Mines an Ultegra, and b-screw adjustment alone on that was enough to cure the problem.

London Nocturne Folding bike race tomorrow - who else has entered? I'll keep a look out for other Swifts and come and say Hi.

Not in it this time- sold the Jetstream, and I have other stuff to do tomorrow anyway- but I'll be spectating. My mate Rimas is doing it on his Saracen again (I hope he remembers not to act as lead-out man this time!).

Swift / Xootr Folding bike with low, quick-release basket
 

I love my Swift folding bike. Actually it's technically a Xootr model, but I don't hold that against it too much, especially since I've made it my own and Peter Reich (the designer/inventor) has lovingly put a lot of work into it. The most recent modification - I've heard I have the first one - is the low hanging basket. I am attaching a couple of photos. It works great for carrying a backpack on a hot day, and especially anything high, as it still allows full visibility, plus leaves the handlebars free for lights and other attachments. I use mine especially for shopping at the farmer's market, as the basket easily detaches and I can do my shopping with it, and then snap onto the bike. Just wanted to add to the thread about this basket, and that after 3+ years, I still highly recommend the Swift and I love that almost all the relevant parts are easily available and that it rides like a "real" bike.

Thanks Peter! http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=205690 http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=205689

^ That looks like a U-bolt fitting around the head tube, is that right? How is it prevented from swiveling to the side? How is the paintwork protected?

I like the basket/attachment--can you tell us more about it? I have a rack with a Wald basket zip-tied on but the detachable basket would work much better for transport.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=205805http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=205806

The basket arrangement looks very similar to Rixen Kaul's range. They have a variety of baskets and bags (including a dog carrier!) that clip into their KlickFix brackets. The R/K caddy bracket will bolt around the stem riser of the swift to keep the basket or bag low.

But the crucial difference is that it attaches to the frame, not the steerer.

So, is the idea that this might be made for sale to the general public?

I saw Brompton Kansi Brompton .. 1 2 3 .. ~~we need the race report~~ no Keith this year?

Yup, no Keith this year (he was there, but doing the support race). Because of overruns etc (some poor guy needed an ambulance, though I think it was just a precaution, he was walking OK), the final ended up as three laps instead of five. My mate Rimas unfolded his Saracen fastest and had a big lead at the end of lap one, but the next few guys reeled him in and he finished eighth. Didn't spot where RB finished this time...

Good point but will tall loads interfere with the handlebars when they are turned? Still like the idea of having the load on the frame and not the steering though.

After reading some information on this site, I bought two Swift folders, one for me and one for my wife. We road them for the first time yesterday. We each got the factory set up with flat bars.

While I enjoyed the ride, I felt a little cramped. I am 6' 1", so I purchased a large, which the website said fits people between 5' 10" and 6' 3".

I am used to drop bars, so that may have been part of the problem, but I just felt like I should be stretched out a little more.

Has anyone had a similar experience? Will I eventually adjust?

I'm just at 6' and I found the 'large' Swift a little cramped too. Going with the XL would only get you more height, not reach. I switched to bullhorns for a while to stretch things out a bit, but ultimately went with a longer stem. It's not an expensive modification.

You could always fit drop-bars, but that's considerably more involved.

That's one of the things I really like about the Swift. It's easy to make these kinds of adjustments.

more details on the basket frame.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=206118
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=206119

i consider getting it myself, but only if it was rixen kaul compatible. i haven't heard back if it is using the rixen and kaul clip in

to me the idea of having something with a large mounting frame attached (such as the baske) to a folding bike defeats the purpose. the carradice bags, brompton bags, and rixen kaul backpacks where the frame detaches and is small. i couldnt' imagine lugging around a basket with a folding bike in another hand.


i also thought this was cool, posted on some other bf thread:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/4505157...57626242702790

Okay. Thanks. I will call about a longer stem. I am glad I'm not the only one who felt cramped.

You don't need to get the stem from Xootr. Any 1 1/8' stem that with a 'mountain bike' clamp diameter (25.4mm) will work. Xootr's selection is a bit limited.

I'm about 6' 1.5" and would never have been happy with Xootr's longest stem (only 100mm). I use a 120mm, 17-degree stem with drop bars. That's with Xootr's XL (12") riser, and puts the top of the bars pretty much exactly level with the saddle. If I had flat bars, I'd want an even longer stem, or perhaps the same length but with Xootr's standard (10") riser (which would put the stem mounting point not only lower, but also slightly further forward).

I suspect my leg/torso ratio is longer than average, since I also needed the XL seatpost. If the Large seatpost has enough extension for you, you probably want to stick with the standard (10") riser unless you're looking for an especially upright position (bars higher than saddle).

Your LBS should be willing to let you try a few different stems, and hopefully has stems for ~$30 (I've used Dimension and Profile Design stems in that price range). You can often find surplus stems extremely cheap on www.icyclesusa.com, but it can be hard to find the exact length/angle/clamp size combo you want.

Do you have another bike you find comfortable? You could try to replicate the top tube + stem length from that, if the relative bar/saddle height relation is in the same ballpark.

The seat height is fine. I actually would prefer my bars to be about the level of the saddle. I have LHT set up that way, and it is very comfortable for me. I think I might ask for the longer riser. Thanks for the replies.

bar ends pointed forward will also let you stretch out a bit more.

If you measure the top-tube, the swift is definitely short for 6-footers. This is the problem with most folding bikes. I would recommend drop bars and with those you might be able to go up to a 120mm stem as well before the handling is too wrong (but it's all a matter of preference and adjusting to the longer stem). See my post above about welding on a second Bottom bracket shell below and behind the original - this was to make the effective top tube longer but you don't need to go to that extreme.

I've also tried 2 types of 'bull' bars and while they certainly gave the reach, I found them tiring to ride due to the lack of the 'tops' position you get on drop bars.

Yes drop bars do cost (or rather the levers do) but I reckon converting to drops is a good investment if you are going to do a lot of miles on this bike, particularly if you're planning to ride fast.

I got 4th in the Smithfield Nocturne folding bike race. A good improvement on last years performance. I took the lead at about 250m to go which was exactly where I wanted to go but just but didn't have a big enough sprint to get on the podium. http://www.540network.com/ww/00701/c...508_large.html
Great atmosphere, big crowds - many of them banging the boards or rattling cowbells to make a massive noise for us.

This year it was being filmed for Sky sports and will be shown on Friday, repeated Saturday. They had a motorbike camera filming us as we raced - I hope they show some of that footage.

Main programme: Friday 17th June, 19:00, Sky Sports 2
Repeats: Saturday 18th June, 01:30, Sky Sports 1 and 08:00, Sky Sports 3

Not sure, you'd have to ask Peter.

Not totally sure about the specs, but it doesn't touch the paint. It's screwed on really tight, but sticks out from the bike enough for clearance.

What would you like to know? The one thing to get used to is that unlike the handlebar variety, the basket doesn't move when you steer, which takes a bit of getting used to at first. A couple of weeks of use and I don't notice it anymore, though.

well, now a third LBS has given up trying fix this problem. they tried an ultegra RD but it still bumped the dropout. they say that the derailleur hanger is *so* far forward that any derailleur is going to have the same problem.

by any chance did Xootr alter their hanger design? the previous owner had this working (with an old hanger, which is stripped), so maybe that's the problem.

sigh...when I get it back tmw I'll compare the hangers side by side.

Newbie question - - - gearing!!
 

Hi everyone,

Well, I purchased my Xootr folder last week and I love it! It is such a *GREAT* bike. I also own a Bike Friday Ticket, but I like the Xootr MUCH better!

I bought it from Oceanworks in Berkeley, California and had a great experience there. It's mainly an automobile repair shop, but the owner (Angus) is a bike enthusiast and knows a lot about bikes in general and the Xootr in particular. I found him to be a really nice guy and he really took his time answering my questions. I highly recommend purchasing from him.

This is my question: I would like to change the gearing so that I can continue peddling while going downhill. Although I haven't done a lot of uphill riding yet, that seems to be fine. However, it looks like I'm going to start spinning out once I get anywhere beyond 30 mph or so.

So, I'm a total newbie here and I'm wondering what you guys can recommend. What do you think the best option is? Would it be best for me to get an internal hub and a front derailleur?

Thanks in advance for your help. This is my first time posting here, but I must say that these forms have been a great resource as I researched the Xootr swift. It's such an unusual bike, but all the back-and-forth here really helped me get a sense of how it works and what you can do to it. Thanks much.

wellslake, welcome to BikeForums!

we Swifties would be most interested to hear why you prefer to Xootr to the Tikit. my understanding is that the Tikit was Bike Friday's response to the Swift (8-speed for $800), so I am curious to hear if you think they didn't pull it off.

re: gearing, I agree with you that the gearing is not that high. A couple of possibilities:
* get a bigger front chainring. some on this thread have gone up a few teeth and can provide suggestions. you don't need a front derailleur to get a bigger chainring, though I suppose that is a way to do it without replacing the crank.
* do waht i did, which was to go with a Shimano "Capreo" 9-speed cassette that has a teensy 9-tooth small cog. thing is, if you do that then you also need the Capreo hub in your wheel.

I love the idea of going with an IGH. among other things, that will make the bike easier to fold and pack. but you will pretty much have to re build your rear wheel to do that.

good luck!!

Hi Mtalinm

Thanks very much for the reply.

With respect to the gearing, are you saying that the internal hub option is not the best one in your view? (Sorry . . . I'm still trying to sort out the pros and cons of the various possibilities).

As for the Bike Friday Ticket versus Xootr Swift question, I see it as a ride versus portability issue. That is, the ticket IS more portable, but the Xootr rides *way* better. (In my case, I bought the Ticket in NYC, where portability was a big priority, but now I live in the San Francisco Bay Area, where there are tons of hills and I have *way* more space than before). At 5'11''/190 lbs, I really didn't like using the Ticket on hills: it felt too "twitchy" going down and I always feared that I'd snap the steering post by pulling on it when I went uphill).

sure thing...good to ear that the Swift rides better. that has been my sense though the BFr crowd passionately begs to differ. you might start a thread in the Folding Bikes forum describing your experience, though prepare to be flamed by the Eugene diehards...

I'm not saying not to get an internal hub, just that you should check the top gear before dropping hundred$ on the IGH and the wheel rebuild etc. I'm sure others more mechanically inclined than I am will have plenty of opinions!