# When does a hack bike become not a hack bike?



## mickle (4 Aug 2021)

When you spend two years and £75 tracking down and fitting one of these:





But now at least the cushions march the curtains


----------



## raleighnut (4 Aug 2021)

Big fan of Centaur here too


----------



## Punkawallah (5 Aug 2021)

When you start worrying about the collar matching the cuffs?
:-)


----------



## cyberknight (5 Aug 2021)

Punkawallah said:


> When you start worrying about the collar matching the cuffs?
> :-)


i think that nails it , my latest build was designed to be a hack bike but it rides so nice im thinking of upgrading it to winter club ride bike


----------



## Punkawallah (5 Aug 2021)

‘Winter club ride bike’ :-) 
Still luxuriating in this heady ‘multiple bikes’ atmosphere!

Only just got bike number two, and that’s on a notice - bought it because it was too nice to be broken for parts, will ride it for the summer and decide it’s fate then :-) (Although it’s looking like a keeper)


----------



## matticus (5 Aug 2021)

Clarks brake pads?!?


----------



## cyberknight (5 Aug 2021)

Punkawallah said:


> ‘Winter club ride bike’ :-)
> Still luxuriating in this heady ‘multiple bikes’ atmosphere!
> 
> Only just got bike number two, and that’s on a notice - bought it because it was too nice to be broken for parts, will ride it for the summer and decide it’s fate then :-) (Although it’s looking like a keeper)


latest was built onto a second hand frame from ebay , the rest of the parts from my spares bin and club members  , old winter bike is 10 years old and had a respray as the paint was bubbling and chipped to bits


----------



## matticus (5 Aug 2021)

Punkawallah said:


> ‘Winter club ride bike’ :-)
> Still luxuriating in this heady ‘multiple bikes’ atmosphere!


If you've ever worn out most of the parts on one bike, you can justify owning two on a simple numbers basis (not that anyone _needs _to justify such things!).

Like owning two pairs of shoes - in the long run, it won't cost you any more than just owning one at a time!


----------



## Ian H (5 Aug 2021)

Well, having spent quite a lot of money avoiding having a complete groupset, I'm puzzled.


----------



## Gravity Aided (14 Aug 2021)

When I stripped about 15 coats of paint off a bike the co-op was going to throw away, to find a Raleigh Competition. I'm forsaking the period Campagnolo for SunTour, though. Works better, IMHO.


----------



## slowmotion (14 Aug 2021)

matticus said:


> Clarks brake pads?!?


They work. I bought some Koolstops once. Never again. £18? I must have been mad.


----------



## Blue Hills (14 Aug 2021)

slowmotion said:


> They work. I bought some Koolstops once. Never again. £18? I must have been mad.


they are supposed to be magical aren't they?
particularly the salmons?


----------



## slowmotion (14 Aug 2021)

Blue Hills said:


> they are supposed to be magical aren't they?
> particularly the salmons?


So are Bose speakers, Dualit toasters, and Dyson vacuum cleaners.


----------



## Blue Hills (14 Aug 2021)

slowmotion said:


> So are Bose speakers, Dualit toasters, and Dyson vacuum cleaners.



were the ones you bought the revered salmons?
If so would be interested in your experience.
What I find interesting, is if they are so mind bogglingly great compared to others, why has no-one else apparently used a similar miracle compound? Or quite possibly they do.


----------



## Tail End Charlie (14 Aug 2021)

I've used Koolstop salmons. I didn't find them anything special and now happily use Clark pads.


----------



## slowmotion (14 Aug 2021)

^^^^ Wot he said. I find Clarks are at least as good as Salmons were. They stop the bike when I want them to.


----------



## matticus (15 Aug 2021)

slowmotion said:


> They work. I bought some Koolstops once. Never again. £18? I must have been mad.


😄
You've missed the point: they don't match the OPs Campag brakes/parts.

(Plenty of comments by Blue Hills about KoolStops on another thread 👍 Has he tried some yet?)


----------



## Blue Hills (15 Aug 2021)

matticus said:


> 😄
> You've missed the point: they don't match the OPs Campag brakes/parts.
> 
> (Plenty of comments by Blue Hills about KoolStops on another thread 👍 Has he tried some yet?)


no - I have a ton of brake pads from a top secret british supplier I sourced for very little.
I had been considering trying some koolstops but the folks above, esteemed folks' comments plus likes to negative comments from other esteemed folk have rather put me off bothering with an experiment - will see.
Maybe a separate thread koolstop salmons yes or no should be started so that the chat research pool can be deployed.
(though I fear such a thread may get as heated as the dreaded Garmin Wahoo debate and get locked)


----------



## TheDoctor (15 Aug 2021)

At the risk of going OT and then banning myself, the pink Clarke pads are pretty good. Koolstops are a bit spendy for my liking.


----------



## matticus (15 Aug 2021)

TheDoctor said:


> At the risk of going OT and then banning myself, the pink Clarke pads are pretty good. Koolstops are a bit spendy for my liking.


Will they match my pink KoolStops?
Might be an all-or-nothing situation ...


----------



## TheDoctor (15 Aug 2021)

matticus said:


> Will they match my pink KoolStops?
> Might be an all-or-nothing situation ...


I can vouch that pink Ckarks on a Sora brake will stop 110 kg of bike and me going down a mountain at 50+ mph. I'm sure Koolstops would be at least as good.


----------



## mickle (15 Aug 2021)

Have you seen the price of Campag inserts!?! I'm sticking with these Clarks jobs until i find the original Campag shoes. Which I *know* are in the garage somewhere...


----------



## davidphilips (16 Aug 2021)

Only my view on expensive/cheap brake pads, Have bought and used kool stop and dt swiss plus many other brake inserts/pads etc and tbh dont notice much if any difference between expensive and even very cheap makes.
There must be some difference and from what i have read the more expensive brake pads are less inclined to get bits of alloy ingrained in them and so better for your rims?
My own view now is just buy what ever seems good value or is on sale, check them and your rims often and keep the rims and pads clean.

As for when a hack bike stop being a hack, Easy when you start to give it tlc.


----------



## Milzy (16 Aug 2021)

If you can hold 20 mph for one hour then it’s not a hack bike.


----------



## DCBassman (17 Aug 2021)

davidphilips said:


> As for when a hack bike stop being a hack, Easy when you start to give it tlc.


This. Any bike you take care of isn't a hack.


----------



## TheDoctor (2 Sep 2021)

Milzy said:


> If you can hold 20 mph for one hour then it’s not a hack bike.


That makes all my bikes hacks 
I could maintain 20mph for an hour during a leisurely ride down a bloody big hill. Possibly with a tailwind.


----------



## Alembicbassman (3 Sep 2021)

I bought a tatty mid 90s Gazelle road bike for £65 with a Campag Chorus graphite rear mech and Mavic Starfish chainset. Those two parts alone went for more than double the price I paid for the whole bike.

I was using a 1994 Diamondback MTB to get to work on that cost £15 . Just broken it up for parts which made £90.


----------

