I hated Powergrips when I tried them on a different bike. Don't they flop around underneath every time you take your foot off the pedal?

No, not at all, they are the simplest and most comfortable foot retention system (now there's a posh title!) I have used. The straps are new - so relatively stiff - which may help them keep their shape for a while. When my feet are not in them the straps tend to sit against the cranks which keep them upright - as in the photo. Once I slip my dainty size 10 (UK size) feet into the Power Grips they clear the cranks and don't rub at all.

I've been modding my Swift the last couple weeks.
Been too busy with tests to post pics, but I'll try to on Friday.

I've slathered most surfaces with 3M retroflective film (brightbike), installed drops (old Sakae randoneurs from the bike kitchen), and long pull brakes (tektros. The Swift feels so much faster now!

I just need a single bar end shifter. Any one have an old Suntour that I can buy?

Until you find one, use an old friction thumbshifter and mount it on the inside of your drops, just below where the brake lever clamps. This will put your thumbs in the right position to shift when riding on the hoods. The Bike Kitchen should have plenty of those sitting around, assuming that everything is unpacked after the move.

Front derailer update -
Made the adjustments, as per Jur's very helpful reccomondations.
- Adjusted the angle, and realligned so its perfectly parallel with rings.
- Adjusted height to sit just over the big ring.
- Adjusted the cable tension. It was too tight.

This was the first time the FD was adjusted since installation. I'm pretty sure the cable stretch'n such has settled, and the tuning has worked out all the final kinks. I had a 70km group ride on Sunday, and the FD performed flawlessly with plenty of climbs/decents. Before adjustments, it was starting to drop the chain even in 6,7th gear, going from small to big ring in the front, but now, shifts in anything up to 8th gear are quick'n smooth. It'll still drop if in 9th/10th, but since I won't be using the small ring in anything above 5th, its not an issue at all. Its exactly what I needed, and I'm completely satisfied with the set up.

Still using 53t/44t on the front, as the LBS's having a hard time ordering in the FSA 55t outter ring. (road-not TT) After a couple of weeks with the 53/44, I'm actually getting used to the 53t outter, but again, would like the 55t, and will post pics once the final bit's installed and the gearing's completed.

As for the rear cassette, I wrote previousy that it was a 12-27t. Well, I hadn't picked it, & left it to the LBS mechanic to decide. I double checked with him which cassette he installed and turns out its a Durace 12-25t.. ~ no wonder I was feeling more of a burn in my climbs! I had debated whether I wanted to change it for broader ranged cassette w/a bigger rear sprocket, but after the 70km group ride on Sun., I'm sold on the 12-25. :eek: The closeness of each gear really allows me to fine tune my gear selection/cadence with my breathing & output, which inturn just lead to more comfort & more energy to spare. Some of the climbs are still hard with 44t front / 25t rear combo, so I might go with a 42t front inner ring, or 39t, esp. once the 451's are fitted.

We'll see..but the 12-25 cassette's a keeper! :p

My Contribution to the Swift Family
 

I think it's done for the time being. The only thing I might do is grind off the rear brake mounts and paint the bike satin black (to match my other bikes).

Holy ****, that swift looks hot. Any chance for a part list?

Looking very yummy... the Swift is THE most versatile bike frame money can buy I reckon. You can do anything with it, form a fast TT setup to a hardtail MTB.

Coupla questions... overall weight? And what is the fork data?

dyamamoto - EXCELLENT build! Your bike looks HOT!!
I'm continuously amazed at how many different configurations the Swift has been shaped into!
Each just a little, or ALOT, different & exactly into what the 'shaper' wants! - whata great bike! :D

I'm curious about your fork set-up too, and more so, if there are any road forks out there that can be fit onto the Swift w/little or no mods. Anyone know of any? A light weight fork changeout would be a great way to shed a little more weight.

Great work dymanoto, and thanks so much for sharing!
K.

dynamoto:
before you grind off the rear brake bosses, you may want to consider using them to attach an OMM rack to the bike?
Foe me at least, a bike with no rack is alot less useful!

Sgynt, Thanks for the tip regarding the thumbshifters.

I was able to get a single shifter from Citizen Chain in North Beach today.
I'll have it installed during break. Next is a sprung leather saddle.

Everybody thanks for the props. The Swift really is one of my favorite bikes to ride. The fold isn't really small but it sure is fast.

As far as componentry goes

Brakes:
Shimano XT hydro brake levers
Shimano XTR calipers
Shimano XTR rotors
Custom rear brake caliper adapter

Drivetrain:
FSR track cranks
Shimano XTR deraileur
Shimano XT shift lever
Shimano A530 pedals. These are perfect for a folder. SPD on one side, platform on the other.
Shimano XTR 12-27 cluster

Specialized aluminum flat bars w/ODI grips
Thomson stem
Joey J-stem riser
Cane Creek headset
Thomson seat post. Slides inside the Swift post so I can remove the entire seat assembly without disturbing the seat height. Or I can leave the Swift "stub" clamped in the frame and take just the Thomson and the seat with me.
Specialized titanium railed saddle
Salsa quick release clamps and binders

Velocity Aeroheat rims
Shimano XT hubs
Schwalbe Kojak tires

The forks are another story. A while back I contacted this company to custom make these forks for me. They said they could, to the tune of $600. :0 So I bought one of their 26" MTB forks, cut them down and rebonded the fork ends. I used this set up for about a month and what do know, they contact me and say they can now make them for $300. When I modded their fork I did all research as far bonding the ends back on. But I just felt more comfortable buying a fork that was constructed in a controlled environment so I ended up buying the first production version.

http://www.carboncycles.cc/index.php...=0&c=68&p=587&

They sell on eBay so you may be able to get a better price.

Everybody seems have trouble/concerns about the routing of the cables. Don't know if it's visible in any of the pictures but I've found my routing to be trouble free. Plus, it doesn't require any unsightly wire ties on the frame (except for the one by the rear deraileur).

Took a little bit of work to get the chaniline right but it shifts great and never drops a chain (note the super tall teeth on the track chainring).

Like many people on this board I've had this bike apart and down to the bare frame many times so if you have any questions or problems please do not hesitate to ask.

After seeing your forks, I did yet another search on the web and among other things found posts by you, plus that co and their forks which I assumed were the same ones as you got (confirmed).

Forks are a tough problem and I have pushed out another feeler or 2.

What are those small 'things' all along the cables on the main tube?

When researching the forks for my bike, I did endless amounts of searching to no avail. Thus I just ended up contacting that company on the hopes that someone could make the fork. There are other forks available that could be adapted to the Swift but my self induced problem was just "having to have" the disc brakes.

Another ironic thing is after all that work to save weight (yeah, the disc brakes aren't light weight), the bike ended up weighing 21 lbs (maybe 20 if you don't include the seat bag and computer).

BTW - The "things" on the cables are just cable ties tying the cables together so the don't flop around. I'd contemplated welding on some cable supports but you can't affix the cables very close to the pivot without affecting the fold.

Jur - I was just looking at the pictures of your Swift and it's interesting how similarly our bikes are set-up considering I've never seen your bike until today. I originally had the Ulterga 6600 cranks on the bike but the "swoopy" look of the cranks just didn't look right. Hence, the more "mechanical" looking track cranks. Birds of a feather.

Very nice work Dyamamoto. Did you machine the rear caliper mount yourself? Did you consider a "floating" mount using the canti-post stud to mount a torsion rod?

dyamamoto ~ Wonderfully integrated machine; I too feel stealth black would be great with what you've done. The vision I had years ago is polished alloy throughout for my Xoot. I have finally found an aluminum Echo Team disc-only fork and have all the bits to return to street only machine. I have a disc rear hub but not a caliper mount. Do you have another, or can you direct me to your machinist? I’d love to have front and rear discs. Also how do you like those Kojaks? When the Greenspeed Kevlar TR’s I have now wear through, I’m thinking of changing over to Schwalbe. Again, great looking bike!

http://www.myspace.com/xootrswift


http://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...730f621627.jpg

dynamamoto i'm loving your build!

and as such, i have many a question to ask of you!

-how did you manage to use the Thomson seatpost? Did it just 'magically' slide into the stock xootr seatpost? and what diameter is it?

-how does your stem riser set up work? is the riser inside the fork or is the riser clamping over the fork?

-how long is the xootr's headtube, and how long was your fork's steerer tube?
I've had this crazy idea of using a lightweight carbon fiber bmx fork rattling in my head.....:innocent:

Don't worry you're not alone... :D

The BMX carbon forks I looked at, had the following shortcomings:
* Looked too BMX-y for my Swift
* The ones which were OK for my weight are too heavy, hardly any saving over the stock fork
* The ones which were light enough were only rated for juvenile weight riders
* then there is the dropout-to-crown length, which for the Swift is rather long, so a tight BMX fork ruins the geometry and will make the bike's top tube slope down

I give you this list just so you don't end up buying something which might not work.

I have also looked into shortening a carbon roadie fork, but ran up against the problem of the dropouts ending up too close to each other.

I am wondering if it's worth approaching a frame builder... nice lightweight Reynolds 953 fork... :love:

After diggin the net over the weekend, here's my find:
(description from seller through 'Yahoo Auctions' here in Japan)
Trigon
451 carbon fork
435g
1 1/8" column
for long reach brake calipers
column length 39cm
Price: 26,000yen

Manufacturer's site:
http://www.greatgocycles.com.tw/

For carbon forks in 406, I think the forks on the high-end KHS Mini-velo's are a good candidate. I couldn't find the details on the KHS forks, but there's prob good chance they'll work w/the Swift.

Here's a link to the KHS mini w/carbon forks:
http://www.khsjapan.com/index3/index3-2009.html
(See model F20-RC)
Looks like they're set for caliper brakes too..
If you click on "OPTION", you'll see they sell just about everything separate, just not the forks..

Rgds,
K.

Spring has sprung!!
 

http://i175.photobucket.com/albums/w...n/DSCN4076.jpg

"Spring has sprung the grass is ris, I wonder where de birdys is?"

OK, it's not the best bit of poetry ever written but spring flowers and bright sunshine were the perfect combination to entice me out along the local river bank trail.

If nothing else, this posting will bring the Swift forum back onto the front page!

parcoju

The Thomson seat post actually does just slide right into the Swift post. It does require slotting the Swift post and machining it down to fit the closest sized seat post clamp. I don't remember the magic number for the Thomson OD because it was on the bottom portion of the seat post that got cut off for weight savings. Just measure the ID of the Swift post and find a seatpost with the closest OD.

The stem riser is the standard Joey J-stem. There is an adapter that bolts onto the steerer tube and the riser clamps onto the adapter. I believe Jur has the same set-up. Once again, I don't know the cut length of the steerer as I just marked it and cut it to match the adapter.

As Jur stated, adapting a road fork would not work so that is why I went with the MTB straight leg style fork. Just cut the legs to the correct length. No dedicated tooling required. Personally I think the look works because of the "mechanical" look of the Swift bike.

The fork I have, although not super light weight, is definitely lighter than the Swift fork.


xootr swift

I machined the brake caliper mount so I don't have another. I was machining that adapter on the fly so unfortunately I don't have a drawing or dimensions to share.

The Kojaks roll really nice and the ride isn't too bad but are a little flat prone. I little Stan's in the tubes solved that problem. The only tubes I have found that have a removable Presta core (so you can inject the Stan's) just happened to the the Schwalbes. If anybody knows of any others I would like to know.

has anybody looked at the fork for the Airnimal Rhino ss? it looks like a nice 20" carbon fiber fork that may work for the swift, but dont know if they sell it separately...

Rhino fork would be way too long for the swift; it's an unmodified 26" mtb fork with disc brakes avoiding problems with brake reach. For decent 20" susp forks, best bet is to look for specialist recumbent forks, or cheap RST kids forks.

dyamamoto ~ Thanks for the update. I have a friend with a home shop I'll see if he's up to cutting a few bits of bracket. But if you ever have that bracket off, I’d love a copy/photocopy.

I have just finished installing an Echo Team fork w/an Avid Juicy 5. It's replacing a Mecs Saso Carbon front suspension fork with an Avid Mechanical disc brake and a factory brake lever. The response with the Juicy is unbelievable. I switched back to non-suspension fork as I plan a long ride through Central and South America and this new fork is lighter and has no moving parts and is thus less likely to break in the middle of nowhere Peru. I’m bringing the mechanical caliper and break lever as spares. Short of a few polished headset spacers, stripping and polishing the top tube and a new set of rear lines, I’m about done. I promise this time…

ps. My factory fork and riser are up for grabs, as well as a like new 56t Vuelta chainring, if anyone is interested.

http://c3.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...4ede33fd22.jpghttp://c4.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/i...047b24c17b.jpg

http://www.myspace.com/xootrswift

My turn for show and tell...

Stock Xootr swift. Sakae Randoneur bars. Deda tape. Big Apples. Some random stem lying around. Suntour downtube shifter. 3m retroflective tape, and a Crane bell.

It's really fast, but I'm a little worried about the vibrations to my wrists.

Where has Xootr got to?
 

Can anyone say where the Xootr website has gone? www.xootr.com takes me to the website of some domain squatter. Xootr was at that URL last August when I mailordered my Swift frameset and I wanted to see what was new on the accessories page.

Peter
Australia

It was there a few days ago. I'm guessing somebody messed up and didn't renew the domain.

Rack mounting
 

Many thanks for the "swift" reply to my Q about whereabouts of Xootr site. Hope it comes back soon. While I'm online tonight, here's a pic of my upper rack mounting on an aluminium Swift. (I think I figured out how to attach a .jpeg so I hope everyone else can see it)
Comments invited about what is wrong with this idea.
Attachment 100182
I can think of possibility of ripping the clamp ears right off the frame. Rack is a Topeak Super Tourist that I had in parts box and as presently mounted it feels very solid. Top clamp bolt is a Dimension 50mm. Bottom one clamping the rack stays is Q/R as supplied with frameset. My emphasis is on packability rather than regular folding so I went for security of clamp bolts on top seatpost clamp and stem. One of my few beefs with the Swift is the scarcity of braze-ons (TIG-ons?) for bottle cages and racks.
Another idea is to machine an alloy collar to go around seat post and bolt the rack stays to that.

Peter
Australia

Swift aluminium folder with mix of new and junk-box parts.
SRAM 3x9 Dual Drive
Shimano Deore Octalink triple crankset.
Single 42t front ring in middle position.
Left hand SRAM twist shift
Right hand Shimano 9sp trigger
BBB alloy butterfly bar. Brooks leather bartape.
Shimano 105 rear der.
Velocity Aeroheat 406 rims.
DT Swiss 14 straight gauge spokes.
Front Shimano Deore 36h hub
Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres
Tektro V-brakes and levers.
Brooks B17 narrow saddle.

I've just tried the Xootr web site with no problems.