james_swift

Ah, that's my headlight mount.

james_swift

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

kb5ql

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.

james_swift

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.

kb5ql

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...

big boy phil

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? :-)

james_swift

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.

kb5ql

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.

kb5ql

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.

Speedub.Nate

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.

zepi

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)

Bacciagalupe

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

zepi

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

jyossarian

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

james_swift

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

Donkey Hodie

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!

JTriumph

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

zepi

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

jyossarian

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!

james_swift

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

JackJ

James--

What tires are you currently running? They look "right"; I want to replace my skinnies, but I'm going to let them where down more first.

Jack

james_swift

Jack:

They're Greenspeed Scorchers. They have excellent high-speed characteristics and dry-weather handling, but aren't very durable for commuting. Mine actually punctured once (in spite of the kevlar belt) and the tread looks pretty badly diced-up just from coming in contact with everyday road debris. I hold my breath every time I hit a rock or other sharp object. If they were only more durable, I'd get a second set once these wear-down. I'm actually contemplating the Marathon Racers as my replacement set.

JackJ

Thanks for the info. That was one of the tires I was considering. I like the smooth tread, and the profile looks rounder than some others, but good to know about the durability issue. The Marathon Racer is probably my next tire, too, reinforced by your Scorcher experience. If only the Racers were cheaper.

Jack

zepi

My chainring constantly takes bites of my jeans... I guess this is a fixed gear issue. At least my tailor is happy about it...

jyossarian

That happens on all my bikes, not just the fixie. I roll them up, tuck them in my sock or use a geek strap to keep them out of the way.