Legacy.

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/tire-sizing.html

Lubing the levers is a very good idea.

I got a perfect fitting bolt at the LBS for $4, 1/2 the price that Nashbar asks. Only trouble is they only had one. They are ordering more.

Yeah, that 20" tire business makes no sense to me either.

Getting chilly in Chicago
 

It's getting chilly here in Chicago. This morning was wet & cold: about -8c. When I got to the office I found the seat post had frozen into the frame and needed a lot of effort to remove it. I really think the Xootr frame QRs are on the wrong side: they should be on the leading edge away from the muck. If I get around to it I'll knock up some kind of cover using neoprene or something. Until I do, I guess I just have to live with road muck in the seat post and an occasional frozen post (or buy a fender / mud guard...).

I've also noticed that drivers are even less attentive to bikers. I was 'nearly doored' three times yesterday on the way home - that's a record. :twitchy:

J.

Swift in a Flite
 

Well,

Yesterday, I packed my swift into my samsonite flite suitcase. It was a remarkable experience (and indeed, a couple of scotch whiskies made the whole process easier to cope with). I had instructions from swoot and a photo. I followed the instructions and after several mishaps (take the bar ends of the handlebars, etc.) It sorta worked worked out. Indeed the bike can only fit one way in the suitcase and just barely, I'm convinced it won't fit in an samsonite oyster (as some people have said is possible, well maybe with removing the forks). You have to follow the instructions from swoot to the letter and then improvise as necessary. I packed instructions and photos for TSA but when I tried to close it, it was really really difficult to close. Today I figured I would let out the air in the tires to make it easier to close the suitcase but it seems to close better today as things have stretched out a little. I'm still worried because the Flite suitcase is oversized as far as the airlines are concerned. The suitcase weighs 46 pounds with bike and accessories.

I bought the Swift so I could go out at Christmas and ride in Southern California for a week. With my luck, it will snow next week down south. We'll see what happens - I hope the airlines (Continental) won't charge me too much.

I'll report on the results, Happy Holidays to all,

Hokey

Lots of people have flown with the Oystr case with no problems, myself included. I flew with JetBlue in November, and they didn't bat an eyelid. On the way out the case was about 47 lbs with accessories. On the way back I had more stuff, and it was actually 51 lbs. I offered to transfer some stuff to my other bag, but the check-in staff just smiled and said it didn't matter. So I didn't pay a thing for the case either way.

Good luck, and enjoy SoCal!

Hey, Swift Thread,
I got a Xootr Swift this past August and love it. I've currently got drop bars on it, and besides that and a new saddle it's all stock. On that note, I can heartily recommend the Tektro RL520 drop v-brake levers. Best non-disc braking performance I've ever experienced with drop bars, and very comfy.

But I have a question: Has anyone else experienced a whole lot of drag with the stock derailleur setup? I took the chain off and cleaned and lubed it. The BB and pedal bearings, and the jockey wheels, all feel fine on their own, but when I put the chain on it just feels like a whole lot of resistance. The best explanation I could come up with was that the chain was too short, but even after I added 5 links the feeling was there.

What could be causing this?

Thanks,
Alpacalypse

Does it exhibit the same symptoms in third or fourth gear?

I've noticed that the short BB to rear axle distance causes the chain to run at alarming angles on the highest and lowest gears, to the point where the chain rubs against the bash ring in the highest gear.

I just finished converting my bike to drop bars as well and intend to post a report over the weekend. I'll just say for now that if I were to do it again, I would definitely do it differently.

Knowing what I know now, the easiest drop bar set up is to use:

*) Drop bars of your choice (of course)
*) Drop levers for V-brakes (like the Tektros mentioned)
*) Ratcheting bar end shifter (like the ones from Rivendell) - or try your luck with old bar ends in friction mode. These should allow you to use the existing derailleur.

Does anyone regularly take the Swift folder on the subway in New York? (I know Xootr says that you can take it on the subway. But I'd like to hear from anyone who does this regularly.) Does it fold small enough to avoid trouble during rush hour? Does the bike roll when it's folded? Do you have trouble taking into office buildings in New York?

Thanks for the advice. You're right; there is less drag in the middle than there is at either end of the gear range. I'll chalk the rest up to the surprisingly strong return spring on the stock derailleur.

One note pertaining to drop bars and bar-end shifters: I'm using an old touring one, and it won't go through the whole range of the cluster, even though it worked fine with 8/9 speed shimano derailleurs on my other bike. I think this has to do with the "1:1" actuation ratio on the sram derailleurs-- it takes more cable pull to make a shift with the sram. If you want to use a bar-end shifter with the stock derailleur, you'll have to use it in friction mode, and possibly grind off some material to make it cover the whole range.

I've taken it on NYC subways and buses before. To make a long story short, it's easier than taking a normal bike but not something you'd want to do regularly during rush hour-- too many people. It's cumbersome with the pedals and handlebars sticking out and snagging on people, and the dirty chain is on the outside, which has some real clothing-damage potential.

The bike does roll while folded, kind of, but it's a clunky two-handed operation. Office buildings, again, are easier to deal with than with a full-size but not something you'd want to do regularly.

To make a long story short, for city riding, the swift gives you a good "contingency plan:" If you forget your lock and need to stash it inside, or the weather's horrible and you want to take the train, or you suddenly need to go somewhere in a car, you can arrange to bring your bike with you. It makes a lot of stuff, like going inside or train travel with your bike, possible. Doing it regularly, however, YMMV.

Good to know. [Post updated for prosperity] I was thinking specifically of these from Rivendell:

http://www.rivbike.com/search/run?qu...product=17-089

which I had assumed worked with all derailleurs as the website claimed. I just checked and they recently added a warning stating these shifters won't work with 9 speed SRAM mountain derailleurs. I'm guessing that means the 8 speed ones are compatible.

Mine goes into an NYC office building daily, with no hassles at all.

When folded, there's a decent balanced carrying point on the top tube, up near the chainwheel. I carry it one-handed, using the other hand for doors.

Perhaps I should clarify-- I don't work in an office building; I just end up visiting them a lot. Some are fine with the swift; others need some convincing, and others will go ballistic. If you find a place to work that's cool with folding bikes, that's one story-- I was just saying that if you choose an office building at random, there's a fair bit of luck involved as to whether they'll let you in.

...At least until the bikes-in-buildings bill passes. Fingers crossed!

Yes, building policy varies. Hopefully that bill will pass, and we can start telling the little dictators at the front desks where they can put their tin pots.

Stolen seat post
 

I didn't think it could happen in less than 20 minutes, but that's NYC! Anyone Know the quickest replacement source?

winter tires
 

Hello all,
I purchased a pair of the Schwalbe 20" winter marathons for my swift and have been riding on them for about two weeks. They are pretty impressive--stop cold on ice or bare pavement. Not the greatest on deep rutted ice, but I am not sure if anything would be.

I was originally going to use a winter beater for my winter commute, but decided that I enjoyed the swift too much, and I was more likely to need to put it in the trunk of a car in the winter than the summer. Has anyone else been riding one in the winter?
Bill

http://www.bikeforums.net/showpost.p...ostcount=29272

I know I shouldn't be exposing it to all the salt and junk, but it's just too much fun not to.

Neos derailleur
 

I'm reporting back on my attempt to use the Neos on my Swift. Short version: it can work, but you'll need to find the appropriate fixing bolt.

There is an appropriate mounting point on the rear dropout where the stock derailleur hanger attaches to the frame. The problem was finding the right fixing bolt that would go through the Neos derailleur and bolt through the existing opening in the dropout. This probably could have been solved, but I wasn't too keen on using this derailleur once I found the other problem with the Neos.

The Neos is a reverse pull derailleur. A.K.A. "Rapid Rise" or "Low Normal".

This would have for sure driven me mad when switching between bikes, and was a real deal breaker for me.

BTW, this derailleur weights only ~220g (analog postal scale) instead of the 320g claimed by a previous poster.

Extra long stem post
 

Some time along the road, Xootr started offering a XXL Swift. If no one noticed, the XXL size comes with a longer stem post. Since my existing stem post was visually deformed, and was starting to make noises under heavy load no matter how hard I torqued down the QR, I decided the buy the extra long one as a replacement.

To my surprise, not only was the new stem post longer, it was also extra beefy. Hopefully this means that the new stem post won't need replacing any time soon. There is a small cost though. The beefier stem is about 200g heavier.

Are the new standard sized stem post beefed up like the one pictured as well?

Update on my modifications:

The original intent was to convert the bike to use drop bars and integrated shifter brake levers. It's just about all done now, and I'm very happy with the results. I wound up using Tektro Oryx cantilever brakes front and rear, and a mid-cage XT derailleur. I believe the Oryx is the narrowest low-profile canti's you can get. They are essentially the same as the older style Shorty 4/6.

I was afraid the brakes would get clipped by my shoes, but I'm glad to say that has never happened in the 20 miles I've put on them so far. The only "gottcha" that I encountered is the length of the included straddle cables. These brakes come with a "Z wire" style straddle cable, which are too short when installed over fenders. These cables are literally resting on my fenders in the retracted position. I imagine that these are fine if you don't use fenders. These will be replaced by a center yoke and traditional straddle cable when they arrive.

BTW, that's a one wheel B.O.B trailer attached. A common complaint about one wheeled trailers is that they seem unstable with heavy loads. Using that trailer on a small wheeled bike has an unforeseen bonus. The lowered center of gravity of the trailer itself puts less force on the bike and feels more stable than when attached to a large wheeled bike. Go mini bikes! :)

I hear you--frame size and geometry make it the perfect ice-bike. We'll see what the salt does--I am going to wash it off today and oil it up!

Great pics! So far I've only taken it with an inch or two of snow falling.

Bill

Sqynt,
How much did that new stempost cost?

I went through a lot of this thread and see that the smaller steel Swift has been in the plans for years. Anyone have any updates on it?

I would like a folder with a bulletproof frame and standard parts (I want to keep it for many years). The current Swift seems like it fits the bill. A smaller steel version sounds even better. I read about the broken frames. The current model has thicker tubing in the area of the break, correct? Does anyone know if these frames have failed?

There have been no reports of frame failures other than the 2 that I know of.

Rivendell has the parts, but their selling prices are way out of line. If you shop around you will find the exactly same parts for 1/4 to 1/2 of the Rivendell prices. Buyer beware!:)