As soon as my neck and back agree on the ideal stem height, I'll cut-down the stem tube.

I had a birdy red for about 5 weeks. I got it quite cheap at ebay and rode it for some time. It is nice to ride in mountainbike-terrain due to the excellent suspension, but not really good for the road or daily urban rides.
folding is a pain! It is so un-smooth and what is left is still ca. 78 x 56 x 28cm. (The Swift is reportet to make 81 x 55 x 28 cm, that is not much of a difference.)
When folding the chain claws the frame and gets everything dirty. And if you are unprecise with the position of the pedals, you will fold and fold and fold....

After a 15km road-ride, my petite female travel-mate was waiting with her simple steel racingbike right behind the goal-line, her caipirinha almost finished... I ride 20-30km daily, she weekly...
bye bye birdy...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caipirinha

It would be better if Birdies didn't fold, then people wouldn't buy them as folders.
---Homer

> On the aluminum frames, 451s will fit both front and
> rear, but you need an
> extremely long-reach rear caliper- I can't find a
> releable source, but you might
> have better luck. Front will just barely work with
> a 68mm Shimano, so you
> can only do a brakeless rear/fixed 451 with
> off-the-shelf components.
>
> The new steel one will work with 68mm calipers front
> and rear.
>

p.s. I measured the rear reach on my alu swift. A 68mm caliper should work.[/QUOTE]


question on the break-thing:
Will a longer caliper break work on a (old) steel-fork together with a 451-rim?
What will the size of the calipers need to be? (min-max)
Thanks for getting out your vernier calipers.

Have a drink on me!
 

I have tried various ways to carry a drinks bottle on my Swift and have settled on the Rixen/Kaul Micro Bottle Bag. This little item attaches to the saddle rails via a quick release bracket and carries a bottle up to .75 litres. There is also a small pocket beneath the bottle large enough to store a spare inner tube, repair outfit and mini-tool. It's very sleek and keeps the bottle secure. I use a Swiss Sigg alloy bottle as it has a "lid" which protects the mouthpiece from debris thrown up by the back wheel.

That looks ok, although I'd prefer to use that for extra water rather than my sole water supply. With 20" wheels, I'd rather not have to worry about putting a bottle away in a spot where I can't see it.

FWIW I prefer to put a water cage on the inside of the handlepost, preferably the Minoura or a Twofish. It's very convenient.

The bag has a draw chord which constricts the neck of a .75L bottle and holds it fast. Smaller bottles slip inside the bag completely and the draw chord covers them. They cannot fall out. I tried the water bottle on the inside of the handlepost but thought it spoiled the look of the Swift. I like the clean lines of the bike and prefer to keep the space between the seat post and the 'bar riser clear. Also putting the bottle cage on the inside of the post means that the cage will lean the wrong way with the possibility of the bottle bouncing out of the cage. On a conventional bike the bottle cage leans back on the frame and with most cages having a lower front than back, putting the cage on the rear of the 'bar riser (facing the rider) means that there is less material holding the bottle in place. I agree that putting the cage on the handlepost is more convenient but as I never drink while actually moving, placing the bottle behind the seat is of little consequence.

New Swift Steel Frame?
 

There was a post about three months ago refering to a rumored new steel frame Swift that was to come out in about three months; which would be about now. Has anyone heard any buzz about that?

Speedo

Peter sent me pics of the new steel frame (impressive indeed!). I have to ask him if it is ok to post them here. The new frame is a little different around the folding hinge. It now fits into samsonite oyster suitcase (smaller than flite). Availability is around springtime.

Thanks. Is there any hope that one could mount a front derailleur on the new frame?

It's steel, so you can always have a braize on added to handle a front derailler,
Juan

The seattube is a standard diameter on steel Swifts (1" IIRC... I'm on a business trip and can't walk into the shop to measure), so a FD clamp works fine.

new steel swift
 

I am not affiliated with swift or xootr in any way. I think these are production ready prototypes. The new frame is intended for use with 406 and 451 rims.

Hrm.... I can see why that might pack better, although aesthetically it's not quite as pleasing.

Is there a wheel size larger than 20" in one of the pics?

Kudos to commander_taco and to Peter for putting pics out. :)

I've been curious for some time what the new bikes would look like.

1. Will the new frame type be available as both steel Swift and aluminum Xootr?

2. Is the new frame designed to compliment or replace existing models?

Oh yeah...now that's what I call bike pR0n!

I'm seeing 3 different wheel sizes: 406, 451, and, what I'm guessing is 520 (the last pic...look at the gearing compared to the other bikes).

It looks like the seat tube angle has been relaxed quite a bit to compensate for the pushed-foward pivot joint/shorter top tube.

Nice track drops.

I don't understand how the fold works on this new model--it looks like the seat tube no longer goes down to the bottom bracket. What locks the bike open?

yep, there are 3 wheel sizes: 406, 451 and 501 (wheelchair 22inch and bmx 24inch). Peter tried out 501's for track racing since minimum wheel dia allowed is 22 inch. Here is what he said - <sic> "Just be sure to be clear- the 501s were a nobel experiment, and it's not practical to replicate for production, given parts availability. The new frame is intended for use with 406 and 451 rims."
I think there is limited tire choice for 501 (like 2 or 3 tires, from wheelchair stores).

I thought the seattube looked funky, but it has grown on me. The 2 tubes that connect hinge to bottom bracket appear veritcal almost.

there is a short seat tube the extends below top tube and it has quick release clamp at the top, just like current versions.

That first picture with the 451's, does that bike have regular road calipers. no more v brakes.
Which one of the pictures do you think represents what the production version will look like?
Personally I like the look of these and I'm glad I didn't pick up a xootr in the meantime. Now I just gotta save my pennies!!

I didn't see any pictures of it folded! That's the most important feature for me. The rear triangle looks a little bit different, and it looks like it may swing a little further "in" for a slightly smaller fold.

I'm going to throw up a couple of my fixed xootr later tonight (451 rims). Thanks commander_taco for the inspiration!:)

Here are a few links to the xootr in its current state.

Warning dial up users…pictures are very large

http://bridgeofwalls.net/foldingbike...r/IMG_5828.JPG
http://bridgeofwalls.net/foldingbike...r/IMG_5832.JPG
http://bridgeofwalls.net/foldingbike...r/IMG_5833.JPG
http://bridgeofwalls.net/foldingbike...r/IMG_5815.JPG
http://bridgeofwalls.net/foldingbike...r/IMG_5812.JPG
http://bridgeofwalls.net/foldingbike...r/IMG_5837.JPG
http://bridgeofwalls.net/foldingbike...r/IMG_5818.JPG

Feel free to check out all the images in the folder.


451 R390 Alex front wheel. The rear rims is laced to a fixed/fixed high flange dimension hub. Same spokes were reused that came with the wheel.

Chain is a cheap-0 ten dollar one.

Front chain ring is 54 tooth Ebay find.

Rear is 15 and 13 (I use the 15 for what I believe is about 68 gear inches) Please correct me if I’m wrong

Tires are 110psi comet primo Kevlar 20 – 1 1/8

Front brake is a lbs special. The front reads: DIA-COMPE PS-E.

I’m using these cheap half toe clip things now. I ride in nyc every day to work and “bailing” is important so I’m not sure about straps yet.

The bike gets about 100 miles a week, most of it around central park, the rest back and forth to work (only about a mile each way). I’ve completed the nyc century on this bike (when it had gears), and recently when half way in a NJ century after it was “fixed”.

I’m still experimenting with handle bar types. Some of the pictures are with the flat bar, now I have a “bull horn” type bar which I like much more.

Out of my 4 folders the xootr is the one I ride the most. The others include a Dahon Jack, Downtube FS VIII, and a Dahon mariner. The stiffness in the frame and the “feels like a full size bike” keeps me grabbing for it every time.

This bike is my first fixed gear and I love it. The control and strength I’ve gained in just a few months is amazing.

The upgrades to come are a TI seat post, different handle bars, better pedals, crank, and bottom bracket. Once I get familiar with the setup I like I would like to replace just about every part on the bike with the best available…and that I can afford. :D

Suitcase pic has the frame folded ;) I know it is not at all clear. Here is my understanding - since the seattube has a slightly acute angle, top tube ends up being an inch or so shorter, which makes all the difference.

BTW, nice xootr!

I have no idea what the brake setup is going to be. Feel free to ask Peter Reich (he maybe slow to respond, but he will). Also, Peter mentioned that he has new stock of long reach caliper brakes for xootr swift if you guys want to run 451 rims on xootr. I have 451 rims (pics are a few pages back) and I love em.

With 451s and 1 1/8 tires 54/15 will give you about 72 gear inches.

Nice bike.

Can you really find a Ti seatpost that is long enough and has the right diameter?