Funyet

Jvroom:

I just swapped my stem for a 100mm and my steering feels pretty good.

I'm going to swap for a wider handlebar so I have more hand positions. I tried a few different stem lengths and for my height/arm length the 100mm allows me to stretch out a bit and eliminates bent wrists. I might even try a longer stem.

Good luck

mosquito

Quick update on bike and touring san francisco.

Those Nashbar gel pads do wonders. The whole trip, my hands never felt sore or tired like they used to. My ar$e suffered the most.

James - How the **** do you bike in San Fran on a fixed with all those hills?!?! Have you ever gone up Divisadero? Or west to the Golden Gate Park? Good lord, I didn't know it was that hilly! And I couldn't believe the way people here lock up their >$1000 fixies!!! A lock on JUST THE FRAME?!!? That would never fly in NY! I had to fight the urge to pick apart bikes! Brooks and San Marco seats, Thomson seatposts, wheels, hubs, they were all for the taking! But seriously, do people really ride fixed in San Fran?

james_swift

Oh wow, I had no idea you were up here in SF. We could've toured SF: fixed Swift style! Anyway, yes, plenty of people ride SF fixed. It's not so much how to get up the hills, but rather, how to get around them...and there are many ways. I think the SF Bike Coalition has a map of alternate flat bike routes just for this purpose.

Bacciagalupe

Custom Decals / Stickers?

Just curious if anyone knows a way to add a custom decal or sticker to the Xootr Swift. I don't want to repaint it or anything, just add something to the top tube.

jur

1. Peel backing off sticker.
2. Stick to top tube.


Seriously, what are you trying to do? I have a few basic ideas you can use a printer on sticky paper, you can use a Dymo label maker, and there are suppliers of proper decal base material that you can print with your design and then float it on the tube. That has to be protected with clear laquer.

Bacciagalupe

Clear sticker with the name I have dubbed my bike. Preferably 2" - 3" tall, 6"-8" long.

Now that I think of it, ideally I'd want any decal to be removed without stripping off the clear coat / finish.

jur

That leaves a clear sticker. Decals are too fragile.

Mi ideas are limited; I used a Dymo label maker (modern digital age version) to make a label for my R20 "TWENTY". The stuff is fairly thin, sticks like crazy and you get them in a range of mono colors. Of course it helps to have a Dymo label maker at work.

There are products that can be printed on with an inkjet or laser printer. You'd have to look on printer product sites.

That's about it from me.

jvroom

I'm not clear about the instructions above. Let me se if i have this right. While riding, look straight ahead and while keeping my head up and looking forward, tilt my eyes down until I can see how much in front of the handlebars the hub appears to be? Correct?

I installed a longer stem and I'm now stretched out a bit more. I haven't riden the bike much yet, so I'm not sure if I'm satisfied yet. I'll make the observation you have asked me to make and report back. Or, feel free to simply reply (for the benefit of others who may be watchng and who may decide on doing the same thing) with your comments to the following.

If my technique of getting the measurement is correctly described above...

If my bike's hub is visually located behind my handlebars...You would suggest?

If my bike's hub is visually located even with my handlebars...You would suggest?

If my bike's hub is visually located in front of my handlebars bye 0-1"...You would suggest?

If my bike's hub is visually located in front of my handlebars bye 1-2"...You would suggest?

If my bike's hub is visually located in front of my handlebars bye 2-3"...You would suggest?

Etc.

Bye & thanks

james_swift

Yes, that's correct.

If the hub appears 1 inch in front of your bars, then you could probably benefit from a longer stem. If the hub appears behind your bars by about 1 inch, then your setup is equivalent to an aggressive mountain biking position (anything beyond 1 inch and you may be stretched too far). If the hub appears even with the bars, then you're good. These are all just guidelines.

But before you go and change your stem, I'd recommend starting first with getting your saddle height and fore-aft adjustment right, then work on the reach.

Bacciagalupe

OK, I'm gonna use these....

https://www.papilio.com/hps/product.p...2&cat=0&page=1

Apparently it's one of those static cling things and is water-fast, although the sticker itself will probably peel right off in the rain. I will report on whether it works.

UncleGreg

Hi There,

I've been lurking for a few days on the thread, and am generally excited by the reviews I see here. Seems like a great ride, and I want one. The one significant downside I'm seeing is that there is no place to test one around the Bay Area.

So, I have a few questions. First, the non-geographically specific ones.

1 - Is there a non-folder that is most comparable as far as the ride? Ideally something made made by
a larger manufacturer I could go get on locally?

2 - How much of a "Folding Premium" do you think is included in the price? A good way to rephrase would be "how much would you pay for the same bike if it didn't fold?"

And now some regionally specific questions...

3 - Anybody know of a good mechanic in the bay area (ideally in the east bay) that can work well with the bikes?

4 - And finally, the long shot: Any chance someone locally would be willing to provide a test ride of their bike? I would be more than willing to provide a few bucks, a cup of coffee, some tomatoes from the garden, etc. I'd be willing to travel most places in SF, Peninsula or the East Bay.

Thanks,

GR

Bacciagalupe

Not really. Other than BMX, non-folding bikes with 20" wheels are even more rare than 20" folders these days.


I wouldn't bother to think of it that way. Either you want/need the convenience of a folding bike, or you don't. If you do, and you don't need a bike that folds small, and you want a stiff frame and standard components, the Xootr Swift is the most economical choice.



Swift bikes are almost completely standardized parts, so any decent mechanic can work on it.

spambait11

These guys are supposed to be Xootr Swift dealers. They even advertised on craigslist a while back:

Oceanworks
2703 Tenth Street
Berkeley, CA 94710
(510) 849-1383
www.oceanworksberkeley.com

Ironically, they're a car repair outfit. Let us know if they're still around.

UncleGreg

Phone and website are both dead - perhaps I'll stop by and find out.

oldokie

Started shopping for a flolder and the Swift is at the top of my list. Several questions...
1) I understand it can be packed in a Samsonite Oyster 29" with some dissasembly (correct?). I don't want to go with a larger suitcase.
2) Can you buy just the frame and build it up yourself? If so, what comes with the fame? (seatpost?)
3) Is the Swift sold in Japan at a better price than found in US? Same name? Where can it be found in Japan?

jur

I got the frame by writing to Xootr, who put me on to Peter Reich the designer who sells the frames. Mine came with original Xootr headset, seatpost and steering riser.

jur

This weekend I did another Audax ride , 200km, on my Swift. Everything went smoothly. Although my butt was a bit sore after 8+ hours in the saddle. The ride organizer asked me, "Aren't you a bit brave to ride THAT in an audax?" I was unsure exactly what he meant; later I realised that for most people, small wheels = toy. So he was asking wasn't I brave to do a hard 200km audax ride on a toy.

It's my secret weapon. People dismiss me, then look surprised as I drop them.

jvroom

I've decided to stick with the stock straight bar for now and will just add some grips/bar ends for now.

I'm thinking adding these...
https://www.ergon-bike.com/us/grips/gr2.html

Questions for all...

Anyone have any comments regarding adding Ergon GR2's to a stock swift with gripshifter?

Easy to install? Installation tips?

Am I correct in assuming that I should purchase the narrower Gripshift version of the the Ergon GR2's

I'm new to bar ends... any and all comments/suggestions/product recommendations/install tips are appreciated.

Harry94025

Hi Guys,

This is my first post to BikeForums My wife and I bought Xootr Swifts from Oceanworks in Berkeley last year and are very pleased with the bikes. These have been used for casual cycling and I use mine to run errands around town. Ours are the faster blue color...

I'm thinking of buying the carry bag that is shown on the swiftfolder website, sold by Human Powered Machines in Oregon. Do any of you have these bags, and are they specially configured to hold the front wheel/seatpost/stem components? Are they working out well for you?

Thanks,
Harry

levity

so i got a freewheel for the other side of the track hub on my fixed swift folder... of course, if i want to run a freewheel, i need brakes. it looks like my options for brakes that work with both front and rear are either humongous-long-reach calipers, like the ones at the bottom of this page, or cantilevers.

so what do you recommend? for calipers, do you know what reach i need? i have 406 wheels, and a rough measurement with a ruler suggests i need 90-something mm for the rear and a little less for the front, which is kind of ridiculous for a caliper. or if i go with cantis, what do i use for housing stops?

rickybails

If you want road calipers the only option I know of is to fit 451 wheels and then the tektro R556 calipers will fit. But whether you can/want to change to the bigger wheels is another issue. The bike was designed for both 406 an 451 wheels and Peter Reich (the designer) reckons the ride is better on 451 wheels. Fewer tyres to choose from though.

For 406 wheels I'd stick with V-brakes.

levity

yeah, i asked peter, and the answer was flat-out "there are no calipers for 406." so i've ordered a pair of tektro 926a mini-v brakes, and hopefully these'll work with drop levers. i'll post on here when i've tried it out.

cosmodc

Hi all.. I tend to lurk around here most of the time, but lately I've been thinking about swapping out the stock flat handlebars on my Swift for a riser bar. I'm taking Park Tool school classes at my LBS right now (it was nice to see other women in class), so I'm finally starting to feel comfortable taking apart my bike and attempting upgrades. Any ideas on what things I need to consider before I try this and recommendations for good parts dealers online? Thanks for your help!

james_swift

On the subject of alternative brakes for the Swift, I've ordered a set of Tektro cantilever brakes and a brake cable hanger to swap-out the front V-brake setup on my Swift. I'm using a single cross-lever on my bars, and the cantis would be perfect. Expect photos and a write-up as well.

james_swift

Hi cosmodc. Haven't seen you around here since you last posted pics of your Swift.

If you are planning on using the stem you already have, then you'll want to look for a riser bar that has a 25.4mm clamp diameter. Then you'll need to decide how high of a rise you want. Typically, you can get risers in .5", 1.0", 1.5", and 2.0" (or higher in some cases). You'll want to check the length of your brake/shifter cables to see if you have enough slack to compensate for the increase in bar height.

To remove the bar grips, I find that a chopstick and rubbing alcohol work best. Just jam the chopstick under the grip and drizzle a bit of alcohol between the bar and grip and it should come off easily. To re-install the grip, wipe the inside of the grip surface with a bit of alcohol and slide the grip on to your new bars.

Your new risers will most likely feel a lot wider than the bars you have now. When I had risers, I cut about an inch off both ends with a pipe-cutter I bought for cheap from the hardware store.

Let us know how your project turns-out.

Oh yeah...for parts, you might want to check this place out.