[mikedee69]

Okay,
I now have all of the info from the manufacturer. Titanium replacement springs for up 2003 Dorado's is a very doable thing. The replacement springs will be in a stack, just like the standard steel ones(two springs per fork). The wieght savings will be about .25 lbs. The advantages, well as I have discovered, titaniun in spring applications is more sensitive to input forces than steel. Thereby giving it greater sensitivity to small bumps. Also it will last 2.5 times longer than steel.
The official introductory price will be 85 USD per spring(plus shipping). It will be 170 to outfit a fork with the stack.

If you are interested PM me or e mail me at mdow@westport.com
l8ters

 

[DIRTWRKS]

Thanks for the update, I thought the weight savings were going to be a little more ? How much do the regular steel springs weigh.

I thought they were at least a pound and that the Ti springs would be 40 to 50 % lighter. At $170 to save 100 grams is a little pricey !

 

[Jm_]

Originally posted by DIRTWRKS
Thanks for the update, I thought the weight savings were going to be a little more ? How much do the regular steel springs weigh.

I thought they were at least a pound and that the Ti springs would be 40 to 50 % lighter. At $170 to save 100 grams is a little pricey !

Here's the problem, the dorado only has one spring, so when you think about the normal situation, where you'd be changing out 2 springs, there is a more "resonable" weight savings I'd guess, but with just one spring, it's fairy minimal, it'll depend on the actual mass of the dorados one spring, compared to 2 regular springs, but it may not be 200%, it may be a different figure, and the titanium shouldn't just be raw, it's probably some kind of alloy i'd guess.

 

[DIRTWRKS]

I don't know what Dorado you are talking about? But my Dorado has two Springs ! Do you even own one ?

 

[mikedee69]

To clairfy this, yes the Dorado has two springs, in one leg. It is a stack. Unlike many other forks that run a spring in either leg.

 

[Jm_]

Originally posted by mikedee69
To clairfy this, yes the Dorado has two springs, in one leg. It is a stack. Unlike many other forks that run a spring in either leg.

yeah, essentially it's one spring in one leg, despite that there might be a few parts to the spring. My S8 had 3 springs per leg, but the thing is that on the dorado, only one leg has "springs" in it.

 

[Aztomac]

I read in MBaction a couple months back when they were doing a quick assessment of Cedric's Gemini that it takes a very strong rider to ride a Dorado with a titanium spring. Didn't quite understand the depth of that statement. Is it true?

 

[Zaskar Rider]

Originally posted by Aztomac
I read in MBaction a couple months back when they were doing a quick assessment of Cedric's Gemini that it takes a very strong rider to ride a Dorado with a titanium spring. Didn't quite understand the depth of that statement. Is it true?

Maybe they meant that it would take a very "strong" meaning good rider to notice the advantages or be able to take advantage of the Ti springs. But then again you were reading MTB Fiction...