Is the Schwinn springer fork any good?

[silverbear]

I'm wondering if the Schwinn springer fork is worth fooling with. I got a 51 Cantilever Schwinn the other day with a springer front fork missing a couple parts. It looks like for around $40.00 I could get it functioning again with a couple of new parts and if I fabricate my own struts which I don't think would be too hard to do. My question is whether or not the springer actually does anything to smooth out the road or is it just one of those cool looking things to make a bicycle look more like a motorcycle? $40.00 isn't bad if it actually makes a difference in ride comfort. I also wonder how it compares to a Monark fork. I'm talking about original springer forks and not reproductions. Can anyone who has experience with these or is using one now comment? I'd appreciate it. Don't want to waste my money if it doesn't work.
SB

 

[sportscarpat]

Silverbear,
I think those forks are complete junk and to save yourself the trouble of messing with them you can just send them to me, but you'll have to pay the shipping otherwise no deal! Seriously though, the Schwinn springers, the original vintage ones not the later ones, are the real deal. They work great and make for a much more comfortable riding experience. I believe they are called a knee action fork which to me means they pivot forward and back at the joint on the bottom of the steer tube. What I don't like about them is that action then changes the wheel base during compression and expansion of the spring. The Monark travels in a vertical path so the wheel base does not change. For a cruiser I prefer the Schwinn. For a racing style bike I prefer the Monark design. If you go with the Schwinn replace the stock 60 year old soft spring with a heavy duty Whizzer spring. Just run the Schwinn springer, you'll like it.

 

[Kevlarr]

Actually SB you can get that fork back to working order for a lot less then $40!

All you need is a $5 spring and a pair of $7 straight bars from here
Bicycle Parts

Oh and yes they make a world of difference especially in your hands and wrists and I only have a cheap Chinese re-pop.

 

[mdlee1958]

In my opinion the "original" springer forks (ie: cast steel) are definitely worth it. The repro ones stink. But both of them are definitely good for smoothing out the ride. But I think the originals were built much better and are worth rebuilding.

 

[silverbear]

Well, thank you both so much. The information is great to hear and that link has prices that are sure right on. Now, does anyone know where to get that heavy duty Whizzer spring? The struts are a good deal and I may order a spring to see how it is. Cheap enough. Then it looks like all I need is that rubber bushing which kind of looks like a plumbing washer, but larger. Is there anything about that which is really special, since it has that "fabricate me" look about it. All it would do is act as a cushion I would think. This is great! I'll let you guys know how it goes when it happens. I think going over that 51 is getting bumped up as a project this winter... no motor, just getting the bike squared away and ready for a four stroke maybe next summer. I like the retro look, too.
SB

 

[silverbear]

In my opinion the "original" springer forks (ie: cast steel) are definitely worth it. The repro ones stink. But both of them are definitely good for smoothing out the ride. But I think the originals were built much better and are worth rebuilding.

I think you were writing while I was. Thanks for your opinion. I've learned something valuable from you guys.
SB

 

[msrfan]

Those forks really look great on a cruiser frame. The Whizzer spring is the only way to go. The others are just not strong enough. I own Whizzers and without the heavy spring the springer just sags and klunks. You can make the rubber stop from a universal automotive steering stablizer bushing found at Pep Boys (or any good auto parts store). They are the right I.D. and can be shaped into a cone on a disc or belt sander. Be sure to mount it on a bolt so you have something to hold. I have made the front struts from stainless tubing purchased from McMaster-Carr. Just collapse the ends in a vise and drill the upper 5/16" bolt and lower axle holes.

 

[silverbear]

Those forks really look great on a cruiser frame. The Whizzer spring is the only way to go. The others are just not strong enough. I own Whizzers and without the heavy spring the springer just sags and klunks. You can make the rubber stop from a universal automotive steering stablizer bushing found at Pep Boys (or any good auto parts store). They are the right I.D. and can be shaped into a cone on a disc or belt sander. Be sure to mount it on a bolt so you have something to hold. I have made the front struts from stainless tubing purchased from McMaster-Carr. Just collapse the ends in a vise and drill the upper 5/16" bolt and lower axle holes.

Thanks for the tips! I will try to track down a Whizzer spring and good to know about the bushing. I imagine my local NAPA will have one. I can get the struts already made for about seven dollars so will probably go that way. Living out in the boonies of the Superior National Forest I've never heard of McMaster-Carr, but might be able to find another source if need be. If the shipping is crazy on the ready made ones I'll fabricate.
SB

 

[silverbear]

I want to thank you guys again for the advice and links. I ordered supports and a new spring which came to around $25.00 with shipping. They came today, so that was very quick. I also got a bushing today at NAPA which they gave me for free. Some time cleaning things up at the wire wheel, stripping of paint from the old forks and new paint to match the new paint on the bike frame and things are looking good. Tomorrow I expect to have it all together. So I have a spring fork for $25.00 and some labor. Without your advice it would not have happened. And if I had bought parts on ebay it would have been twice as much. You guys rock.
SB

 

[silverbear]

I have a follow up question regarding new springer forks. Has anyone found a new one which is a step above the others out there? I have it from a couple of guys using ones made by Pyramid that they haven't had any trouble with theirs and these are both big guys. I have no doubt that some are junk. But I have no way of knowing what is total junk and what is pretty good and serviceable. The prices on new ones are all over the place and there's no way of knowing if the one for $80.00 is actually any different from the one selling for half that. Can anyone recommend a seller? I know the old ones are best, but I'm not asking that. You can easily pay $150.00 for a used one and still don't know if the spring is any good, etc. I'd like to find a new one of pretty good quality for future builds. I sure like the way they look.
SB

 

[Tacomancini]

I got the spooky tooth one with the v brake bosses on there. One of the first things that happened was that the spring bolt seized and broke off into the collar while adjusting it. That scared me a bit.

I took it to my local motorcycle shop to have the tip drilled out. The guys at the shop recommended that I replace the spring bolt, and the pivot bolt with grade 8 stuff which I have done. They said that the other nuts and the tubing looked decently solid. I keep it lubed with white lithium grease, and it has been decently reliable. As noted by you guys here on the forum, there aren't any bushings or anything, its all metal so I make sure that stuff stays lubed.

I've also noticed that the V brakes definitely contribute to the loosening of the nuts, because of the twisting pressure that comes with braking. I'm considering adding something like those brake boosters to make it less flexible.

The spring is definitely too weak. I have to keep it pretty tight to avoid bottoming out and and knocking while breaking. However as tight as it is with the reduced travel, it still helps a ton. I know a whizzer spring would be tons better. Where did you find yours?

 

[silverbear]

I have not found a source for the whizzer spring. I bought a replacement spring and the struts from
Bicycle Parts
Reasonably priced and recommended by somebody, but who I forget. The spring looks and feels stout, but until I can ride the bike under power who knows? Maybe I am still in the market for a Whizzer spring, but at least this one allowed me to assemble the bike while I'm putting things together. We need to find a source for the right spring. One thing I've learned is that you can not always tell the quality of something by the price. Sometimes you don't get what you pay for and sometimes you're pleasantly surprised that something is so good. That's why I'm asking around so that maybe we can find a new one which works well enough to use. I like the idea of being able to add V brakes up front. That's a plus. I hope you're able to iron out the problem you mentioned.
SB

 

[Kevlarr]

SB, the springer that I got from BikepartsUSA.com - Your Online Bicycle Parts Superstore is holding up really well, the only problem I had was the nut on the pivot bolt fell off but I just replaced it with a acorn nut I had laying around and I haven't had a problem since. As far as a stiffer spring goes, I look at it like this, if the spring doesn't compress some with your weight on the bike it pretty much is going to be useless as far as absorbing all but the biggest bumps (think lumber wagon) and by design it's going to slap the bumper when you use front brakes.

One thing you could possibly try is adding a spacer between the bumper and the spring hoop to add a little more pre-load to the spring if you find that it's hitting the bumper a little too much.

 

[Tacomancini]

Once I swapped in the better bolts and preloaded it more it ended up working nicely. I put a lock nut on both the pivot bolt and behind the collar. The acorn nut came loose on me too. I try to keep it tightened up.

But when I first got the springer the spring seemed much springier. It was super floaty and absorbent, I hadn't tightened the preload yet. After not too long it definitely lost a significant amount of strength. So while I'm totally fine with it's current performance, a stronger spring like the whizzer one could provide a cushier ride due to allowing more travel. Maybe whizzer still sells them? Also, didn't someone swap in a shock from a suspension bike?

 

[Tacomancini]

Also, I'm 200+

 

[silverbear]

Toacomancini,
I'm also 200 lbs of circus bear, so we are not the 12 year old kids the springs were maybe designed for. We are the Whizzer boys. Yes, we need to find a good spring, but as soon as it says "Whizzer" then the price springs up into the clouds. I'll be interested to see how that one I got performs. You mentioned brake boosters as a possible remedy for the V brake problem. What is that? If there's a way to use that springer and have a front V brake without negative effect, that would be very cool. An old cruiser like mine (51 Schwinn) has no allowance for a front brake. Today I'm going to be working on making a mounting bracket to attach to the truss rods at the fender so I can bolt in a BMX type of caliper brake. I have got to have a front brake if nothing else as backup in case the chain goes south on the coaster brake/ pedal side. On some of the newer springer forks there is a caliper brake mounting hole, so I'm told, but on the originals there is nothing as that is the same area where the lock deal is. If the caliper doesn't work I won't have much choice but to step up to a drum brake front wheel unless someone has another suggestion.
Kevlar, I'll keep your suggestions in mind once I'm able to ride this bike under power. These little tricks would be good to put together in a thread on upgrading a new Schwinn springer. When we've accumulated more information on this we need to put it all together for others. I know the Monark repros are out there, but they have their own problems as they are and with the needed modifications ups the price to around $200.00 unless you can do it yourself. If we could have a good and usable Schwinn type with simple upgrades and keep it under a hundred, especially with V brake capacity we'd have a winner. Especially mounted on an old Schwinn they look so cool. Now we need to make them work as nice as they look.
SB

 

[silverbear]

I just spent the past hour or so trying to find some information. have found three identifiable makes, Pyramid, Sunlight and Electra. The Pyramid runs about $40.00, is available from Rikepartsusa, bikeworldusa and Niagracycles. The Sunlight springer is about $43.00 from Niagra. The Electra is from bikeworldusa and runs $70.00. No doubt there are other vendors and maybe some other manufacturers, too. I could not access Spookytooth yesterday or today, so don't know anything about theirs with the v brake capability.
On ratrodbikes I found the following comment from someone:

"The ones sold by Electra and Nirve look a little nicer than the ones sold as Pyramid/Dimension. The ones sold by the lowrider bike companies are the worst, especially the ones from China, but the ones made in Mexico are a little better. The only way to know what you are getting is to get your hands on it and look at it."

So, I don't know. The Davis brothers are running Pyramids and say they like them well enough, no real issues that I've heard about and both are big fellows. It sure would be good to know if one make is actually much better than another and how to upgrade the stock ones.
SB

 

[msrfan]

Hey Silverbear. I have a little info on the Schwinn springer springs. The photos show a stock and a Whizzer spring. See how much beefier the Whizzer spring is? Also the earlier springer springs were supported to the yoke with a hollow bolt and nut and a rounded nut at the other end as a guide. The later ones just kind of flopped around. I'm 180 lbs but most of the Whizzer guys I know are over 200 and the stock spring just collapsed with them sitting on their bikes. The Whizzer spring is much more stable and up to the task. I bought a couple for $15.00 years ago, but the latest I've seen on ebay are around $45. May be worth it. You only need one per bike. Hope this helps.

 

[sportscarpat]

The Whizzer spring is the only way to go, especially when you factor in the additional weight of the engine and the fact that any original 60 year old spring has probably lost most of it's original spring rate. I made the change and it greatly improved the handling of the bike.

 

[professor]

You could place a smaller HD spring inside the coil you now have to make it stiffer. You know- just like dual valve springs.