Apropos of nothing at all I noticed today that Xootr is selling 8 speed swifts for 599.00, down from 799.00

That is a STEAL!!!

https://www.xootr.com/folding-bike-8-speed.html

I am sure happy with mine after a couple K miles.

Yup still my best bike, 2 aluminium versions, 2 Ti versions.

Love mine. That's a great price for a quality specialty bike. I would upgrade drivetrain to 11/34.

Can anyone identify the flat mudguards/fenders in Joliett's post on page 140
The look smart, and the rear one wouldn't impede rear wheel removal.



Cheers,

those are apex fenders.

https://drivemybike.files.wordpress....ountdetail.jpg

Thank you. The are very cheap, but very smart, too. The clip-on mountain bike ones that are curved in both directions look a bit mumsy by comparison.


Can I squeeze another question in, please? Is the chainring on a Xootr
replaceable independently of the spider? I have a Nuvinci N360 hub I'd like to put in one, but I gather the rear sprocket is size limited by the seat stays, and so a larger chainring would be the only option.


Ta,

Thanks for posting this! I took the plunge. I was looking at used ones for not significantly less. I already swapped pedals (Forte Campus), seat (Brooks B67) and grips (Ergon) from a couple of other bikes I have. It's a great bike!

12boy,
Thanks for the heads-up on the Xootr end of summer clearance sale. I placed an order on Monday and received the bike Friday!
Great price, bike and service!

How stable is the front brake mount? It looks to be attached to the fork with a quite slim bolt extension. Does it flex quite a bit when applied to stop?

Water bottle mount on the riser
 

I'm a new Swift owner and have been noticing a variety of water bottle holders on the handlebar riser.
Where do you find these holders? Any brand recommendations?
And I notice some mount with what looks like a clamp, and others mount with screws.
Thanks for any assistance you can offer.

Water bottle mount?
 

What brand of water bottle mount is that on your handlebar post?
Looks nice.
Thanks

not my bike. for reference only.

My water bottle holder is standard and inexpensive. I have a phone pouch tip-tied to stem for easy access. I also have a light mount. My wired computer was too short to reach the handlebars so I used a small L bracket and attached to quick release on handlebar riser. I had an old light weight rack I was able to attach. All in all the set up is great for me and has become my favorite ride. I even like the low end Kenda Quest tires. I bought the bike with upgraded 9 speed derailuer and added triggershifter.

Yeah, it's a decent spider, and is industry-standard. Square taper.

Stock crankset is 170mm. Spider is a 5-bolt, 76.5mm c-c (130mm BCD).

To derive BCD from c-c (center-to-center) multiply by the hull number
of the Starship Enterprise (NCC 1701) and divide by 1000:

76.5 * 1701 / 1000 = 130.1265

See also: Sheldon Brown's Bicycle Glossary Bo - Bz

Stock chainwheel is 52t. You can replace it. The way they set it up,
the outer chainring position is occupied by a blank piece of aluminum,
shaped like a chainring, but without the teeth.

It's some kind of guard, probably for your pant leg or sox more than for
rocks.

The inner position is the 52t factory supplied chainwheel.

The stack bolts are of proper length for 2 rings present; if you are
to omit the outer blank wheel, you need a set of short stack bolts.

This would be the case if you were to, for example, move the
52t chainwheel to the outer position, as it would not make sense
to put the chain-guard wheel inboard of the 52t chainwheel!

I re-installed the guard and have not had the chain fall off when pedaling hard in 8th gear and going over bumpy spots. It did happen without the guard. It also keeps your pant leg from touching the chain/ chain ring. That oily schmutz is very hard to get out of your khakis. BTW, my bike came with very little grease in the hubs and headset. I regreased them and added some anti seize compound to the bottom bracket threads since they were dry. When I put my chain ring bolts back in I add a little grease to them as well. Grease is cheap but undoing rusty/frozen parts is a pain in the patoot. Ungreased aluminum and steal can bond together and be really hard to get apart.

How much lighter is the Ti frame, seatpost and stem riser than an Aluminum? I guess you had ti bar, riser and stem all in one.

Bent4me ---I like the red-- I just got two, one in a silver and a blue. I wish they still had red. I went with the Pannier rack Xootr has. I have several panniers that will fit the rack. I have a regular rear rack on my Dahon but the Xootr rack is much handier. I am impressed. I'm 6'3"+ and got the Xtra long seatpost also.

Like everyone else, I am really impressed with the lack of flex in the frame. I just got a 30" suitcase, I am going to play with packing it tonight.

Bent4me, your bike is looking good, the opposite of mine. I carry my phones, kindle and stuff in a messenger bag and my bikes are all naked, so to speak, most of the time. I will put a mini seat bag for tube, patch kit, levers, multitool under the seat. I'm changing brake levers, probably calipers too, going to wider bars with my favorite bar ends on them, changing pedals (shimano dual purpose A530). I really like the bike.

Just looking again Bent4me, the only stock things on your bike are your seatpost, wheels, tires, stem, qrs, Cranks---lol

Hey all -- I am new here and have an original Swift Folder built by Peter Reich back in 2000 or so...and it has mostly been in storage, and is still in good shape.

I asked him about selling it, as I don't really use it anymore, since I no longer live in an urban environment.

Here's what he wrote when I asked how much to ask:

So -- not sure if this is the right thread on which to offer an original Swift Folder for sale -- I am based in the Bay Area of California FWIW.

A little more info -- it is custom painted a pretty cool orange color and has some custom components because I am 6'4" tall -- a longer stem for both handlebars and the seat.

Can someone please let me know if this is a good place to post pics and offer it for sale? Would love to get into someone's hands that would really appreciate this bike vs. selling on Craigslist or something like that.

Amazing! That saves loads of trig for 5-bolt rings.

I've now got my hands on a clean, little-used Xootr Swift. I've never had a newish bike before now, and I was quite bowled over by how lovely the Swift looked with its sparkly polished aluminium fittings. I decided to ride it around for a while in its original configuration, but I've now had quite a few chain drops from the front ring. I can replicate the occurrence very easily with the bike on its back, and putting the chain onto the 11T sprocket with a bit of enthusiasm. Rapid-fire style triggers might slow the change down, but the grip shift that the Swift comes with almost encourages changing several gear steps at a time. The chain falls to the outside, so it has always been retained between the chainring and the bash guard, but in my view, a chain dropping bike is dangerous because it is possible to lose drive in the middle of a roundabout, or in a middle lane, or half way across a cross-road. I've tried to cure it, but I'm left baffled. I wound up the b-screw tension, but it has not improved the situation. I might just carry on with my plan to convert it to a Nuvinci, but I now think it might be a bit of a shame with the Swift being such a light and fast bike, but I can't think what else to do. Maybe sandwiching the bash ring between the chainring and the spider is possible? A but ugly though.

On another topic, where is a rear battery-powered light best positioned? The seat post is not a good place for multiple reasons.

Anyone know how I can order the Apex fenders? I Googled and I can't seem to locate them,... :-(

The only way to cure chain drop is to get the chain guard as close as possible to the chain. Are there any spacers that you could remove?

Not quite true. A narrow/wide chain ring would also mostly eliminate chain drop. Wolf Tooth Components make one in 52T - 130 BCD.
Sadly though, one might need to change the Xootr's transmission to 9 speed (or more) as the stock, 8 speed chain would be a bit too wide to run well on a narrow/wide chain ring designed for 9 speed and up transmissions.