Improvised fork spring compressor

[steve68steve]

I can't justify owning a such a specialized tool for a job I do once every few years.


Note the green paracord tied on each side of one of the coils. That's one piece that loops down thru the axle hole. A bowline hitch on one side of the coil, and a taut line hitch on the other to take up all the slack.

The you have to spread the line open, like drawing a bowstring: for the string to go "out", it needs to give away some "up". I used a quick clamp configured in "spreader" mode... because I had one.

The prize: access to the jam nut.

As I was doing it, I was very conscious of danger: there's energy stored in that spring when it's compressed - energy that wants to pinch your finger off or shoot your eye out. But: the cord is tied to the spring at it's full, uncompressed length, thru the axle hole - it can't fly out of the tube, it can't bounce. When you release the trigger on the clamp, the spring snaps violently back to it's full length, dampened by the paracord. As long as you don't have any meat or eyeballs in the way (and you use appropriate cordage and knots), the drama subsides quickly.


If you try this and subsequently need reconstructive surgery, don't blame me - I'm just some faceless dood on the internet.

 

[Cycledude]

I bought the special tool from Traxxion, even with that I still needed to use ratchet straps and get someone to help because it takes more than two hands. I suppose if done a bunch of times it would get easier but so far I kind of despise upside working on down forks, seems like the engineers could have figured out a way to make the job easier. So far I put about 5,000 miles on the forks since the rebuild without any issues, but the originals only had 25,000 miles on them when they both started leaking.

 

[RCinNC]

I bought the special tool from Traxxion, even with that I still needed to use ratchet straps and get someone to help because it takes more than two hands. I suppose if done a bunch of times it would get easier but so far I kind of despise upside working on down forks, seems like the engineers could have figured out a way to make the job easier. So far I put about 5,000 miles on the forks since the rebuild without any issues, but the originals only had 25,000 miles on them when they both started leaking.

I looked at that tool from Traxxion Dynamics and, though it was a decent price, you still either had to get a second pair of hands or else you had to use ratchet straps. Ratchet straps can be a pain in the ass to release, plus you have to pad the fork tube to keep the ratchet straps from scratching them up.

I made my own compressor out of scrap aluminum and a trigger bar clamp. Worked really well.

I applaud Steve's ingenuity, but man, you have to place a lot of faith in that paracord....