The STI's won't work with the V brakes (assuming you mean Dual-Control Levers for drop bars), need to change the V's for canti's (or possibly mini-V's) and with canti's you need somewhere to fix hangers for the cable (possibly on the front stem, not sure about the back). I have the same quandry with an Airnimal Joey I'm thinking about, want drop bars and sti's, nowhere to fit hangers, mini-V's might work I guess. Anyone have direct experience of this?

This is what I've done with my silver swift. The front cable hanger clamps around the stem riser as low as it will go, and the rear hangs from the upper binder bolt. The LBS said the rear was made for a Surly.

One thing to watch is the heel clearance on the rear. I ended up using an old set of diacompes as the new shimano cantis stuck out too far.

Last week I took delivery of a new set of velocity wheels - 20 spoke front and 24 rear velocity fusion rims and sealed bearing hubs. The shallow well in the rims means that mounting tyres is a real pain, but the bike has really grown wings.

My mods so far:

3ttt forma bars with original stem
Brooks swift saddle
Time seatpost
Cantilever brakes (shimano front, Diacompe rear)
Campy ergo brake levers (shift mechinism removed)
Ultegra rear gear mech
dura ace 10sp bar end shifter
11-23 10 speed cassette
speedplay pedals
dura ace crank
cheap, heavy 113mm bb
53 tooth chainring
chain guide clamped to seatpost (put together from odds and ends at the local fastener store)
wipperman chain
Velocity wheels
Conti sport contact front tyre (406 x 28)
Primo Comet rear tyre (406 x 37)
schwalbe presta valve inner tubes
biddon cage cable tied to rear of seat post.

Hi, I wanted to thank all of you that have posted on this thread. I've been lurking here for weeks and as a result ordered a Swift Frameset from Peter. It's a great bicycle; I'm completely satisfied with the way it rides and handles. It cost $390.00 plus shipping for those of you that might be interested in the cost of building one up yourself.

I wanted to use as many parts as possible from my parts bin and a spare road bike I had. The only items I had to buy were hubs, spokes, rims, brakes and cassette. I robbed my Dahon Helios of it's crankset and tires temporarily so I could ride it but I've since bought tires and installed a crankset from my parts bin. It's really nice that so many common parts are usable on the Swift.

I was able to use the Ultegra short cage rear deraileur off the road bike with the 11-32 cassette and it shifts without any issuses. This is nice because the short cage keeps the chain a little further from the ground.

Not so lucky with the Tektro BX3 brakes that were suggested as a solution to using drop bars and I would not recommend them except possibly on the rear and then only if you don't want to use fenders. The brakes don't have enough stopping power and the brake lever bottoms out on the handlebar when coming down a steep hill. The cable interferes with a fender and there's no way to fine tune the cable adjustment without resorting to an in-line adjuster. Tire removal is difficult as a result. I'm going to try traditional cantilevers next.

Thanks again everyone for the great information on this thread!

Nihonic, what did the basic frameset include? And do you have a feel for the folded size of the bike with the wheels removed and the stem/seat tube removed? (can it fit into a large samsonite oyster or F'lite case)?

PS - no one has used travelAgents to work with STIs? They're a bit clunky, but I've used them before with success on a cyclocross bike. Then no issues with finding a hanger for the cable.

edit- found good description of swift (needs hinge disassembly for suitcase): http://www.phred.org/~alex/bikes/bf-vs-swift.html

Jasong,

I have a travel agent on my Raleigh Twenty's rear V-brake so that I can get more stopping power with my Sora Brifters. It works like a charm. I don't get quite as much stopping power on my Twenty compared to my Road bike (with road brakes), but it's much better than it was, and I trust the brakes on downhills. I didn't need one on my front brakes, for whatever reason,

Juan

The frameset included the two piece frame and bolt, fork, seatpost, stem extension and three quick releases.
After I built it it up I took it apart and it only takes a few minutes. Some have reported the bolt that holds the frame together is SAE but mine is metric, 4mm allen and 10mm socket works. The LBS here in Tokyo had a generic bag that measures 60cm x 68cm x 29 cm that was displayed with a Birdy in it and the Swift fits easily into it with both wheels removed. I can also fit it into the bag with the rear wheel attached but not as nicely.

Steveonbike, sound cool, howabout some photos? :)

So, using sti style brifters can actually work? But with travel agents? What are travel agents? Does someone have a link to a site that sells them?
I know I have seen pictures of swifts on here with road levers.

Google: travel agent adapter (nashbar/quality bicucle (ie airbomb/aebike))

OK, Will try and borrow a camera.

I managed to pry the conti sport contact onto the rear last night. Three tyre levers and a lot of swearing!

Cheers

Steve

[QUOTE=nihonric] Not so lucky with the Tektro BX3 brakes that were suggested as a solution to using drop bars and I would not recommend them except possibly on the rear and then only if you don't want to use fenders. The brakes don't have enough stopping power and the brake lever bottoms out on the handlebar when coming down a steep hill. The cable interferes with a fender and there's no way to fine tune the cable adjustment without resorting to an in-line adjuster. Tire removal is difficult as a result. I'm going to try traditional cantilevers next.
[QUOTE]

Are the tektro's that you tried the mini v brakes? Or are they the long reach dual pivot caliper brakes?

After reading through the entire thread again, I thought I had a better idea of what route to take with my swift. I was still hoping to use brifters, with the mini v brakes, but if you're still not getting enough stopping power with those (if those are the brakes you're reffering to) , I will go with the 287V levers and the stock v brakes w/ a bar end shifter.

I assume the bar end shifter is still indexed, but since I have no experience with them, can someone claify that for me.

[QUOTE=big boy phil][QUOTE=nihonric] Not so lucky with the Tektro BX3 brakes that were suggested as a solution to using drop bars and I would not recommend them except possibly on the rear and then only if you don't want to use fenders. The brakes don't have enough stopping power and the brake lever bottoms out on the handlebar when coming down a steep hill. The cable interferes with a fender and there's no way to fine tune the cable adjustment without resorting to an in-line adjuster. Tire removal is difficult as a result. I'm going to try traditional cantilevers next.
I'm using PRoblem solvers' travel agents on both my road bike and swift, they work fine. You just have to dial them in. The problem with the 406 tires and the swift frame is you need a REALLY long reach brake. This was explained by Peter Reich as a compromise so you could get nice fat tires and/or fenders. The other option is to go w/ longish reach brakes and a 451mm wheelset. Obviously the simpler route would be to purchase a couple of travel agents.

So I just got my silver swift!! This bike looks way better in person. Pictures really don't do it justice. I can't wait to ride it. I'd be riding now, but I don't have an allen wrench to tighten down the stem. Bummer. One question, is there supposed to be a cap on top of the stem? There's some plastic stuff in there, looks like a star nut, but I don't see a cap anywhere in the box.
Anyway, I can't wait to go for a spin soon.

Big Boy Phil,
The brakes were the Mini BMX and they are "V" brakes. They're noticably shorter than regular "V" brakes. The initial grab feels good on flat ground at low speed but the levers don't pull enough cable so, they bottomed out on the handlebar. I had them adjusted as close to the rims as possible too.

I installed Shimano cantilevers a few days ago but only had time to ride around the block a few times. So far they feel much better and no heel strike but I'll write back in few days to confirm.

I had to get a 25.4mm stem to go with my new Nitto drops. I found this Truvativ XR stem in the length I needed, and it was on closeout for $9.99! :)

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

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

I wailed on this stem hammering out of the saddle up varying grades of hills with absolutely no flex.

Does anybody know if they make a titanium seatpost and/or steerer for the Aluminium Swift?

It's weight-weenie time...

Ti is springy
 

Actually a Ti seatpost is a good idea for several reasons and nothing to do with weight. I wish I had a line on one for you but I'd contact the dudes that make the steel Swift in Oregon.

I want one - so whoever calls and asks, let us all know what you find. Otherwise I am gonna talk to my local ti fabricator buddy. If I use him, it may not be beautiful but it will be sturdy.

I thought Peter Reich made titanium seat posts, no? I'm pretty sure he at least used to. I'm not interested in one myself, but I thought I'd mention him as a possible source. Contact info

training miles
 

hi guys. i'm a somewhat serious roadie (not a racer though). who wants to get a portable bike to put some road miles on while i'm traveling. seems like the swift xootr is definitely up to the task from a performance perspective but i was curious about the ability to pack the bike in a regulation suitcase for airtravel. any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

thanks.

jeff

I installed Shimano BR550 cantilevers a few days ago and there's a night and day difference between these and the mini Vs. When I rode with my regular shoes I never hit the rear brake with my heels. On a longer ride with SPDs I managed to get heel strike a few times but it wasn't a big deal and I guess it's because there's a lot of float in the cleats.

My frameset was delivered from Peter Reich in March and I also bought a Zootr for friends and family to use when they visit. There's a difference in the frames. The Zootr seat tube diameter is 4mm smaller and seatstay diameter is 1mm smaller.

On the Zootr site they claim 9.9 kilograms; my stock Zootr weighs 10.9.

You might try

http://www.xacd.com.cn/

which is where several people in the forums have had bicycles made. They do custom jobs, and even with the shipping/etc. you might come ahead.

OK, so can someone be so kind as to give me a quick summary on switching an 8-gear Swift from flat bars to drop bars?

I don't have any parts around, so I assume I'd need to get a set of drop bars, some tape, and brifters, presumably 8-speed STI's. Will older / 8-speed 105 STI's work? Will only certain shifters work with the SRAM SX 4 derailleur (1:1)? Do I need to change the brakes?

And how good of wrenching skills do I need to swap the stuff out? I can do some things like disassemble the bike, tweak the brakes etc without any major problems.

Bacc: do you have vbrakes on that? Then you'll need travel agents to change the cable pull. Don't forget new stem to clamp onto 26.0 instead of 25.4. Not a hard mod, if you haven't done it it'll be good experience. Yeah, you'll need to switch rear derailleur to shimano cable pull style from the ESPs.

The 2001 AtoB magazine review lists Titanium seatposts at $95. I'm pretty sure they'd still be available, and just as sure that the price would have gone up since then.

http://www.nycewheels.com/swift-fold...ke-review.html
(just do a Ctrl-F for "titanium")