Instant hardtail
 

I was going to replace the rear shock on my old bike with an aluminum bar because the bike felt like a pogo stick. But then had the idea of just replacing the spring. I took a piece of pvc which can be anywhere from about 2 to 4 inches, and is 1 1/4" ID, exactly the size of the spring. $1.97 for a 10ft piece. I'm just using it on the trainer now. Not sure how it will hold up on the trails, but I rarely ride it anyway. The pipe has 1/8" walls so it's pretty stout. What do you all think? Think it will hold up?
http://members.home.net/dirtgrinder/shock2.jpg

Hey Joe! I meant to put this in the mechanics section. Can you move it? Thanks

Hey Dirtgrinder...one of my nephews has that same bike, and I have a question for you. Did you add the "other" two holes for the shock mount or is that the way it came? His only has one and I thought maybe if you added the other ones it would give you more tuning possibilities.

As far as the PVC pipe idea, I bet it will crack pretty quickly on the trails. It may hold up for a while, but after a few big hits it will probably be toast. But your not out much if it does so what the hay...give it a go and see what happens. Just be careful of fragments of plastic hitting your legs if it does explode.

The holes were already in the frame. I haven't tried moving the shock though. Wouldn't be hard to drill them though. Just make sure that they are parallel or you'll have a heck of time getting the bolts in.

Hey Dirtgrinder, I'm not sure about the PVC, but what are all the trophies in the background for?

Having worked with PVC I don't think it'll explode but 1/8th will probably crack/compress some on you. That is the PVC used for drain pipes. You can get PVC with the same ID and thicker walls. This is the stuff they use to plumb houses nowadays as few use copper pipe anymore. That would probably hold up for you. You can buy it by the foot at HomeDepot, etc. About .50/foot last time I needed some. PVC is sized by "Schedule." Schedule 40 and so on. Good luck.

:beer:

Scary just lookin at it! :eek:

I'd be more worried about transmitting forces to the frame that were never designed to be transmitted to it than a piece of readily replaceable PVC.

So what you've got there is an extra heavy hardtail. If you hardly ever ride it, why not just sell it and get the bike you really want? It looks like it's in pretty good nick - you should get a reasonable sum for it (I'd wait until the Spring though).

Just a suggestion.

Aerobat, the trophies are from archery. A couple years ago I used to shoot a lot of 3-D competitions.
Walter, I was going to use schedule 40, (the white pipe), but I used pvc conduit instead. I've used both and know that the white pipe is more brittle. The conduit is more flexible and I thought it would absorb at least some of the shock.
Allister, I already bought a new bike last year. I'm probably just going to use the Mongoose on the trainer. Unless I have trouble with my other bike and need a spare. I only paid $350 for the Mongoose new and really like it on the trainer better than my road bike.
Thanks for the input guys!:)