[Closed] Singular Swift any good?

Awesome! Had mine around 2 years or more, probably the longest I've kept a bike 🙂

Normally single speed but currently 1x10. Mines a medium, I run a 50mm stem & a dropper on it (ks). Swap between rigid and a sus fork.
Ridden all day marathon epics to a razz round the local South Wales tech.

Probably best hardtail I've ridden, very capable.

Phil, what height/inside leg are you? I was going for a medium I'm 5'10. What sort of weight is it?

I had one: good value, versatile, EBB worked well. Didn't ring my bell or feel special so I sold it, but most people love them so I guess it was me (I don't buy into the Cotic Soul love-in either). Partly depends what you want to do I guess. I must be flawed. Leastways I know I now prefer a more trailsy geometry.

Buy one, ride it good. I'm 5'8" and had a medium, I think M probably right for your height unless you really want a mile muncher.

I'm 5'8 with a 29" leg. So I've a reasonably long back.
Medium would be spot on i'd have thought.

EBB is great as well, I've had a few singlespeed frames in the past including a Niner and this is the most reliable.

Mine was 25lbs, rigid with mostly XT bits and cheap wheels.

I'm thinking of getting a Tallboy LT and would sell my Full sus to put towards but the Swift will always be in the shed

Brakes changed & now with a dropper

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Phil looks good, I think it's just what I'm after, especially the versatility aspect,cheers. Anyone with more pics would be good. 😀

Had one for 4 years now and can't see myself getting rid of it anytime soon, it's so versatile - rigid/sus, singlespeed/geared, fat-ish tyred/narrow,speedy.

I could be intereted in Sam's new fat offering if it came out in alternative colour.

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It now has de-stickered flows and a black spoon.

Felt fantastic as a rigid singlespeed. Totally sorted, nothing to change even a little bit. EBB was perfect. For reference, I'm on one of the earlier models (2nd gen, 2009ish).

Now my knees are giving me gyp and I live somewhere where singlespeeds don't make sense it is a 2x9 with 100mm forks (and a -1deg works comp slack set). Feels like a bike, but nothing special, and the BB position for derailleur compatibility doesn't give you many options.

Oddly at 6ft with 34" leg on a large with an 80mm stem / 710mm bars it felt great as a SS but now geared with suspension forks and a 70mm stem it feels too big and I can't get off the back easily for the downs with the saddle up.

Basically, I think as a rigid bike it is good geometry for the style of riding and type of terrain likely encountered. With gears and suspension you expect it to be capable of more on stiffer terrain but it doesn't deliver as much as a I had hoped. It is just a comfier version of the rigid singlespeed and more suited to map crossing expeditions rather than techy trail riding.....not a complaint exactly, but don't believe for a minute that you are getting 2 bikes for the price of one. Unless the newer frames are radically different.

Original SS guise:
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Geared with sus forks:
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[url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/piershemsley/8934135262/ ]Sidlaw bike[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/people/piershemsley/ ]10000 rivets[/url], on Flickr

Lovely photo Shackleton...

The Swift...yes, nice etc but I went for a SIR.9.
Swift was firmly in the running.
It used to say on the Singular web site that if dropper posts etc, were your thing then the Swift probably wasn't for you.
That kind of put me off a little. As sedate as my riding is these days I like the fact that my Niner is versatile enough to take on silly stuff with a decent fork. The Swift was also quite heavy, compared to the Niner.
I'm very keen to try the 29+ model Sam is bringing out, but it will need a respray out of the box... 😕

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It often has a dropper though not here of course 😉

My thoughts on it here :

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/singular-swift-29er-and-suntour-epicon-rld-29er-fork-reviews

ANother satisfied owner here...

ANother satisfied owner here...

Me too, love mine, feels like the pedalling position is spot on if that makes sense, anyway it seems a very efficient pedaller...

Love it singlespeed or geared or packed up for touring...

The new swift allows 29+ wheels and tyres too! (front only)

Really like mine and as a singlespeed it has made riding in really mucky conditions a lot less faff than gears. Was thinking of going 1 x 9 for the summer as any longish stretches of flat road can be a bit wearing so really interested in the comments on geared and ss Swifts.

Awesome pics really like the blue but I believe the new colour is cream not too sure on it might have to search for a blue medium.

Yeah. (They are).

Mine is set up for all-day comfortable riding, including a rather unfashionable 3 x 10 transmission, and love-them-or-hate-them Jones bars ... making (for me) a very capable, very comfortable, versatile back-country bike. I'm using Salsa Enabler forks too, as I love the wider stance from a 135mm front hub.

He's used for what used to be thought of as 'mountain biking' back in the day (which is to say just riding along on back-country lanes, farm-tracks, bridle-paths, the side of fields [i]et cetrea[/i]).

Granted, it's an unhelpful photo in terms of detail, but mine does a lot of this kinda ambling about:

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My Gryphon does the SS stuff.

😉

pics:

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re Taki's comments above, the Niner is twice the price or more, but if the budget can handle it that's what I'd buy. But it's hard to see how a Swift could ever be a bad decision.

Budget ain't gonna stretch to the niner so will be buying British! Think I'll try rigid with 2.4 contis and perhaps 1x10 if I get my fitness level up 🙂

My fitness is proper shocking and I can't say I'm having any problems on 1x10. Maybe discussion for a different thread though.

Loved mine and it did me proud in winter racing with an Alfine. Sold it and replaced with a £99 Inbred SS 29er. I have to say, apart from the ebb being better than trackends and a tensioner, I can't really tell the difference. Certainly not £2-300 difference.

Had one, initial impressions were good, then sold it. I ran it SS and 1x10. Rigid and with 100mm rebas (the world's most worryingly flexible fork!).

I sold it because I kept finding its limitations. It is capable of licking along at uber speeds and it carries it well with great handling. The problem is I would then carry the speed into something tech and get in to trouble. I decided therefore I am not the type of rider who ought to be on such a bike.

If you don't see the above being an issue and want a supurb mile munching 29er then fill yer boots.

I ran my Swift geared for a while but it felt dirty.

The guy who won the '13 Brass Monkey series was on a SS rigid Swift, it was really odd seeing someone steam past me like I didn't exist (politely I add) then thinking "hey he's on the same bike as me!". (Damn it's not the bike that's slow then!)

And here's mine, love it for xc stuff but the 'engine' needs some work. 32:18 seems about right for now.

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Pics awesome, love the baby blue but not the new cream, 🙁