It's an AGU X-Rain bar bag. Completely waterproof with one main compartment and stiff box section construction. It uses one of Rixen Kaul's Klick Fix brackets. The bag comes in black or silver.

xootr swift, I saw on your myspace page that you've got a Rotor crankset. Would you mind talking about that a little? I've read that Rotor is picky about what it'll interface with; did you need to modify anything to make it work?

Specifically, I've got a Sram Dual Drive in back, and I'm wondering if it'll work with that.

Thanks!

Just giving this a bump, post-SQL-issues.

" xootr swift, I saw on your myspace page that you've got a Rotor crankset. Would you mind talking about that a little?..."


All I need to know is they cost $700, almost $1,000 for the titanium version, so forgedaboudit.

the fold looks very big :/ on the swift folder

http://swiftfolders.com/

It's more a fit-in-the-trunk fold than a fit-in-a-lunchbox fold.

Here is a little update on my swift which was bought a month ago.
Big Apple 50-406
CF bar ends
CF flat bar
Ergon Nexus GP1
and a cheap Sigma Computer

http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o...g/IMG_1157.jpg
http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o...g/IMG_1154.jpg

Any suggestion for a new lightweight but comfortable seat is appreciated.
Tioga Spyder is already a candidate on the next saddle list. :P Though I gotta test ride that one first.
I find the current seat too flat. My usual rides are between 20 and 40 km. Recreational for a little exercise?

Nice. I like your handlebar setup much better than mine. I took this last night on a quick derailleur-adjustment run:


Stock bars, Ergon grips, SDG saddle that I had lying around. The Xootr Crossrack is awaiting its first payload, which will probably be a plastic shopping bag from Dinosaur BBQ if my Arkel Bug doesn't get here soon.

I don't like the water bottle where it is, so I have to figure something else out for that. Unfortunately, those triathlon behind-the-saddle mounts won't work with the Crossrack.

New Swift Folder
 

'Any word from Peter in New York regarding the new smaller folding Swift???
I last heard from him in January 2008 about this new tightly folding Swift frame. Nothing since.
I am eagerly awaiting the new improved frame folding.':)


New design, smaller fold Swift in progress.

Message from Peter: "other priorities in my life are taking a toll on producing this one- I know I've been promising and promising... it will happen soon." "The handling (and frame geometry) is the same- well, actually, I'm relaxing the head tube angle a degree for better tracking and touring comfort, but that has nothing to do with the other changes in the design.

Rigidity is about the same- I'm actually going for greater rigidity in the new frame, given the twin tubes from the pivot straight to the bottom bracket- won't be less, even though the seatpost is now 2-piece (and that allows one to unfold the biketo their exact ride height each and every time, rather than searching for it.

I'll be in touch as the vaguries of frame production slide into a sharper delivery date."


He's so busy I'm not even asking how soon. I have one on order--steel frame and told Peter to take as long as he needed.

Too cool. If I'd known they were available in steel, I might have waited.

I've been waiting a couple years now. Peter was supposed to introduce them last year.

It should be well worth waiting for!!!:thumb:
In the meantime we'll have to ride what we hav!:)

http://a819.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...d399d725a2.jpg

I have a Dual Drive also and the Rotors work just fine. I pre-assembled the crank and chain to make sure I had adequate frame to chainring clearance, and chainline, and then added the loctite and tightened it all down. I added a custom made for Rotor chain guard from my local waterjet cutter machine shop. Thus my 53t non-aero Rotor chainring is inboard where the smaller ring usually goes, and everything lines up and works.

I have no knee problems at all anymore, and the power boost and less fatigue was well worth the $285 I paid for the crankset +$45 for the custom chain gaurd, which keeps my pant cuffs clean and stops chain jumps outward. I was having chain hop off problems while shifting or over big bumps until I discovered that the derailleur hanger had loosened. Loctite on the derailleur hanger bolt, and shortening the chain to 4 links over the largest cog/chainring combo, as it says in the Dual Drive assembly sheet, solved the chain hopping off problem. Since the photo, I have swapped to a Sram X.O short cage and put the X.O long cage on my sister's mountain bike. So set up took some time, but now it works great.

With Rotor cranks and Dual Drive range and 100psi low rolling resistance Greenspeed Kevlar Scorcher tires, I can really fly, and with happy knees.


http://www.myspace.com/xootrswift
.

What advantages are the steel Swifts supposed to have over the current aluminum Swifts - fold up a little smaller? - and how will they compare with the steel Swifts that have been sold in the Oregon Swift place? Are theys till sold there? I don't see any mention of them any more:

http://www.catoregon.org/hpm/swift.htm

"He's so busy I'm not even asking how soon. I have one on order--steel frame and told Peter to take as long as he needed."

This has been going on for years now...

Excellent information on the Rotor cranks, thank you. I'll study further and will most likely have more questions.

One question now, though: I can't see past the chainguard. Is that a Q-ring? The RS series doesn't come as a single, right?

XS - The power booster cranks go for $285? I thought they were 700-1,000. The chain guard thing looks pretty neat, but if something does manage to get caught in it it might be much more difficult to remove, no? I guess it would be difficult for anything to get in there, though. I much prefer short cage derailleurs.

I rode a Swift today for the first time, and while I found the handlebars a bit too miniature, the ride was nice...on the flats. I live in the mountains, and found that I ran out of gears going uphill. Is this common, and is there a way around it. My overall sense was that this would be a good bike for short distances, but not so great for a 30 or 50 mile jaunt. Am I not getting something?

Cuffydog, I thought it was all right for hills while riding solo, but since I also need to tow a trailer, I had a Sram Dual Drive installed. It now goes down to something like 21.5 gear inches.

I wasn't thrilled with it going up hills solo, either. Maybe I'm not all that strong--I didn't feel comfortable getting out of the saddle--or maybe it was the grade, or that I was on gravel, not pavement. But overall I felt a bit cramped on the bike, even though I'm not that tall (5'8"). I'm going to try it again tomorrow. I'm trying to decide if it would be a good thing to bring on a trip out west, but if it's not going to be able to do hills or feel good after thirty miles, then it's not worth the weight. Since it's not mine, changing the gearing isn't an option.

Yep you're not getting something. ;) The bike has to be made to fit you properly. I'm 5'10 and I installed a 120mm stem. My Swift (see sig) is very comfy, fitting me perfectly. I did a 400km ride on it coupla months back, and the Australian Alpine Classic - 200km of not hills, but mountains - IIRC 3600m of climbing. I carefully chose a gear range that would be suitable. I have 32-100".

Jur, what would it take for me to change the gear range and is it expensive?

I'm not familiar with previous designs. My new Swift uses only the seatpost to secure the rear triangle.

New Swift Folder
 

"What advantages are the steel Swifts supposed to have over the current aluminum Swifts - fold up a little smaller? - and how will they compare with the steel Swifts that have been sold in the Oregon Swift place? Are theys till sold there? I don't see any mention of them any more:

"I don't know what advantages the steel Swifts have over the aluminum. I'm relatively new to this. Went to an open house at Peter's studio and was just impressed by him as a person and a designer and ended up ordering a bike sight unseen-- he's a real artist. From the other owners there with some beautiful custom aluminum Swifts they didn't think the steel had any real advantage as the way the Swift are designed, the aluminum frame does not ride as stiff as other aluminum bikes. I don't think, the Oregon steel frames are availble, but I don't know that for sure.

Most of the experienced riders I know--generally speaking prefer steel frames over aluminum -- they like the ride better. I was curious about the aluminum framed Airnimal and wrote Jim Langley who had given it a terrific review. He wrote back saying he prefered his steel framed Pocket Rocket over the Airnimal -- he felt even with the 20" wheels, the Rocket was more comfortable -- because of the steel frame.

I don't have enough experience to know. This steel frame is only 1 pound heavier than the aluminum. I asked if he could make me a steel framed Swift and he told me that a new design was "almost" ready. I'm buying this on a leap of faith because I love the design and am really impressed by Peter. I also live in New York --Brooklyn-5 minutes bike ride from his workshop and it's time to change how I live in relation to my car. Folding bikes are the only way to go in this city as far as I am concerned. The "smaller" fold of the new swift is also a factor -- I'd like to be able to pack the bike into a suitcase without removing the front fork. Something about the way the Swift rides in relation to my body type--I love the bike and I love the way it looks.

Re: Quick releases on the new Swift triangle. I can't figure it out either. This is a photo of one configuration Peter sent me to give me an idea. I know my final bike will be different--probably a Schlump Speed drive and 14 or 16 speeds and dropped bars and as of now an vintage auto "Aztec Red" I have yet to see the bike. I'm having this thing built by trial and error--asking Peter a lot of "stupid" questions . My gut instinct is I'll have it by the fall, though I let Peter know that even if it's not till next summer, it's fine with me. I'm doing this whole thing on good faith and a gut instinct. It's the sports car I never had.

I don't buy any of this alloy vs steel stuff - I have posted a link abbout this before, I'll see if I can find it again. In the above example, the guy is comparing 2 completely different bikes, finds one nicer, and concludes it must be the frame material. But what about all the other stuff? A bike doen't consist of a frame alone. It's like eating an apple and an orange, and concluding the apple is nicer because it has a different skin.

+1. I'm not an engineer and can't comment on the reasons, but my Xootr Swift is really very comfortable. Of course, it possible that a steel Swift would be even more comfortable, but it's definitely possible to build very comfortable aluminum-framed bike.
In the most recent issue of Bicycle Quarterly there's a piece about French aluminum framed bikes from the middle of the 20th Century ("Nicola Barra, Pioneer of Aluminum bikes") that were --and, of of those that remain, are -- very light and comfortable.
Jonathan