One Month with The Swoops: A Bike Worth Backing
I often talk about how, in the cycling world, we should prioritize helping each other rather than staying isolated in our own little corners. And that’s exactly why I wanted to shine some light on The Swoops today. The Swoops is a “signature bike” developed by La Chouette, a bike shop based in Paris that I featured a few years ago, here, on Slow Spin Society. But this project wouldn’t have come to life without a close collaboration between La Chouette (of course), Brother Cycles, Stolen Garage(also based in Paris), Sim Works and CL Cycles from Montreal.
Before I get into my experience after a month of daily use, let’s talk about actually buying The Swoops. While you can get it as a frameset, doing so would mean missing out on much of what this bike truly offers. The Swoops was designed to be sold as a complete, ready-to-roll bike, carefully built by La Chouette. A one-stop solution for a stylish and reliable ride to take you across Paris, or even further if the mood strikes.
It’s available in two versions:
The Starter Pack at €1,875
The Ultimate Edition (which I tested) at €2,100
Both versions are mechanically identical, with the Ultimate Edition including a few premium touches that I’ll talk about later.
But let’s go back to the original concept. The Swoops was born from a Brother All Day frameset, then custom-painted by Stolen Garage, and finally built up by La Chouette right here in Paris. To me, this bike represents an awesome opportunity to show two important things: First, that a true collaboration across multiple brands and shops can only result in something that the cycling community really wanted. And second, that when a local bike shop creates its own signature bike, it makes the local cycling market more diverse, interesting, and grounded in real use cases. (Side note: Even though The Swoops is very much a Parisian product, it can be shipped anywhere within the EU.)
The Swoops is, in every way, a Parisian bike: fun, stylish, and built with the French capital’s streets in mind, it has that little “je ne sais quoi” you only get from something made with love and cultural context. Of course, it’s not just about aesthetics! The Swoops, is a single-speed designed with comfort and practicality in mind: 38mm tires, a Brooks saddle, and soft ESI Chunky grips to smooth out all the cobble roads you’ll find here.
And that’s again largely thanks to the bespoke part selection made by La Chouette. The Swoops are built using a thoughtful mix of reliable and exotic components, saving you the headache of hunting them all down yourself. With no weird proprietary parts, this bike can be maintained at virtually any bike shop. The paint, while discreet during everyday rides, truly comes alive in sunlight, which is a subtle but beautiful touch. Having a bike that looks “too much” here in Paris, is the best way to have it nicked so I’d say The Swoops strikes a good balance with staying discrete but with a healthy dose of bling. Would I leave it locked up outside overnight in Paris? Absolutely not. But has it delivered everything I want from a daily-use city bike?
Yes 100%.
Talking about bling, a perfect example of that is the number of Japanese parts specced on the bike. The MKS Bubbly pedals have quickly become my new favorite platform pedals ever, and along with the SimWorks cockpit and a Bassi drivetrain, it’s a winning combo that feels both unique and functional. And this is just one more way to show that this project, at its core a collaboration, that benefits everyone involved. Let me dive more into this:
When I rode around with the bike and talked to people about it, the common reaction was that it felt overpriced for what it was. Parisians being Parisians, complaining is always the first reflex, but it’s also our way of challenging what we care about. After hearing a few times that the bike seemed expensive compared to the market, I decided to open up my Excel sheet and run the numbers. I wanted to see, conservatively, what it would actually cost to recreate this exact build on my own.
So I did some online shopping: sourced each component, grouped orders to reduce shipping costs, estimated import taxes, labor for wheel building and bike assembly, and even simulated the cost of a custom paint job in this exact color.
For the Ultimate Edition priced at €2,100, my total came out to well over €3,000.
That’s because La Chouette’s unique relationships with Stolen Garage, SimWorks, Brother Cycles, and CL Cycles, make it possible to keep costs low in all the ways you’d expect: bulk ordering, absorbing labor costs for handbuilt wheels and assembly, lower tariffs, and so on. Short answer: Yep, it’s an awesome deal!
(And yes, I rode it through that pretty intense storm we had in Paris this summer… The bike handled the flood and made its way right between all the fallen trees. Pretty extreme review…)
And I haven’t even mentioned that the folks at La Chouette are more than happy to take your Swoops to the next level, whether that’s adding a fixed cog, swapping grips, or throwing in the Fairweather framebag they lent me (which they also have so many variants in stock).
Honestly, having a bag permanently on the bike has been a total game changer. I never forget my lock or tools because they’re always IN the bag that is ON the bike. Or if the night turns a bit breezy? I’ve got a long sleeve tee in the frame bag as well.
I seriously love that thing. Need to get more frame bags for myself.
Finally, let’s talk about the bike itself, because beyond all the nice details and parts, you probably want to know how it actually rides. My favorite way to describe the Swoops is this: it’s the fastest sofa I’ve ever ridden in Paris. It’s incredibly comfortable, smooths out the road like a champ, yet stays reactive and playful. I never found the bike sluggish, in fact, the upright position gave me a refreshing sense of security, something I hadn’t really experienced before out here.
If I had one small critique, it’d be the 46x17 gear ratio, which can feel a bit heavy on steeper climbs. But that’s easily fixable, and honestly, partially on me. The team at La Chouette did ask if I wanted something easier to spin, and I said I was fine. I was also curious about the use of standard Shimano V-brakes. They work extremely well, but seem a notch below the premium components found elsewhere on the build. After a bit of digging, I learned it was either that, or an extra €600 for PAUL Components levers and calipers. So I’d say that’s fair enough.
So, what’s my final take?
The Swoops by La Chouette is, to me, the ideal worry-free bike Paris Edition. Something that’s both a joy to ride and an easy entry point into the world of bikes and components that aren’t mass-produced. It’s more than just a sweet ride, it’s also a meaningful way to support the people who are building lifetime bikes and high-quality parts, instead of feeding the cycle of cheap, disposable city bikes and endless consumerism. I also want to add a special side note for all the great moments I shared with The Swoops. It’ll always be the bike I took out to goof around with the homies on those long Parisian summer nights of 2025. Chasing cheeseburgers and good jokes.
TL;DR: Support your local bike shop, they’re the ones making the things that truly matter.
🔗 : La Chouette
🎞: Expired kodak Color Plus 200
📷: Leica M6
📍: Paris
Special thanks to Mario and Francois for helping me with the photography.
