Is the Schwinn springer fork any good?

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silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
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Thanks for the heads up on the Whizzer spring. I wish there was a good source for them reasonably priced.
Professor, that is a thought... I wonder what would work for that. There must be something out there in the world of hardware that would do the trick and not cost an arm and a leg.
To buy an original springer fork and then have to turn around and upgrade it with $45.00 worth of spring starts getting pricey. If there was a way to beef up a reproduction fork with better bolts and a secondary helper spring... that would be a good alternative maybe... not as good as an original, I know that, but better than no springer at all, eh?
SB
 

Tacomancini

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Mar 18, 2010
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Silverbear,

A brake booster is an arched piece of metal that connects the two v brake arms together making the fork less susceptible to flexing under braking stress. I think the springer with v brakes is even more likely to flex, so the booster seems like it could help make things more rigid, if it fits. Pic attached. and linked here: Brand-X Alloy V-Brake Booster | Buy Online | ChainReactionCycles.com

Also, it looks like spooky tooth isn't currently offering the v brake springer, but I have seen it elsewhere, as well as people doing it on their own.

The Whizzer springer pics do look much more heavy duty, both the spring and the bolts.

This is a cool thread, I like the springer a lot, its so simple in design yet effective. I think it complements the principles of motorized bicycling well. Simple functional designs that are easy to maintain and tune, but also require that attention and care. It makes you be more proactive.
 

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azbill

Active Member
May 18, 2008
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does anyone know what size nut I can use to lock the springer bolt ???
I know it took a 17mm wrench to adjust
mine vibrated off after a particularly rough road yesterday and I can't recall what size it was when I got it prior to building the stretch back in january

this seemed like the right place to ask ;)
 

azbill

Active Member
May 18, 2008
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I never got a chance to go to the hardware store yet,,,the girls had a Halloween party I took them to

it doesn't change the ride, but it does keep the main bolt thru the spring from backing out, which could be disastrous
 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
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I never got a chance to go to the hardware store yet,,,the girls had a Halloween party I took them to

it doesn't change the ride, but it does keep the main bolt thru the spring from backing out, which could be disastrous
Ah yes, Halloween. This year I'm going to go as a grubby old man with long hair. That was my outfit last year, too.
What I meant was, you have ridden bikes with no springer, maybe something with a real good springer and also the springer you're using right now. Would you say your present springer (when it has the bolt) improves the ride much? My own experience is limited to the oil filled triple tree type of newer Whizzer suspension I have on the Motorbike which is a Cadillac compared to the VW beetles I was riding in bikes with no suspension at all. I love it. I don't expect anything that good from this Schwinn springer, but hope it is pretty good.
Did they do Halloween & trick or treat when you were a kid in Canada or is that nonsense strictly on the US side of the border? When I was a kid we were mostly ghosts with a sheet, bums and hobos with soot on our faces or cowboys if we already had a cap gun, hat, chaps and stuff. Girls were mostly witches. Some of those girls still are.
SB
SB
 

azbill

Active Member
May 18, 2008
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I first used a heavy-duty springer on my 2smoke powered Jaguar build a couple of years ago,,,
the difference was like night and day over the stock Jag forks

the forks that came on the stretch are a lot flimsier than I would prefer (you can feel them flex side-to-side), I suspect that is how I lost the original lock-nut I had installed back in January

I would like to change the forks to a monarch style, but finances are always the draw-back to upgrades for me

I did celebrate Halloween while younger, but enjoy it more now watching the little ones have fun (then, all I wanted was the candy, now I appeciate others enjoyment)