Good price on stainless brake cables

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SimonCelsa
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Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by SimonCelsa »

Just a quick heads up;

Clarks stainless brake cables currently at a reasonable price at Halfords. I've had these for 99p before despite the tag price showing £5 - I don't think anyone would pay a fiver for a piece of wire but £1.79 is pretty good. I've fitted these to a couple of bikes and always had good service. Apologies if this post is in the wrong section. My local Halfords actually had them for £3 on the tag so you might have to ask for the 'online' price at the checkout.


brake cable.JPG
rogerzilla
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by rogerzilla »

How smooth are they, if you run a fingernail along them?
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Sweep
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by Sweep »

rogerzilla wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 12:20pm How smooth are they, if you run a fingernail along them?
:) somewhat subjective lab test?
do you have an industry standard zilla fingernail deposited in a swiss lab?
thanks for the heads up OP.

I did try to start a bargains thread for such tips.

its somewhere on here - may add link as an edit if I manage to find.
Sweep
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Sweep
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by Sweep »

edit (as potentially plugged by me above)
here is the stub thread, only two posts, by me :)

viewtopic.php?t=154857

maybe everyone is loaded on here?
Sweep
alexnharvey
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by alexnharvey »

Love a bargain but willing to pay a little more for polished or die drawn cables.
Valbrona
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by Valbrona »

Love a bargain but ... would rather swim in shark infested waters than have the job of threading freyed-end cables.
I should coco.
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SimonCelsa
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by SimonCelsa »

rogerzilla wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 12:20pm How smooth are they, if you run a fingernail along them?
Just performed a quick fingernail smoothness test and can state the findings as:

'very smooth, but also noticeably 'ribbed' - obviously due to the 'lay up' of the individual strands'

clarks sus.jpg
clarks sus2.jpg

I think they'll be good!
peetee
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by peetee »

You might want to see if the packaging states if they are ‘pre-stretched’. Their near-identically packaged galvanised cables do give a fair bit in use and require a fair bit of adjustment.
The older I get the more I’m inclined to act my shoe size, not my age.
rogerzilla
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by rogerzilla »

I find holding the brake lever on hard for a minute or so takes out most of the stretch in a new cable. I don't think the metal actually creeps, but the strands pull together more tightly.
mattheus
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by mattheus »

Sweep wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 3:59pm
rogerzilla wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 12:20pm How smooth are they, if you run a fingernail along them?
:) somewhat subjective lab test?
do you have an industry standard zilla fingernail deposited in a swiss lab?
https://www.engineersedge.com/manufactu ... _13071.htm

You can learn something here every day if you pay attention :)
PH
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by PH »

SimonCelsa wrote: 29 Mar 2023, 6:34pm £1.79 is pretty good.
£1.61 with a CUK or BC 10% discount is even better.
OTOH I haven't put price at the top of my criteria for brake cables, I have no way of knowing the quality of these, but my experience of other Clarkes products has been mixed. Evan on an all weather bike I get at least a couple of years from a brake cable, I'm rich enough that saving 70p a year is inconsequential.
I'm currently using Ashima Action+, £3 from several sellers inc SJS, smoothed and pre stretched. OK, that doesn't have the convenience of popping into Halfords for one, but I like to keep a couple of spare cables at hand, ready to use. When I use one I'll replenish next time I'm shopping online.
rogerzilla
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by rogerzilla »

Sweep wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 3:59pm
rogerzilla wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 12:20pm How smooth are they, if you run a fingernail along them?
:) somewhat subjective lab test?
do you have an industry standard zilla fingernail deposited in a swiss lab?
thanks for the heads up OP.

I did try to start a bargains thread for such tips.

its somewhere on here - may add link as an edit if I manage to find.
:D

Shimano ones are drawn through a die after being wound, which makes them smoother (translating into a smoother lever action).
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SimonCelsa
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by SimonCelsa »

PH wrote: 31 Mar 2023, 9:52am
SimonCelsa wrote: 29 Mar 2023, 6:34pm £1.79 is pretty good.
£1.61 with a CUK or BC 10% discount is even better.
Unfortunately the discount is only 8% now, I noticed this a few weeks ago when costing up some new tyres. Money's short, times are hard etc!!
keyboardmonkey
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by keyboardmonkey »

Valbrona wrote: 30 Mar 2023, 10:45pm Love a bargain but ... would rather swim in shark infested waters than have the job of threading freyed-end cables.
Not sure about the shark thing but it’s a no from me, too. I was offered their double ended brake cables for free to do a job for a friend but politely turned them down.

Just not worth it IMHO for the sake of a few quid.
PH
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Re: Good price on stainless brake cables

Post by PH »

SimonCelsa wrote: 1 Apr 2023, 5:28am
PH wrote: 31 Mar 2023, 9:52am
SimonCelsa wrote: 29 Mar 2023, 6:34pm £1.79 is pretty good.
£1.61 with a CUK or BC 10% discount is even better.
Unfortunately the discount is only 8% now, I noticed this a few weeks ago when costing up some new tyres. Money's short, times are hard etc!!
That's bad news. Luckily the discount I can get elsewhere, as a Deliveroo courier, still offer 10% instore and 8% online. I think I'll top mine up before it reduces.
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