I'm planning to put my coil spring kit back in my pikes. it's the one made by a french guy (CRC or something?)
it came with just a sheet of plastic which wrapped round the spring to protect the inside of the air tube. this did work as i went back to air after, but it was starting to break up and i think i was lucky the air still seals.
so I'm after suggestions for something else to use, preferably a bit more resistant. big shrink wrap? inner tube? any suugestions?
Vorsprung provide a spare bit of heat shrink with their springs iirc, might be worth giving them a shout to see if it can be bought seperately.
thanks.
I think the cover is there to stop rattle rather than protect the insides. All the coil conversions seem to indicate they are one way so sounds like you got luck behind able to go back to air.
Back in the fox vanilla days I used inner tube for this. Iirc it did no last particularly well.
The heat shrink in the Vorsprung conversion only covers a part of the spring.
I think it would stop it from fully compressing if you covered the whole coil with it.
As Stu mentions above, anything covering the length of the spring will likely get bound up in it. Anything 9n a small section of the spring will likely "walk" down over time.
I'd say the best best is something similar to what you have and replace it with each service of the lowers.
I know that you used to be able to get replacement heat shrink wrap for Ohlins fork springs as part of a service kit. Might be worth contacting J-Tech or TF Tuned?
I have a link I will dig it out. The idea is to put it in the middle of the spring, when the spring it loads up it buckles in the middle, so thats the bit that needs covering otherwise you get an annoying clunk on every stroke. May also do some protecting.
It is standard on most fox sprngs and I have never seen it walk. Just stays in the middle. I imagine because every load has an unload so it if does move one way, it will move back again..
https://www.silverfish-uk.com/products/var00600005_fox-fork-spring-heat-shrink-tubing
Or here, they have everything from 1mm to 76.5mm dia. Most heat shrink halves, so go about 75% of the way, eg if your spring is 32mm dia, then get approx 50mm to be fair 50mm or 40mm would probs cover most springs.
here is 50mm transparent for example. https://cpc.farnell.com/pro-power/13665/h-shk-tube-2-1-clr-50-80mm-25m/dp/CB09712
This stuff is pretty good from a chemical resistance point of view. Which may or may not be useful with the little bit of oil and grease that’s likely to get on there.
Edit: possibly not they useful to buy from though as I’m guessing you won’t want a full £50+ reel of the stuff. Still good heat shrink though if you can find someone selling shorter lengths.
I buy grab bags of heatshrink tube from various sellers on Amazon or eBay.
Assorted sizes and lengths.
They had loads of listings last time I bought any.
Just get a meter of 40mm and you'll be set for the life of the fork.
I bought some 35mm 2:1 heat shrink for a vorsprung coil, based on some Google research and advice from others online. Cant find the link but it only cost £4 off eBay just generic 2:1 stuff.
great thanks everyone. so sounds like standard heat shrink works fine ?
i remember the spring on my old vanillas being fully wrapped so cant be too much of a problem with it binding in the spring.
do they compress fully anyway when fork does? i could imagine they don't
Email from steve at Vorsprung the heat shrink is
Coil: 1.25" (32mm) single wall 2:1 polyolefin (non-adhesive)
Tube: 0.75" (19mm) single wall 2:1 polyolefin (non-adhesive)
Double post error is back 🙁