How to get a spring of a coil shock. The spring is too long

Hi,

I’ve bought a second hand cane creek in line coil. It’s a 190mm shock and it’s arrived with a 55mm coil which is 5mm too long. The spring is a progressive spring and it feels way over sprung for me.

I’m not sure of the shock stroke, the seller didn’t know. I’m hoping it’s 50mm but it could be 45mm. I’d like to take the spring off and check the stroke. If it’s the right length I’ll send it for a service. If it’s the wrong length I’ll sell it on.

There is 1 turn of preload. This isn’t enough to unscrew and then take the coil off.

I’ve tried 5 fat zip ties and sitting on the bike to compress the shock. This has given 1mm of play.

Now when I try to wind the preload off, the preload adjuster won’t move even with the cane creek tool. I’m reluctant to force it.

I still can’t get the spring to compress enough to get it off the shock

Any suggestions welcome!

More zip ties?

Heavier person to sit on the bike?

I’m 93kg.

I’ll try to round up some heavier help!

When you say the coil is 55mm, is that a typo or the actual stroke length?

Why are you trying to adjust preload once you’ve got the coil compressed?  You’ll achieve the same amount of compression on the coil without it.  Unless you’re using the preload to help compress the shock further after you’ve sat on the bike?  I’d be winding it all off first.

Either way, feels like you should be able to compress the shock more than you are doing.

Is the spring so long that there’s no threads on the shock body for the preload collar to screw up? And compressing the spring on the bike won’t help, you need to take the load off it

It’s this

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/205010514375?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=BERKRUNiRye&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=a9M6NJdMTVq&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

With this 55mm strokespring

https://www.tftuned.com/cane-creek-valt-progressive-spring-55mm-stroke/p3789

And it should have this 50mm stroke spring for a 190mm eye to eye shock.

https://www.tftuned.com/cane-creek-valt-springs-2-50mm-stroke/p3250

Why are you trying to adjust preload once you’ve got the coil compressed?

To get the spring off as I want to check the shock is a 50mm stroke. It could be a different stroke (45mm) which won’t suit my bike.

I’d be winding it all off first

The spring is too long to compress enough to get the spring off, to check the stroke length.

And compressing the spring on the bike won’t help, you need to take the load off it

I’m compressing it, then tightening zip ties on it to try and get the spring off, which hasn’t worked so far as I can’t get the spring compressed enough to push down on the bit (collar? I’m not sure what its called ) and get the spring off

Cut the spring with a grinder?

Yeah good luck with that! It’s a proper balls up. Think you’re going to need more than some ty wraps to keep that compressed. Maybe a g clamp in the coil and onto the end of the shock and carefully wind it on. What’s the free length of the spring that’s printed on it? And what’s the eye to eye measurement?

Use a spring compressor, you can buy them at screwfix?

https://www.screwfix.com/p/hilka-pro-craft-coil-spring-compressor-kit-2-piece-set/45986?tc=DX3&gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAAD8IdPzP4GQEIlibuwIb5eRa6aWz1&gclid=CjwKCAjwgfm3BhBeEiwAFfxrGy953F3cVjsnhCQSa26uI8fPygKNlGYYEKLT_WaFNXwacx3lDSZsSBoC300QAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

I would add, it may not be the case for a bike shock but springs being released from shocks on bikes and cars can be pretty dangerous!

If it’s mounted on the bike is it not compressing at all with your bodyweight on it? If it is, sit on it then ziptie up..

I found a ratchet strap threaded through/ around the spring multiple times then ratcheted up did the trick for me

You might find the shock has more length but is being shortened by the top out bumper. Put the shock back on the bike and get someone to pull the rear wheel down to see if you can extend the shock enough.

Jeez.  Some lunatic has fudged that on there.

Cut the spring with a grinder?

In case it’s not obvious, if the coil can’t be fully uncompressed first, don’t do this.

Maybe get in touch with J tech servicing and see if they have any suggestions.  They’re a cane creek dealer and service centre and I’ve always found them very helpful.

Good luck!

I thought I’d replied but my long reply must not have posted.

Ideally you want a small set of spring compressors but they’re quite spendy – this sort of thing I think:

https://amzn.eu/d/fvkfTfD

I had the same issue with a rockshox spring in a cane creek shock – for the same stroke / spring travel they’re a lot longer. Got it on there but had a fight getting it off.

In the end I used 2 sets of mole grips to compress a few coils of the spring enough to get the spring collar at the bottom of the shock off. It was a battle and I’ve taken some paint off the coil but it did the job.

With your spring it’s progressive so one end of the spring will be easier to compress than the other I’d imagine. They’re effectively 2 stages of stiffness.

I’d be wondering what other bodges/mistreatment have been inflicted on the shock and looking at the possibility of a refund

Max rebound and bounce on it a few times see if packs down to get more ties on it?

I’ve had that problem on a cane creek shock before funnily enough.

I used the pre-load tool to compress/pre-load the spring as much as I could, ended up with about 2cm of threads showing. I made sure to clean and grease the threads first.

Then fit it to the bike and got my wife to sit on it which compressed the spring further.

I then ‘clamped’ the spring with steel wire on two sides (like you’ve tried with zip ties). And twisted the wire to get rid of as much slack as possible.

Then unwound the pre-load which gave up just enough slack to remove the spring retaining clip with a bit of help from a flathead screwdriver.

Steel zip ties might work better than plastic ones on the spring or thick plastic coated wire twisted with some pliers while the spring is compressed by your weight, if you can’t reach down while sat on the bike use ratchet straps to compress the bike.

If that were me, i’d be using a spring compressor

I had this with my IL Coil (I was the idiot who fitted the wrong spring… because it was cheap). Sit on the bike, get compression straps around the spring… bounce and tighten. Don’t try doing it with the shock off the bike.

Thanks for all the suggestions.

I borrowed some car spring compressors from a mate. Unfortunately the jaws wouldn’t fit inside the coils. Looking at some of the marks inside the coils that must have been how the extra long spring was fitted.

What did work was a couple of ratchet straps. Thanks @ansdy!

Now the spring is off the preload collar won’t turn. Hmm. Pushing the shock by hand, it feels quite inconsistent. Hmm.

Possibly a gamble that won’t pay off.

Next problem is releasing the spring without taking my face off. I’ve got a G clamp, I’m hoping it will fit inside so the spring can’t shoot off into my face

Now the spring is off the preload collar won’t turn. Hmm.

Has the previous owner somehow damaged the thread by fitting the wrong size spring?

If I couldn’t get the collar moving with a bit of oil, I’d look for a refund.

if you’ve got a big enough vise you could clamp the (now separate) spring in that and release the ratchet straps? or put the spring clamps over top-and-bottom to hold it down?

Can’t you just slacken one strap and then release the other and progressively release the tension?

The car spring compressors will fit now.

If I couldn’t get the collar moving with a bit of oil, I’d look for a refund.

It was bought sold as seen and needing a service,” taken off a bike I’ve not used”. I think my chance of money back are nil. And I paid what I thought it was worth knowing  the coil was suspect.

I have got a vise, not sure if it’s big enough

Mmm I think .my strap just releases all the tension in one go.

Spring compressors are probably the best bet

Given it’s of unknown provenance, it’s at this point that I’d be getting to to one of the suspension tuners for a rebuild/setup.  I’m sure they’ve seen it all before.

The preload collar not moving is probably because you wound it out to the part that has no thread on the shock body. I’ve done this myself years ago. Winding the preload collar onto the threads whilst apply pressure in that direction normally gets it on again.