rickybails

Mines an Ultegra, and b-screw adjustment alone on that was enough to cure the problem.

rickybails

London Nocturne Folding bike race tomorrow - who else has entered? I'll keep a look out for other Swifts and come and say Hi.

StuAff

Not in it this time- sold the Jetstream, and I have other stuff to do tomorrow anyway- but I'll be spectating. My mate Rimas is doing it on his Saracen again (I hope he remembers not to act as lead-out man this time!).

Zenkei

I love my Swift folding bike. Actually it's technically a Xootr model, but I don't hold that against it too much, especially since I've made it my own and Peter Reich (the designer/inventor) has lovingly put a lot of work into it. The most recent modification - I've heard I have the first one - is the low hanging basket. I am attaching a couple of photos. It works great for carrying a backpack on a hot day, and especially anything high, as it still allows full visibility, plus leaves the handlebars free for lights and other attachments. I use mine especially for shopping at the farmer's market, as the basket easily detaches and I can do my shopping with it, and then snap onto the bike. Just wanted to add to the thread about this basket, and that after 3+ years, I still highly recommend the Swift and I love that almost all the relevant parts are easily available and that it rides like a "real" bike.

Thanks Peter!

jur

^ That looks like a U-bolt fitting around the head tube, is that right? How is it prevented from swiveling to the side? How is the paintwork protected?

rcnute

I like the basket/attachment--can you tell us more about it? I have a rack with a Wald basket zip-tied on but the detachable basket would work much better for transport.

Paul Braithwait

The basket arrangement looks very similar to Rixen Kaul's range. They have a variety of baskets and bags (including a dog carrier!) that clip into their KlickFix brackets. The R/K caddy bracket will bolt around the stem riser of the swift to keep the basket or bag low.

jur

But the crucial difference is that it attaches to the frame, not the steerer.

bendembroski

So, is the idea that this might be made for sale to the general public?

BruceMetras

I saw Brompton Kansi Brompton .. 1 2 3 .. ~~we need the race report~~ no Keith this year?

StuAff

Yup, no Keith this year (he was there, but doing the support race). Because of overruns etc (some poor guy needed an ambulance, though I think it was just a precaution, he was walking OK), the final ended up as three laps instead of five. My mate Rimas unfolded his Saracen fastest and had a big lead at the end of lap one, but the next few guys reeled him in and he finished eighth. Didn't spot where RB finished this time...

Paul Braithwait

Good point but will tall loads interfere with the handlebars when they are turned? Still like the idea of having the load on the frame and not the steering though.

Willy Gee

After reading some information on this site, I bought two Swift folders, one for me and one for my wife. We road them for the first time yesterday. We each got the factory set up with flat bars.

While I enjoyed the ride, I felt a little cramped. I am 6' 1", so I purchased a large, which the website said fits people between 5' 10" and 6' 3".

I am used to drop bars, so that may have been part of the problem, but I just felt like I should be stretched out a little more.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Will I eventually adjust?

bendembroski

I'm just at 6' and I found the 'large' Swift a little cramped too. Going with the XL would only get you more height, not reach. I switched to bullhorns for a while to stretch things out a bit, but ultimately went with a longer stem. It's not an expensive modification.

You could always fit drop-bars, but that's considerably more involved.

That's one of the things I really like about the Swift. It's easy to make these kinds of adjustments.

nish2575

more details on the basket frame.




i consider getting it myself, but only if it was rixen kaul compatible. i haven't heard back if it is using the rixen and kaul clip in

to me the idea of having something with a large mounting frame attached (such as the baske) to a folding bike defeats the purpose. the carradice bags, brompton bags, and rixen kaul backpacks where the frame detaches and is small. i couldnt' imagine lugging around a basket with a folding bike in another hand.


i also thought this was cool, posted on some other bf thread:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/4505157...57626242702790

Willy Gee

Okay. Thanks. I will call about a longer stem. I am glad I'm not the only one who felt cramped.

bendembroski

You don't need to get the stem from Xootr. Any 1 1/8' stem that with a 'mountain bike' clamp diameter (25.4mm) will work. Xootr's selection is a bit limited.

Epicyclist

I'm about 6' 1.5" and would never have been happy with Xootr's longest stem (only 100mm). I use a 120mm, 17-degree stem with drop bars. That's with Xootr's XL (12") riser, and puts the top of the bars pretty much exactly level with the saddle. If I had flat bars, I'd want an even longer stem, or perhaps the same length but with Xootr's standard (10") riser (which would put the stem mounting point not only lower, but also slightly further forward).

I suspect my leg/torso ratio is longer than average, since I also needed the XL seatpost. If the Large seatpost has enough extension for you, you probably want to stick with the standard (10") riser unless you're looking for an especially upright position (bars higher than saddle).

Your LBS should be willing to let you try a few different stems, and hopefully has stems for ~$30 (I've used Dimension and Profile Design stems in that price range). You can often find surplus stems extremely cheap on www.icyclesusa.com, but it can be hard to find the exact length/angle/clamp size combo you want.

Do you have another bike you find comfortable? You could try to replicate the top tube + stem length from that, if the relative bar/saddle height relation is in the same ballpark.

Willy Gee

The seat height is fine. I actually would prefer my bars to be about the level of the saddle. I have LHT set up that way, and it is very comfortable for me. I think I might ask for the longer riser. Thanks for the replies.

mtalinm

bar ends pointed forward will also let you stretch out a bit more.

rickybails

If you measure the top-tube, the swift is definitely short for 6-footers. This is the problem with most folding bikes. I would recommend drop bars and with those you might be able to go up to a 120mm stem as well before the handling is too wrong (but it's all a matter of preference and adjusting to the longer stem). See my post above about welding on a second Bottom bracket shell below and behind the original - this was to make the effective top tube longer but you don't need to go to that extreme.

I've also tried 2 types of 'bull' bars and while they certainly gave the reach, I found them tiring to ride due to the lack of the 'tops' position you get on drop bars.

Yes drop bars do cost (or rather the levers do) but I reckon converting to drops is a good investment if you are going to do a lot of miles on this bike, particularly if you're planning to ride fast.

rickybails

I got 4th in the Smithfield Nocturne folding bike race. A good improvement on last years performance. I took the lead at about 250m to go which was exactly where I wanted to go but just but didn't have a big enough sprint to get on the podium. https://www.540network.com/ww/00701/c...508_large.html
Great atmosphere, big crowds - many of them banging the boards or rattling cowbells to make a massive noise for us.

This year it was being filmed for Sky sports and will be shown on Friday, repeated Saturday. They had a motorbike camera filming us as we raced - I hope they show some of that footage.

Main programme: Friday 17th June, 19:00, Sky Sports 2
Repeats: Saturday 18th June, 01:30, Sky Sports 1 and 08:00, Sky Sports 3

Zenkei

Not sure, you'd have to ask Peter.

Zenkei

Not totally sure about the specs, but it doesn't touch the paint. It's screwed on really tight, but sticks out from the bike enough for clearance.

Zenkei

What would you like to know? The one thing to get used to is that unlike the handlebar variety, the basket doesn't move when you steer, which takes a bit of getting used to at first. A couple of weeks of use and I don't notice it anymore, though.