Yeah, I keep them that tight too. If I don't, the rear half of the bicycle wiggles a little when I put a little upward pressure under the saddle. Yours too?

After seeing that picture of the fractured seat-stay on the prior iteration of the aluminum frame, I haven't done any experimenting to see how loose I can keep the seatpost (in order to speed up the folding) but have always kept the seat-QRs very tight. The bike rides stiffly with no discernible wiggle. If it weren't for people in town always hollering to me "Is that one of those folding bikes?" I could even manage to forget it was one.

Regards
T

I have dealt with the company over issues I had with play in the seat post when the clamps were tightened and they were very helpful in finding me a seat post that was closer to 34mm than the one I received originally. I suggest contacting someone and voicing your concerns. I'm 6'3" and was lucky enough to have access to a pair of digital calipers at work.

Interesting, thanks. I may have it back to the shop tomorrow for other things. (The SRAM Dual Drive clickbox won't come off the axle, for one.) I'll bring that up.

racks, con't
 

I just received my Swift today, and although my plan was to go for the posthaste, when I placed the order Steve at the factory sold me on the crossrack, so that is what I have. Now I just need to figure out how to get all my work stuff in some sort of a bag. When I went to the bikeshop today, they had a very limited selection of panniers, none that were big enough. I'm going to do some more research on that and use a backpack for the short term.
The bike looks great out of the box, as clean as it will probably ever be!

QR's
 

In putting my new swift together tonight the one thing that surprised me was how much force was required on the seatpost QR's to pass the "seatpost shouldn't twist with just one QR tightened" test that they suggest in the manual. I really had to crank these things, well beyond what I thought they were suggesting.

I haven't actually taken it for a ride yet, will do that tomorrow and see if I get any wiggle!

Bill

Yup.

When I sent back my defective Swift to Peter Reich I mentioned this and he said that he will try to find a nice tight fitting seatpost for the replacement bike, so there seems to be some variabilty there.

David at B-fold also told me that if much dirt gets in there, it can abrade things so they don't fit quite as tightly.

Bottom Bracket Width
 

I will be installing FSA Pro Track Carbon cranks (old style) on my aluminum Swift. I will be using a Shimano 9 speed cluster. What width bottom bracket spindle (ISIS) should I use for proper chain alignment? (108/113/118)

Sorry. Should have been more specific. That would be the track crankset.

Greetings,
I ordered a xootr swift via the net based on all the positive reviews and comments I've read. Was originally considering a less expensive Dahon but think this bike will serve me better. My primary use will be rails-to-trails paths and travel. Some upgrades I will be considering soon are a longer stem, narrower seat (as a road biker I don't think the standard seat will do), and handle bar extensions. Appreciate your opinions on Ergon grips vs. Cane Creek vs. other.
Looking forward to receiving my new bike.

Mine also... design fault?
 

After 6 months of daily use on my 2008 Swift I find the biggest problem is the seat post fasteners. There are a few observations here:

1. the clasps supplied are not up to much - I had one snap in my hand when I was trying to get a tight fit. Once all the blood had been sorted out I contacted Xootr and they quickly sent me a better set. These seem to give a tighter & firmer fit so far.
2. I think there is a simple design fault in the bike. The slots are facing back where they pick up crud from the road... I think it would be fairly simple for Xootr to reverse this and have the slot pointing forwards

Anyway, I remain a happy customer, now that I have some great butterfly bars (from Nashbar) on the bike.

Jonathan

maiden voyage
 

Setup the bike last night. SPD's on then out for a quick spin on test track #4. Wow! This bike hauls, it's stable, and fun to ride. Impressive.....better than the Dahon's I test rode including the Pro TT. Can't wait for the next ride. A few upgrades in the future, new saddle, stem, and cyclocomputer. Spent several months researching a folder. Very happy I did this.
Thanks for the info on this forum.
See ya on the road.

Welcome to the fold.

I have some components I'd be willing to move including Ergons and a Dual drive set-up. PM me if interested.

I realize the Market Place is the proper venue, but I really wasn't planning to actively market any parts. This was just off the cuff, so to speak.

Found a great Pannier for the Crossrack
 

Did my first official commute on my new Swift today. I was able to find a large pannier which fits my small briefcase inside, with room for lunch and all the other stuff. It also converts to a backpack. I have about an inch or two of clearance over the rear fender with the crossrack mounted near the top of the seatpost (I'm 5' 10"). I have it extending about an inch over the top of the seat, but it doesn't seem to cause me any problems. The pack is a "Voyager Commuter Lite", and in the fine print it says it was imported by Cycles Lambert Inc. (www.cycleslambert.com). It comes with a removable waterproof vinyl inside liner and rain cover and padded laptop case. Cost $90 Cdn. If anybody wants to see the setup I can post some pics next week.
Bill

Here's some pictures of my Swift, which I've actually had for a few months now. I used to have a Dahon Jack, but that got jacked (ha ha) from the trunk of my car, and, lacking money for a new folder, I put out the word on my blog that I wanted to be a sponsored bicycle commuter (i.e., I wanted free stuff). Well, Xootr answered the call and sent me a free Swift, which I've been riding, modifying, and blogging about for a little while now. Now I have some fun pictures of me riding in business casual attire, and of the front basket I rigged up using Xootr's Crossrack. Here they are:

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/...e438f19c16.jpg
Sure, I look awkward and goofy, but it's really one of the most comfortable rides I've ever had, and this shot was taken in the midst of an 18-mile afterwork jaunt.

http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3095/...c3f3af0f71.jpg
Here's the basket set-up, using the base of the Crossrack, an old seatpost, two hose clamps, and a deep Wald basket.

This is the set-up I use for my 60-mile, multi-modal commute, which includes 30 miles of driving and 30 miles that get divvied up between commuter rail and biking, depending on how much time I have.

Welcome, new brother!

Those of you having trouble with the seatclamps - anyone tried lubing the QR itself?

I'm looking to upgrade the Q/Rs on the seat post and steering post but am having trouble locating some good quality skewers. Any suggestions?

I replaced the Q/R on the seat post and steering column with salsa skewers. They are stainless and aluminum alloy. No rust after a year of taking in on the ferry twice a day.

I have absolutely no idea where I bought them at this point.

good point--I'll give that a try tomorrow!

I don't like to hear that about the clamps. It hasn't happened yet, but in order to get the seat post to stay put I need to push down both of them very hard.

my new swift
 

Well,
after reading the folding bike forum for a while and having a passion for a bike I can put in a suitcase once a year for a trip to L.A., I decided on a Swift folder for my purchase. The bike arrived super quick (2 days) but with some dings to the paint. I contacted Swift and ended up getting some touchup paint and a pair of fenders to compensate for the defects to the paint job.

The bike has been great, nimble and quick except for a jarring ride with no suspension on bumps. As I am an oldster, this is a challenge that I'm slowly getting used to. I still need to decide between the nimbleness vs. comfort compromise/solution. Maybe adding a front suspension might be the way to go.

I admit I bought this bike because it is easily hot-rodded. My knees didn't enjoy the pedal setup so I added a pair of Kneesavers http://www.kneesaver.net/ which solved that issue. The gearing is not useful for me climbing moderate hills so I scored a 47 tooth chainring on e-bay which has been an amazing help. Now I can really zip & zoom (I clocked 23 mph today while zooming).

The paint job is terrible (the paint scrapes off almost by itself, the fold is super fast, the fold is large (wouldn't fit in a bike nashbar bike bag), but easily fits 3 times a week in my Honda Fit. Now I hope to fit it into a Samsonite Flite suitcase.

This bike isn't only fun to ride (it goes fast!) but is much, much, faster (and more exciting) than my 26" mountain bike.

my 2 cents ,

Hokey

I fit mine into my '06 Smart car (smallest car on the road). Quite a sight pulling the bike out of the back and unfolding--the mechanics at my garage asked if the bike came as an option with the car!

Bill

Mine's paint job is holding up quite well. Except around the chain stay where the chain has rendered countless chips. I should get some touch-up paint. And protectors.

Hokey, I have a bad wrist and have found the ride jarring too. The front fork and my arms are almost parallel. So I ordered a Pantour suspension hub with Big Apple tire from a bike shop well known among folder fans, which does mail order, but then cancelled the order after an email arrived a month later saying Pantour had sent them the wrong hub and then waiting another ten days and still no replacement hub had arrived. :notamused:

But I recently bought from Xootr for $22.95 plus shipping their longer stem riser (12" rather than 10") which has me sitting a little more upright, and that has taken much of the weight off my wrists and the ride feels suppler. It's a relatively inexpensive thing to try.

Regards
T

P.S. For rear suspension, I can recommend a Cane Creek Thudbuster ST suspension seatpost (extra-extra-long post, not the standard XL which appears on their website) which is excellent.

timo, thanks for the tip. of course my new hobby is nickel and diming me to death. bike nashbar and performance cycle may soon have to bail me out - of course this sudden economic crisis has got me scared-alas.

but, can anyone recommend a good suspension fork that will fit on the Swift folder and provide comfort but be efficent as well?

and by the way, I forgot to mention that Swift's customer service was just outstanding for me.

hokey

The member xootr_swift added nice suspension fore and aft on his Swift but it's not inexpensive. Instead of getting nickeled and dimed, you'll get Franklined :) Not to mention the shop charges if you're not inclined to do the work, and finding a competent shop willing to do it.

Tim's suggestion on the taller Swift riser, to sit more upright and remove some weight off your hands, is a good starting point and fairly inexpensive. You can also try ergonomic handgrips like the Ergon or BBB Ergofix. Another option is wide, high-pressure tires run at lower pressure (or at least one on the front) to help smooth out the ride.

For what it's worth, I've added suspension to my Swift for cheap but it took lots of head-scratching and patience searching for the right parts. I've also recently decided to remove the suspension because it knocked more than 2 mph off my average speed, and I was none too swift to begin with :D

My Swift with fork and saddle suspension (both SR Suntour). "Upgrade" cost was about $120, added around 7 pounds :( But being a tinkerer it was kinda fun too.
http://www.geocities.com/hikindad@sb...30cropped2.jpg

Wow, you've done a lot of work on your Swift! How did you attach that pump and water bottle?

Any reports or reviews on the new steel Swift? I did get a response from Mr Reich re his earlier offer to exchange my aluminum Swift for the new steel ones when they come out, but he - uh - doesn't sound like he's that into it any more.