mandag, juni 09, 2008

The Xootr has gone. Long live the Xootr.. I was no longer commuting by bus and train, and on the potholed roads of San Francisco the ultra stiff frame of the Xootr was making me unhappy. A couple of trips out of the city reminded me what a joy the Xootr can be on good roads, so it was with a somewhat heavy heart that I decided to sell the Swift to my dad around xmas. His job moved to a new location about 10 miles away, and his old bike wasn't up to the distance. I think mostly he plans to bike the distance, but the Swift's ability to fit in a car appealed because of the unpredictable English weather.


Fast forward 6 months, and I've been doing some trips for work. I miss having a bike along! Also, my wife got a Moulton TSR DB, and that magical suspension makes it ride better than any of my big-wheel bikes. So suspension and folding have been mulling around in my mind.. Way back before I bought the Xootr, I test rode a Birdy but ended up not getting it because it was expensive and I was really fixated on drop bars. Now I realize I rarely use the drops, so a flat bar with bar ends works fine for me. Also, I found a really good deal on eBay for a new-old stock Birdy Silver (Capreo).

So far, so good. It rides really well on San Francisco's bumpy roads, and feels fast and responsive. I'm a little annoyed that one of the front brakes rattles like hell, but discovered that it just needs a shim (spacer washer) to take up the slack. I had that on the brakes I bought for the Xootr too - Shimano has a real problem with manufacturing tolerances, it didn't seem like the bike shop was suprised..

Pictures to follow..