Test Ride - SWOBO Del Norte

Well, I had a chance to test ride the SWOBO Del Norte at the Roll shop at "The Greene" in Beavercreek, Ohio.

The Greene is one of those manufactured "urban" shopping and living districts. Lots of cobble lined streets, a clock tower in the center of the "town", boutique shops, parking ramps, office space and condo units. Up until two years ago it was a corn field...

Environment aside, I called ahead to see if the Del Norte was available in 53cm. The friendly shop staff (Matt) said he would build one up for me. When I arrived it was ready as promised. A little adjustment of the chain and seatpost, a helmet fit and I was off.

The first thing to note about the Del Norte is that it isn't light. That isn't to say it's terribly heavy - it just isn't light. It is designed and marketed as a rugged urban commuter. I had no doubt from the first pedal stroke that this bike would hold up to most anything I could dish out.

Double sided Wellgo pedals allow for flat footing and SPD riding. If this bike were mine these would be replaced with a standard track/road pedal with toe clips but the design was usable overall. The right pedal seemed to creak a bit, but it could have been a number of things including the crank or an overtightened chain.

Handling was excellent. Like I said, this is a solid rig and the ride over the cobbles of "The Greene" proved to be comfortable and decent handling for its mass. I liked that it had a freewheel and two brakes. It comes with a flip-flop hub so adding a fixed gear and lockring is simple.

I used to race on the velodrome so I'm no stranger to fixed gear riding - skidding, hopping, etc... However, the brakes added a level of comfort while blowing through these streets where people were definitely not looking for cyclists.

The gearing was a little lower than I like but spinning isn't a bad thing. I took the bike up the three story parking ramp and down again. It climbed just fine and descended well. Did a no-fear/no-brake left hand turn out of the ramp and lived to tell the story.

So the folks at SWOBO know how to build nice riding and functional bikes. But how does it look?

I liked the powder coat "Matte Grayeen" frame and fork. Coupled with some nice flare such as the red chain, hubs and rims it is a looker. The only bling to be found is the chrome steel handlebar with chrome bar tape (SWOBO visited the department of redundancy department for this idea!)

The saddle with bottle opener is a great idea because I can't even count how many times I've been doing a city dash or critical mass event when I suddenly pulled over for a six of Sam Adams and had no way to open it other than wedging the bottle cap in my front chainring. Unfortunately the Del Norte comes with a front chainring bash guard so that little technique is out of the question - hence the seat rail mounted bottle opener.

The welds on the frame are really nice - I know these aren't hand built frames but there is tig welding and then there is TIG welding. This is the latter, and it looks like attention was paid to making nice clean welds with smooth even beading. Dropouts are adorned with dual fender/rack mounts making rigging the bike up as an über commuter easy work especially given the ample clearance for fenders and wider tires.

Added touches like the shopping cart laser etching on the hubs, stem and seat binder - not to mention the metal SWOBO badges - remind you that SWOBO is as good at marketing as they are at design. Not obnoxious, just a little overstated.

My only beef with this bike is that it is set up "slower" than I'd like. The gearing is 42x17 - I think a 46x16/17 would be better for my type of commuting. The 32mm tires are a little large and soft - though they did handle well. A 28mm tire is plenty for my commuting needs. Not sure if it is intentional, but the weight did seem to be a bit high. I'm going to guess it came in at 24-25lb stock.

My single speed mountain bike (sans rack and fenders) weighs 24lb. I'd think SWOBO could do a bit of trimming but maybe a weight to durability ration was their biggest concern. In any regard, for flatlanders and those who don't mind humping a bit on the hills these are nits to pick on an otherwise nice bike.

Thanks to the folks at Roll for entertaining me and letting me know my purchase options, including a nice 9 month no interest plan. At $739 the SWOBO Del Norte isn't the cheapest SS commuter out there but it does have a lot to offer including a great design, good materials and manufacturing, and a quality stock parts list.

Try building a similarly equipped SS bike and you'll hit $739 before you add in the cost of a frame and fork! As such the Del Norte is a good value unless you need everything custom-custom. The hipsters will think you are a sellout for having purchased off-the-rack but you'll save some dough for skinny pants, trucker hats and PBR if you do (and have a great serviceable bike for years to come...)

• Love: red chain and hubs, ride feel, chrome bars, bash guard, welds, dropout mounts, flip-flop hub


• Like: matte grayeen, chrome bar tape, SWOBO badges, dual brakes/freewheel, red rims, clearance for fenders, price


• Not So Much: weight, flat/spd pedals, mongo tires