Congrats on your purchase. How much carrying capacity do you need? I've found that the cheap Gnashbar front rack for forks with canti-posts work quite well for my needs, and doesn't interfere with the fold unless you're trying to flip the front wheel all the way around. If you want something nicer, you can always spring for the Nitto M12.

Here's the way I do it. The cockpit setup is a bit different these days but that's where I mount the Crossrack.

Hope this helps.

tblott3, thank you!

You're very welcome, Urbanis.

Hi Swifters, thanks for all your advice so far on cargo-carrying solutions. I am so sick already of hauling heavy things around on my back that I went ahead and bought a Dahon Traveller Front Rack from our beloved Thor and Ergon GR2 grips. Noteon and I will schedule a date for me to check out his crossrack soon.

I should be doing a bike photo session in a few days since I need to sell my Dahon, so pictures are coming...

Also, this was my first morning taking the Swift on the subway during rush hour. Even though the fold is less compact than my Dahon, it actually was easier to manage and took up less room in the car, due to the slender footprint. And it was refreshingly quick to fold and unfold it, and light enough to carry easily up and down stairs in the station.

I'm seriously in love with this bicycle. What an amazing design!

I have been preaching this to whoever is within earshot. :thumb:
I have also preached this. :D

Just wanted to share that I hit 40mph downhill this past weekend in an organized ride with the Swift Folder. I felt secure on it and even passed some roadies on their high end bikes (must have been the steel frame, IGH, and all the other misc accessories :lol: )

Bumping up the thread with a question...

So I was riding home last night and about 4 miles from home bailed and took the subway--I was pooped! I was feeling both annoyed by carrying things on my back (can't wait for that rack to arrive!) and tired by leaning over so far to reach the handlebars. If I wanted to achieve a more upright position, should I consider getting the taller riser (12"/300mm) or shorter stem (60mm, 5 deg) or both? I'm 5'8" (173cm) tall with a sleeve length of about 32" (81cm).

Thanks for your input.

You should probably get both. But don't get rid of the other items - as you gain riding experience, you may want to resume the more forward reach position again.

Hm, looking at the stems again, the standard and short are both 60mm; the only difference is the angle (standard is 35 deg, short is 5 deg). Since the length is the same and the stem angles upwards, I'd actually have a shorter distance to the handlebars with the standard, rather than the short. Correct?

In any case, I'm going to do so more riding with the stock set-up to see if I was having a bad moment or whether I'd really prefer a taller riser.

Note also that the stems can be mounted "upside down", changing the resulting handlebar position somewhat.

And, if I'm not mistaken, while the riser tube is a part manufactured for the Swift, the stem is a common off-the-shelf component -- I expect there are many choices of "1-1/8inch threadless stems" that would work on the Swift, with varying lengths/angles/materials (some even with adjustable angles). You may find a 3rd party stem that does better for you than the particular ones Xootr offers.

Xootr has more information on the seatpost, stem, riser, and resulting distances for various combinations, on their Frame Geometry page. They also point out the risers can be trimmed to shorter lengths (so you could make an intermediate length by trimming the longer one).

For what it's worth, I found that replacing the stock handlebar with one a couple inches wider, and slightly swept back, made a substantial positive difference in the bike's handling for me (and that also changes the distance to the handgrips).

this is me thinking out loud on my eventual optimal rack setup (a little scatter brained):

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...=#post11010422

if you look at the photos from my post a few above yours, you will see crossrack doesn't interfere much with fold. sometimes it is a little more annoying to stuff into the trunk of small car with crossrack protruding, but not that much more.

i emailed peter to see about welding something like the dahon luggage socket on the front head tube, he said it wasn't a possibility but would think of other ideas.

as for being able to strap random objects to a vertical rack, the crossrack bag is huge, most likely could fit random object inside or buy a bigger single pannier and stuff inside that.

when purchasing the bike, we tried fitting the bike friday rear rack, but the seat post seemed too thick to fit between the stays when folded. still brainstorming a solution to that.

@sqynt

how does this ride in terms of steering? can you notice the weight in the steering

As with any front load that is attached to the steering components (handlebar, stem, forks), the heavier the load, the greater effect it will have on steering response. Even a load as little as an U-lock is noticeable. How much you can handle will depend on how the load is carried, and how comfortable you are with the results. Your best bet is to keep the weight as close to the steering axis as possible, where the weight will have the least angular momentum. Putting the weight lower, on a fork mounted rack instead of a handlebar mounted one, will also help.

Beyond that, you'll just have to try it out to see. It really bothers some people, and not so much for others.

sounds like not much better than my stem mounted backpack. (added one more photo to my original post with my luggage mounted, half way through page 77 of this thread). i might switch from my current mount to this one which mounts with less angular momentum, per your advice. not for a few months at least.

I think that's a purchase well worth the price if you're mounting it on the riser. You can reposition your existing one on the seatpost to give you extra mounting options.

I've had 25 pounds on the front rack in the past. It was manageable, but definitely not comfortable. Having a front rack that can be attached to the frame, cantilevered off the main beam, over the front wheel, would be awesome.

Hi all, I have a question for anybody who has mounted fenders on their Xootr/Swift, many thanks in advance if you have any advice...

I've been looking at the mounting instructions for the Planet Bike fenders offered on the Xootr site:

http://www.xootr.com/fender-mounting-instructions.html

In the second picture, you can see that the front fender attaches via an elbow bracket and bolt, which seems reasonable enough.

But if you then look at the last picture, it seems the rear fender doesn't attach to the frame via a similar bit of hardware, but rather it just uses a tie, is that correct? Is the hole on the frame not bored to the proper axis?

Thanks kindly, just want to make sure I have this right...

fwiw, the main reason I want fenders is the seatpost and two quick-releases get fairly gritty, which then makes it a bit of a hassle to fold/unfold, as I don't want to grind that grit in -- is there some other "simple" solution that keeps that area clean without fenders? Thanks kindly...

Hi Swifters, I'm still investigating cargo-carrying options. I'd really like a versatile and fold-friendly solution if possible--for example, one that does not lock me into using a specific company's bag--which is why a rack, particularly a front-mounted one, seems appealing. I had a chance to inspect a Dahon Traveller Front Rack up close and, while it's beautifully engineered for a Dahon front fork, it unfortunately won't work on a Swift. So it's back to the drawing board.

Paths to investigate:
(1) A local BF member has offered to show me his cross-rack in action
(2) I recall that a local friend mounted a standard rear rack on his Swift--he drilled out part of the "arms" that attach the rack to the stays to accommodate the seat post

As for front racks, the contenders at this point are:
a) Gnashbar front rack, which has the virtue of being cheap
b) Nitto M-12, which is the expensive, high-end version of the Gnashbar rack (looks lovely and like it will last)
c) Nitto Mini Front Rack--this seems the most attractive and robust of the three racks, because it clamps to the fork blades (with p-clips) rather than the brakes (or does that not matter?). It says that the supplied clamps will work on blades around an inch in circumference. The Swift blades have a much larger circumference, but surely appropriately sized p-clips can be found at a hardware store without too much trouble, right?

What do you all think? What would you choose?

I have a fantasy that with a small front rack, I can bungee on some small, random objects, or attach a small bag, or temporarily attach a medium Wald basket for times that I want more carrying capacity. If there were a front rack that would work on a Swift capable of carrying front panniers, I'd love to hear about it.

If he is changing from this:
http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/7...kaulseatpo.jpg

to this:
http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/4...kaulcaddyh.jpg

in the front. Then this:
http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/7...kaulseatpo.jpg

won't fit the seatpost because the maximum clamp size is 32mm.

The Xootr has a 34mm seatpost no?

I haven't been through the thread recently (have in the past). But has anyone mentioned or tried the Freeload rack from New Zealand?

http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/3...oradventur.jpg

Well, havm66z, that is a very interesting concept! I wonder if the Freeload Rack could be mounted on the rear and not be in the way when folded--i.e., clear the retractable seatpost? It might be nice to have the Freeload Rack on the back and a Nitto Mini on the front.

Thank you for bringing it to my attention.

Am I right that a front rack attaching at the V-brake studs will not support as much weight as a front rack attaching to the fork blades via p-clips?

Dear havm66z,

Thank you for quoting VeloFred.com. There are three clamp sizes available 28 mm, 32 mm and 36mm. Oversized 36 mm is not supplied with an adapter, however it is available separately at Velofred.com

http://www.velofred.com/product_info...roducts_id=327


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=163638

A standard rack will fit the Swift OK. Just be sure to attach the "arms" to the lower Q/R or via 'P' clips to the rear triangle, otherwise the bike will not fold. The Rixen/Kaul Caddy fits the stem riser and can be used for 'bar bags, baskets or ruchsacs. The seat post bracket will fit the Swift's 34mm post using the lager clamps. Make sure you place the bracket high up the seat post if you still wish to use the post to hold the folded bike together.

Paul Braithwait, you are a genius! I cannot thank you enough.

I scavenged a Dahon Traveller Rear Rack from my other folder and mounted it on my Swift (using p-clamps to the rear triangle). It works beautifully--no problems with either folding or unfolding. It looks handsome on the bicycle and it is extremely practical, opening up a whole new world of transport and touring possibilities. The only disadvantage is that the rack adds length to the rear, so the fold isn't quite as compact, but the fold is still "good enough" for my purposes.

I am thrilled. I think this is the most robust and practical cargo-carrying solution, and I love that I have saved time and over $100 by not having to buy an expensive Japanese or New Zealand rack. It feels like a very Judy Garland moment--"there's no place like home" for finding solutions to your bicycle problems!

Pics!

My brother just got the xootr swift about three weeks ago and he is constantly on it. Now he is seriously considering getting a internal hub installed simply because the deraiuler has gotten out of out of wack. But it's quite expensive to get it converted to internally hub, you need to get a new wheel, plus the hub. He has already been quoted 400 to for everything.

As a result, been thinking of getting one built buy peter or human power directly which comes with the internal hub already installed for around $950 which is MUCH cheaper than what my brother has to do. He's actually considering selling his and just buying another new one. Anyway I have a few questions for everyone.

1. Aluminum versus steel version?

2. Painted or powder coated?

3. How long is the wait from ordering to getting one?

4. For the human powered one, how much knowledge do you need to have in order to build the bike once you get it?

5. Which would you get?

Thanks everyone.

Hi Noteon, pics will come, I promise, but after Monday. I don't actually have the p-clamps so this morning I just attached the lower part of the rack and taped the arms in place to test the folding. Monday I'll be at my not-so-LBS (bfold), where they'll properly install the rack, put on the taller stem riser, and fix a gearing problem--then I'll take pictures.

velofred and thor both rock for carrying goods most usa suppliers dont' bother to carry.

yeah i already have the oversized clamp (i believe the 36). had used it on a brompton seatpost originally. but i won't use the klickfix on teh seatpost, i'll stick with crossrack. klickfix has severe weight limitations.

also, on the notes for racks, dont' forget the pletscher quickfix racks from thor. you unscrew a quick release and then you could put down seatpost. of course, not having to detach a rear rack such as has been demonstrated with the dahon traveler would probably be more convenient...but maybe for those times when you need smaller folding size, the pletscher detaching might come in handy