Swobo Crosby
Based on our cumulative 678.4 years of actual city and dirt riding, over many different types of terrain and distances, and in varied weather conditions, many of us at Swobo prefer the cross bike feel for banging around on trails, commuting and road riding. So it made sense that we design the ultimate two-wheeled version of the multi-tool….and to think that there’s not a single Swiss amongst us.
The result is the Crosby, an all-purpose road or cross bike. We started with a blank sheet of paper when we designed the versatile and convertible frame and fork, which means we didn’t try to adapt an existing frame, fork and dropouts to our design idea.
Fixed or free. Single-speed or geared. Cantilever or disc brake. Fenders and or/rack. Fat tires or skinny tires. Knobbies or slicks. Street or dirt. City or country. Touring or commuting. Racing or cruising. I think you get the picture.
The heart of the bike is the frame and our frame is shaped and butted aluminum with varied diameter and shapes to give it the optimum stiffness and compliance. Square-section top tube near the seat tube makes it easy to carry, if you are shouldering the bike for cross. The fork is carbon, designed to work with the frame. Frame and fork can accommodate cantilever brakes or disc brakes.
The ingenious SRAM Torpedo hub is designed to be either fixed or free, on the fly, with just 7 turns of a screwdriver. There is no need to flip the wheel, if you are riding fixed and decide you want to coast down the big hill you just climbed. Or vice versa. Put the screwdriver in the small hole, and seven turns later you go from track bike hero to single speed coasting casual..
Our custom forged dropouts allow for horizontal wheel movement to get proper chain tension when you are riding the bike as a single-speed. Wheel removal is simple and fast, as the wheel drops down, out of the dropouts. There is no need to push the wheel forward and drop the chain, as with traditional horizontal dropouts. An optional dropout can be swapped out, for use with a derailleur. Which is a French word we don’t use too often over here, but we’re open minded individuals over here.
The Crosby will be sold as you see it, as a free-wheeling single-speed with cantilevers, but the options are there to add gears or discs, fenders or a rack, tires with varied widths and tread patterns. On sizes 55cm and smaller, we use a seat tube clamp for the rear cantilever brake cable stop. Sizes 57cm and larger sport the welded cable stop.
Details
• Purpose-designed alloy frame and carbon fork
• SRAM Torpedo fixed or freehub
• Change from fixed to free on the fly
• Optional dropout with derailleur hanger
• Cable guides + mounts for derailleurs and discs
• Clearance and eyelets for fenders
• Adjustable sliding dropouts for easy chain tension
• Square-section top tube for easy shouldering
• Professional pre-assembly by Kirk
• Approximately 22 pounds for 55cm
Specs
• Frame: 7005 butted + shaped aluminum, oval to square top tube , Horizontal sliding dropouts, w/vertical axle slot
Derailleur hanger optional
• Forks: Swobo carbon, 1 1/8", disc and canti mounts
• Chainset: Sugino RD2, 42T w/CNC alloy guard
• Bottom Bracket: Tange-Sekei, cartridge
• Chain: KMC
• Freewheel: SRAM, 17T
• Headset: VP, 1 1/8" threadless, Swobo laser-etch top cap
• Stem: Swobo alloy, 2-bolt
• Handlebars: Swobo alloy drop bar
• Front Brake: Avid Shorty 6 cantilevers
• Rear Brake: Avid Shorty 6 cantilevers
• Brake Levers: Tektro forged levers
• Rims: Alex DA22, 32 hole
• Front Hub: Swobo front, nutted
• Rear Hub: SRAM Torpedo fixed/free rear
• Tyres: WTB Cross Wolf, 700 × 32C
• Saddle: Swobo, w/custom bottle opener
• Seatpost: Swobo alloy, 27.2mm
• Pedals: Wellgo, one-piece resin
• Grips: Cork handlebar tape with Swobo machined aluminum, w/2.5mm set screw
• Miscellaneous: Cable guides for derailluers and disc brakes
