After seeing photos and reading descriptions of the Hooker Frame on this board for a while, I set upon getting one for myself.
I finally found one on Ebay, and won the bid. It was in OK shape with a few dents on the top tube and down tube. Neither of
which were described in the auction description. It was in a condition that was ridable, but not great.
After the first build, with leftover parts, I decided that it would fit. I then set upon a quest to find someone who could restore it.
I found a guy here in Denver who not only restores high end autos, but paints and restores bikes. A guy named Tim Smith. He came over to my house and
we talked about what I wanted - he lived ‘around the corner’ ! His finished product is amazing - The color changed from the original
white to a black background with TruFire Flames painted in such a way that they only appear at the correct angle and in the sun.
When I pass people the flames come out and hiss at them !!!
The rest of the build is D/A 10 speed. Wheels are my classic Zipps.
Let me know what you guys think!!! In other words, Pimp my Hooker !!
Oh yea, sorry about the size, I dont know how to rescale !!!
The cockpit:
The TruFire Flames on the stem that cover the entire frame.
Nits… I’d switch the Carbon Strykes around so they clamp next to the stem – you can still get pretty much the same hand position, but the cable run will be a lot cleaner. Put the extensions under the bar and attach the pad supports onto the bar clamp. Just some thoughts.
Brakes… I know the Delta has no cam to open them up (they were paired with the Campy levers that had a button that allowed the lever to open up), and you’ve got them paired with Profile QS2 levers, which also have no cam to allow them to open. So what do you do when you swap wheels, or (heaven forbid) when you pop a spoke?
With a super-aero bike like that, though, you should really consider losing some of the bar tape on your basebar. The part under the arm cups is pretty much unusable, so I’d stop the tape where the bars start to bend. Will make a slight drag improvement and look nicer.
Thanks for the suggestions on the bars. I’ve struggled with how to clean-up the cockpit. Yours is a good suggestion.
The brakes are not Campy Delta’s, but the Original Hooker. But your comments apply. They are a bit of a pain to adjust,
and there is no release on these either - at least none that I can figure out. You can kinda say -
‘Brakes are a means for expressing fear’ - NO FEAR !
I’m thinking you’d want clamps like the Profile Alumin-X, rather than the stock Carbon Strykes. I had to get a bracket kit recently (I think I still have one of them) that allowed for that. Actually, it wasn’t the full clamps, but the upper part of the clam-shell and the J-brackets that attached to them (allowing angle adjustment). NOT the flip-up kit. I’ll take a look. In any case, I’ll get you the kit number from home (I’m at work now… shhh!). Ran about $25, if I remember right.
thanks, for the input, I’d like to see those kind of clamps. I appreciate your suggestions.
Paulo - I had the T2s on the first build, but my left wrist/arm just did not like them. I had a few hundred miles on them and after the two or so weeks, I could hardly move my wrist. Don’t know, they just did not work well.
Make SURE you don’t add an extra “F” in there, or you’ll get the brackets that flip up (some like them, I find them to be a royal pain in the ass).
What this kit includes is the top of the clamp (if you mount the enxensions under the base bar with the clamps you already have) and the j-brackets that you mount the pads to, which have a knurled hole that mates to the bracket (making them angle adjustable, but solid), and the bolts to hold them on. They’ll fit 31.8mm bars, and with shims (not part of the kit, unfortunately), they’ll fit 26.0mm bars as well.
I just happen to have one of these kits complete, unopened. I bought two, and figured out that the bars I bought it for (the base-bar on the Alumin-X, which is similar, but not QUITE the same as the T2+Wing) wouldn’t fit it.
I’ve been wondering that same thing. The problem is that I just can’t justify the added cost for the potential savings in time.
Especially since I’m not really a FOPer, and that potential extra time savings, won’t get me there.
