GlowBoy

The 130mm BCD (bolt circle diameter) ring is what will fit the standard road crank that comes with the Xootr Swift.

BTW, Salsa makes excellent non-ramped, non-pinned rings for generally less money than the Surlys. They're also available in a very wide range of sizes. I use them quite a lot.

michael432000

Hi everyone!

I’m currently on page 2 of this thread and intend to read all the way through.

Is it possible to purchase a Xootr Swift frameset here in the UK? I’ve never built up a bike before but as an ex-racer I can’t see the point of having all the junk that I know will soon be swapped out.

And how about a bare frame? I want it totally unique and would like to make my own decals. Or could it be stripped and repainted at a reasonable cost?

I know these questions will have been asked and answered before, but today is a new day and the world has moved on.

Thank you for reading.

michael432000

Sorry, duplicate post.

jerrysimon

Buying new in the UK these are your only options.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_tr...xootr&_sacat=0

You can go and see/try/buy them from here as well

https://www.avonvalleycyclery.co.uk/7...otr-swift.aspx

If you just want a stock/bespoke frame set it means ordering and importing from the the USA

https://www.xootr.com/folding-bicycle.html

Or set up a saved search on ebay and wait for a used one

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Xootr-Swif...item27cb0e5e72



Regards

Jerry

rickybails

Not that I know of - but having a heavily customised one myself I would recommend getting it from the US. I got my bits direct from Peter and the shipping is painless. If you want to put a front-mech on you'll need to import the mounting bracket for that anyway. Peter has been working on customised version a while back so he might have some other bits worth getting. He was doing a carbon project and had got some carbon forks and wheels for the swift.

jerrysimon

Nice.

PS Link to frameset

https://www.xootr.com/swift-frame-set.html

Jerry

keke

Gosh! They're so expensive! Never actually realised how much they cost!

michael432000

Thank you jerrysimon, I’ll keep my eyes open.

Hi rickybails. I’m keen on this option. Can you tell me a little more about your experience importing your bike or components? Which carrier did you use? Was it tracked, insured? And how much did it all cost? I suppose VAT and custom duty is applicable. Did you get exactly what you expected?

Carbon forks? Hmmm.

*

Reason I didn’t get back sooner was because, although I prefer the swift, I was looking at a Bike Friday for ease of travelling by aeroplane (international flights).

Anyone fly with their Swift?

rickybails

Peter organised all the shipping - I can't remember what the custom charges were but he tried to minimise them by putting something like 'samples' on the description. I've only had parts from him however not a frame - I got my bike as a complete bike in the UK then gradually changed bits, but if I were doing it again I would get the frame, the front mech hanger and the seatpost QR from Peter (not from Xootr - that frameset comes with the heavy steel forks, heavy seatpost and steerer tube extension that I wouldn't use). I would also do all these mods again; carbon fork from airnimal, I-beam seatpost off dahon bikes, kinetix pro wheels off the high-end dahons (less than 1kg per pair and have been holding up well on the daily commute).

tds101 

I currently own 3 bikes, and the only bike I truly crave is a Xootr Swift. I'll eventually get one,... I mean, I may have someone buying my Melon Slice tomorrow. That's money in the bank for a Swift. I'll DEFINATELY keep my Power2000 tho,...I'm going to test it soon on some bike trails in my local park (Alley Pond Park).

I'm wondering, would a swift be good for bike trail riding? I'm not talking taking it off trail & riding it like a bmx bike. It's the occasional bumps, rough paths, dirt in the way type stuff. That's what I'm doing with my Power2000,...would the swift be good for the challenge???

GlowBoy

tds101, a Swift can handle moderate offroad stuff. It won't be as stable, fast or comfortable as a bigger-wheeled bike in the rough stuff, but it can certainly take on occasional dirt and bumpy terrain. Portland has a lot of unpaved streets, and I often find myself riding on 2-3 block long stretches of gravel or extremely potholed pavement as I cut through neighborhoods to put together a safe route. The Swift handles this stuff just fine, although it is certainly a rougher ride than my big-wheeled bikes and I do have slow down quite a bit more to turn confidently on loose surfaces.

tds101 

K, thanks. My Power2000 is pretty similar I would guess. I took it on a 6 mile park trail ride tonight (Alley Pond Park) and it was a bumpy but FUN ride. I personally like the 20" wheeled bikes control,...more precise. My other bikes can't do the park well (the Puma Nevis is too heavy & not maneuverable enough, & the Melon Slice I'd break in half!!!), and I think the Swift is up to snuff.

I'm currently losing weight, but I'm about 220lbs ATM. I need solid, and I think this is the ONLY folding bike I want that's solid enough to handle how I ride. I like the Montague Paratrooper Pro, but I'm currently interested in smaller & more storage friendly rides. My commuter Puma is the exception, anything else is 20" for meh!!!

robsta

Anyone fly with their Swift?[/QUOTE]

Quite a few times. On the Xootr website they have some pictures of how to pack the bike into a suitcase. This is the method I use mostly. After a little practice can be done in 10-15 minutes.
Once I just used the cardboard box it came in. I think I just removed the front wheel and steering post.

Solved my gearing issue. Borrowed the triple ring from my daughters Giant. The lowest gear is almost unusable but plenty of other gears to use.

Cheers
Rob

michael432000

I’ve dipped into this thread here and there.

One thing I noticed was that because the distance between the bottom bracket and the rear hub is a bit shorter than a normal bicycle there can be some kind of resistance in the transmission due to poor chain alignment. Is this a problem? I would run two front chainrings with at least a 58 tooth outer ring.

*

Hi rickybails, that looks like a really nice set-up, if not a little over-the-top for an aluminium folder. How much does it weigh?

Presumably that’s a carbon seatpost. Does it fit straight in or is some kind of shim, adapter required?

Where did you purchase your wheels, fork and seatpost?


*

I would only need to fold my bike occasionally for transportation so could I obtain lightweight bolts instead of the quick-release levers? I know this has been discussed. What’s the latest?

*

I was hoping to get hold of a second hand XS here in the UK for starters but looks as though I could have a long wait.

So, sorry to be lazy but can somebody give me Peter Reich’s latest contact details?

Thank you.

jerrysimon

A bit cheaper on the UK ebay now.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Swift-Xoot...item4abce63fa8

And you can make an offer. Note I am not linked or involved with selling these and just proving info. They were £749 before.

Regards

Jerry

jur

Not correct. Same as big-wheeled bike.

GlowBoy

I'm not sure the Swift is that much more storage friendly than the Montague. IIRC its folded dimensions are pretty close to that of the Montague if you take off the front wheel (which is even faster than a normal QR due to its Klix system).

michael432000

£649. Hmmm, that’s tempting.

I guess I could use it as a commuter through the winter to save my 28-year-old 531c pride and joy from further abuse. I would just replace the bars, stem and saddle to get me started. Then I could get some decent wheels for best.

I’ve only owned steel racing bikes 7spd, 42/52 so forgive my simple questions.

As a still quite fit ex-racer would the stock equipment hold up to some abuse, strong bursts uphill? Saving grace I’m only 140lbs.

Are the stock wheels adequate? I would change the tyres of course.

Presumably chain alignment with one chainring is not too good; is that a problem? I suppose I could replace with two rings 58/46 and change by hand for a while until I get sorted.

Thank you.

Alternative would be to get a bare or nicely painted frame from Peter.

tds101 

Storage friendly for me just means the ability to close a hinge and compress the bike a bit - which the Swift does quite nicely.

I'm personally not too fond of most folding bike hinges & such. I have no such issue with Montague or the Swift. The strength & stability they also posses makes me confident in their build quality & ability to handle more than the everyday paved road. They are known to feel & ride like a full sized non-folding bike. That's major to me.

jerrysimon

Try an offer

Jerry

cedar_lake

Modified Swift on ebay now... ...Forgive me if I missed the post but whose is it?

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tchlink:top:en

tds101 

Very nice,...

cedar_lake

The seller had no luck at $950, it's back up again at $450, reserve not met. Not my cup of tea as I'm in the market for either a bone-stock Swift or one that is somewhere on its way to a roadie-like conversion. What's striking to me about this listing is the bike looks heavily modified with nice parts, but the seller's description is almost nil. If I'd put this much work into a bike like this and was selling it, there would probably be a couple of paragraphs in the description, as well as a weight and size. Oh well. https://www.ebay.com/itm/ws/eBayISAPI...E:B:SS:US:1123

smallwheeler

well, seller does list components:

• shimano deore XT front and rear hubs
• shimano XTR rear derailleur
• shimano XT 9 speed rear shifter
• shimano XT hydraulic brake levers
• shimano XTR hydraulic brake caliper
• shimano dura-ace 9 speed cassette
• FSA carbon pro 52t crank set
• Thomson elite seatpost
• Thomson stem
• cane creek sealed bearings headset
• 20x1.75 intense front tire
• 20x1.50 intense rear tire
• alias 143 specialized seat

tds101 

I bid on it, but I'm not going overboard,...even if this is my 5th year anniversary of being smoke free & about 6 years cancer free!!!