Very nice! Is that seatpost one of the scandium ones from KCNC ?

The Biologic PostPump is available in 33.9mm size from Evans Cycles.
I used one on my Swift for a while but reverted to the Xootr seat post (XL 590mm long) as the Biologic one is a little longer (625mm) and I couldn't get the saddle quite low enough for comfort. I usually have the Xootr seatpost in its lowest position, all the way home. With the Biologic post when I stopped, I was up on tiptoe. I like the idea of the Biologic though so I may try to find a way of shortening it someday.

Yes, it is the scandium one. This is the lightest one I could find.

I like that :)

Is it safe to use with the Swift, I keep reading how you should only use the supplied post ?

Shortening it would not be hard.

Jerry

You would use it at your own risk of course. In the same way that others on here have used carbon seat posts.
"Shortening it would not be hard." The pump mechanism tends to fall down when you fold the Swift if the plastic end cap isn't fitted. The cap screws into an internal thread of about 30mm diameter. At the seat end of the post, the saddle rail fitting appears to be very firmly glued(?) in. It would appear that the mechanism doesn't extend right to the saddle-end of the post and is retained by a rolled steel pin which passes through the seat post about 120mm from the bottom.
Ideally, I guess that after driving out the pin, shortening the post and then drilling some fresh holes to take the rolled steel pin, one should then re-tap the 30mm internal thread for the end cap. Though I suppose that some way could be found to "bodge it" back together.

Ha ha I forgot about the pump I was thinking of a regular seat post lol

Thanks for the explanation. I guess it could be done but certainly not simple.

Regards

Jerry

That's okay Jerry :)

I suppose that michael432000, the guy over here in the UK, could use the Biologic seat post pump instead of a standard Xootr Swift seat post. It might be cheaper? If he needed to shorten the seat post then he could remove the pump mechanism, cut down the post and just use it as a regular seat post. :)

I received a Dahon KORE I-beam 33.9mm seatpost today and was a little concerned that it was noticeably looser than the stock post, which I can’t use because it was cut down too short for me. And it’s horrible.

I will check the diameter at work on Monday.

Anyone else using a seatpost that seems noticeably looser than the stock one? I think it will be ok, it does lock up tight but I am a bit concerned about over tightening the alloy frame clamps. Maybe I will use a steel shim inserted down the frame tube.

The bike is going to look great. The only thing I don’t get is why on a frame with such relaxed geometry do they supply a seatpost with a setback seat connector? Makes it hard to get the saddle far forward enough relative to the bottom bracket.

I made my steering riser tube using 6082 T6 alloy and used an EDM machine to cut a 1mm slot on each side with a 2mm stress relief hole. The material is so strong you cannot squeeze the slots together even slightly with your hands but works perfectly with the lip-lock. 70 grams plus 32 for the clamp. The cut is so precise that a 0.4mm slither of alloy drops out of the slot after the cutting. Nice.

Duh, they sent the wrong brake levers.


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=287520

Nice build..... I am still working on mine.

I tried a Dahon Kore seatpost as well as another seatpsot. They were quite loose. I suspect the seat tube tolerances are quite poor. Fortunately the KCNC seatpost is fitting decently.

Yes, I think you're right.

I just checked my stock post and I measure 33.95-34mm. I would say nearer 34mm, so it must be very close.

From fitting another post to a different bike which I thought was 27mm, then going up to 27.2mm because it was too lose made quite a bit of difference. Not sure what the impact of 0.5mm-1mm would be.

Regards

Jerry

I measured mine:

Stock post 33.87 to 33.93

Dahon KORE I-beam 33.75 to 33.81

That’s probably outside of bottom tolerance. I guess it’s just luck if you get a good one or not.

Ok, I finally got this puppy done. Had a nice ride through center city philly this morning.

https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...94155420649857
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...94153416174722
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...94155192472114
https://plus.google.com/u/0/photos/1...94151456607266

What handlebars are those, phillybill?

It's a bontrager critivz model that I got from the local LBS. Used it for another project that did not take... but it work pretty well on the swift.
http://bontrager.com/model/09191

Hmmm, they sent me back the wrong brake levers again. That’s the first time I’ve used chainreactioncycles, as my regular sources don’t stock the drop v levers. In fairness I found the customer service quite good, quick to answer the phone and sympathetic.

THere normally pretty on top of things.

I don't think I've had a single issue with CRC in 5 years and many orders.

Those handlebars are really nice. The bend looks very comfortable.

I find they fit the frame well and give my hands a nice angle with the ergon grips. I had tried them on a regular frame before and did not like the overall fit.
I might have to adjust the handle bars up a bit... but I am going to ride the sportier setting for now. I do not have any problems with the city traffic generally ride in.

Xootr as mountain bike?
 

I'm thinking about trying mountain biking and am hoping I can give it a try without buying a mountain bike ... at least not yet. Can I use my Swift, at least for some test runs? I actually have two Swifts, so here is what I am thinking:

One possibility is to repurpose my daily driver. It is built up with drop bars, Rhyno Lite rims and Big Apple tires with a drum brake in front and Capreo hub in back. It also has a Thudbuster seatpost.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=288806

The other is to take my travel bike, which is more of a standard Swift (flat bar) aside from currently sporting studded tires (would they work on trails?). It has a MTB cassette, so I can get 1.2 gear ratios at the low end.


Drops bars for a MTB sounds silly, but I like the BA tires and Thudbuster so I was thinking of moving those over to the flat-bar bike. Or maybe just a big apple on the front, where there's enough clearance. Or I could put my regular Marathons on there instead of the Marathon Winters if it's a bad idea to use studs on trails.

other thoughts? I don't really want to throw a suspension fork on it. Any experience using it as a MTB would be most welcome. Btw I don't see myself trying to jump tree trunks, moreso riding pretty well worn trails.

That could be an interesting experiment..... Not something that way I would go about it.

Yes, you can use your Swift. I have a Schwalbe Black Jack 20x1.75, which has a respectably knobby tread, and did a fair amount of gravel riding and some trail riding with it on the front of my Swift. It did fine, as 20" wheels could be expected to do offroad. The ride was rougher, it took considerably more energy to roll over obstacles and cornering was quite a bit sketchier, but with some skill and care most terrain was doable. Fun, even.

That said, if you're trying to see what mountain biking is all about, a 20" bike may not give you a very accurate picture. Like I said, the ride will be quite harsh, you'll more easily get hung up on smaller obstacles, and you won't corner as confidently on terrain that isn't smooth and solid. A beginner coming at moderate-to-advanced terrain on small wheels is a lot more likely to end up discouraged IMO. You might consider finding a similar-height friend from whom to borrow a 26" or 29" hardtail (front suspension, not rear). You could also consider renting, but most shops that rent out bikes typically are going to put you on a full-suspension bike that may be overkill and isn't really ideal for learning either. IMO.

Of course, if you develop your mountain biking skills first on 20" wheels, you'll have honed them to the point that you'll be exceptional on larger wheels.

Not to me. I've been riding drop-bar 29"-wheeled mountain bikes for nearly a decade. I find the hand positioning much more comfortable. For me, flat handlebars lead to hand numbness really quickly. At first I tried putting long bar ends on the bars, and putting my hands there during smoother or uphill sections when I didn't need to brake, but eventually got tired of constantly shifting my hands back and forth. I just found that drop bars -- positioned high enough! -- worked better for me. It's not for everyone (or, even, for most) but many of us who've tried it will never look back.

So I'd just take the drop-bar bike and put fatter tires on it, if it's just to experiment with riding on gravel or mild-to-medium dirt trails. The Big Apples might be OK at low pressure, but probably not the best choice. The Marathon has some offroad capability, but if your studded tires are the Marathon Winter they may actually be your best choice (at least on the front). The Marathon Winter is actually a pretty decent offroad tire. Studs won't generally cause any problems off road. They could slip a bit on large wet rocks, and I suppose the studs could pull out on really extreme terrain, but I've done quite a lot of offroading on studded tires and NEVER had that happen. I say go for it.

wow, thanks for the thoughts! they are Marathon Winters, so maybe I will give them a shot and see how it goes! he paths I'm thinking about are well worn w/o big obstacles.

I hear you on bigger tires though. I have an old Target Mongoose dual-suspension MTB which is probably a POS but I oiled it up and got the brakes/gears working, may give it a try too.