Schwinnsta

Where did you get your seatpost?

dezzie

I ordered it from the States but forget where maybe even xootr themselves it was quite a few years ago but it was only specific long travel cane creek post for this bike.

joey buzzard

Does anyone have any suggestions for racking a swift?
​
I​​​'ve used a xootr crossrack before, but I'm in Spain without my rack and I think it'd be much hassle to source such a thing if it's even still available. I like to travel light and I really just need something to carry a sleeping bag and hammock, so it doesn't have to carry more than a few kilos.

Has anybody ever made anything that worked well? Thanks!

Billy500

check out recent post 3907, a knockoff of the Crossrack that ships internationally. Have a great trip!

sdotkling

Try a front rack. I used an Old Man Mountain front rack for a week-long business trip a few years ago. I was able to carry two front panniers of stuff, including a laptop. Worked well, wasn’t too much trouble to install with pipe clamps, and felt completely normal riding around.

Shmockiebaby

I have successfully installed a regular bike rack on my Swift in the past, but I have since removed it (just didn't use the bike that way anymore).

The basic rack will attach to the frame dropouts above the axle - there are holes there in standard size in the dropouts.

On the other end, I found the best solution was to use the bars that came with the rack, but instead of fitting them to a fixed point on the bike, I installed it on the shaft of the upper quick release. It worked fine. I think I trimmed up a couple of pieces of fuel hose to fit on each side, to keep it from moving.

It was sturdy and stable, and I carried panniers on it that way once, on a rough gravel track for several hours. No issues.

It will affect folded size, and does require disassembly for smallest fold. But if you just fold to get the bike into a car, you should still be ok.

Enjoy Spain!

Shmockiebaby

I should add that I have a 7 speed Alfine hub, so the may be more or less clearance behind the bolt holes in the dropouts - worst case scenario, pull the wheel and install cap head screws from behind. I had to do this on the drive side of another bike once when installing a rack. Often the bolts they include with the rack are too long, once-siz-fits-all approach.

Vanrex

I thought I'd share what I've done with my old silver Xootr Swift over the summer.

I've been using it as my winter bike over the past five years, so it was looking a little tired. After getting it painted red, I added some new Gran Compe brake v-brake levers, Shimano BMX brakes, and the Sugino crank with an old school BMX chainring; I'd converted it to a single speed with a drop bar a few years back, so I re-used those parts.

More for looks than anything else, I got a titanium stem riser to replace the old steel one.

I might re-wrap the bars later, but I think it's just about done.

Shmockiebaby

Looks great. Nice color. Where did you get the titanium stem riser?

Vanrex

Dekerf was able to make one to fit the steerer on my bike after he had a chance to measure it up.

michael432000

This never got used, not once. So I think It’s about time to move it on and was wondering what would be a sensible price to ask, anyone?

The bike was originally purchased second hand and I used the stock version for a short while in London but I found that traffic wouldn’t take me seriously. I think because of the small wheels it was assumed that I was a young reckless kid riding the middle of the lane rather than a mature and experienced ex-racer.

Since then, apart from the frame and fork, headset and crank arms, everything else is new and I think I still have all the receipts somewhere. When I say new I mean new, the handbuilt wheels, Hope hubs/Aeroheat rims built by Strada UK have not covered double figures. The Continental tyres are still brand new with the centreline bit in fresh new condition. The saddle, handlebar tape and brake hoods have zero signs of wear.
Condition is identical to the picture posted on this forum 7 years ago.

Thank you for looking.

Ps. I moved to a hilly area and have two beautiful Colnago C40’s which I love so see no future for the folder.

Bym

cheoeumboneun meosjin polding jajeongeoibnida

18/5000
This is a great folding bike I've never seen before

Bym

It will be easier if you fold it often.

cobdomview

Hi, I’ve just skimmed through the whole thread!!!
very useful
i just recently bought a pristine, lovingly maintained swift here in the Uk.
I did have a mezzo before and sold it before buying the swift. It was a bit of a stretch to afford the swift but I’m glad I did. It’s a completely different prospect of course, but it suits my needs a lot better than the mezzo (as well as my size - the mezzo was really too small leg length wise and cramped reach wise). I’m not particularly tall but my leg length is quite long.
I’m in Sheffield which has very many, very steep hills and it didn’t take long for me to realise that I was a bit too overgeared! I live half way up a hill that is steep enough to need hand rails along the pavement! I was very fortunate to find an unused 11-32 for sale on eBay for not too much money.
So far it’s been a delight to have this bike. Easy to get in and out of buildings, it stashes neatly and flat against the wall in the cellar or workspace; easy to carry up narrow cellar steps too.
Many years ago I had a Pashley version of the moulton (apb?) so I’m re-acquainting with small wheels again. It’s again, a very different bike, a bit less plush a ride but very nippy. I read along the way that it was designed for couriers to be able to carry with them in and out of buildings. I get that ( I couriered in Dublin a v long time ago).
It’s been a life saver for me to carry the bike in and out of my work place while rushing between appointments and getting online for meetings (I’m not a courier any more, I am a teacher at uni here.)
i also love that it is so easy to put in the car and have with me on travels when I wouldn’t have otherwise done so. Especially when we’re being discouraged from taking public transport right now.
I love it.
i did need to get new qr skewers for the seat post and a little cheap Chinese plastic chain keeper off eBay. That was advertised as for folding bikes but needed heating and stretching a bit to fit round the swift’s chubby seat tube. Changing to the 11-32 cassette had caused it to start dropping the chain occasionally when changing down to the smaller cogs, but the chain keeper seems to work. Not bad for a couple of quid!
apart from that it’s as I got it. I did find the seat post slipped initially but since I fold it regularly I decided to try cleaning the grease I had applied back off it and it now seems fine. The very thick metal combined with the fact that the seat skewer is just about the same height as the weld where the top tube attaches to the seat tube appears to make it inflexible and hard to tighten. I tried a loaned telescopic tern/ dahon seat post but it’s took loose to tighten in the 2 clamps, I’d need to make some kind of very thin shim which I see someone else already made in copper earlier in the thread. I’m not sure I will try to do anything like that even though a telescopic post would mean it could fold smaller. I have a 580mm post which I appreciate when riding but makes the fold a bit bigger. Oh, and I found a very cheap second hand stem that is longer and lower than the stock ones which is super handy.
Lovely bike, such a shame it’s discontinued. Maybe it’ll get another lease of life in the future.
this thread has been so helpful.

Schwinnsta

Welcome. I must be lucky my stock (mostly, 11-32) no chain drops. Check your derailleur alignment. I too had Moulton apb. I put Big Apples on mine and its adequately plush.

cobdomview

Thanks for the welcome. I’ll have a look at the derrailleur for sure. I’ve only had it happen almost spinning out down hill on very poor roads a couple of times and only when changing down as I gather speed. I might not go as far as big Apples, I had an aluminium frame road bike many years ago and I am reminded of how that felt. Sheffield roads get a tough time over the winters here so when I wear out the stock tyres I’ll see what’s out there, I might go with a more supple tyre at about the same width as the current ones. Kojaks seem interesting.
I’m keen to do a trip on the train and ferry to Dublin some time. I have done it in the past with a regular bike but this is perfect for such a trip.

Schwinnsta

I bought mine used and initially it would drop the chain on shifts and going over bumps. I traced in to loose screw that hold the derailleur on.

timo888 

I've found it's the lower seatpost clamp that does most of the work on my Swift. It can hold the post in place all by itself, which the upper one cannot do. The post should be free of lubricants, as you've discovered. I swapped the original seatpost with a (now, older-generation) Cane Creek Thudbuster with an extra-long post of the same diameter as the original, which is ~34mm. The Thudbuster adds weight but makes the Swift quite a decent bike for bumpy hard-pack dirt roads and gravel paths.

PebbledChin

cobdomview I own two 2nd-hand Swifts because I was so impressed by the first one. I did have some issues with chain drop initially, and I can't now remember the full story of what I did. If the rear deraileur tension and limits are set up, it is very difficult for the chain to fall off at the cassette. If you could see in slow motion, a wave propagates along the chain when you change down or hit a bump and when it reaches the chainring, it is sometimes large enough to allow the chain to fall off. On my latest 20" wheeled bike, I fitted a Sturmey Archer FCSS1 (made by Sunrace) and these come with high guards either side. They also look smart. I'd recommend them just because the action of putting a bike in the car can derail a chain, and side plates help prevent that, and also help keep your hands off the chain. You can replicate this style by buying some slightly oversize 5-bolt 130BCD bash rings and fitting them either side of the chainring. jur wrote a FAQ on folding bikes in which he discusses chain derailment.
The subject of the seat post slippage is a thorny one. Some people argue grease is a lubricant, and therefore makes slippage worse, but others argue it fills up microscopic gaps between the seat pin/post and the seat tube and therefore increases friction compared to just air. The gaps might not even be so microscopic: I would bet that the tube only makes contact in a few places, especially after squeezing the slot narrower by tightening the QR seat clamps. Engineers blue or maybe marker pen might reveal this of you covered the seat pin and observed where it wore off when the seat pin slips or is rotated. I read that Swifts were given an unusually precise reaming when they were made (usually +/- 0.1mm is an acceptable "fit") but this sort of only works well when the same tension is applied at the QR, and there is no wear in the system. The second Swift I bought was almost a write-off because the previous rider had allowed the seat pin to slip and there was visible ovalization of the seat tube internal wall, and gauling/fretting of the seat pin. The gauling or fretting is perhaps another tick in favour of lubricant being used.
You will not be able to shim really small thickness because the shim will have tin foil thickness and no strength. Better options are to try a knurling tool on the seat pin (do you need a lathe to use one of these?) to increase the diameter a tiny bit, or to go for a significantly smaller seat pin diameter and us a more substantial shim. The latter is how I rescued the 2nd Swift I bought. A £7 digital vernier caliper (Aldi have these occasionally) is useful to work out what you are starting with, and a spreadsheet with common shim thicknesses and seat pin diameters will tell you which combination will give you the tightest fit. There is still some trial and error in it because of manufacturing tolerances on seat pins. Do you have a friendly relationship with anyone in the engineering department? You might be able to get some advice on preventing slippage/damage from them?

Having only a single ring at the front, I've sometimes wondered whether the Swift could be made to work with one of those 11-40+T cassettes; these modifications are often a money pit from the domino cascade of changes once you start, but living in Sheffield, you might consider it worthwhile. The Crossrack is worth considering as it can be almost completely detached bar the stub for folding and putting in the car, and a standard pannier can be fitted to it.

Paul Braithwait

A standard rack should fit fine using 'P' clips to secure it to the stays. If you use the Q/Rs of the seat post to attach the rack, you must use the lower one or the bike will not fold.

Schwinnsta

Since I have extra bags for my Brompton, I made an adapter to carry them on my Swift. I basically improved on versions of this design that were posted by others earlier in the thread. I added supports to prevent rotation. It worked out well.

12boy

Schwinnsta....nice job with the Brompton block.....does it smooth out the ride with a little weight in the bag?
I've downloaded the Xootr Swift manual and it mentioned the need to lubricate the seatpost and the riser. Posts from the early days of this thread cite a greased seatpost as a cure for creaking and slipping
I don't fold mine and have replaced the seatpost and riser QRs with boltscand locknuts. Works great.
I've also got a 11-32 sprocket set up, but I took the 54 tooth chainring from my Brompton to get the high gear a little higher and learned the deeper teeth have prevented any chain jump as well as being a bit lighter. I also threw on an old mtn bike friction shifter because the Sram twist shift didn't seem too great with the 11-32 sprocket cluster. This also allowed enough handlebar room for Ergon grips.

Schwinnsta

I got the bike used and it came to me with the cross rack and Zootr pannier. Recently I put that set up back to make some minor mods. I made minor mods to the to the Brompton block ( drilled holes to make the bag release better) and changed the headset to cartridge bearings. To be honest I can't really tell that much difference in the handling. The load is about the same but I have I like the Brompton bracket better. I prefer to carry bat in the front. I should take some recent pictures of the bike. Knock on wood, the seat slippage has not been issue for me.

rickybails

Just wanted to add some comments from experience on seatpost slippage...

1) Seatpost clamps are not all the same - some can provide a much tighter clamp than others. The stock Xootr ones (at least they were stock 13 years ago) are not that great - Peter Reich sent me some better ones but not branded so I can't tell you what make they are.

2) Seatpost clamps need lubing too. Not all clamps use a cam shape sliding in a socket (the ones Peter sent me had an internal lever point)- but for those that do, keeping that friction point lubed can give you a lot more leverage.

3) grease did work for me (by making the post a tighter fit) but it makes a mess - particularly annoying when loading into cars. Better than grease is a wax-based dry lube - does the same job but won't make as much of a mess.

4) You can speed up your unfolding as well as solving your seatpost slippage by hacking up something for the seatpost to stop against when it gets to the right position. I use a piece of tubing inserted down the seat tube all the way down so it rests on the BB shell. The top of the tubing has to mate well with the bottom of the seatpost. To aid maintenance I've fitted a spring clip across the diameter to give me something to hook on to on the rare occasion I need to fish it out. So when unfolding the bike I simply slide the seatpost down until it stops, then clamp up, but if the clamps are not 100% tight it's still not going to slip. (I still want them tight though as that's part of the structure of the frame).

PebbledChin

Sheldon Brown always recommended internal cam skewers, writing that they can achieve much higher compression, but I'm sure I've read on this thread that someone damaged his seat tube by overtightening the QRs. If Peter Reich sent internal cam QRs, then they must be acceptable. Was this for an aluminium alloy frame?
I've just now dug out my Swift manual (2008 version) and there is not much mentioned about the seat post: Check both clamps are clamping by releasing each one individually and ensure on each occasion the post can't be moved. Use a lubricant like Finish Line.
Your suggestion of wax-based lube has made me think of trying a solid like candle, bees, or carnuba wax that would flow under pressure and gap fill but not so easily migrate onto hands or clothing.