# Springer Fork Dangers



## hudman (May 25, 2009)

Hello all....just got my Firestone Cruiser on the road...thanx Gordon for the skiptooth links....anyways, just wondering why you dont see new bikes with springers (except Schwinns)...ive got a Mercury double springer on the front of my Dayton...was riding today and as the fork action flexed i thought the front tire rubbed a little...so what do i do you ask....well, while riding I push down real hard....ooops, wrong...well the front tire did rub..actually stoping the tire resulting in the rear of the bike to raise up and over my head..with a scraped elbow,knee and crushed testicles all I could do is jump up and say "I meant to do that"..was the front tire rubing a result of the discontinuing of the springer forks?...seems the way that Schwinns pivot, they dont do that and we still see that style in the market...ok...gotta go find some ice.


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## 37fleetwood (May 25, 2009)

well the sad truth is that these old springers have a few issues (all of them). first they were designed for your typical 80lbs 12 year old and I know I for one don't fit that description any more. the second issue is that sometimes there is a certain amount of fatigue in the springs and they don't hold as much weight as they did new. you may be running into one or both of these problems. I had thought about going into business making beefier springs for the old springer forks but it looked like it would cost more than I could sell them for and people always complain when you try to remake anything so I abandoned the idea.


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## bentwoody66 (May 26, 2009)

I know the feeling! I'm currently re-fabricating an old Huffman springer and I'm noticing a few things along the way. First and foremost is the assembly reassembly over the years, while looking for the correct assembly over countless pictures I've come to the conclusion that most are not put together correct. You could look at 5 different pictures and they will all be assembled different. I'll go out on a limb and guess that no one on the CABE worked for any of the companies that built these bikes. Second is the spring issue, If you get lucky enough to have a reproduced spring you shouldn't have a problem. The old springs tend to be "saggy" because of years and years of compression and depression. I think the best solution for keeping old forks from compressing too much and putting on the brakes (front tire coming in contact with fender) is to get a shaft collar with a set screw and place it somewhere on the rod that supports the spring. Granted you may not get complete use of the spring but you will be able to ride. Unless you never plan to ride it then you can assemble it any way that looks good. When it contacts that collar it will be just like a rigid fork. Problem solved, keep on riding


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## northrivertom (May 26, 2009)

look no hands.....:eek:


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## Adamtinkerer (May 28, 2009)

Someone was repopping the Monark springer fork, but the welds on the fork crown are totally marginal! I've heard of many failures on these. Never seen an original one broken like that. That being said, I'd say that the Schwinn design was the most functional, spring-wise. Everyone else scrambled to come up w/their own versions... With varying results, including the 1938 Huffman Twin-Flex, aka the "Death Bike"!:eek:


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## rjs5700 (May 28, 2009)

Monark, Rollfast and Huffman all eventually went with the Schwinn basic design which works the best of all springers. The one exception is the postwar Cleveland Welding springer which is a solid quality design.


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