Well, now that 6 months have passed since purchasing my Swifty Zero, and a tad less for the Swifty Air, its high time for another quick review of how things are doing so far. First of all, lets start with the older of the two, the Swifty Zero.
Overall not much to report here, generally everything is working fine, though to be honest I’ve replaced quite a few components, so I’ll do a run down on these first. The original wheels were sent back to Swifty Scooters as the bearings were running rough and I did a deal with them for a set of Remerx Dragon Line 719 quick release wheels. Tyres are still original with the addition of puncture sealant inside the tubes. Brakes have been replaced with a set of Magura HS33 hydraulics for additional stopping power. I had to swap the handlebars for a spare set to cater for the new brake levers which did not fit well on the stock bars. A small jingly bell, a pair of Ergon GP1 grips and a Klickfix Caddy Post Clamp on the down tube for my Rixen and Kaul Vario Rack, which is interchangeable between the Zero and Air. Finally, a set of Swifty Zero mudguards finishes off the list.
I ride the Swifty Zero a few times a week, and other than some routine adjustment to the brakes, some paint chips on the frame and forks, usually resulting from the scooter falling over when parked, everything else is sweet and true, and the scooter brings a smile on every ride. There is some wear to the grip plates on the foot pad but these can easily be replaced.
With the Swifty Air, I’ve also changed a few parts and components. Wheels are same as the Swifty Zero and this time I’m running with a pair of Schwalbe Big Apple 16″ x 2.00″ tyres and the usual tyre sealant inside the inner tubes. I much prefer these tyres over the Maxxis Hookworm 16″ x 1.95″ I started off with, they seem to run much quicker and smoother. A small jingly bell, a pair of Ergon GP1 grips and a Klickfix Caddy Post Clamp on the down tube for my Rixen and Kaul Vario Rack are also fitted to the Swifty Air. No mudguards this time as they just didn’t work, not enough clearance with the bigger tyres for all the debris that gets picked up when off-road, particularly when scooting in woodland in wet conditions. The grip plates are also wearing out in parts, same as the Zero.
I’ve pretty much kept to my original idea of using the Swifty Zero for on-road rides and the Swifty Air for off-road adventures. Though to be honest, if I was forced to choose between the two, I’d go for the Swifty Air and fit a set of Schwalbe Big Apple 16″ x 2.00″ tyres, it would be just fine in all situations. I will say, just to makes things clear, that most of the parts and components I’ve replace, were only replaced because I like tinkering with things, same as my bicycles. I love trying out a different set of tyres, for example. In no way, are any of the original Swifty Scooters parts sub-standard.
To finish off, I mentioned about fitting magura HS33 hydraulic brakes above. My final verdict is that they are not worth the expense or bother. They are expensive to buy, very awkward to install and a pain in the butt to bleed, all for not very much improvement over the standard v-brakes. My best advice is to fine tune the existing brakes and they will be more than adequate.
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