I am really interested in a fine bag for my swift. I want to get in and out of the austrian train without discussing if this is a bike or not.
There are some dahon-bags available at ebay, but I would like to avoid getting one just to find out that it doesn't fit with my swift. I think about sewing one out of two of those big IKEA-bags myself...

Any suggestions?

Buy a "Nashbar Bike Transport Bag", currently $35 (less the usual 10% to 15% promo code, plus shipping), and address the length you don't need by sewing, heat-weld, rollup, zip-ties (cable ties), etc. I use the zip-tie method: melt two or three holes where you want to roll up the excess for a folder, zip-tie rolled up excess. If you need the extra room in the bag for clothing, gear, etc., use the full length of the bag.

Extra step One: silk-screen "Steiermark Maler Staffelei" (Styria artist easel) on the side to keep the transit police asleep.
Extra step Two: wear a beret when boarding the train.
Extra step Three: finger-paint a mountain landscape on the bag; avoid bright colors.
(I haven't needed the extra steps.)

Thanks for your ideas...
I'm not sure if I get your extra-steps though. Austrias trains are far from being escorted by grim MPs, even if the conductors are a little beefy sometimes. But I guess they are like that everywhere...
Slightly off topic: I recently saw an excellent movie about uncanny train-rides that perfectly reflects the image of European trains. "Europa" from the danish director: Lars von Trier. See this movie, if you get the chance. It is outstanding! (but it is different in reality)

Anyways, the posting gave me the idea to modify an old, worn out army duffel bag, that looks wonderfully used. I think it even has patched bullet-holes ;). It might fit well and would be very stylish... I'll post some images as soon as I got my bike in there...

Please post if this solution works for you.

The extra-steps are American humor.

My new blue Swift arrived!

The only hitch in setting-up the bike was the rear fork end spacing: apparently, Xootr changed this spacing at some point from 132.5mm to the standard MTB 135mm spacing. I needed to add 2 x 1mm spacers to my Surly fixed hub to up it to 134mm, but aside form that, everything else transferred over fine.

The pictures don't do justice to the paint job. It's a super-glossy deep royal blue. I really hate taking this bike on my commute only to see it get banged-up and scratched-up on the train. :(

Nice one, James!

What, new handlebars again?? These constant makeovers are quite entertaining :)

Ha! Yes, my Swift has multiple personality disorder. :o The bars are oversize (31.8mm) MTB 1.5" riser bars mounted to a 10-degree 110mm oversize road stem. Although not as hardcore as the bullhorns, I find the risers much more comfortable and the extra leverage handy for fixed-gear city riding. They're stout, stiff, and light. I lopped off about 2.5 inches on each end with my $4 pipe cutter.

Oh, and by the way, Xootr changed the headset on the bike. This one adjusts perfectly (no slop, no bind). I'm hoping it stays that way after miles of pounding on SF's pothole-ridden streets. ;)

From he who once said:

:D Sorry James, I couldn't resist. And you'll be quite correct in point out that riser bars aren't flat! Personally, I like the look of flat and riser bars better on the Swift and most folders. Drops just look weird. But my hands can never get comfortable with my wrists in a flat bar position, so I'm aiming to put drops on my swift.

Blue Swift, bleah... ;) Sorry, but aesthetically I'm not into it, I vastly prefer the matte blue of my junky Dahon Mariner.

By the way, has anyone here tried both Schwalbe Marathon Slicks and Big Apples on their Swifts? I'm running on the Slicks (at around 95 psi), which have nice rolling resistance but a harsh ride.

I wasn't riding fixed back then, but yeah, if you're serious about keeping up with the roadies, you gotta have drops. My riser bars at 50cm wide are terrible aerodynamic-wise, but are more practical for fixed-gear city riding where the upright position and more leverage make the bike more responsive when darting in and out of traffic. They also have a nice sweep back that make them very comfortable on the wrists. I'm never going back to flat bars! ;)

Considering, that the Swift Folders thread is one of the most frequented threads in the Folding Bike Forums, and things are getting a little jumbled: wouldn't it be a good idea to expand and create a plain swift-folder-gallery thread. I love to watch images of nice, customized swift machines... And maybe even more swift lovers will upload their images then. I simply can not get enough of those images. :)

I'm actually thinking of something similar, in that I'm surprised that there isn't a foldingbikeforums.net and foldingbikegallery.com . ;)

A Swift article on NY1. Check out the RealMedia slideshow.

NY1: "Next come the handle bars, the wiring for the brakes and the pedals."
One guess as to the gender of the reporter.

so what are you trying to say?

To paraphrase, "Reporter, know thy lexicon."

Thanks for posting this, James! I ordered my Swift from Peter three months ago and it's great to see any new images, especially a video, to help get through the wait. Peter's got mine built up but it's waiting for its black powdercoat. After seeing the video I almost wish I'd gone with white...

what's that got to do with gender?

I agree...Swift in white looks classy.

So what are the specs on your custom Swift (drivetrain, wheels, bars, saddle, accessories, etc.)? Please tell. :)

As a bit of a novice when it comes to mods, I've not done anything extremely exciting or even extreme when compared to the mods done by you or the others on this list. I wanted (needed) better gearing for the extreme grades around here so opted for a DualDrive, that's how Peter got involved. I also wanted a black bike, so have gone the (foolish?) step of having a Xootr frame stripped and powder coated. Otherwise the only special item is a B17 saddle. I had thought of some other handlebar and/or brake changes, but am thinking I'll be making some changes once I've had the bike for a bit.

Sounds great! Post some pictures if you can.

Will do when it gets here. Cross your fingers that it's soon.

Swift Folder with Disk Brakes
 

Hi James and other Swifties

Peter Reich told me about this forum long after I'd ordered a frameset from him. I'd wanted a folder frameset to build up a folding touring bike and no other manufacturer (Bike Friday, Moulton, Dahon, PBW etc) would sell me just the frameset. So about this time a year ago, I ordered an unpainted frameset from Peter and assembled the bike - after frame mods - over the Aussie winter. I enjoyed putting it together so here's the history.

A local company down here – GripSport – specialises in frame repairs and welding dropouts to frames with no disk brake tabs. Jon Weaving undertook to weld disk brake tabs onto the fork and rear dropout/seat stay to the IS 2000 disk brake mounting standard. He also powder coated the frame in my choice of colour.

Besides the disk brake tabs, I added a 4" after market quill extender. I could have used a stem with an acute rise but I prefer a flat [little rise] stem – especially with drop bars. I have long legs but an average torso so I needed the handlebars to be higher tham I could achieve with the normal riser.

I had hoped to use a bar end shifter to change the internal 3 speed hub gears but it was too difficult to get the shifting right so I used SRAM’s 3 speed twist shifter attached to the drop bar using a HubBub twist shift adaptor.

Using the 3 speed hub, road cluster and 20" tyres, I have a gear range of 105 to 22 gear inches, which is ideal as far as I’m concerned. It would be worthwhile replacing the cable guide under the ‘top tube’ with a model that handles three (rather than two) cables. Cable ties are a wonderful thing though, for the rest of the cable routing.

The bike rides a treat; steering is a little ‘quicker’ than my full size bike and the disk brakes are fabulous. Next time I’m bombing down 17+ km of twisty mountain road with a 9 – 11 per cent grades, I won’t be thinking about overheated rims and tyres blowing off. The full specifications for the bike are shown below if you’re interested in the detail.

The folding, disk braked, 20 inch (406 mm bead diameter) touring bike

Frameset : Aluminium XOOTR Swift Folder
Fork: Rigid chrome moly with after market chrome moly disk brake tabs welded to fork leg
Rear Triangle: After market aluminium disk tabs welded to dropout and chainstay
Headset: Chris King 2-Nut
Steerer : Chrome moly with after market 4" extension
Stem : FSA OS 115 – 100 mm, +/- 10o rise
Handlebars: Aluminium FSA Wing Pro drop bars, 42 cm
Bar Tape: Red
Brakes : Avid BB7 cable activated road disks, 160 mm (mechanical)
Brake levers: Cane Creek SCR 5c (compact), Black
Shifter – SRAM 3x hub: SRAM 3 speed twist shifter mounted on HubBub (Rohloff twist shifter) adaptor for drop bars
Shifter – rear derailleur: 9 speed Dura Ace bar end
Derailleur – rear: Shimano Ultegra RS6600 short cage
Cranks: FSA Gossamer 175 mm, aluminium
Chainring: FSA Pro Road Compact, 46 tooth
Bottom bracket: FSA Mega Exo
Chain: SRAM PC59 9-speed with Power Link
Cassette: Shimano (custom) 11-12-13-14-16-18-21-24-28
Hub – rear: SRAM 3x9 Dual Drive, 36h, disk compatible, with Click Box
Hub – front: Shimano XT, disk compatible
Rims: Velocity Fusion 36h, 406 mm bead diameter
Tyres: Continental Grand Prix, 28-406
Pedals: Shimano SPD M920 double entry
Saddle: Selle Italia Flite Gel Flow

I've been trying to attach some other photos, but the file size is too big. When I find out how to make the images smaller, I'll post them on the forum. I logged ont this forum today for the first time and I wish I'd done it a long time ago; may have saved me some heartache ;). It's been a great read and I hope it continues. Sorry it's taken so long to get the details to the thread.

Great mods. To get pix under 100KB, you need to use Photoshop or other photo editor. Photo editors allow you to define a target file size (and corresponding resolution), or vice versa (resolution, with corresponding file size).

Oziswift:

Wow, your bike is so awesome. I'd like to see more pics (a lot more pls).

No need for photoshop. Just install this Microsoft Image Resizer Powertoy (granted you're running XP). After installing, simply right-click on your photos and select "Resize Pictures". :)

question has probably been answered
 

Just curious, is their a weight limit for the Swift? Is it different for the aluminum and steel versions?

A buddy of mine is looking for a folding bike to "dilly dally" on but is at least 245 lbs.

Sorry to ask, but I did a few searches "rider weight limit", "rider weight", and "weight limit" but could not find an answer. I was unable to find anything on the Xootr or Swiftfolder websites.

260lbs for the aluminium Swift. Not sure about the steel version though...

I sent an email with this question to my friend at Xootr. I should get an answer for you shortly.

Yup...confirmed...260lbs. :)