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Ti Spring

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
You know, I saw a company on alibaba that does ti springs for $89, any length, OD/ID, and # of coils you need. I thought that was pretty cool, and with the "Everything from China is fine, all the time" attitude on this forum, how could you go wrong?
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,921
borcester rhymes
I didn't see the minimum order thing. I think it was xian titanium products or something.

I'd bet you could easily make your money back though, supposing they actually came out straight and close to 400lbs...
 

spocomptonrider

sportin' the CROCS
Nov 30, 2007
1,412
118
spokanistan
I didn't see the minimum order thing. I think it was xian titanium products or something.

I'd bet you could easily make your money back though, supposing they actually came out straight and close to 400lbs...
this is the supplier I was thinking of, alibaba I see there are a few on there.

Is there any way to dyno a spring inexpensively? The rates would be my main concern...
 
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staike

Monkey
May 19, 2011
247
0
Norway
If you live in Europe I might grab a couple. If you can choose different spring rates in the order. I need a 275x3" and a 400x2".
 

MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
I didn't see the minimum order thing. I think it was xian titanium products or something.

I'd bet you could easily make your money back though, supposing they actually came out straight and close to 400lbs...
If you live in Europe I might grab a couple. If you can choose different spring rates in the order. I need a 275x3" and a 400x2".
I contacted this company a few months ago withn that very thought in mind: order 8 or whatever the min order was and then sell off the extras. Just wasn't sure i wanted to go through the duties/customs/reselling hassles to save all that money on one spring. But the company seems legit.

Oh, and you can mix sizes/weights in the order. Just pushes the per unit price up to close to $100/ea. Good way to go, though, if you can get some buddies lined up on a pre-order to reduce your exposure.

I would love to have one at that price, but I would need a 400lb spring at a 3.5 length. That is if they are true to their ratings.-Brett
You can get a 3.5x400 Manitou Ti spring right now from Bikewagon - - directly or off their eBay site - - for $99.90. If you do it from eBay, you can do a Make Offer. I did this a while back for that exact spring for $75.93 and they accepted it (they'd been selling other sizes/weights for that price, hence why I picked that figure).

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Manitou-Titanium-Rear-Shock-Coil-3-50-x-400-7-5-in-/221019218218?pt=Cycling_Parts_Accessories&hash=item3375c5a12a

As it turned out I had to return it (was just a hair too long to fit my shorter DHX) but it would have been a heckuva deal had it worked.
 
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Raingauge

Monkey
Apr 3, 2008
692
0
Canadia
I'd try one of those out.

The things I'd be curious about before buying would be the grade of Ti and if they've been shot peened. From the picture it looks like they haven't been shot peened, I could always have them done at work.
 

mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
I'd try one of those out.

The things I'd be curious about before buying would be the grade of Ti and if they've been shot peened. From the picture it looks like they haven't been shot peened, I could always have them done at work.
Where do you work?
 

MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
I'd try one of those out.

The things I'd be curious about before buying would be the grade of Ti and if they've been shot peened. From the picture it looks like they haven't been shot peened, I could always have them done at work.
The Baoji Tian Xing Minor Metal Materials Co., Ltd. springs are Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V).Doesn't look like they are shot-peened.

Weight for a 3.0x400 is supposed to be 460g, so heavier than a comparable RCS (which are already on the heavy side).
 

spocomptonrider

sportin' the CROCS
Nov 30, 2007
1,412
118
spokanistan
As it turned out I had to return it (was just a hair too long to fit my shorter DHX) but it would have been a heckuva deal had it worked.
what size dhx were you trying to fit? Mine is 9.5x3.0 with the preload collar backed all the way off I have 190mm collar to collar (7.48in) they claim the spring is 7.5" free I'm somewhat tempted to try as I ran a manitou spring on my dhx5 without issue, but then again it was the same length... My current spring measures 172mm free so it may be a stretch....
 

toodles

ridiculously corgi proportioned
Aug 24, 2004
5,479
4,719
Australia
Weight for a 3.0x400 is supposed to be 460g, so heavier than a comparable RCS (which are already on the heavy side).
For reference sake, thats the exact weight and dimensions of the NukeProof Titanium Vivid spring I received yesterday. Although its not a fair comparison, my Obtanium 350 x 3 weighs in at 335g.
 

MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
what size dhx were you trying to fit? Mine is 9.5x3.0 with the preload collar backed all the way off I have 190mm collar to collar (7.48in) they claim the spring is 7.5" free
That is exactly what I have - - 9.5x3.0 DHX RC4 (Yeti 303R). And those were my thoughts too when I bought the spring, reasoning that I could back the preload collar all the way off and it would be >close enough< to 7.5 to run it with very little preload cranked in. However, with the larger OD of the Manitou spring fouled with the reservoir body long before you could get it to seat against the backed-off collar.
 
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Raingauge

Monkey
Apr 3, 2008
692
0
Canadia
That's weird it rubs on the reservoir. I ran a DSP spring for a Vivid on my RC4 with the Obtainium centralizer thingys and it worked good.
 

MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
It hits the curve at the base of the reservoir about a half-inch shy of a bottomed-out preload collar. 7" free length would clear; 7½ did not. IIRC, the preload collar can't even quite bottom out completely because it also contacts the curve.
 
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mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
From what I recall, the K9 "race" steel springs were still lighter than these Ti springs from China, and I think they were also cheaper. Prices aren't on the K9 website anymore, though. I would think the "light steel" spring option would be way more popular than Ti, due to bang for buck.
 

spocomptonrider

sportin' the CROCS
Nov 30, 2007
1,412
118
spokanistan
From what I recall, the K9 "race" steel springs were still lighter than these Ti springs from China, and I think they were also cheaper. Prices aren't on the K9 website anymore, though. I would think the "light steel" spring option would be way more popular than Ti, due to bang for buck.
Would be a good option, but good luck finding one. I emailed them several times in the past few months but no response. Sounds promising though. Any one know weights of the cane creek ti springs?
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
Majorly out of the loop; but whats up with the Ti spring shortage? Stopped being made due to low demand? Hard to source Ti? Prices through the roof?

I need one, seems really odd that they're nowhere to be found for some time now, eh?

Informeth me pleasum.
 

kickstand

Turbo Monkey
Sep 18, 2009
3,441
392
Fenton, MI
Would be a good option, but good luck finding one. I emailed them several times in the past few months but no response. Sounds promising though. Any one know weights of the cane creek ti springs?
I am actually working with a local supplier here in michigan that builds racing springs for engines (valve springs), and suspension (coilovers), they are not interested in making Ti springs but offered up the light steel spring options. I need to provide them some dimensions so they can prototype a few.
 

mtg

Green with Envy
Sep 21, 2009
1,862
1,604
Denver, CO
Yeah, I remember the news about K9 going under, but before I posted that, I checked their website and it appears that he's back in business. Either that, or the website has yet to be turned off.

Either way, I still think the "light steel" option is a better idea than Ti, purely based on $$/gram. Somebody get on it. I would, but I'm pretty busy with frames.
 

MinorThreat

Turbo Monkey
Nov 15, 2005
1,630
41
Nine Mile Falls, WA
^^ I really liked the 'light steel' option as well just for that reason. Unfortunately, supply of K9 Race springs dried up before I learned of them. If anybody has inside-the-industry contact with Eibach, maybe they could explore getting them to fire back up and make more? That's who was winding them for K9.

I once contacted Pohl Spring, based here in Spokane, about winding a Ti spring but they referred me to RCS, just on the sheer economy of scale. But I wonder if I could get them to wind, say, a dozen lightweight steel protos of one size/weight to be feasible. Hmmmmm . . . .