Claud Butler - Carpenter - Vintage Bike - Wheel Help
- Thread starter WhtANightmare
- Start date
WhtANightmare
Devout Dirtbag
Thank you 
WhtANightmare
Devout Dirtbag
Whilst awaiting the spokes to arrive thought I'd at least try and give the hub a bit of a scrub, and attempted to do a first try of a handlebar wrap. I opted for a cork wrap currently due to price of leather wraps, I can always swap them out as and when I complete/have used the bike. Only had a chance to do one handlebar before the child inadvertently woke from his slumber to ruin my hobby time 
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WhtANightmare
Devout Dirtbag
Ok next newbie question. If I was wanting to replace the cables for the brakes and gears, is there anything in particular I need to look for to know what to buy as a replacement? Some of the cable housings are very brittle and cracked, and the crimped ends are loose from the cable itself etc. So if I could refresh with new versions I think it would be safer/more reliable?
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
The brake cables are a straight swap. Be careful with the Huret cables, from memory the earlier Huret had different nipples compared to todays gear cables. Larger diameter and thinner. @Woz @vcballbat will know for certain.
vcballbat
Senior Retro Guru
Just had to file the top of the nipple slightly
and with a lot of inner cable on show go for stainless steel, looks so much better Post in thread 'RALEIGH SBDU 753 DYNAFLITE.... 'Manager Special'' https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads/raleigh-sbdu-753-dynaflite-manager-special.437747/post-3202407
Newer cables, like Shimano standard sets, with teflon inners tend to come wider than the old stuff and may not fit.
Can't remember the diameters of the outers but I've seen horrendously skinny stuff on French bikes. Sometimes you can use thicker cables by changing ferrules.
At one point Huret did have a different nipple end for gears at the lever end, but I think by the late 70s they made stuff so any cable could fit (it's the bottom one. They are still available. Re-cabling the gears will be more involved and is less of a safety concern.
Can't remember the diameters of the outers but I've seen horrendously skinny stuff on French bikes. Sometimes you can use thicker cables by changing ferrules.
At one point Huret did have a different nipple end for gears at the lever end, but I think by the late 70s they made stuff so any cable could fit (it's the bottom one. They are still available. Re-cabling the gears will be more involved and is less of a safety concern.
Guinessisgoodforyou
rBotM Winner
The Black Diamond I rebuilt for my mate had very different gear cable nipple.
WhtANightmare
Devout Dirtbag
I assume the only nipple ends are usually fairly exposed, as such the only one I could easily see was as per the blue circled photo. Everything else looks/appears to be just a clamped wire end? Not sure where the second lever cable terminates either, I assume it's within the lever mechanism?
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Yeah. Would be best to re-cable that after a deep clean.
While I'm not totally familiar with this Huret gear set I can guess a lot from working on similar period Simplex stuff. Was a massive learning curve for me. The other gear cable is hidden inside the larger barrel in the left hand rear derailleur shifter. These are fiddly and borderline frustrating to work on. The French didn't bother with ferrules, instead they removed a portion of the outer plastic so that is normal for the rear derailleur.
It's imperative to organise your work with lots of containers, degreasing agents, metric open ended spanners, long nose pliers, and impossible to find ultra thin blade screwdrivers. Ideally you need the exploded diagrams too. It good to take photos as you go.
This front derailleur is the same period, but you have the cable pull version which will be a bit more complex:
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads...🛠️-the-merlot-aftermath-🍷.450638/post-3314973
The rear derailleur will be a fiddle - I would recommend only removing the pulley wheels for a service.
Your first task will be to break the chain really.
While I'm not totally familiar with this Huret gear set I can guess a lot from working on similar period Simplex stuff. Was a massive learning curve for me. The other gear cable is hidden inside the larger barrel in the left hand rear derailleur shifter. These are fiddly and borderline frustrating to work on. The French didn't bother with ferrules, instead they removed a portion of the outer plastic so that is normal for the rear derailleur.
It's imperative to organise your work with lots of containers, degreasing agents, metric open ended spanners, long nose pliers, and impossible to find ultra thin blade screwdrivers. Ideally you need the exploded diagrams too. It good to take photos as you go.
This front derailleur is the same period, but you have the cable pull version which will be a bit more complex:
https://www.retrobike.co.uk/threads...🛠️-the-merlot-aftermath-🍷.450638/post-3314973
The rear derailleur will be a fiddle - I would recommend only removing the pulley wheels for a service.
Your first task will be to break the chain really.
