http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...n/P1000254.jpg

Thought I'd post this picture for no other reason than to bring the Swift thread back onto the front page!

I have just fitted a new Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre to the front wheel (not shown in this old photo). Getting the final few inches of tyre over the rim was a job and a half! With the complex problem of removing the Swift's rear wheel, I'm building up my will power to tackle the job of fitting a new tyre to it! Happy riding.

Hi Paul - from a few miles east of you.

On the tyre over the rim problem. Have you tried washing up liquid? It really makes a tight tyre just slide over the rim. I even carry one of those small complimentary hotel shampoo bottles in my repair kit in case I have to ease a tight tyre over the rim when riding far from home. It only weighs a few grammes and makes a hell of a difference on a tight tyre.

These Park heavy duty tire levers help a lot with jobs like that. Not for road use, but in the shop...

http://www.danscomp.com/images/products/mid_811393.gif

Hi all,

I've been riding a MuP8 for just over a year now, almost bought a full size road bike a few months ago, but didn't...just to much fun & to many conveniences with riding a foldable 20" bike! - IMHO at least! :p

I've often reverted back to this thread too, during my periods of indecision on where to go from the Mu P8.

Well, after some thought, and again 'almost' going for another bike (SpeedProTT), I ordered the Swift! :love:

My plan was to order frame-only, then build it up, but since I found a dealer that actually sells them complete, for only $100 more than the frame only through Xootr, so I went that route.

The bike's on its way to Japan right now, but I've already started ordering upgrade parts. Plan is to upgrade pretty much everything on it, and be able to roll with full-sized road bikes with less effort than my P8. We'll see!
(I've been on a Mu P8 for a year, and and can keep up for short stretches on flats, 2-5kms, at 35km's avg. speed, no problems on hills...even less uphill : )

Upgrade parts enroute thus far:

- Schwable Kevlar Durano's
- FOLEX, A-Class paired spoke rims
- Aluminum stem-riser (stock for Airnimal Joey)
- MKS AR2 pedals & PowerStraps (Candy C's were out of stock!)
- SDG Saddle, Ti Fly C (will be moving over from Mu to the Swift)

Near Future Upgrades:

- Extended stem
- Bullhorns (update: ordered yesterday)
- Bar end shifters
- Double front chainrings (56/44 ? )
(Update: ordered FSA BCD130 Carbon compact set & will be changing the rings to 55/44)
- 11-26 9spd Cassette
(anyone caught on that I'm just copying the Hammerhead gearing? :p )

Hope you all are enjoying your Swifts, and if anyone's interested, I'll keep you all posted regarding the upgrades when possible. Plan is to keep it fairly light, and FAST!

Kind regards to all!
K.

Just read through a few pages of older info on this thread & realized there basically no mention of double derailing the front gears on a Swift..:eek:

~ plus a few mentions of chain drop-outs..making me think a front derailer could be push'n it..

Hope it wasn't too crazy an idea!
Guess we'll soon find out!
:twitchy:

The front derailleur is a relateuvely new deveulopment, so most of us have no expeurience with it:

http://xootr.com/front-derailleur-mount.html

I haven't had to deal with removing my rear wheel since installing the internal gear hub, but there have been some times I'd have swapped tires if the thought were less annoying.

I like my Marathon Plus tires for commuting in the winter, but I'm looking forward to putting the Primo Comets back on when Spring comes.

My new slick 20X1.5 Kojaks are much easier to put on and off than the 20X1.75 Marathions I had before, plus they are much much nicer to ride on.

Drop-out mod
 

For those of you with AL Swifts and have stayed with the derailleur set-up, there is a fairly easy mod you can do to help ease rear wheel removal. Since we don't need the adjustability for chain tension, all you have to do do is cut/grind off most of the bottom half of the rear drop out. You only need to leave as much material as the axle nut needs to clamp onto. Does not hurt the frame structurally and you lose a couple of grams of unused aluminum.

The only caveat is that you will not have paint on the areas that were removed. On a silver bike it's not really an issue. On the blue bike, if it bothers you, you can get some Duplicolor touch up paint. Since the frame is aluminum corrosion is not an issue. But truthfully, in that area I doubt anybody could actually see your handywork.

I have done this mod to my aluminum Swift and have had to fix couple of flats and it does make life easier.

Hmm, yea. I run double chain rings on both my Swifts but never even considered a front derailleur. I'm not much of a racer though. I run 39/52 and 13-28 in the back.

I'm not really a racer either, but I do ride with a group monthly. (on a MuP8)
99% are on full sized road bikes, but I like to keep up. :)

With space limitations & mix-mode transportation, I'm sticking to to a foldie/20".
~ Its just I'm hoping it will ride very close to a full-sized road bike too. :D

I just ordered my front derailer from Xootr last night, so once I get it all set up, maybe I'll be the first to add some front-derailer info for the Swift.

Assuming you are the only foldie rider, that makes the bunch 100 strong including you. Big bunch! :eek:

jur
who is a pedantic idiot at times and who is eagerly awaiting the front derailer info

Kaito, I don't think you'll be disappointed I've raced against full-sized bikes with no problem on my Xootr. For the best rolling, I would recommend 451 size wheels not 406. I talked a bit to the guys at Bike Friday who do 406 and 451-wheeled bikes and their verdict at the time was all their racers were using stelvios on 451 rims.

I use a capreo rear hub for 9-26 gearing and do use the top gear regularly, but then I also have a single front ring so need the range of the capreo. With a front mech you will have more options. It is well worth you working out what gear range you need and what gears you will ride in most so that you can acheive these gears in with a reasonably straight chainline, as it won't be so efficient with extremes of chain bending.

I've never had my chain fall off. I run a chainguard where the outer ring should be and my single ring where the middle ring should be. I don't know if the chainguard is helping keep the chain on or not, or if is the fact that the chain is minimum length and rear mech is keeping it tensioned.

I use my swift as my only road/training/commuting bike and love it. I have just fitted a Polar power meter which works great and was only £150 (I already had the HRM wrist unit).

On the last ride, there were two of us out of sixty on 20" wheels.
The other person was on a 'Bianchi', and he was having no problems staying with the lead bunch. Turns out, he's using a 60t outer ring! :eek:
I asked'm if he felt it a bit much to mash down on, but he said he's okay, and that it does help'm keep up easier. 60 seems a bit much in my opinion though..:innocent:

Again, not that I'm a 'racer', but it IS reassuring to know that this Swift I'm building up will be able to 'get up'n go' when called for. :D - thanks!

I was looking at capreo too, and even the mech. at my LBS reccomended it.
But once I told'm that there's a front derailer option, he reccomended that too.
We have ALOT of hills here, and I'm confident the inner ring will be getting alot of use. I was debating Capreo or Sram 3spd inner geared rear hub before deciding on the double front. But considering weight, ease of install, and again, them climbs!, I'm hoping the double front was the right choice.
(I'll soon find out!)

Here's a link to a shop here in Japan that specializes in Mini-Velo builds, and rims: http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/giro/index_minivelo.html

I commute 2~3x's a week with my MuP8, and plan to keep commuting with the Swift too. Just hope the Swift (and all them cables!) can keep up with the daily folding! Fingers crossed on chain alignment & smooth shifting as well! ;)

Oh, thanks also for the info on the 451's. I've already spent alot on my 406's, but I'll definitely keep that in mind.

Thanks for the helpful tips & reassurance guys!
And Jur, thanks for taking the time to post your beautifully built up Swift on your bike-photo-essay site! Your words and pics have been inspiring. :)

Oh - The bike/parts are all on there way right now, but I'm still having a hard time sourcing the FSA 55T Road (130bcd) outer ring. Its sold here in Japan, but the shops are out of stock! And I don't want to overspend (l already have! :lol: ) and get the 55T Triatholon ring..Anyone have a source in the US perhaps?

Rgds,
K.

Are there any drawbacks to using 451's? ~ spokes more likely to give, frequent checks, tuning needed, etc.. Are these more for 'racers', and not so much for frequent commute/group riding?

I'm only doing this Swift build once, & I want to make sure I get it right..!;)
I've already got a set of 406's headed my way, but if 451's have noticeable benefits, and can hold up to commutes(on smooth roads), I'd rather go the 451 route.

Any info or advice would be appreciated.
Thanks all,
K.

I like 451's a lot!! .. I have three sets of wheels that I swap between two Reach bikes.. the only 'knock' on them that I can think of is tire choices.. not much out there.. 1 1/8 or 1 3/8.. I've got Stelvios, Primo Comets and some Kendas.. wheels aren't a problem.. if your concern is commuting, you might want to go with a higher spoke count.. I'm running 20 spoke rims on my Reach and haven't had any issues yet.. I will probably install 451's on my TSR at some point..

Thanks again for the helpful info guys.

Just want to be sure here, but will the 451's fit onto the Swift w/no alterations to the fork or frame? From what I've read, the brakes will have to be changed out to fit the 451's, correct?

Wonder if the 451's are equally as interchangeable with a Swift.

I've contacted the shop were I ordered my 406's to see if they can get the 451's too, but I might be stuck w/what I've already ordered...

Still curious to know how the 451's fit with a Swift though. :D

Domo arigato!
K.

From what I understand, the frameset should need no alterations if you use skinny tires (like the stelvios). But, as you;ve mentioned, you'll need different brakes. The canti studs are too low on the frame/fork to work with the taller 451 rims, so people mount road-style caliper brakes. Unfortunately, this effectively stops you from switching wheels easily since caliper brakes can't reach the 406 wheels.

The only way around this that I see would be to run hub brakes, but that's pretty involved (and not super easy to switch around, either).

Thanks for that alpa! I think what you're describing is the same set up as the attached pic. :thumb: (confirmations still welcome! :p )
I was already planning on changing out my brakes, so going with calipers would be no prob.
Only thing, as mentioned, I've already got 406's on the way.....:( And the shops fine-print on refunds/exchanges doesn't look promising. . . . If I had known, I'd have gone 451..kinda jumped the gun..
Still waiting on word back from them if they can get the 451's, if so, I'm going to try for an 'exchange/upgrade'.
Or, possibly put the 406's up for sale, NIB... (anyone interested?....) Pics are: http://item.rakuten.co.jp/giro/mbw_aclassfolexw/

Yes for 451 wheels you need calipers - but very long reach ones. Last time I looked there was only one caliper on the market with the right reach - the Tektro R456 I think they are called (but look back in this thread to confirm).

Oh, and there is plenty of clearance for 451 wheels. I have mudguards on mine too.
Without mudguards, you can actually fit a 22" wheels in a swift, making them UCI legal, and swifts have been used with 22" wheels for track racing.

Here's the latest incarnation of my Swift;

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...n/DSCN4052.jpg

I have just fitted a pair of Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres and am very impressed with the ride they give and the puncture resistance they offer. I have had to remove the mudguards as the extra width of the Schwalbes made clearances a bit on the tight side and having a full mudguard at the back made removing the rear wheel more of a chore than it should have been. I am on the lookout for some clip on (mountain bike style) mudguards that will not look out of place with 20" wheels.

I have replaced a mini pump with a standard frame fitting model which fits nicely behind the seat tube. It is held in place by three velcro straps. The bottom two straps (around the frame member) are enough to hold the pump but I have used a third strap (around the seat tube itself) just to stop the pump handle rattling.

The "cockpit" now sports Specialized Body Geometry hand grips with Ski type bar ends (bought from SJS Cycles Ebay site for £2.) The computer incorporates a thermometer and altemeter! On the front end the Rixen Kall 'bar bag is held in place by a Rixen Kall "Caddy" bracket which bolts directly onto the stem riser - keeping the bag close to the bike. I have also replaced my toeclips and straps with mini toeclips that do not require straps. I found that when wearing shoes with deep tread soles using clips and straps was not easy. I am even thinking of trying normal flat pedals. I have tried all sorts of SPD pedals and shoes and they all hurt my feet.

All I need now is some time and good weather to ride!!

Rickybails,
Thanks once again for your VERY helpful bits of information. Since I've never even seen a Swift other than web-pics, all I have to go by is info I've found on the net, and the helpful tips/advice here on the forum. I'll be sure to pay forward my findings & experiences with my project here in this thread.
Thanks again! :)

Paul, that incarnation of a Swift you've built up looks like a real touring machine! :thumb:

Rgds to all,
K.

Whew! Found it! - pg 50 of this thread.:)
Feel'n just a bit cross-eyed after all that skimm'n..:twitchy:
- thanks again! : )

The Swift arrived! Headed to the LBS for stage one of its 'extreme makeover':D

Will post a pic or two!

Rgds,
K.

First stage of the Swift build has been complete! :D
I took it out for a quick night ride, on my commute route, and was THOROUGHLY impressed! :thumb:
I'm sure its due to the hard, thin, Durano's, but I was doing MUCH more coasting than compared to my MuP8 equipped with Marathon Racers. Another factor was my upper body position being MUCH farther forward/lower, than the upright/comfort positioned Mu. There was a head-wind, but the more road-oriented positioned made the head-wind ride alot faster and bearable.

As for the gearing, I'm still waiting a 55t outer ring, and will need it!
With the 12/27 cass. on it now, I top out alot faster than my Mu with 11/32.

For the next stage of the build, the Swift will be fitted with Tektro R556 calipers, ordered today, and 451 rims, which are due in Mar/Apr. Oh, the stem riser height will be trimmed also. ;)

Current list of upgrades are:
Handle bar: Profile design, Aero Wing TT
Brake Levers: Tektro TT
Shifters: Shimano TT levers mounted on Paul's Thumbies

Saddle: SDG Ti-Fly C

Front crank & ring: Currently stock, while waiting on FSA carbon crank 'Team issue', which will be fit with 55/44t rings.(should arrive in about a week, & I'll post an update)

Rear cassette: Durace 12-27
Rear Derailer: Shimano 105 blk
Front Derailer: Shimano 105
Front Derailer mount: From Xootr, listed on Swift accessories
* to my relief, the Xootr FD mount has a built-in pulley that solves the issue of bottom-pull FD's! The pulley converts the pull to in a small, very effective package! - ingenious! (see pic!) GREAT work Xootr!:thumb:

Tires/rims: Schwalbe, Durano Kevlar 406's
stock Xootr Swift rims (451's due soon!)
* Plan was to use the Kinetic Rims on from the Mu, but mid-way through rim transfer, we noticed the Dahon Kinetic front rim hub has been "Dahonized"....:mad: Its not standard road-hub width, so the Kinetics didn't make it onto the Swift.

Stem riser: Stock Airnimal riser, with shim.*the stock Swift riser is steel, and DOES NOT do the bike justice! The Airnimal stem is alluminum & MUCH lighter!
Pedals: MKS EZY, with PowerStraps added later.

Here are some pics of the Swift in build, and a quick phone-pic fresh outta the shop! :love:

Hey Kaito that looks to be one lightweight fast (swift!) bike. My Xootr is built up for casual leisure rides and will be somewhat heavier than yours. I have just fitted Power Grips to my pedals and after a very short trial am well impressed. I shall post some pics when I get the chance to take some. Enjoy the ride!

Mine looks like a tank in comparison. Nice job.

Kaito: Well done! You'll need an 11T cassette, I think.

Where did you get hold of the Airnimal stem riser? Do you know what its mass is?

I got some from a French shop, from "SKS Kids" I think they are. But they work well, except the back one I added a flap to extend the length. I also made a cylindrical fitting for the back one to clip on.

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