about every year and was very lucky at last.
I also have my standard (black) steel swift with the same wheel size and will be able to give a detailed report about the differences in handling and riding.

BruceMetras

You must be pretty fit .. a 66/91 gear inch figure is fairly tall for a 2 spd.

zepi

my fixed gear swift with the same wheel size is 13/53 which is 5.6 gain ratio. I tested around with that alot and find this the perfect ratio for this bike. I didn't test the setup with the duomatic yet but it is even a bit lower on the 1st gear than the fixed gear setup. That should be good.

BruceMetras

I agree with the 5.6 gain ratio for a singlespeed.. good all around ratio... it's that jump to 6.7 that I'm curious about.. post how you like it once you get a few miles on it..

jur

From my perspective those ratios would be very good... I live in a hilly area and that's the only reason I do not consider going fixie - the downhills would kill. So having something to pedal against while going downhill is nice.

BruceMetras

I agree it will be nice on the downhills to have the bigger gear .. I'll still be interested to hear how Zepi likes it once he's ridden it for awhile .. and what type of terrain is most common.. I continue to be enamored with my 2 speed bikes..

zepi

I just spent 3-4 hours pedaling thru the city on the white swift and I must say I am enthusiastic!
Generally it rides very very good. With all the steel and the heavy hub the bike is a bit heavy but it still rides very good. I don't mind the weight too much for now. Maybe I'll keep the carbon handle bars to save some weight there.

Gearing: I'm used to my fixed gear swift on a 5.6 ratio. Now accelerating on the lower 4.9 gear this bike feels like having a motor installed. Then switching to the higher gear feels even more awesome! I will not change anything on the gearing. I love it!
Breakes: Somehow I didn't miss a front break at all. I was a bit worried first that riding with the back pedal break only would be weird or dangerous. I was prepared to change the fork to get a break on (I even have everything ready) but it wasn't uncomfortable at all, so I'll also keep it like this. I'll just put some classic hooks and straps on the pedals to be a bit more flexible and faster on the break.
Frame: I'm not completely sure because the handlebars on my other swift are different, however I think the new style frame feels a bit less harsh than the original swift. It is actually more comfortable to ride. Maybe the steeper angles on seat post and chain stays allow a bit more suspension in the steel. Also I think the fork has a bit more curvature. I'm not sure.

The fold of the frame requires some tools. It is impossible to fit quick releases on the lower clamp. I'll try to simply keep the lower clamp open, maybe this does the job.

Paul Braithwait

I know I have posted many times on this thread but my Swift is still pretty much standard stuff - there are many people who have been more adventurous with their customising of the Swift than I have. I've lowered the gearing by swapping out the cassette for a SRAM 8 speed with larger bottom cog and just fitted a smaller chainset. I replaced the flat handlebars for drops and upgraded the V brakes. Other than that, what you have seen on this forum have been to luggage carrying options. I have several bikes and over the years of cycling have accumulated plenty of bike bits. I have tried various pedals, racks, bags and saddles on the Swift by using stuff I already had in the shed. The Swift is my first choice for riding and I use it for day or half day rides of up to 50 miles (generally between 20 - 30 miles). It folds to fit into the back of my small car so I can drive to more distant locations to start and finish rides. A seat pack and bottle carrier are all I need to take along. The racks,bags and pedals have found homes on my other bikes. I love seeing how other riders have adapted their Swifts to suit their requirements. The Swift is such a great bike if I only had room for one bicycle it would have to be the Xootr Swift.

jur

If I had room for one bike only I would take the Swift and the Moulton and make them fit into the same space.

nish2575

mucky weather and streets are really doing a job on my bike.. need to find better fenders than clip ons. i'm probably going to follow one bike stores suggestion of cutting the stock planet bike fenders in a half and attaching the front half only, and use in combo with clip on. also, my sks fenders are just 1-2 inches short of fully covering splash

mtalinm

why not just buy these from Xootr? they fit perfectly and work well: https://www.xootr.com/swift-fenders.html

chucky

Do any of you Swift upgraders have a Swift fork you might be interested in selling? It's all aluminum w/ 1-1/8" threadless aluminum sterrer, right?

nish2575

i already had those (that is what i'm referring to in "stock" fenders above). i kept the ones on the front. on the back, frequent folding cause the stays to come loose often, so gave up that one.

jur

It's a steel fork, and my efforts have been fruitless to find a lighter one.

chucky

If it's any help here's an affordably priced 1-1/8" steerer carbon fork for 20" wheel I recently came across:
https://www.performer.com.tw/2010/use...p=05&sno=00334
max tire 451x1-1/8

Performer also makes another carbon fork 451x1.0 that they don't list on their site.

jur

The problem with the 451 forks is their dropout to crown dimension is generally too small. It must be IIRC 33.5cm. The closest fork I found is from a US recumbent dealer, I forget which. I think it was actually a 650c fork. I thought it a bit dear with postage so I haven't pursued it.

[edit] it was Hostel Shoppe.

chucky

How about extending the head tube with one of these?
https://www.eighthinch.com/headtube_extenders.html