bigbenaugust 

Hey, were any of you riding the silver Swift over by Bayshore/NASA light rail station (Mountain View, CA) yesterday (Friday, 25 Aug) at about 5:15PM? Mine was the only Swift I'd seen in person until then.

Sorry if the post doesn't belong here, but I was curious.

james_swift

Ah, you beat me to this...I was going to post something like:

Spotted: blue Swift w/rear Apex fender going southbound on Manila drive at the Nasa south gate @ approximately 5:10PM, Friday 8/25.

Yeah, that was me. I know the feeling of thinking I was the only one with a Swift in that area.

Are you the same guy on the blue Swift I spotted a couple of months ago going southbound on W. Evelyn (Mountain View Caltrain station)?

yangmusa

I don't think I ever wrote why. So here goes..

Several things:

• I wanted drop bars, but officially SRAM say road shifters won't work with the DualDrive. Most mechanics I spoke to thought it would be hard to adjust the internal gear, because the cable pulled by STi levers would not match. I guess it can't be impossible, since Bike Friday manage it.
• I wanted v-brakes to give plenty of clearance for tires and fenders (mudguards), and the only v-brake compatible road levers are not STi. I could have used TravelAgents, but they are quite expensive and not an ideal solution. I suppose I could also have put the DualDrive shifter on the bar end, like I have with the Sturmey-Archer shifter.
• I wanted hub gears - both for the simplicity of use and because there wouldn't be any delicate bits sticking out when folded.

I guess I'm just a wimp too! I knew I could make the hub gears work, but was uncertain what would be involved with the DualDrive. I'm a mechanical engineer, I hang my head in shame But I didn't want to wait a long time to use the bike, since it's my only means of transport.

In retrospect I still wonder about this decision. I don't think the derailleur would have been much of a problem, I maintain my things and only ride on the road. I had originally wanted to have the Swift as my one do-all bike, but loaded touring will be more or less out of the question with the limited range of the S-A. I guess I'll just have to start saving for a Schlumpf MountainDrive!

bigbenaugust 

Most likely. I used to go to Mountain View Caltrain from my then-fiancee's house in S'vale all the time(it was a complicated drive-bike-train-bike to work arrangement). But now that we've married and moved, I go to S'vale station for my train ride to Cal Ave. I take the train in and ride all the way home.

invisiblehand

There were a few posts around 6 months ago that discussed putting 105 STI shifters on a SRAM Dual Drive drivetrain. I recall that it was straightforward.

yangmusa

Now they tell me

(but odd that SRAM swear it won't work...)

juan162

Hi,
Just wanted to let you all know that the Sram dual drive systems work great with Shimano road brake/shift levers. I'm currently running my Raleigh Twenty with a 7x3 Sram dual drive and Shimano Sora shifters on drop bars. The internal and external gears work perfectly with the shifters. As for the brakes, I have the Travel Agents but am having some trouble dialing them in (my front brake works fine, but not the rear. I think this is because the cables are much shorter so there is less friction to worry about. I guess I should also tell you that I had braze-ons added to the rear before I had decided to use drop bars.). I talked to my LBS owner, who I respect very highly, and he told me that the travel agents are extremely hard to dial in right and once you have them set, you should never touch them again. I am using basic, run of the mill brake cable and housing. He told me that the travel agents are really made to work with the higher end cable and housing. He also told me that Canti's might work, which are made to work with road brake levers. I will be trying Canti's next. Hope this helps,
Juan162

DireWolf33

Has anyone heard an update recently on the new steel-framed Swifts that were rumored earlier in this thread?

maunakea

Does anyone know where to buy a rear facing dropout derailleur hanger? I'm converting my steel Swift from gear hub to RD.

Here's one option ... with an integral bottle opener.
https://www.bikeschool.com/emporium/i...id=47719827857

dubes

I'm curious if anyone has actually put a front derailleur on their Swift. If so, I'm guessing that the FD cable would run along the top tube then down the seat tube to the FD, but that looks like it would require a fairly acute bend in the cable. I'd be curious to hear if anyone has troubles with this set up (such as cables breaking or having bad shifting performance) and whether/how the FD cabling affects (read: interferes with) folding.

Thanks!

bookishboy

Nothing new that I've heard. The most credible rumours seemed to indicate:

-Smaller fold

-Lower stand-over height, which would indicate a lower main tube

-*slightly* lower weight. I believe I remember hearing Peter say that the new models may shave off a pound or so.


Speculation seems to be that Peter and Jan are endeavoring to make the Swift a bit more competitive in pack-ability..... how well they stack up to Bike Fridays and Airnimals and being able to fit in standard-sized checked baggage.

I think it's unlikely that a mid frame-fold (hinge) will be introduced. It would make it easier to fold the bike down, but sacrifice a bit of the handling of the bike.

I like that the Swift is so no-compromises when it comes to construction, design, handling, and ability to absorb abuse. The only thing that makes it difficult to adopt as "my perfect bike" is that the fold is so particular. It seems to be designed with a particular person in mind: The NYC messenger, who needs to get the bike "pretty small, very quickly", slip inside buildings and elevators, stash it in a spare hallway in a cramped apartment. If you want to get it "quite small", you can get it there, but you'll have to take off the front wheel and the handlebars, probably get your hands dirty, and have to carry a loose collection of frame, wheel, steel tubes, and tangled wires.

Anyone from Swift or Xootr or HPM want to chime in with a surprise announcement?

maunakea

Steve K. at Xootr told me that a double crank on a Swift has been done several times, but not a triple, to his knowledge.

Bacciagalupe

Man, I just packed my Swift for travel, what a pain in the tuchas. I think if I'm going to keep traveling with my bike, I may need to amp up to a BF....

maunakea

Bac, are you using a 31" suitcase... the extra inch or two makes a HUGE difference in packing. Packing my Swfit in a 31" s/c seems easy compared to packing my 700c bike with BTCs ... that is a Rubik's Cube.

Bacciagalupe

31"L x22"W x12"D, Samsonite F'Lite.... The thing is, like, almost as big as an Xbox.

I have no doubt it's easier than packing a 700c or an S&S, but it's harder than my Dahon. The Swift needs to be in exactly the right spot or else the case won't close. Everything else is fine, it's just fitting the thing so precisely that's a drag.

Speedo

Not to jinx you or anything, but that's 65 linear inches. It seems that the airlines specify max suitcase sizes of 62 linear inches, and the suitcase manufacturers like to make suitcases just a bit over that. Anyone have any experience with how this sort of thing plays out at the check in counter?

Speedo

maunakea

Those of us who pack bikes and travel are very aware of the luggage regs. Except on RyanAir, where any checked bag means going to cashier, I haven't have a problem with a F'Lite.

yangmusa

Yet again, I've experimented so you don't have to

As I have explained before, I would like a rear rack. But I don't want a seatpost mounted rack, because I don't want to have to deal with it when I fold the bike. Hence I wanted to try to do something like the R&M Birdy "expedition" rack that folds with the bike.

I noticed that the Delta Megarack Sport has a hinge, so thought it would be a good starting point. It's quite light, made of aluminium, and seems sturdy. Not what you need for your next self-supported world tour, but perfectly ok around town and for commuting (I've used it for 3 months on my beater bike, and loaded it very heavily).

As you can see from the pictures, I mounted it to the pre-drilled & tapped holes over the track slots and to the upper seatpost quick-release. I had to drill out the upper/front rack mounts to allow the quick-release skewer to go through. The rest of the fitting process was very straight forward.

It looks kind of funny on the bike, but readily accepted my Ortlieb. As you see, even with the pannier adjusted as far back as possible I get terminal heel strike... I wear size 11 or 12 shoes, so if you have smaller feet this might work for you. Actually, the upper mounts have enough adjustment to get the pannier another 2 inches further back, but it makes the top of the rack rather flexy and also made the folded package even bigger.

Speaking of the fold, it makes the fold bigger. Between 3" and 5", depending on how far back the front rack mounts are adjusted. (It doesn't stick out past the rear of the seat, but it's 3-5" measured from the seatpost). Not ideal, but if it had been otherwise functional I wouldn't have minded. I don't think those extra 3" would stop me on Caltrain.

Conclusion: well, now I know for sure it doesn't work for me. If your feet are smaller than 11-12 it might be worth considering. I've since discovered that my Ortlieb fits fine on the front, but haven't taken a picture of that yet..

stronzoni

Hi Everyone,
I've had a Swift for about 6 months now-
I ride about 100 miles per week on it, and I love it...
There are a few issues that I have, and I thought I would get the opinions of all of you...

The seat post slides down (or twists a little) when I ride, and by the time I get to work its like an inch and a half too low. I have my quick releases really tight (can't go much tighter). The seatpost itself is lubricated with triflow, but I dont use that much. Should I get a longer seat post? I emailed someone at Xootr, and they said I would have to buy the longest stem they ahae which seems weird because I am only 5'5".

Also, the chain comes off every 20 miles or so. This is annoying. The bike came with a plastic chain guard which broke one day on the Bklyn Bridge - the chain came off as I was pedalling and that is what broke the chain guard. Any suggestions? A roller, remove a link or two?

There seems to be a little give in the frame - either at the rising stem or in the back at the seat post. When I go over a bumby rode I feel and hear some movement where the quick releases are underneath my saddle. Is this normal?

I have scatches all over from locking the bike up/ or the bike falling down as a result of not having a kick stand. My swift is black - what do you guys do for touch up paint?

Thanks much!

Speedo

Thanks. I tried, but failed, in getting a straight answer on that from Samsonite and several airlines.

Speedo

maunakea

Speedo, I forgot the Inquisition part. If the counterperson asks the contents of the suitcase, if you feel lucky, you can say "bicycle parts". A safer answer is "an alignment frame". I've never been asked the question when checking my Swift in a suitcase, but if checking a bike bag, e.g., a DT bag or a Nashbar bag, some airlines have a policy to ask.

Bacciagalupe

Samsonite doesn't care how people use their products, as long as the company name doesn't appear in an article with a headline like "Terrorists Prefer Samsonite"

Basically, as long as the case is less than 50 lbs and isn't egregiously oversized, they won't notice and won't charge you extra. It's the same case that Bike Friday sells on their site. I'm much more concerned with the TSA guys taking stuff out and being incapable of putting it back in than I am about getting charged for it.

Hmm, Continental's bike charges have gone up from $80 to $95 in the last year! Dang....

JackJ

Is this using the front rack shown in the first photo? I'd love to know about front rack options that work.

Jack

Bacciagalupe

FYI, I picked up a pair of Deuter Rack Pack I's, which give a little more heel clearance. You can't tell very well from the photo on the site, but the bag is slanted, and has adjustable clips, so it's very easy to position on the rack.

yangmusa

Yes, I mean the Nashbar rack in the photo. I'll take photos soon, promise...

Unless you want the platform on top of the rack (and I did), there are a couple of other options for front racks:

• Dahon makes one for $28: https://www.dahon.com/us/accessories/.../frontrack.htm
• Bike Friday makes another, for $75: https://store.bikefriday.com/product_...roducts_id=718

If you want the platform on top, I think there's just the Nashbar I've got and the two Nitto racks for $50-65.

/. Magnus