Wolstan Dixie
Retro Newbie
I have a 1974 bike (the make is irrelevant) and a brake cable snapped at the lever, it had frayed through. In trying to source a replacement, which one would have thought was a simple matter, I have encountered an unexpected problem.
The fixing into the brake lever is a 'barrel' cast onto the end of the cable. By 'barrel' I mean a cylinder of metal whose long axis is at right angles to the cable, which penetrates the diameter of the cylinder in the centre. I bought a replacement cable which, from the photograph, had a similar barrel. But when I came to fit it found the barrel was too small, so small in fact that it could not be 'hooked' by the lever housing. It was both a smaller diameter and a smaller length. The lever is not a solid casting, but a U shaped pressing, so the barrel is bearing only on its ends in circular holes in the pressing. It only needs to be 3? mm shorter and the ends don't bear.
I need a barrel 8mm in diameter and 10 mm long (or I presume the nearest imperial equivalents). I cannot believe that my bike was made with a unique cable barrel design, it surely used standard components, so it appears that sometime in the past the standard barrel dimensions were changed. If so it seems unlikely I am the first to encounter this problem?
Any suggestions gratefully received.
The fixing into the brake lever is a 'barrel' cast onto the end of the cable. By 'barrel' I mean a cylinder of metal whose long axis is at right angles to the cable, which penetrates the diameter of the cylinder in the centre. I bought a replacement cable which, from the photograph, had a similar barrel. But when I came to fit it found the barrel was too small, so small in fact that it could not be 'hooked' by the lever housing. It was both a smaller diameter and a smaller length. The lever is not a solid casting, but a U shaped pressing, so the barrel is bearing only on its ends in circular holes in the pressing. It only needs to be 3? mm shorter and the ends don't bear.
I need a barrel 8mm in diameter and 10 mm long (or I presume the nearest imperial equivalents). I cannot believe that my bike was made with a unique cable barrel design, it surely used standard components, so it appears that sometime in the past the standard barrel dimensions were changed. If so it seems unlikely I am the first to encounter this problem?
Any suggestions gratefully received.
![IMG_4143[1].JPG](https://www.retrobike.co.uk/data/attachments/380/380370-0087b50ac6f789d6f8c746b428e96cb9.jpg "IMG_4143[1].JPG")
![IMG_4144[1].JPG](https://www.retrobike.co.uk/data/attachments/380/380371-2252ec2e8fdd9ef768fe2e1f085773ce.jpg "IMG_4144[1].JPG")
