In what may be my most inspired stupid mod yet, I have bodged together a coil conversion for my Pikes.

It consists of:
RS Domain coil spring with half a dozen or so coils ground off. It’s the spring-coloured one with red dots.
A Revelation Dual Air damper rod
Pike air cap
Pike stanchion end cap
A4 paper

I needed to strip the forks as the damper shaft bolt had seized in the threads, so after some hacksaw work, I managed to get the Charger out, fashioned a shaft clamp with wood and inner tube and extracted the remains of the bolt. I then chased the threads with a 1.25xM8 tap.

There was nothing really wrong with the Solo Air side, but after this thread, I thought I might try to cobble something together.

I used the bits of the Dual Air Revelation air spring assembly and the Domain spring – plenty of grease on the spring, and a sheet of A4 paper (to be replaced with acetate sheet or pop bottle) to protect the inner surface of the tube.

The Dual Air shaft needed a 10mm plastic spacer to get it to sit back at 160mm, and with the red-dot spring and a preload spacer I get sag of 20%.

I’ll hopefully get to try it out in Chopwell on Thursday night, and in the mean time I’ll keep an eye out on PX/OO for the £5 Boxxer Ti springs.

I know this thread is pretty much useless without pics, but I didn’t have time. I have to pull it all apart again to add the acetate so I’ll get some then.

Disclaimer – I’m not sure how long these Pikes have to live – I think the Bushes are worn as there’s a little bit of movement rocking the bike with the front brake on and there’s a wear patch on the spring-side stahchion

top bodging!

Went out and bought a bottle of pop for 35p – 2 litres of diet lemonade. A few swigs later, and it was cut to size. It needed to be the right width, as if it overlapped too much the spring wouldn’t fit. Acetate would be easier, but probably not as robust.

This is the Dual Air air shaft with the Pike gubbins on the right of the shaft. The washer and wavy washer included.

This is the Domain spring cut down to about 260mm and covered in grease.

These were the only photos I could be bothered to take. Garage is a shit-tip, but I generally know where everything is.

Remember to take the o-ring off the piston, otherwise you’ll still have an air spring and extra stiction (alothough if you’ve not got any other form of negative spring you might actually need that)

Well. The piston is from a set of Revs, so smaller diameter piston so I’ve left the o ring on.

Ah of course, had forgotten where it came from

I like this kind of crazy 😀

It might not work in the wild, but with a try!

I like this 😀 Bodge-me-do!

Just back from the first ride using the Pike Springinator™.

Wow!

Sits higher in the travel without losing any plushness over small stuff, not divey even without and lsc clicks and soaks up the big hits.

I forgot to put the back end of the Spitfire back to neutral after BPW, and even in slack the forks were high enough in the travel i didn’t get any pedal strikes.

The coil is therefore a success and stays fitted.

Also, the bushes are not knacked, thank chuff. It was the upper link bearings. Changed them over last night. Just the lowers ones to do as a preventative measure.

so you used the rev air shaft bit as a guide for the spring?
or what? i don’t really get it.
bit more explaining please as i love fork bodging : )

Quality home engineering!

The Rev air shaft sits exactly where the Pike one does, only the head is a smaller diameter so it doesn’t interfere with the pop bottle cut off which protects the inside surface from the spring.

The Domain spring is wound tighter at each end. Obviously, as 6 turns were cut off, I ground the cut end as dull as I could, and the tighter, wound end is at the bottom in direct contact with the air piston head.

I see no reason why a Lyrik U-turn spring and Top cap, out a coil and shaft from a non uturn spring wouldn’t work, either. I just didn’t have those parts lying about to try.

Are you still getting full travel even with all those coils cut off? Just using the top out bump from the air shaft too (works fine from experience of a converted Rev)?

I cut 5mm of the Rev bottom out bumper as I was going to use it for trying to increase the negative air chamber with the air spring. But didn’t.

Last night in Chopwell I was about 10mm of full travel but didn’t do any massive drops, but no doubt it’ll use the last few mm at some point. The Domain spring was far too long to fit as was.