Where can I get replacement springs for my Cannondale Panniers?
 

I need to replace the springs on my front panniers. These ones are over 30 years old and very well worn. Any ideas on where to get replacements? I live in Canada, if that helps for any stores. https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...a27a8c1fdb.jpg

A good hardware store? Or maybe Google "extension springs", click the shopping tab, you will probably find something similar that way. Might be a lot to wade through and tough to find a good match though.

You might also consider quality shock cord. It comes in a variety of sizes and strengths. A good marina or boat supply place will sell it by the foot and sell custom end fittings.

I suspect this is the best route, you might even be able to buy replacement kits from arkel , which generally use top quality materials, but doing it on your own may be cheaper--- key thing would be as stae says, getting good quality stuff.

I will pipe up again to stress that there is a wide range of quality in this stuff ranging from really poor to excellent. The best stuff I have used I bought from the marina where I kept my sailboat back when I lived in Maryland. It was a far cry from the typical bungee cords you find in most stores and they had a variety of different end fittings for it.

I see that West Marine has shock cord by the foot by online order, not sure how it compares quality wise. They seem to have a limited number end fittings though.

Googling "shock cord" and "shock cord ends" and selecting the "shopping tab" will bring up quite a few online sources.

Rainshed was a good source of quality material, including shock cord, and fittings. However, I went by there Friday and they are closing the shop. The owner is retiring and selling the business. They might still be taking mail orders until it sells. I was actually getting some shock cord for another project. https://www.therainshed.com/shop/Fabrics.htm

I replaced the flimsy attachment on these panniers a few years ago using the type of shock cord steahpjl is recommending, and it worked well. I used 1/4 inch diameter. IMO it will do a better job than the spring setup you have now.

Hog rings can be used for a permanent application.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...30027a62_c.jpg
Or just a knot that works just as well but is easier to adjust.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...e09dee53_c.jpg

High quality shock cord has more elasticity than cheap shock cord. I've used two 3/16 inch shock cords to hold my rack pack to the rear rack for over a dozen years without any problems. The hooks and cord were purchased from Rainshed. Since this picture was taken I've upgraded to 1/4" on the rear rack.
https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...83dcb576_c.jpg

Look for “screen door springs” at your local hardware store. That’s all those are.

On the other hand, you could convert them to bungee cord or look into a far better mounting system like the Ortlieb QL1 system. You might have to get clever in how to attach the hardware but it’s a lot better system. The conversion would be less than $40 US.

Different racks will require a different length of spring, so the hardware store springs may or may not be ideal depending on the rack. Thus, the shock cord option might be best because you can easily install it to the exact length you want.

Kayak shops often sell good quality shock cord in 1/4 or 5/6 inch by the foot because sea kayaks usually use shock cord to keep spare paddles, pumps, tow ropes, water bottles, coiled up painter lines, radios, maps, etc., strapped down to the deck. And kayaks get a lot of UV so the shock cord they sell should hold up well in the sun.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...e49dc289e4.jpg

I took the above photo after I replaced all of the old shock cord on the boat. I find that the fabric sheathing on the cut ends on shock cord does not melt very good when I tried to melt it to keep it from fraying, Thus, I use a solvent based glue like Seam Grip or Shoe Goo on the shock cord ends after I cut it to glue the end together. Then let it dry a few hours before I do anything else with it.

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...dccb869fb1.jpg

Another treatment for securing the ends of shock cord is to use heat shrink electrical insulation. It was used on the shock cord in the pictures I posted earlier.

Is the reason you want to replace those springs because they have stretched and opened at the ends? I'd just cut off the section that stretch then use a decent pair of side-cutters to squeeze between a couple of the loops in the spring and then without actually cutting into the spring twist those two loops so that they are 90 degrees to the rest of the spring. It's what you'd have to do to each end of a door spring if you bought new door springs anyway. Also, I put a brass S-hook onto each of the springs on my two panniers I put door springs onto. I hook the S-hook to the rack leg.

If you need help let me know and I'll take images of the method I use to make the springs fit my pannier and will post those images for you.

Cheers