james_swift

Horizontal dropouts for flexibility. Swifts can run 8-Speed cassette, internal gear hub, fixed-gear/single speed BMX-style hub, and single-speed freehub conversion all on the same dropouts.

jyossarian

Thanks James. I was considering a FG/SS Swift for weight and simplicity.

james_swift

I like the clean-looking drivetrain and uber-coolness factor of an SS.

I find that I spend most of my time in the 52X14 gear, and never even touching anything above 52X16, so I think a 52x15 SS setup will do just fine.

spambait11

Since Swift's have horizontal dropouts, why do you need a Singleator? (The folding doesn't affect the Swift's drivetrain.)

james_swift

Because I have a cassette freehub with a hollow axle and alloy quick-release skewers (most likely won't be able to clamp-down the axle hard enough to keep it from creeping forward under torque).

BruceMetras

Hello Folding Fraternity,

Have been riding a Xootr Swift for the last couple of months and have really been impressed with it. Out of the box it is an extremely capable bike with rock solid handling, fast, looks great and folds quickly to fit in the trunk of my Alfa convertible. I have made a few personal changes to it tailored to the kind of riding I do the majority of the time, which is hilly, paved, country type roads. I changed out the seatpost/seat for a 1lb savings, the wheels (for another 2+lbs with the front being a Pantour suspension hub) and added a 9sp cluster, SRAM X-7 derailleur, hollow pin chain, 53t chainring, carbon bar, carbon bar ends, wireless speed computer, and MKS Q/R pedals... I took it on my normal 10 mile round trip lunch run today and it really flies. The Stelvios and light wheels really accelerate..Woweee! And, the bike is comfortable with the Pantour hub soaking up lots of the road harshness, no tingling finger ends. The Swift is a most impressive folding bike regardless of price, but at under $700, it's a steal. I can't match Chris' animated .gif riding a KHS down stairs, but I did include a picture of the one of reasons I ride 10 miles for lunch.

Best Bruce

james_swift

Killer components, Bruce. Very impressive.

Where did you get the seat tube and what are it's specs? How come no clipless pedals? That bike is just screaming for a pair of Speedplays!

austex

If it doesn't creep in current config, why would it creep as SS? Torque doesn't change unless you get significantly stronger. Might replace the alloy skewer with steel, though, for tighter clamp (and less weight than singulator).

BruceMetras

Hey James, fellow Bay Area person, the seat tube/seat is a 34mm SDG I-Flex unit sold on many Dahon bikes, and, is over a full pound lighter than the stock seat/seat post! Furthermore, I really like the seat!..Some others don't, but I find I can ride it comfortably for hours and my arse is not the limiting factor to rides end. I checked out the picture, and you can barely see that I use Power Grips. I like the freedom to wear normal athletic shoes and still have a pretty good connection with the pedals. I have plans to increase the gear range, but I may shelve that for awhile and just enjoy the bike as is. I like to ride periodically with some friends on their high end 700c bikes, and the Swift is now set up to allow me to stay with them.

Best,
Bruce

james_swift

It doesn't creep in the current config because the axle is all the way up against the innermost part of the dropout. Yeah, I heard that a steel XT skewer might do the trick as well.

james_swift

What part of the Bay Area are you from?

Ah, that makes sense now. I'm guessing you lifted the seat tube/seat and wheels from a Jetstream P8? If so, do you have the Kinetix wheels with the American Classic hub? How is that hub holding-up? I read on this and the Dahon forums that the hub is currently in recall. Make sure you get your retrofit-kit from Dahon.

BruceMetras

I'm in San Rafael and most of my riding is around Marin County. You're pretty close, lots of the stuff came off of a Jetstream XP. The XP will see some mods pretty soon also! I've ridden the American Classic Hub for a few hundred miles with zero problems, but I did phone into American Classic for the updated camplate that is on recall.

Bruce

austex

Inspiration: https://james.architectureburger.com/swift.html Is for me, anyway.

jyossarian

Update on the Apex fenders. Any speed above 15 mph kicks the water up high enough off the front wheel that it flies into your mouth and face. Keep your mouth closed or wear a bandana and glasses.

yangmusa

I don't have much faith in any fender except the permanently mounted ones (SKS, Planet Bike Freddies etc etc). That said, I had some quick mount fenders on my MTB that worked really well. I don't believe that manufacturer make any for 20" wheels, but in my searches I discovered that SKS make some that look very similar:
https://tinyurl.com/acdwr

I dunno, at $6.71 you might want to give them a go.. They fit much closer to the wheel than the Apex ones, and I had next to no road spray

cheers, Magnus
(PS - oh yeah, and if you do try, let me know because I'm on the verge of ordering a Swift; but am deterred by lack of decent fenders...)

james_swift

I got an email from Steve at Xootr and he said they are working on expanding the accessories for the Swift, including fenders and other goodies.

ulrich

We're working on a couple of accessories at Xootr right now: (1) an "invisibility cloak" for carrying a folded Swift in disguise and (2) a nice rack. However, these are a few months off.

We find that several stock fender options work, including those noted in this forum. The basic trade-offs include:

* how effective is the fender.
* how easily do the fenders go on/off.
* how much does the fender interfere with the folding.

I commute 15-25 miles on the Swift every day rain or shine. For me, I want the fender to work really well, I don't really feel a great need to take the fenders on and off regularly, and I don't want the fender to inhibit folding at all.

Here is my solution:

* Buy stock Planet Bike 20" Freddy Fenders.
* Cut the last few inches off the rear fender with kitchen shears (or tin snips).
* Attach the front fender according to instructions, although you may need to shorten the stainless steel stays by about 25mm (1 in). You can cut these by squeezing really hard with clippers (e.g., lineman's pliers) and then bending at the cut to snap the rod.
* Attach rear fender to frame *without* the stainless steel stays.

I attach mine (always) with zip ties instead of screws/bolts. I do this because they don't ever rattle, can be clipped off in 2 seconds, and pull nice and tight.

With this configuration, the Swift folds perfectly normally, with the seat post pushing the fender up tight against the tire.

You can see the details in the photos on the Xootr website under Service.

The reason I cut off the end of the rear fender is to shorten it and make it lighter. The disadvantage of my approach is that the fender does flop around a bit. If you shorten the fender, the flopping is substantially minimized. This doesn't bother me and only on the biggest bumps does the fender whack the tire. This configuration keeps me quite dry (at least from the tire/road spray...). You can, of course, use a pair of the included stays on the rear if you want, but then you would need to loosen the stays (only fingers needed) to allow the fender to flex towards the tire when you fold the bike.

I hope that's useful. Works well for me to the extent I haven't been worrying much about an improved fender design, although I'm sure the optimal fender has yet to be invented for the Swift. (Actually, I know a guy at Smart Design in New York who does have a really sweet custom design, but it involved more than kitchen shears to make...)

Best,

Karl U.

yangmusa

Thanks for the heads up, Karl. Your criteria are pretty much as I would have said myself. While not exactly a "bolt on", it does look very neat, and I think I can handle a carpet knife

Magnus

jyossarian

Good to know about the Freddy Fenders even though they mess up the look of the bike. Maybe I'll just paint 'em to match.

james_swift

Got a set of Primo Comet Kevlar 20 X 1.35 tires:

The silver reflective sidewalls look very cool with the silver paint job!



The Xootr Swift is spec'ed with Kenda Kwest 20 x 1.50 tires, and heavy-duty Kenda 20 x 1.50/1.75 tubes. A pair of Comet Kevlar 20 X 1.35 tires are 276 grams lighter than the Kenda Kwests (about 0.6lb), and a set of 20 x 1.25/1.50 Pyramid tubes feel about half the weight of the stock Kenda tubes. I'm estimating that by merely changing-out the tires and tubes, you can shave almost a whole pound of rotating weight.

Durability has been excellent for the week that I've had them. I actually nailed a pretty big rock (looked more like a chunk of busted concrete) at 22mph yesterday (in a bikelane, ofcourse....bikelanes seem to be magnets for debris) that ricocheted from under the sidewall, pinging the front rim on exit. It sounded so bad that I pulled-over, certain that I had gotten a sidewall puncture. No damage to the tire and no puncture. Excellent.

The Comets also ride better than the Kendas. At 100psi, the Kendas have a bone-jarring ride...I usually like to ride them at about 85psi, but at that pressure, I can feel the rolling resitance. At 100psi, the Comets feel a little more supple, yet roll fast and with noticeably less resistance. You can really feel the difference especially in out-of-saddle sprints, where you're trying to get the wheels up to speed as quickly as possible, as well as leisurely coasting, where the Comets seem to roll farther before needing input from the pedals.

It's stated on Xootr's website that they spec the Swift with "bulletproof" tires and tubes, which I have to agree...they've been indestructible...but if you want to inject your Swift with an extra dose of zip-zing, then definitely upgrade the tires. You'll get more speed-per-buck in a tire/tube upgrade than any titanium bolt-on bling.

v1nce

@ Bruce Those Power grips are very intriguing. I checked out their site but found it a little lacking in the info i am looking for... Would you say they are better than toeclips? Are they always on your swift and do they touch or scrape on the ground? Are they made to last? What material? Are you happy with them? How much did you purchase them for?

Thanks.

BruceMetras

I like them a lot.The Site looks pretty complete if you explore it. Did you check out the Spec Page? There are also some Bike Press Reviews. I always leave them connected to the pedals, which are MKS quickrelease, so I just remove the pedals if I need a compact fold. They seem bulletproof to me, and are made of some kind of laminated polyurethane. They don't stretch and they are comfortable. They list a suggested price of $21.95 for just the straps, I think I paid around $19 at a walk in Performance Bike shop. I've got them on 3 bikes. What's nice is once you have them approximately adjusted for your foot, you can get a tighter or looser connection, handsfree, while underway.

Bruce

v1nce

My badd, must have missed certain sections of the webpage. I will look more thoroughly. Thanks for the info!

guydickinson

Hey James - I like the reflective sidewalls - very cool. Apart from the kevlar and sidewalls, those also look a lot thinner than the 0.15 over my 20x1.5 comets...I have to agree about the speed/low rolling resistance, although I've not got direct comparison as you have. The comet must be a tough cookie - my non-kevlars have also been pretty tough and (touch wood) puncture free, since I got my Swift as well. I'd definitely recommend the Primo Comet 'family' :-)

Ok, an unrelated question - your seat post looks really clean! I've lightly greased mine, as advised by Peter/xootr, but it gets really dirty and catches on clothes, hands etc. when exposed by the fold. I've cleaned the inside of the frame thoroughly, but reapplying the grease (some generic, lithium, white grease) seems to pick up grime and so on.

Does anyone know of a 'clean' grease that would work to keep the seat post from binding? Not sure if that's the most bizarre question I've ever asked in a forum, but if anyone knows what I mean, I'd love an answer!

james_swift

I use Tri-Flow synthetic grease with teflon. Make sure you wipe-off all the excess from the seat post...it's not necessary to have a film of grease stuck on the seat post...all it does is attract dirt and grime.