or just check to see whether you bike has V-brakes or sidepulls. the former means 406; the latter means 451. at least with this bike

or just check to see whether you bike has V-brakes or sidepulls. the former means 406; the latter means 451. at least with this bike

Brooks woes
 

Love my B17 Imperial but am having the worst time getting it placed properly. As many have noted, the Brooks narrow earlier toward the front than other saddles, making it hard to place it as far back as I'd like.

On a bike with a more standard seatpost slot one could get a "setback" seatpost, but I don't think that's an option for the Swift. Am I wrong?

I saw a post somewhere by jur saying that he filed down the clamp to enable the narrow rails to slide in a bit further. I may resort to that but wanted to check on other options first.

Yep I still do the filing on a variety of posts by now. Haven't noticed an unwanted side effect yet.

I think the standard seatpost is already a layback one - but seatposts that fit Dahon folders also fit the swift so if there's a Dahon that doesn't use the I-beam saddles then that might work. Swift seat tube angle is more rearward than a regular bike, so do you really need the saddle that far back to get the ideal saddle-BB? Or is the problem that there is not enough reach to the handlebars, in which case you should be fitting a longer stem and pushing the bars further forward. If you really do need the saddle further back for your comfort and/or pedalling position and not the bars forward then fitting longer cranks might help - that would move the foot forward in relation to the saddle at the downstroke. There is a limit to how long you can go for your anatomy but there is a range of sizes that work for each person so make sure your cranks are at the long end of that range. Standard swift cranks are 170mm. Mark Cavendish is relatively short and races on 175mm cranks and many taller riders race on 180, 185 in TT and pursuits where they are looking to maximise pedalling efficiency. My problem has always been not getting the saddle far enough forward, and on that note....

I filed away at my seatpost clamp to increase the adjustment of the saddle along the rail. I did it to get it further forward but you could do the same at the other end. There was no adverse affects to filing it away - you need to make sure you're no creating a much smaller pressure point than there is already.

thanks rickybails. i do have the saddle on my road bike back that far, and it seems to be optimal despite my stubby legs. maybe a pro fit will disabuse me of that notion :o

per your suggestion I've swapped in a longer stem (but also lowered it on the riser because it sticks so far up). haven't been able to take it for a ride yet, but maybe tmw

thanks again - BF always amazes me.

Just want to check that when you are trying to match your road bike saddle position on your swift, you are doing this using a plumbline and not by the position of the saddle in relation to the seatpost (because the swift seatpost probably leans further back than your road bike). I find the easiest way to measure this is to get the cranks horizontal with the crank nearest you pointing backwards, hold a plumbline on the tip of the saddle, leaning the bike towards you so the line hangs next the the crank arm (but us free to swing forwards and back), then mark the crank arm where the line meets it with some tape or a pen, then measure the horizontal distance from that mark to the centre of the BB. And if you are using a different type of saddle on each bike you need to adjust if one has a longer nose than the other, in relation to the point of the saddle you actually sit on (sit on both saddles in normal riding position - does the tip of the saddle stick out about the same distance in front of you for each saddle?)

oh that's a good point. will try that tonight. the road bike has a Specialized BG Avatar and the folder has a Brooks B17 Imperial. Definitely different saddles!

And then Murphy mocked me with his law. :( It's coming. Promise!

In other Swift-related news, Peter Reich has just joined Facebook. Flood him with friend requests so he knows he's loved. :thumb:

Like mtalinm, I have a preference for having my saddle further back than most people like. To the point that I'm a big proponent of crank-forward bikes. In fact, I've converted my mountain bike to something of a crank forward by removing one of the elastomers from my Thudbuster seatpost, which shifts the saddle quite a ways backward, and by using an extremely short (38mm) stem flipped backward. Looks weird, works great.

As mentioned above, the standard Swift seatpost is already a "layback" model, and combined with the 72 degree STA allows for a pretty "rearward" saddle position by most standards. But for folks like us, still not enough for the Brooks saddles' bizarre rail design. Rather than Brooks, I use Selle An-Atomica Titanico saddles on all my bikes. I find them more comfortable (softer leather, and permanently waterproofed to boot), and their more conventional rails allow for a considerably more rearward position. A cheaper option would be the Brooks knockoffs made by velo-orange, which also have longer rails and offer more fore-aft adjustment.

Like mtalinm, I have a preference for having my saddle further back than most people like. To the point that I'm a big proponent of crank-forward bikes. In fact, I've converted my mountain bike to something of a crank forward by removing one of the elastomers from my Thudbuster seatpost, which shifts the saddle quite a ways backward, and by using an extremely short (38mm) stem flipped backward. Looks weird, gets lots of questions, works great and the improved saddle angle puts less pressure on my boys. I have not tried this on my Swift, but it could eventually happen.

As mentioned above, the standard Swift seatpost is already a "layback" model, and combined with the 72 degree STA allows for a pretty "rearward" saddle position by most standards. But for folks like us, still not enough for the Brooks saddles' bizarre rail design. Rather than Brooks, I use Selle An-Atomica Titanico saddles on all my bikes. I find them more comfortable (softer leather, and permanently waterproofed to boot), and their more conventional rails allow for a considerably more rearward position. A cheaper option would be the Brooks knockoffs made by velo-orange, which also have longer rails and offer more fore-aft adjustment.

adding a front disc brake
 

hey, so has anyone added a front disc brake to the Swift? I love mine year-round but would just like that little extra bit of stopping power for the rain. Seems you would need a disc-friendly fork and a new wheel with a compatible hub (if that is in fact required).

I'm not so worried about the back brake - I hardly use it anyway except to slow descents, and rim brakes are fine for that.

Not a Swift Per Se,
Have 406 wheel 160 BB7 discs on my bike friday pocket Llama.
and the front has to be carefully applied
bike can stop real short, rider remains in motion..
So, I use the rear for slow speed stops, a lot.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=227840http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=227839Disk brake mount can be bought at www.gaerlan.com or make your own out of 3/16 or 1/4 CRS. I have TIG them on but you can also braze them on.You can add a diskbrake mount to a fork using a diskjig or just use the hub with disk on it and the brake and front adaptor and rotate the mount to find position. You might have to shave away some of the bottom to make it fit the contour of the fork. Then tac the two ends first and then tac each side, working back and forth so the mount does not pull to one side or the other. Keep checking the mount is on straight as you weld it on. Someone asked about the thickness of the metal where the mount go. Usually it is fairly thick there because when the fork is made the forging process push the larger diameter tubing down into a smaller tubing diameter and increases the thickness. I have cut some 20" fork down there to make 16" forks and they are quite thick in that spot. The pictures are where I have tac on a mount and went back to check it out with the front hub and disk brake. Mac

Quick question
Do the standard Dahon fenders/mudguards fit on the swift?
Thank you
Rob

white single speed swift with a carbon fork
 

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=229233http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=229231http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=229232
been lurking on this thread for months now and finally built up my own custom swift. after riding a birdy for the past 9 years i wanted something simpler with 406 wheels. kinda went crazy making a super light (super as in not bank breaking ultra) single speed swift. still considering making it into a fixie, but frankly, i love coasting.

so i picked up the frame personally from peter in Brooklyn on a business trip. that man is a saint. aluminum frame custom painted white with suguino cranks and single speed conversion kit. the fork is the Trigon carbon fork that kaito used on his swift. got it from performer.com.tw and they powder coated it white for free. the first one actually got crushed in the mail and cracked. george and nellie from performer sent me a new one right away, again a pair of saints. picked up the pair of kinetix wheels and white kojaks from dahon spares. they are incredibly light. the 74mm to 100mm axle nuts are from speedmatrix depot. the stem, guidonnet lever and cabling is from velo orange. nitto rb-21's, white brooks-esque saddle, titanium QR skewers, crazy light kcnc seatpost and white tektro 556's are all trawled from the ebay. funny thing about the front brake, it was about 2mm too short on one side and i thought i could get away with it. well, i didn't and popped the front tube and tore out the side wall of the front tire. the guys at my local (urbane cyclist in Toronto) fixed me up with a little hand milled front brake extender that dropped it down by a cm. they also dug up an orange stelvio tire that looks pretty damn sharp. finally the pedals are from fyxation and a set of straps are on the way.

as a final touch peter told me that tradition is you can only put on the swift folder label after your first ride. decided instead of just putting on the decal horizontally i'd wrap it around the top tube on an angle. has a nice swiss design touch to it.

now the only problem i have is that there isn't much more i can mess with the bike. had a really good time building this one up, guess i'll just have to ride it.

or get another.

oh forgot to mention, it weighs just under 17lbs.

I just noticed on the Xootr site that the single speed is sold out.

you can always get their conversion kit for a frame with a hanger, it's like $20. that sure would make it easier to pack for travel; I may get one!

Hi redSun,

That's a great looking swift! By any chance do you if the carbon fork you're using will allow running 451mm wheel?

it's actually built for 451's. i had to drop the calipers down a cm to reach the rims.
i chose 406's because they're easier to find replacement tubes and tires.
well, at least easier than finding 355 replacements for my birdy.

That is a sweet looking bike!

Just use the sharpie/marker. They're not permanent. You can easily erase them with oil or wd-40 or alcohol or something - forget exactly what works, maybe all three.

Two Questions about the Swift:
What is the difference between a single speed and the stock Swift? Frames are the same, right/

Also what is a Swift "grouppo" worth? Meaning all the parts (minus the BB and head-set) Besides the frame.
Any ideas appreciated.

ps. a simple hose clamp will hold the seat post position.

ps. a simple hose clamp will hold the seat post position.[/QUOTE]

Yes, but you will not be able to slide the seat post through the frame to hold the folded bike together as it was designed to do.

Thanks for the clarifying that, I don't own one yet so I guess I will learn soon enough. How about marking the seat post with a Dremel tool, or file?

What is the single speed conversion kit exactly?

The SS was black and they sold for $699. The SS is now sold out. I believe they use the same frame.

I emailed Xootr and asked when they'll have the single-speeds available next. Sometime in April, they said. :(

west coast guy, ask HPM if they have single speed. it will cost more definitely, but in case you want it

They start at $950 http://hpm.catoregon.org/?page_id=214

Here is a stock Swift on Ebay. You could always ditch the gears buy a can of black paint and go single speed... right?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...m=160694416256