Oziswift's bike certainly goes to show that you can do a full-blown road bike configuration with the Swift. If you're expecting the Swift to ride like a Giant OCR1, you will be disappointed. An aluminum frame riding on 20" wheels is nothing like a carbon 700C road bike. It's just not an apples-to-apples comparison. On the other hand, if you're looking for a versatile folding bike that can go from stock, to road bike, to fixie, and back again, then the Swift can certainly accommodate. If you like to tinker and tweak; if the end result is a truly unique and personal machine, then the Swift will fit the bill. If you want a carbon dream machine, then get a carbon dream machine. :)

You can also go with an SRAM Dual Drive for a wide gear range. The loss of performance is minimal.

I apologize, the bike I should compare to is not the ocr1, but the tcr1. Still not apples to aples, but it is an aluminum framed bike.
Thanks for the replies. I have a lot to consider before I start shelling out the cash.
I guess I was trying to see if the swift would compare to a Bike Friday. Where all I read and hear about those bikes, is how awesome they are. And how they can easily replace someones true road bike. I have inquired about the fridays as we'll, and the number one turn off is the price. Second, is when I asked about turning it into a fixed gear bike, the contact person @ BF advised against it, and said its not practical and would be difficult to do. Although I have seen BF's as fixed bikes.
From everything I have read about the swift, I am sure it would be a capable platform for me to turn it into what I want. And what I am after is first and foremost a compact package of a bike that performs well. I'm not looking to reduce my stable of bikes by having an all in one package of a bike, but to expand my collection to have a sweet folding bike that would be able ride with the big boys if needed.
Man this is getting long winded.
Oh, one last thing. I don't know anything about braze on front derailers, but is that even a consideration to get a FD onto the swift?

Yeah ... a NWT with 105 components and drop bars is something like $2000. But if you are set on a derailer drivetrain (front and back) then it is probably your best bet.

If you are interested in a fixed gear, talk to Walter at BF.

If you search this thread, you will probably find reference toa Japanese guy that makes a clamp for a 40mm seat tube to which you could attach a braze-on front derailer. Last I checked, after converting from Yen, it was about a $100.

Note that with the Swift, you will then have to consider the bend to the front derailer cable. You could split the cable--with the method that coupled bikes use--to avoid the bend; but it already sounds like a lot of work.

Hi big boy phil

Alex Wetmore publishes a “Bike Friday vs. Swift” article on his website, which is worth a read. For background, I own:
(1) a custom built, steel framed road bike designed for me by Australia’s best bike fitter.
(2) a Bike Friday Pocket Rocket Pro.
(3) a customised XOOTR Swift.
I bought the Bike Friday because it packed up in a suitcase, making it easier to travel by air. Unfortunately, I discovered the Swift after I’d bought the Bike Friday:( . I built up the Swift because of problems I had folding the Bike Friday. maunakea proposed an elegant solution to the BF folding problem (above). Why didn’t I think of that! Thank you, maunakea:beer: .
I prefer to ride the full sized bike – the Bike Friday or the Swift will never replace it until I can’t throw my leg over the big bike’s saddle. The BF and Swift are “twitchier” due to smaller wheels, higher bottom brackets and fork offset/trail dimensions. Properly configured, either can hang with the big boys – and I haven’t noticed any discernable difference in handling between them.

Your main problem will be gearing. A 56t front chain ring and 9-32 (modified Capreo) or 11-32 (if you’re happy pumping a max of 102 gear inches) 9-speed cassette should work just fine. Note that a 1T difference in the rear cogs is not as discernable on 20” wheels as it is on 27” wheels so you can live with bigger jumps (11-13-15 etc) in the rear cluster without detracting from the road bike “look and feel”. If you can live with the slight weight penalty, the SRAM Dual Drive or Rohloff are the go for multi gearing small wheel bikes with one front chain ring. Depends on what you need and how much you can afford.

Bike Friday may not exactly duplicate your position on your favourite bike. As far as I know, the Pocket Rocket frames are built with a fixed 72 degree head and seat tube angle. Also, the frames are built in 2 cm (virtual) top tube increases from somewhere around 46 cm through to 60+ cm. If you like riding with a stem length between 90-110 mm and your road bike seat tube is 71 degrees, you may have to compromise your road bike position on a BF.

If I was asked to choose between a Bike Friday and Swift with identical components, I’d come down on the side of the Swift because it would cost much less while providing the flexibility to reconfigure it as you please. Its only drawback is that it comes in one size and the seat post is fixed.

I’m surprised with BF’s change of heart about fixies because it certainly promoted them last year on it’s old web site and dedicated considerable space to BF riders’ single speed and fixie bikes and their exploits. I think it even offered one in its 2006 range.

kb5ql (see post at the top of page 34) is contemplating the front derailer route on a Swift. Whether braze on or clamp, remember that the chain slopes DOWN from the chain rings to the rear cluster on small wheeled bikes (that is, the chain is not parallel to the ground as it is on a full size bike) so the derailer tab needs to be offset from the seat tube, not PARALLEL to it. If the seat tube angle is 72 degrees, the FD tab will probably less than this; I’m not sure how much but it shouldn’t be too hard to work out with a little math.
Looking forward to seeing how you and kb5ql go.
OziSwift

I bought myself a butt buddy
 

I bought a butt buddy. Yes, really.

Check out this page at Sidetrak.com It's basically a steel spring with urethane dampers, so it does something similar to the Cane Creek Thudbuster.

Unlike the Thudbuster, it is not intended for offroad use - instead of several inches of travel, it has 6 mm. The urethane is also very stiff. It doesn't sound much, but from a week of riding it I can say that I'm starting to like it. It takes the brunt off the worst bumps & potholes here in SF, and seems to remove some road buzz from the aluminium frame.

My kitchen scales say it weight about 250 g (just under 9 oz) - about a quarter water bottle.

James_Swift wondered if it starts moving or oscillating when spinning at high cadences. The answer is, I can't really tell. My spinning technique is lousy and I just start bouncing in the seat. But I don't think it does, at least not as I can tell.

So all in all, it doesn't perform miracles, but it does seem to reduce the worst bumps. I hope it will reduce fatigue on long rides. I've signed up for the San Francisco to LA Aids/Lifecycle ride, and am considering doing all 545 miles on my Swift :)

Edit: I find that it works best when I'm sitting relatively upright. When I'm on the drops I have much less weight on the seat, and I don't notice it doing so much. YMMV.

http://www.sidetrak.com/GraphicFiles/buttbuddy.jpg

In response to the various "can I use a Swift as a road bike?" questions:

I've never owned a road bike, so I can't tell you how it compares to "the real thing". But I can tell you that I regularly ride 40+ miles with a bunch of roadies, averaging 16++ mph over that distance. We ride over the hills south of SF, then down the peninsula. Along the way, there are 5 long open stretches where we do sprints. The faster riders drop me on the sprints, but I think that has more to do with my fitness - I certainly don't run out of gears (I have a Sturmey Archer 8 speed hub).

Magnus

My Swift's latest incarnation: ;)
http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...swift01-01.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...swift01-02.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p...swift01-03.jpg

I added an inline brake lever, Oury grips to the bar tops, and I upgraded the front brake to Avid SD-5.

Thanks everybody for all your help. Here is a quick shot of the bike. I'll probably update this info later this weekend.

http://www.zaftig.net/images/swift-folder1.jpg

What is the black thing on the stem-rise below the stem?

Ah, that's my headlight mount. :)

:eek: NICE!!!:eek:
Details...we crave details...:)
Hey, wait a second...what's that seat tube? I want one!

Ha. You noticed the seat post. The bike has a lot of parts ripped from my Dahon Speed P8. The stock seat tube was too short. (I'm 6' 3"/191cm with shoes on). Unpacked and setup everything and raised the post to the minimum insertion point and said, "uh oh."

Tires are Marathon Slicks
Nashbar 7075 Road Bar
Nashbar Adjustable Stem 125mm
Hubbub adapter
Tektro Road Levers + Travel Agents (noticed you have one on your fixie)
Cycle Mirror
Nexus 8-Speed Internal Hub
Pletscher ORION Seatpost clamp
Cateye Wireless Computer
Performance Campus Pedals
Performance Men's Contour Seat
BikePlanet 10w Halogen Setup

Now, is it safe to use the Dahon seat post w/ the Swift? I noticed that the wall thickness is a hair thinner.

Ah, so it's not a stock seatpost then. Just a little advice...I don't recommend using a Dahon seatpost. I don't know if your bike came with a warning letter like mine did about using non-standard seat posts, but doing so could cause problems with the seat tube later on down the road. The Swift's stock seat post is designed specifically to fit the Swift seat tube. If you need a longer seat post, you should let Xootr's customer service know and maybe they can ship you a longer one.

Anyway, really nice setup you have there.

They're both 34mm seatposts. The only difference was that the Swift's was heavier and just a touch thicker (on the inside portion of the tubing). Contractually they're bound to say don't use another seatpost. I'd like to know if the Dahon one is completely taboo...

James, awesome swift. That just makes me want one even more.

Same with Kb5gl's bike. Looks great. Just goes to show how many ways the bike can be converted.

My new concern now is if the bike will fit me. Reading kb5gl's post above worries me. I'm 6'4" with longer legs than torso. If he's 6'3" and had to put in a new seat post I wonder where that would put me? I wish I could get a test ride on one of these. Anyone in los angeles wanna let me try theirs? :-)

I tried the seatpost off my Dahon Vitesse, and I couldn't get the post clamped-in tight enough to prevent it from turning/sinking in the seat tube, so I'm inclined to think that there is some variation in diameter.

Mine is a little bit the opposite. It goes it nice and snug about 3/4 of the way down, then tightens up nicely. So maybe I lucked out w/ the older (2004) post. When the part catastrophically fails and blows up on me, I'll let you know ;) I did notice it felt lighter than the Swift post.

You can request the longer one directly from xootr (they'll exchange the default for the longer post). I was impatient and ordered from nycewheels as xootr was out of stock.

Uh, hello. I'm in LA ;) Pming you now.

I'm curious, too.

At 6'0 and 33.5" inseam, my stock 20" seat (Xootr calls it 19" -- they may be measuring shaft only) is barely long enough.

The 170mm cranks are too short for my liking and I'm looking for some 180s. That will require a centimeter less seat post extension, and make the stock post "just right".

However, with a clamp for a blinky right at the top of the post, mine is about two inches short of being in contact with the rear tire when folded.

So I've got a 22" replacement in the mail from Xootr. They'll soon have a 24" available, according to an email from Brian of Xootr.

What about stem length for you tall guys? I was lucky to find a 140mm x 12° stem, which, combined with bar ends, allows me to stretch out nicely.

Hello Swifters. To support the idea of more images here in the forum, I prepared some shots of my gentleman's swift in its natural environment: streets of vienna! (naturally I picked some flashy backgrounds as eye-candy)

How the heck did that little house get stuck in the middle of the big building?!? Must've been one heck of a tornado... :eek:

That is part of the exhibition of Erwin Wurm at the MUMOK (the big building, Museum of Modern Art).

There seems to be a tumor growing on the outside of that building.

Those are really nice pictures of such a fine bike! It would be nice to see them in higher resolution. Perhaps Photobucket?:)

I'm thinking about ordering a steel swift from the west coast connection. Do you think that they are or have ceased the production of the original model swift in favor of the new steel model?

Does anyone think that the newer model is going to have more flex in the frame? Or do you think it will be less stable than the original model because it is going to be more compact?

I think I would rather get the older steel model if it is more stable or more stiff than the newer model. I am not really concerned about how compact it gets when folded. In fact, I will rarely keep it folded unless it is in my car.

I love the look of zepi's retro swift. I think I would like to customize the one I get with internal gearing, and a retro 70s look. I would probably get it powder coated a metallic green, purple, or brown/copper or maybe with subtle metallic/gold flake in the coat.

James-swift's new xooter looks really nice as well. It looks kind of off-roadish to me. I like the fat tires!

Options for attaching Carradice Nelson LF
 

Hi,

I've got an old Carradice Nelson bag that I'd like to use on the Xootr Swift in a QR fashion. Carradice has two options for this: the SQR system and the Bagman QR (expedition model). The bagman is a kind of supporting rack that attaches to the seat rails. I'll have to have 21" or 22" of seatpost to accomodate either the SQR block (needs 4" of seatpost) or the bagman and keep the bike folded properly (this will not be a problem for the fit of the bike, but I'll have to special order one). In the case of the bagman, although it doesn't attach to the seatpost, I think the extra length would required so that the seat could be spun 180 degrees while folded, putting the rack towards the middle of the bike and (hopefully) just clearing the cross bar. Anyone know whether this imagined scheme for folding with the bagman works in practice? The geometry is kind of hard to figure from the photos.

Any thoughts about the relative merits of the two options? Appreciate your feedback.

Thanks,
JTriumph

I got this ssssserious chainring here. It is a 66T on a nifty campagnolo pista crank. I bought the complete bike, just for this exciting set. I think about mounting it on my swift. It will look completely wicked. I added a picture of the complete bike, to cure the curiosity

Zepi, you plan on following motorcycles around at 60 mph w/ that thing? I'd keep it the way it is and just ride it around for goofs, that is, if I could pedal it.

If you put the chainring on the Swift, you'll be cutting the roads up like a can opener. I say put it on the Swift and take lots of pics!

The Swift@work: (pardon the cam-phone quality)

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p..._at_work-2.jpg

http://i124.photobucket.com/albums/p..._at_work-1.jpg